Below The Surface

i.

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

I gasped for air, my eyes shooting open half a second later. It felt like a heavy weight was on my chest, temporarily disabling me from making any sudden movements. I repeatedly blinked to clear my blurred vision, certain that I was going as fast as my heart beating inside my chest.

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

There was a loud ringing in my ears and muffled conversation in the background. I tried to control my erratic breathing as I glided my hand across the scratchy blanket I was wrapped up in. The bed I laid in was being moved, my body swaying slightly from side to side. I opened my mouth to call out for help, but came up short due to an overly dried throat. The only noise I could make was a loud, painful groan.

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

Then, it all came to me. The screaming, the crying, the begging—all coming from my worried mother. She begged him not to let them take me.

My eyes shot open and, this time, I successfully rid the blur from my vision. My head began to spin as I tried to piece the puzzled memories in my head. All I could remember is screaming and sharp pain at the back of my head. I tried lift my arm to feel the tender spot before realizing my arms and legs were fastened to the chair I was seated in.

The room was pitch black, the only sound of my breathing bouncing off the walls. My feet were pressed against the cold concrete, the hairs on my arms standing up in alert. "Hello?" I croaked, but my voice came out barely above a whisper.

I swallowed my spit to add moisture to my throat before calling out another, "Hello?"

There was no answer, my call bouncing off the wall back at me. I couldn't wrap my mind around the situation at hand, my head pounding to the sound of my heart. I tried to free myself of the leather restraints, tugging at it until I felt the burn of it sink into my skin.

"Somebody, please," I cried out, not giving up on my one sided fight against the restraints.

A minute passed before a blue dot appeared on the wall in front of me. It was no bigger than an eye, but easily noticeable in the dark. I watched as it got bigger and bigger, until it was covering most of the wall. That's when I realized it was a screen in front of me. The room lit up in blue and my head turned in every direction to look for an escape. The door was behind me, at least a couple feet away from where I was seated. I made an attempt to move the chair, but realized it was attached to the floor.

"Greetings, Commoner," a voice spoke, causing me to turn my head in that direction. Two familiar looking men appeared on the screen, sitting at a table. "Congratulations, you have been selected to journey to the earth's surface on a mission for the Counselor."

My eyes flickered over to the counselor, tears welling up in my eyes as he stared emotionless into the camera. I felt as if though he was staring at me.

"You, along with your other fellow Commoners, will embark on this amazing journey, sacrificing yourself for those you loved."

Commoner? I was not a Commoner, I was a Privileged. This had to be some sort of mistake.

"Please, someone help me," I called out, fighting against the restraints once again. I tuned out the video and continued to call out for help. I did not belong here. My mother was a Privileged and my grandfather was a Privileged. That made me an inherited Privileged. This made no sense. Eventually, the video went off after what felt like five minutes, and the screen went completely white. A buzzing noise hung in the air from the screen.

I jumped at the sound of a heavy metal door being swung open, light spilling into the room from behind me. I tried to turn my head around to look at the intruder, but could only turn so far. The noise of the intruder's footsteps echoed through the room as they moved closer and closer to me.