Automata

CHAPTER 2 - A Fresh Start, A Rotten End

Until then, seven years had passed since the day Annette started her new life with her new family. Annette was now 17 years old, and Courtney was 16 years old. A few months ago, Courtney and Annette decided to stay in a Roommate Household. Annette was in the living room reading a book called "A Life Beyond The Stars" next to her pet cat named Ginger. Suddenly, Courtney burst through the front door with a paper in her hands. "Ann!! Guess what?!", Courtney exclaims as she speedwalk over to the couch that Annette was sitting on. Ginger the cat quickly jumped off the couch and ran down the hallway. Annette watched the cat leave and then turned her attention back to Courtney who was waving the sheet of paper in front of her like a fan.

"Let me read it.", Annette said. Courtney smiled and handed her the paper. It was an application to join the military and it was already filled out.

"So..?", Courtney began as she waited for an answer from her friend. Courtney's smile faded slightly when she noticed that her friend had a distressed look on her face. Annette looked up at Courtney in shock. Her eyes were wide. "No..you can't..", Annette whispered as she started remembering something from her past. She mumbled a few things under her breath. "Can't what? You know I don't want to go on the Surface right? I'm signing up to help the people in the Underground!", Courtney laughed as she reached out to grab the application, but Annette moved it away from her reach and stood up from the couch. Courtney was perplexed by her friend's attitude. "Are you okay, Ann? Give that back..", Courtney asked and attempted to grab the paper yet again. "No! Don't go! Don't disappear as he did! I can't lose anyone else please!", Annette suddenly yelled. This outburst was so sudden that it caused Courtney to quickly step back.
There was a moment of silence. Annette took a few deep breaths and dropped the paper. "Who...", Courtney started, but she was careful with her words as she didn't want to upset Annette again accidentally. Annette looked up, but she didn't look her friend in the eyes.

"My..father..he joined the...", Annette began. Her words sounded like they were painful to say. Like they were piercing her throat. Annette placed her hand on the couch rest just in case she collapsed. "He joined the military..and...he never came back...". Annette exhaled and fell to her knees as if she'd been running for miles. A moment passed. "Oh.." Courtney finally responded. "I'm sorry that happened, but didn't you hear what I said? I'm not going to join the part of the military that ventures onto the Surface. So please stop worrying..", Courtney sighed as she kneeled in front of her best friend. She placed a hand on her shoulder and looked at her face. Annette's eyes were slightly pink and her cheeks were stained with tears. She refused to look at Courtney. Without waiting for a response, Courtney got up and took the paper with her. Annette heard a door close and finally looked up. "Courtney?..", she asked, but no one responded. The only thing she could hear was the tiny footsteps of Ginger, her heart, and the slight ringing in her ears. That was the last time that Annette saw her best friend.
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Author's Note: Hey y'all! I hope you're enjoying the story. I'm planning on making 10 chapters and uploading them at a rate of one per week (though this'll depend on my personal schedule). Please let me know if you have any feedback on my story so far. I'd love to hear your thoughts. :)