Shattered Wings (A Gally Love Story)

Chapter 1: The Beginning

"You are a very special variable in the next stage of the Trials, Clara." Chancellor Paige sat back, crossing her arms casually over her chest as she studied the young girl. With her bottom lip between her teeth, she didn't even look up as her small voice flitted about in the air, "Won't my appearance in the Glade alert them all of the changes soon to come?" "Well that's partly the reason your arrival is scheduled so soon," a tight smile curved her lips, trying to ease the girl's tension, "We need to see the reactions from the subjects. If they aren't able to handle a simple change like a girl arriving in the box, then they won't be ready to face the other variables we have aligned for them in the future."

Wide green eyes lifted in fear, staring openly at the Chancellor seated just across from her with a nervous tick causing her right foot to bob up and down. "B-but won't I lose my memories...? Everything, even what you're saying now?" Reaching across the table to gently touch Clara's hand, Chancellor Paige's sharp blue eyes bore into the fear that surrounded her own bright green. "It's the price one must pay to benefit the rest of mankind... Besides, hasn't there been something you've always wanted to forget?" It didn't take long for her to think about it, the scars were permanently etched into the skin of her back - forever marking her with the images of that day what seemed like ages ago. Would she forget about those too? Would she wake up one day wondering how those awful scars ever came to be? The Chancellor seemed to pick up on the girl's curiosity, using that to fully express the greatness of such an opportunity, "This is your chance to start over Clara. Don't let it go to waste."

"He's there, isn't he? He told me he was a part of the program before he disappeared...y-you never said if he was alive or not." The fear in her eyes was replaced by anxiety, a hesitant apprehension that caused the color to glint with her emotions as she watched the other woman carefully. It obviously hadn't been a question Chancellor Paige was expecting, judging by the way her posture stiffened and her pupils dilated a centimeter more.

"Yes, he is," she breathed evenly, "We are interested to see if that will affect anything as well." A silence carried between them while Clara tried to process the information, contemplating the pros and cons of going through with the experiment. She would lose everything...all the memories of her family, friends, him. While registering just how much this experiment would take away, another thought popped into her head, causing a shiver to slide up her spine. "Are those monsters there too?" "Only as a precaution, they're there to ensure your protection; if the experiment were to be...interrupted, then the larger variables are inclined to intervene and spare the subjects."

"You make it sound like a game," her voice lastly snapped under the heavy weight of the decision. What was she to do? Cautiously gazing up to the woman who had been her mentor - a mother to her for so long, it was hard to see the emotionless mask that cloaked Chancellor Paige's face, to look back into her unwavering stare as she tightened her grasp around the girl's palm. "It is a game. Life and Death. That's all they've ever known, and they don't even know they're playing it. You Clara, are a very important piece in our little game which will carry it into its next stage. We can only play level one for so long, and their time is up. Level two, begins today." Ava stood tall, gesturing to something behind the girl where two other scientists materialized from the shadows, latching onto her arms while dragging her to the door. "Wait, wait! I thought it was my decision?!" "It was," the woman sneered, dropping the concern that had present on her face not only two seconds before, "But due to the latest developments...we've made the choice for you."

"What?" she released with a breath, allowing the two large men to carry her limp form through the door, blankly staring back into the room as the Chancellor stood still; instinct taking over as the reality of the situation finally struck her like a lightning bolt. "No! No! No!" The screams stung her throat, rubbing it raw with each word while kicking around using all her might. "Let me go!" the muscles in her arms ached with the force it took to swing her elbows back into the men, though neither of them budged in the slightest. The hallway they were carrying her down went right past their usual lab, where Clara could see all of the familiar faces of other teens her age preparing for the same choice. Little did they know, they wouldn't get to make that decision.