fallen stars

˗ˏˋ Chapter 1 ˊˎ˗

⋆｡ recommended song - falling apart by michael schulte ⋆୨୧˚

Maia

"5 years ago today, the world came to a stop. Since then, things have changed. We built ourselves up from the rubble and destruction. Rebuilt the world around the chaos that we had caused. It is a special day for all of us. For Mericrest. The ones who never gave up, even in the depths of darkness. The ones who came together and united to fix what had broken. The ones who lived against all odds, and grew even stronger than before. And now, with the Scheme, we'll be-"

The radio crackled from somewhere behind her. Maia woke up with a sudden jolt, the sun already filtering through the closed blinds and painting stripes onto the peeling walls of her bedroom. Shit. She had to stop waking up so late.

Wiping the sleep from her eyes, Maia pulled off the covers and walked over to the radio before turning it off. 

She'd once believed BOTE's lies too, blinded by the need for a new start. Now she saw the cracks in their promises and the fractures in their system.

She turned towards the back wall, littered with faded posters and discarded furniture, including a cracked mirror.

A blank face stared back at her. A girl that had lost too much, and gained little in return. 

She ran her fingers through her sun-bleached hair, twisting it into a bun. The motion was automatic, comforting. A faded shirt clung to her skin as she placed her backpack on her shoulder, its familiar weight grounding her as she walked out. It was going to be a long day.

"Maia, I'm going out. They've turned the gas off again." Jace called out from the kitchen.

The blue paint flaked onto wooden shelves piled together in a corner of the room, revealing the thin, once reinforced bricks in the wall. Discarded and broken bowls dotted the countertops, the shards casting the dim glow of the sun that somehow managed to filter in.

Ripped cloths covered the broken windows, occasionally flowing in the July breeze. A singular stove lay amongst the bottles as well as a small tap nestled in the wall. A luxury, even if they didn't work most of the time.

"Don't make any stupid mistakes." she responded as she leant down to pick up a labeless bottle. He did that often. 

Getting into trouble with the police, drawing attention to them, something they couldn't afford to do. Not now. Not when they were so close. 

The door slammed shut, echoing through the empty hallway. She stared at the door for a second, how it slanted slightly, its hinges rotting. She'd have to fix that later.

* ˚ · ·˚ *

A clock ticked somewhere behind her, barely filling the empty silence.

She'd been trying to light the stove for over an hour with no success. The commanders must've found the pipes that redirected supplies to Hollowside. Again. It would be days until they had safe water and electricity.

She needed to find some cans of meat or something, as most of their food stamps had expired or ripped. 

Grabbing a pen, Maia left a note for Jace, and walked out. 

She doubted he would've noticed her absence. It had been a long time since they had talked properly. 

Sometimes she missed the sibling connection they used to have, the midnight conversations, when they would sneak away from their parents, but other times she knew it was for the best. The Storm had changed everyone.

Shutting the door, Maia tossed the keys into a pile of rocks, kicking some more to hide them.

It was an early summer day, the type of day that, if you woke up at sunrise, you could hear the birds chirping, singing along to the breeze. 

It would've been, that is, before the Storm. All you would hear now would be the occasional whir of a helicopter circling overhead, making sure that no one was out before curfew ended.

Technically, there was only one way into Zone 3. Through the gates. However, that hadn't stopped her or others from finding tunnels underground that led right into the heart of the city.

She could almost laugh at it all. BOTE was so focused on building up the cities and bury the Storm deep underneath them, where no one would ever remember it, that they forgot about the tunnels that helped them survive it in the first place.

Maia stretched her arm out and felt the rough edges of bricks graze her hand as she walked into a subway entrance concealed by overgrown bushes, her footsteps echoing off the barren walls. Benches outlined the edge of the wall, surrounded by metal scraps.

Electronic billboards were paused on forgotten movie premieres, the contrasts of the colours almost burning into the displays. They dimly illuminated the tunnel with shades of red and yellow, guiding Maia to where she needed to go.

It wasn't long till a glimmer of light cascaded into the darkness. Blindly reaching up and grabbing the nearest rock, Maia pulled herself up and into an underpass, its walls decorated with graffiti.

"This isn't real" was sprayed in black and white paint, red flames outlining the words. This was the part of the city that no one really saw. The part of the city that belonged to them. The outcasts.

Hurrying off before she was caught, Maia stumbled through thick foliage before coming across a road. Finally.

The cars flew by as Maia kept her head down, fitting in with the crowd. As long as she didn't make excessive eye contact, this day would go on like any other. Get in, get out. 

Picking up her pace as she rounded the corner, she crashed into a figure. Strong hands came to hers and steadied her.

Looking up in surprise, she found herself staring into a cold pair of eyes, glaring back at her. The person she had ran into couldn't be much older than her, she thought.

He had dark, fluffy hair, and her eyes followed a scar on his neck, down to where a well-fitted, black suit covered it.

He couldn't have been from around here. The Outer Zone. That much was obvious.

"Next time, watch where you're going." A rough voice interrupted her thoughts, before he abruptly let go, looking behind him and lightly shoving her off.

"Asshole." She mumbled as he walked off. Regaining her balance, she hurried off into the building. 

word count: 1093

edited: partly

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