The Torn World

Chapter One | If You Can Dream It...

I laid motionless on my bed, knowing all too well that gawking at the ceiling wasted productive time, yet I still felt compelled to do it. The ceiling reciprocated my stare blankly. The bare walls of my room granted me no diversions from my mind's melancholy-filled thoughts.

I heaved a sigh dejectedly. From the choice of sleep or homework, I chose the latter. Begrudgingly, I forced myself out of bed. My feet hit the ground, receiving a thud from the rustic, wooden floorboards. I padded across the room and flopped down onto the stool in front of my desk.

Picking up my pencil, I began scribbling in my sloppy scrawl. Once I had completed half of the essay, I stood and stretched my stiff muscles. I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hands, the exhaustion of the whole day taking over me.

The sound of knuckles rattling against the wood of my door disrupted my stretching session. Groaning in annoyance, I walked to the door and threw it open. My mother's slim frame greeted my sight, her head cocked to one side and a ladle poised in her left hand.

My mother was a beautiful woman, she had a curtain of copper hair and radiant, blue eyes. Her thin arms, which had once held a bow. In her younger days, my mother had been a warrior, it was the highest rank a woman could uphold in The City of Blessed. Warriors secured our city, they were positioned in the forest which surrounded our city. They dealt with weapons different to soldiers, their main weapon was a bow and arrow, however they used knives and daggers as well.

"Dinner's ready Emily and the Tillers' are joining us tonight, so change into something suitable," mother informed me.

I nodded in acknowledgment and assured my mother that I would be in the dining room in five minutes. She left and I stalked towards my wardrobe, in order to find some decent clothes.

Over my white tank top, I tugged on an oversized, grey sweater with a white heart on the front. Slipping out of my pajama shorts, I pulled on a pair of white, skinny jeans. For reasons unknown, I always wore shorts and a tank top to bed, even though temperatures dropped to below negative at night, even in summer. I checked my outfit in the mirror, then pulled my hair back into a ponytail.

I sauntered into the dining room. Mother was setting the table –whenever we had guests she never let me set the table, saying that it had to be done in the 'proper' way—she surveyed me, checking if I had dressed decently.

Once the table was arranged and in perfect order, mother hurried to her room to get ready.

I smiled a sad smile, even after father's tragic passing, mother was the same person I had always known. Many said that after the death of a loved one, people tended to change, that they were taken over by the despair. My mother had never let the sorrow get to her though and for that I was proud of her, for being her daughter. My father had died in battle, while fighting off some Darks' who where trying to invade our city. He had died a hero's death.

The Darks' still had managed to breach our guard and invade our city. In case you're wondering, the Darks' were like us, they inhabited The City of Darks. They were called the Darks' because they only ever wore black and white and no one knew why. They worshipped The Moon, our god, The Sun's rival. The fact instantly made out two cities enemies, as well. We never interacted with the Darks and vice versa. Anyways, so when I said the Darks' invaded us you'd think they took over and started controlling us but that's not what happened. The Darks' basically stationed guards around our city, who kept an eye on us. After doing that they left, they didn't raid us or start war against us, just left. We weren't allowed to leave the city for any reason, we were blocked off from all the other cities –yes there are more cities out there, well they're basically towns— we couldn't contact them or anything.

And so we continued our lives as normal, yet the fear of The Darks' beginning war hadn't dissipated.

Our doorbell chimed, causing me to snap out of my reverie. Luckily, just at the moment mother entered the room. She elegantly sashayed to the door -with me shuffling behind- and opened it to reveal the Tillers. We exchanged greetings and welcomed them in.

Once everyone was settled at the dining table, we began eating. I was seated in between Will Tiller and his younger brother, Josh who was twelve-years-old. Will was a good-looking guy, that much I could give him, okay... more like one of the most good-looking guys I had ever seen. He had blonde hair and light grey eyes. I tried not to catch his eye too often because god, they were mesmerizing, I could probably stare into their grey depths and get lost.

"Emily, you're close to turning fifteen right? So have you thought about your job yet," Josh asked me.

I bit the inside of my cheek, unsure. I hadn't really given much thought to my future job, so I decided to side with the truth, "No, not really Josh. I was thinking maybe a teacher." Okay so not the exact truth, I did not want to be a teacher whatsoever, after spending ten years of my life at school, there was no way I was going to stay there and become a teacher.

Josh just nodded his understanding and returned his attention to his food.

"Will, aren't you already fifteen, so what job did you select?" I quizzed Will.

"I chose the job of a soldier, but to become a soldier you have to undergo four years of training as an apprentice. On the last day of each month, all the boys whose birthday occurred in the month, who wanted to follow this career path are taken to soldier camp, where they are trained. I'm going to go at the end of this month," Will explained.

"Oh okay," I said, stupidly. That meant I wouldn't get to see him for quite a long time, the thought pulled at my heartstrings. Will had been a good friend all these years. We used to be closer when we were younger, but as I grew we distanced.

I'd still miss him.

Once dinner was over and the Tillers had left, I returned to my bedroom. After quickly exchanging my current outfit for my sleeping costume, I dropped onto my bed. I pulled the quilt up and allowed the dreams to take me away. They were my escape from reality, my solace, that thin thread of hope that life could get better.

People thought dreams were silly and one who tried to follow their dreams even sillier, I didn't agree.

•••••••••

"If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It."

-Walt Disney

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AUTHOR'S NOTE
Hello readers!
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UPDATE SCHEDULE
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Thank you all!