So We Meet Again

Amanda

Amanda p.o.v.

I open my eyes slowly. I remember running out of my home, then into the forest. I look around slowly, as I sit up straight. I expect to see Jaimie somewhere around me, but she's not. I try to stand up, but feel a sharp burn in my ankle. I look down to see a large, red and yellow gash across the back and sides of my ankle.

"J-Jaimie? Are you there?" I ask, my voice is shaky and raspy from the smoke I inhaled last night.

I hear footsteps crunching on leaves and twigs approaching me.

"Jaimie? Jaimie is that you?" I say, slightly louder than before.

But a tall, strange figure appears in front of me, having appeared from the leaves. It's a woman wearing nothing but black, her bright blue hair shaved.

"Who are you? Where's Jaimie?" I whisper, almost in tears from fear.

"I don't know who Jaimie is. If it means anything, she's probably joined the government. They pretty much enslave all of the young and healthy, but kill the rest." She says, her voice is deep and soothing.

"S-so you're say-saying my family i-is d-de-dead?" I ask, my tears are now flowing freely.

"Probably. I'm Alice. Who are you, and who's Jaimie?" Alice asks, trying to be gentle with me.

"I'm A-Amanda... Jai-Jaimie is m-my fianceé." I manage to sob out, almost choking on my own voice.

"Here Amanda, take this." She hands me a backpack with clothes similar to her's, along with what look like weapons of some sort. "I, and many others, are part of the rebel force against the army. They were the ones who truly started the war."

"The w-war?" I choke out, my throat feels like it's being ripped apart.

"The third world war. They want to rule the planet, and they managed to attack almost everyone in under a night. I hate to break it to you, but you're gonna have to fight against Jaimie."

I can't even speak. I'm so fazed by this sudden news I feel like fainting. I simply nod, staring out behind her. She offers a hand and I take it, but when I try to stand, I fall over again from my ankle. She looks at it and gasps, then picks me up.

"We have supplies back at the camp. Try to not faint, you look pale." She whispers as she grabs the backpack and carries me back through the way she came.

On the way towards the camp, I had fallen asleep. I don't remember when or why, but when I woke up I was wearing the same black jeans and long sleeved shirt. It had this strange cape with a hood attached to it, which holds all manner of weapons. I sit up and look at my ankle, which has been bandaged and presumably cleaned. I look down at the floor, and see a pair of black knee high boots with laces. i put them on, gasping slightly when they came in contact with my wound. I slowly stand up, limping a little because of my ankle. I walk outside, where many men and women were sitting around various camp fires, heating up food and eating like beasts.

I look to see Alice waving at to go over to her. She is sitting at a fire quite close to the metal fences surrounding the building. I walkover to her and sit in between her, and another, larger woman. She hands me what looks like a can of soup that has been warmed up over the fire. I open it and smell the glorious scent of mushrooms and chives. I drink the soup like it's the first time I've ever eaten, savouring the luscious taste. It's finished in mearly seconds and I throw it into a large bin behind us.

"You have good aim, Manda." Alice compliments.

"Manda?" I ask, hearing the new nickname.

"Don't you like it?" She asks, I simply laugh and smile.

"You should join the rangers. You could do pretty good in there. But first, show me some more." She says handing me various rocks of different sizes.

Alice takes empty cans of soup and fruits, all varying in height and width. She places them in various places, and gesttures for me to throw when she's done. I throw a small, sharp rock at first, into the closest can. It lands inside with a small clatter. I throw a slightly larger rock into the next, it lands with a louder, scratching sound. I keep throwing rocks until There are almost none left, and there are many people surrounding me to watch. When I throw the largest and heaviest rock into the can furthest from me, it lands with a loud bang in the metal and sends the can launching into the wall behind.

I turn around and notice all of the people clapping, with stunned expressions.

"That was amazing!" A man in the crowd gasps.

The large woman, who I had been sitting next to, walks up to me, smiling brightly.

"I'm Faye, leader of the rangers. You're pretty good, and I want you to be on the rangers." She explains, smiling so brightly, her white teeth look blinding against her tanned skin.

"Er... Ok." I say, shyly.

She smiles again, and looks at her watch. When she notices the time, she tells everybody to go inside and head to bed. We walk into the building again and file into rooms, marked with Rangers, Warriors, Paramedics and Suppliers. I pick up the backpack I had been given earlier, and walk into the rangers' room. When I walk in, there are already about 50 people sitting on their beds, sharpening metallic arrows or loading up their belts with grenades. I walk over to the only empty bed, and take off my shoes.

Once my shoes are off, I sit on the bed and pull the covers over my head. Someone turns off the lights in the room and I hear the others getting into their beds too. I try to close my eyes and fall asleep, but all I see is Jaimie. I remember what Alice had said, that I would be fighting against her. I can't bear the thought, but it's too big to push away. In the end, I start to cry. I try my very best to conceal the sounds, but the tears keep on coming. Soon I fall asleep from the exhaustion.