Rebellious

Chapter 1

I feel the first scarlet and orange rays whipping my face. The sky is a unique azure blue accentuated with tints that range from purple to pink, creating a marvelous fusion of colors. The explosion of vivid shades remains wonderful. The large verdant trees in summer have been reduced to simple forms whose emaciated and skeletal branches support dozens of ice crystals. Fine snow descends, littering the ground of the cold white substance. When I pass Mr. Peter's wagon, the fruity aroma of wild berries that perfumes the frigid air tickles my nostrils. Regret immediately fills me because I don't detain enough money to offer myself such a delight. Suddenly, the cold has the same effect on me than being slapped repeatedly. I tighten my arms around my body. An unhealthy quaver runs through my neck; the warmth of my upper limbs didn't manage to spread.

My big bright blue eyes adorned with golden flecks have always reflected the deep gloom that overwhelms me. I've never desired to lead this glum existence in which cruelty, disease, poverty and war reign. Only the rich rejoice in their lives. Because other than the areas where the fortunate population is settled, everything reeks of misery and death. The world has relapsed to the dark days of the Middle Ages. In fact, it's almost entirely true. In the gigantic metropolitan cities, including the one anciently known as Tokyo, the technology is more sophisticated and advanced than ever before and these places are very wealthy, futuristic, modernist. After all, we are in 2216. However, most regions of this planet are terrible and war prevails. In the vast prosperous city-at least, the most immense among all of those metropolises-, bloody events are organized to select the survivors who will be trained to prevent the sadistic creatures to reduce the human race to dust. For over a century, strange shape-shifting beasts have been murdering Earth's inhabitants of horrifying ways. There are already millions of deaths caused by their homicides and the number keeps increasing. That's also why the few rich are separated from the poor. The wealthy population consists of ASSE- Authorities of SSE- and the SSE; that is to say, the creature Slayers -otherwise known as the test survivors-, the different categories of Scientists working for the ASSE and the rest of the Employees, such as the Slayer's trainers. Only them have access to luxury and powerful technology.

I shudder, reminded of the fact that it is the big year for me because I've reached my 16 years. It is this year that the ASSE chooses two members of opposite sex of my age by country and the idea that I have chances to remain among the teenagers who undergo the trials and attempt to survive them makes me nauseous from time to time. The ASSE picks those who are endowed with both physical and intellectual capacity beyond average. People who try at all costs to fail in order to avoid being selected are executed. Although learning centers remain poor, ASSE provides them the necessary tools such as the skill analyzers, technological devices that detect if we give our best, based on the IQ and the sort of brainpower we possess. If they find out that we don't try hard enough, we die. Each loss of life is crucial, very crucial, but ASSE judges that the loss of young, stupid, ignorant and shameless adolescents is equivalent to the loss of rats. In addition, each year, many people are beheaded by trying to take the lives of those monsters who screwed our world. It's horrible because even if we finish the trials alive, the risk of perishing by working for ASSE after only a few years as creature Slayers is very high. I never understood why ASSE claims that every death is important when they leave thousands of people a day expire of starvation, viruses, war or poverty. ASSE justifies itself by decreeing that they lack too much in money to maintain Earth, but some equipment for the killers are worth millions of dollars. Which implies that the largest futuristic city probably costed billions multiplied with billions. And they didn't have the money to help? Plus, ASSE creates a lot of damage and commits many murders when people don't follow the laws to the letter. And they declare that it's important to not waste lives?

Okay. ASSE isn't as corrupted as it appears since it's thanks to them that the populace of this sphere we call Earth hasn't adopted complete anarchy but they could still improve their system. Despite that, ASSE is good.