365 Days

Project 365

They said that 200 years ago, the population was so huge in our country that they had to limit the number of children that the citizens could have. They said that they didn't want to control our families, so they devised Project 365. Otherwise known as The Abandonment.

They told our families that in order to deal with the enormously large population, only the strongest children would be allowed to live. They concocted a trial for all 13-year-olds where they would have to use all their strengths and knowledge. They never mentioned how many children would die.

Even the ones who made it through were never the same. My brother survived, but when he came back he was more susceptible to disease, and he died from the flu. We couldn't say anything because the population crisis was affecting us too, and it was heartbreaking.

Today is my thirteenth birthday.

Today is the day I begin Project 365.

__________________________________________________________________________

I open the package and catch a strong whiff of leather. Inside, there are many layers of clothing. An undershirt, a t-shirt, a windbreaker, a fleece sweater, a pair of long pants, and a long robe lie stacked on top of each other, accompanied by a pair of leather combat boots, size eight.

All of the clothes are constructed from light, black fabric. I try to rip it, but it holds up well to my sharp fingernails.

I put on the undershirt, the t-shirt, the pants, and the combat boots and smile sadly at myself in the mirror. When I return, I certainly won't look like this.

Turning on the tap, I feel the cold water and splash it onto my face, relishing the clean feeling.

I would return. There were no ifs about it. I would return to my family.

It is 10:53 am.

They would come at 11:00 sharp.

I pick up the rest of the clothes, take one last glance in the mirror, and leave the bathroom. I rush downstairs, and see all of my family standing before me; my grandparents, my older sister, my two younger brothers, and my mother.

One by one, they give me a hug and whisper a quiet message into my ear.

"Make us proud, young one."

"Stay safe out there."

"I believe in you. You've got to come back, okay? I need you to help me take care of Mom and the boys. I know you can do it."

"Make sure you come back. Don't die..."

"Fight a dragon for me!"

My mother is last. Silent tears streaming down her face, she wraps me in her arms and whispers, "Honey, I love you as much as the stars in the sky. You will come back to us, I just know it. Stay safe out there, and remember that you are the strongest girl I know."

A knock sounds at the door.

"I love you!"

My grandma opens the door, and a man wearing black robes steps inside. "Kara Sims, age 13, citizen number 103578, is due to begin Project 365 today."

My mom still has me pulled into a big hug, and I never want to leave her embrace."Miss..."The man spots me and grabs my arm impatiently.

I feel a small object being slipped into my hand as my mother lets go reluctantly. The man pulls me away, towards the red front door. "I love all of you! I will come back!" I yell as I am dragged outside.

I struggle to get free from his grasp. "I'm perfectly capable of walking on my own," I inform him.

"Fine," he mutters, but instead of releasing my hands, he snaps a glistening pair of handcuffs onto my wrists and directs me to a shiny black car that looks out of place on our quiet residential street.

I am still holding my extra clothes, and so I ask him politely to open the door for me. He yanks open the door and pushes me inside. I catch my last glimpse of my family through the window as the officer speeds away.

"My name is Officer Sullivan, and I will be preparing you for your insertion. You will stay one night in our facilities, and then tomorrow morning you will be transported to your Abandonment Site."

Great. This was the guy I have to be stuck with for all of today? We aren't exactly off to a good start, either.

"When we arrive at the facilities, we will perform medical exams and prepare you for your Abandonment."

Wonderful.

I realize that I was still holding the small object that my mother had given me. I carefully slip it into my windbreaker's pocket. "We will then insert your chip in order to have it calibrated before tomorrow morning. After that, you will be treated to a full meal."

I'd heard that the last meals they served were amazing, but that was the only thing I am excited about.

"And tomorrow morning, you will be transported to a hovercraft, which will take you to your Abandonment Site, where you will begin Project 365. As you probably already know, the Abandonment Sites have a diameter of 1 km and will include a water source. Beware, as animals are free to pass through the boundaries and may enter your camp. Your chip will release a minor electric shock if you get within 10 metres of the boundary, and if you cross the boundary, it will release an electric shock that will cause you to lose consciousness or maybe even be fatal. There will be nobody else in your Site, or overlapping with your Site." He continues to recite the rules that I had heard so many times before, and so I stare out the window, watching the countryside roll by.

"You are obviously allowed to create fire, but if you let it get out of hand and burn down the forest, we will not stop it. We will not pick you up before your extraction date under any circumstances."

I see a large building appear in the distance.

"We will only provide you with the tools needed before your insertion. After that, you are on your own."

"We're here," I point out.

"Ah, yes." Officer Sullivan exclaims. "The Project 365 facilities. Your new home for today."