The Lessers

Prologue Part 1

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It is the year 2881. After a nuclear war that killed nearly 70% of the human population, society has rebuilt itself. It is now separated into two classes. The Uppers, with a genetic mutation no doubt caused by the radiation, have supernatural powers and live easy lives as members of the elite. The Lessers, however, are regular human beings with no mutation in their DNA. They do not have powers, and therefore considered subhuman. Lessers not in captivity serving the Upper Society are on the run, forming rebel groups.

Alessandra may be an Upper, but her life isn't as perfect as it may seem to be. Because of her crime, she is sent to the government facility, where they strip her of her freedom and force her to work for them. But one of the Lesser boys locked in the laboratories, used as a lab rat for a government experiment, is the same boy that she encountered years before. The same boy who she had hidden in her shed when he was on the run, ultimately saving his life. But why is he here?

Will something spark between them? Will they be able to escape the government and find out what secrets the Upper Society is hiding? 

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(this is the only part of the book in Seth's POV, so enjoy it while you can!)

Seth
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"Stop!" Stop right there, or I'll shoot!" The roar of the guard behind me did not stop me, it only served to keep me going.

Faster. 

Longer strides. 

Adrenaline rushing through my head and desperation clawing at my chest, my bare feet pounded on the uneven dirt road. There was nowhere to go but straight. Nowhere to hide until I got to the safety of the forest, which to my utter horror, I realized was too far. I would never make it. I would never make it before getting shot.

When I heard the first gunshots, my plan changed. I swerved to the right, jumping over a fence and then jumping another one. I had no idea where I was going but it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was to get away. Aware that I was now in an Upper Society residential area, I realised the guards would be more hesitant to shoot at me, in fear of harming one of their own kind. Unlike the Lessers, an Upper's life was valued.

I think I lost them! There were no more gunshots to be heard, only an eerie silence, but I kept running like my life depended on it. Which it did.

And then, silence no more.

This time it wasn't the guards, but an angry Upper man, with a trembling wife behind him, still wearing her house slippers and a robe, disheveled hair pointing every which way. The look on her face was of pure and utter horror, as if she was seeing a monster from her worst nightmares when she looked at me. Her husband, however, had the face of a hunter almost gleefully about to go for the kill. "We called the guards, but you'll already be dead, boy!".

The sound of gunshots filled the air again as they hit the wood that I'd been standing in front of just moments before. Crouching behind a hedge, trapped, knowing if I came out from behind it the man would shoot at me, I knew I had to make a run for it anyways. It was either that or let the guards catch up to me. With a giant pounce, I went for the hedges and straight on to another road.

BANG BANG. BANG.

Excruciating pain in my abdomen clouded my mind for a fraction of a second. I'd been shot. Stumbling, I kept running, slower now, clutching my stomach. Ducking behind a shed in front of a new house, panting and leaning heavily on the shed, I tried to assess the damage. I was bleeding profusely and the pain was unbearable.

A metal clanging sounded behind me. The action of turning around alone almost made me faint, and when I saw the young girl standing there, mouth open in shock, I tried to face the fact that I was going to die. The question was what would get to me first. The gunshot wound, or the girl, who would undoubtably call for the guards and have me killed. I was too weak to run now. Looking down at myself for the first time since the man shot me, I noticed the surreal river of blood. My blood.

I don't want to die.

I stared at the girl. She stared back, taking me in, trying to process what she should do, just as I was doing to her. She had dark blonde hair and she looked about my age, maybe a little younger. She must've been around the age of 16.

Looking around her, she approached me. I just stared at her, leaning on the shed, heaving. She got closer to me.

I closed my eyes. Didn't move.

Nothing I can do.

"Get in the shed, you can hide in there. They won't find you."

What?

Giving her an incredulous look, I didn't move an inch.

Does she realize that I am a Lesser? My brand is clearly visible, and anyways, she certainly couldn't have mistaken me for anything else, I am covered in dirt and blood and I'm not wearing shoes. Besides, an Upper probably wouldn't be too bothered by a gunshot wound as they could probably heal themselves, and they wouldn't be running from the guards in the first place.

She had to know I was a Lesser.

Then why?

"Hurry!", she whispered. "We don't have much time."

I didn't have a choice. Even if it was a trick, I couldn't see any better options and maybe this girl really could help me. She got closer.

Stumbling to her, I struggled to get up and into the open door. She put her hand on my arm to help me, but I flinched away as if her touch had burned me. I didn't trust her, not one bit.

"Let me help you." She whispered softly.

"Is this a trick? Why are you helping me?" I wheezed, my voice faint, still clutching my side.

She took my arm, and this time I was too tired to fight her off. I leaned on her, letting her support as much as she could of my much taller and much heavier frame. She was leading me through a hallway.

"They were going to kill you." She said simply, breathing hard at the effort it was taking her to practically carry me.

She closed the door behind us. Damn, I hadn't realized the shed was that big, it had seemed smaller from the outside. It was dark, with just piles and piles of boxes filled with random stuff. She stopped, letting go of me and letting me lean against the wall. I slid down slowly, groaning in pain.

"What now?" I gasped.

She crouched down in front of me, staring into my eyes once again. "I'm gonna try my best to heal you." She looked apologetically. "I'm not exactly great with my powers yet... But I think I can help."

A little alarmed, but still not seeing any other choices, I let her slide off my shirt and press her hands on my bleeding side. On her knees in front of me, she concentrated hard, her eyebrows scrunching together.

"This is going to hurt", she whispered.

It did. It hurt a lot. It felt like I was getting shot all over again, except this time instead of the bullet embedding itself in my abdomen, it was making its way out. I grunted in pain. When my vision started to blur, I focused on her face. She was quite beautiful, and if she had been one of the Lesser girls from our refugee camp I surely would have fancied her. But she was an Upper, and completely off limits. I quickly stopped my thoughts from wandering any further.

Once the damned bullet was out she continued working her magic on me and the skin started to slowly shift and heal.

Beads of sweat dripped from her forehead, and her whole body began to tremble.

"I can't." She gasped. "Its taking too much energy from me... I've never healed a wound this deep."

The concern that flooded over me shocked me. I shouldn't care about this girl's wellbeing, but I did.

"Stop then.", I grunted. "I'm well enough. You got the most of it".

She really had. There no longer was a deep, gaping wound. The bullet was out, and the wound was much shallower, no longer bleeding. It hardly hurt anymore.

She took her hands off me and leaned back against the wall, gasping.

And then fell into my arms, unconscious.