The Rebels (on break)

Chapter 1: Theories

I knew it the minute I pushed through the old, smudged glass doors and tripped over the mat you step on to wipe your feet when it rains, that today was not going to be a good day. I had not so much as stepped over the door threshold when one of the bitter teachers walked by and barked at me, "Take off the hat Ellie!"

Crap, I thought, just leave me the hell alone please. Gosh, this school absolutely was the worst I thought as I pulled off my gray beanie. Just as I was thinking of an excuse to walk right back out the door my phone vibrated in my back pocket, momentarily freaking me out. I pulled out my laughable (yes I do laugh at it) old as the hills Sidekick and read this paragraph long freak-out text from one of my best friends Shannon; "Omg, so like did u watch the Morning Update this morning, of course you didn't, u never do, u don't care enough, anyway, so like apparently they're like going to start evacuations soon cause of the tsunami that's like coming for our souls next week, but like really u should really start caring like OMG!!! Like do you think we're gonna die? Like Ellie, I'm not ready!!!"

Wow please chill I thought as I sent my response; "Calm the hell down". But even I had to admit, I was a little skeptical about the coming weeks and how they would play out in our little community.
There were only about 2000 people living in Birchwood, that's the name of our city and it was really restricting. There were small apartments everywhere in the 5-mile block that on one side we had the beautiful blue view of the ocean and surrounding the other three sides was a massive 30-foot-high iron electric fence. The fences also went out into the ocean and plunged down into the water and you could see them on both sides for as far as the eye can see. They go down all the way into the ocean floor so nothing can get in through the water. I'm not really entirely sure as to what we're trying to keep out and that's the reason I'm kind of nervous about having a city wide evacuation. No one ever talks about what's out there or who and nobody asks. I'm not sure why because when I was about 4 or so I asked my mother about the fence and she told me never to speak of them and it's kind of an unspoken word around here to not mention it.

We've never been to the Zone; that's what outside the fence is called. I don't really know why they call it the Zone, but it's just one of those things you accept and don't question.
There have supposedly been many theories over the 30 years Birchwood has been protecting us. Theories about what's out there and if there are any other humans out there or if we're the last ones on Earth but we don't talk about the theories either because the people that started the theories supposedly vanished; or as I've heard, were set out to sea... I want to not believe these theories of the actual theories about our existence and the ones that vanished but I can't help but take guesses myself as to what happened to them.

I felt that this tsunami was going to change everything though, and that's why I was shaking in my black combat boots. Here's the thing, since the government is apparently going to call an evacuation, where are we evacuating to? My number one answer to that daunting question is outside into the Zone. The reason this is such an unthinkable answer is because when I say no one's ever been out there is because no one has. Anyone who goes within 20 feet of the fence is shot instantly. They have cameras on at all times around the fence's perimeters and they're always watching. The government says that this is for everyone's safety and that we can't have anyone going rogue out there on their own or it might endanger the rest of us and put a target on our backs.
But now, a big wall of water is about to close in on us, or so the government's radars say, and to escape it without killing all of us, I know we're going out to the Zone. That's the only option because we'll all die if we don't, since the monstrous wave would swallow us whole. My other fear is that we'll die too if we leave the security of Birchwood.

I was just about to go all end of the world on myself when I heard laughing next to me. It was this 15-year-old ass who liked to pick on older kids who happened to be shorter than him as he stood at 6'4 shockingly ,and I was a whopping foot shorter, Holden who happened to be in my group this year since he was of age this year to join me in my absolute hell of group 15-17.

"Why are you just standing there Ellie? You looked like you were about to fall over you were zoning out so much." He snarled just as he let out more chuckles and walked past me and up the stairs.
Gosh, I hated him! Why does he have to be of age? I reminiscently thought of last year and how it could just be Shannon, me and Eddy, my other best friend, without all the immature people they were bringing in to bother us this year. And so far this year school has been a bother.
For as long as I can remember, the school had the students split into groups according to age and that's how the classes worked since there weren't enough of each age group to have one class per year. So they split it up like this: 5-7 year olds, 8-10 year olds, 11-13 year olds, 13-15 year olds, and 16-17 year olds and the 18 year olds, they had their own group to prepare to get a job since that was their last year of schooling.

But this year they changed it because there were a decreased number of kids in the 16-17-year-old category. They made it so the 15 year olds had to take a test and the ones that passed would join the older kids and the ones that didn't would stay with the younger kids just to even out the groups.
The rapid decrease of kids in my group, (I'm 17), is because of the disease that went through my group last year. It was winter and it was super cold and everyone was being really bitter about it. So people started getting bored and began talking. People began spreading rumors about Birchfield and the government and how we're not in here for protection and it's more like a prison with all the rules here. So The officials came and checked it out since many of the teachers reported us students as "going rogue" and trying to riot against the government. This isn't what was happening though, it was just gossip, but the teachers took it a different way and apparently our discussions scared them into reporting our group.

So when the officials came they put us on watch. And watch meant that they'd be supervising our group's day to day activities in school. And on our last day of watch, there was a feast to congratulate us on "seeing and correcting our mistakes" as we had stopped our talk about the theories while the officials were there playing hawk. And there was all kinds of food and it was great. But then later that day kids just started passing out in the middle of classes. The teachers didn't seem that panicked but still they called the medical vehicles to come get the ill students. About 60% of my group was taken to the hospital with the mystery illness. All of us back at school were panicked as we watched our friends and peers get whisked away in the vans by the people with the masks to shield them from whatever was wrong with my classmates.

Of the 60% of our group that went into the hospital, only 5% of that 60% came back out. Shannon was among that 5% luckily and Eddy and I were filled with so many emotions as we ran to Shannon the day she came out of the hospital, 2 months after she went in.
She told us that she had only woken up 3 days before they let her out and that she had been knocked out before that. She said that the rest of the 55% hadn't woke up and the masked figures said they should have by now and that they wouldn't be.

After the disease there was, of course, talk as to why 55% of our group was killed. Some people claim that it was all a plot to eradicate our grade since we were "rebelling", and that they tainted one of the many foods at the big buffet at the feast. The more innocent theory that it was just a tragic accident and it was some kind of food poisoning is the more widely believed theory among us. But like everything else around Birchwood, we don't ask and they don't tell. I want to believe the accident theory, but my gut tells me that it's a little too extreme for just food poisoning...

*Hey guys, so I really hope you've enjoyed my first chapter! I'm really excited about this story and I can't wait to take it places, ahhhh! lol, anyways, if your (hopefully *fingers crossed*) still reading, comment some kind of fruit in the comments, lol. I'd really love to hear your opinions, so please comment and tell me what you think of the story so far. And don't forget to vote!! Thanks you guys! Love ya! :)