Take a Chance

Chapter 1

The sky was bleary out and the stars were covered by the brown polluted clouds. The air was a haze of a mixture of chemicals. Trying to suck in the air made me want to throw up. The landscape around me was barren and dry; the ground  was a dusty layer of sand over cracked bedrock. In the distance I could see smoke rising from some town that was engulfed in flames. This had to be a dream my life wasn’t like this, everything was flawless, not barren and dry.

            “Marilyn wake up!” My sister Matilda screams from downstairs.

            I quickly wake up instantly scanning the room to make sure I wasn’t in that horrid place. I grinned everything was in place, outside the sun was shining, our front yard was freshly cut with small roses lining the walkway.  The yellow walls of my room made everything seem brighter. I step down from my bed checking the mirror before I went downstairs. My long luscious dark blond hair was still in the braids just as I had left it in the night before. I rubbed my deep green eyes and tugged my slippers on. As I walked downstairs I was crowded by my three sisters; Matilda, Maddy, and Melissa. The rules in the town state that everyone in the family, must have a name that starts with a certain letter. My mother’s name is Molly and my father’s is Matt. Coincidently my mother and father were both M’s of course there are no rules to who you marry just the males name gets passed along.

            “What’s going on that required me to wake up from my slumber?” I asked.

            “Sweet heart there has been another attack on a state not too far from us”, my mother told me.

            “Which state?”

              There had been a lot of wars going on between the perfect and flawless part of the United States call the P.F.S (perfect flawless states) whoever came up with that name must have been a complete air head. The area of the P.F.S is located on the east coast and stretches from Florida to Maine. This area includes 13 states; on the old maps there were more states in between Florida and Maine, but since then different boundaries have been made; therefore changing the amount of states and their locations. There aren’t as many perfect states as there are the Power States, which are every other state in the U.S. There are about 35 Power States; there is never a definite amount because the states and the government are not very structured. Over the last one hundred years the P.F.S has been closed off from anyone in the Power States, we no longer trade together or are allowed to visit the other states. The Power States have had a lot of harsh blows, global warming has turned their once fertile lands to vast deserts. Their population is twice as large as ours, which isn’t a lot because they have five times as much land as us, so families have been starving and they can not survive in the barren environments. So now they want to take over some of the P.F.S so they have been launching attack on us hoping to conquer some of our states.

            “Massachusetts”, my mother inquired.

I live in Fairland a place that used to be part of Maryland and little bit of Delaware, the little part that isn’t underwater. The states have changed since a majority of the old east coast parts of the United States have been flooded over. Most of what was Florida is gone but we have also learned how to build floating states with our vast knowledge and technology.

“How bad of an attack was it?” I asked with a slight quiver in my voice. I knew the Power States couldn’t stand up to our powerful force field but that attacks were becoming more and more frequent.

 “It was barely anything,” My older sister Maddy said, filing her nails barely paying attention.

            “I wouldn’t say it was nothing, Massachusetts just released their evacuation plans”, my father said rechecking the feeds.

            “Does that still mean I have to go to school?” Melissa asked.

            “Yes, we are fine here. You better get ready unless you want to be late,” My mom said ushering her into the kitchen.

            I looked at the computer screen and I realized I was meeting my friends at the Green before school in ten minutes. Quickly I devoured a granola bar and ran upstairs to quickly get changed. In mid-September the weather is still very hot because of all the climate changes the temperature doesn’t dip below 80 until a few weeks in January. I slip on a yellow tank top and smooth navy jeans that were paired with my black sneakers. I ran past my family still getting breakfast ready and ran out the door. I was able to catch the first hover bus that always drops people off at the busy station near the Green.

            I was lucky enough to grab a seat near the front of the bus so I could scurry out the door at the crowded station and dodge all confused passengers. Once I exited the bus I made my way to the Green. The Green is one of my friends and I’s favorite place to hang out. It is a large green space that has a large market place, a beautiful fountain in the middle and a park that overlooks the harbor. My friends and I like to meet at the same bench under a large oak tree and talk before heading off to school. I ran through the marketplace and came to our meeting place before anyone else so I sat down and took out my Screen. My news feed had been filled with news about the attack. “Power States try to take over one of the Superior P.F.S” or “Zero Dead but there is Still a Large Threat”.

            I clear my feed, not wanting to be disturbed by the news and checked my profile. I had gotten my own Screen just a few months ago when I had turned 16. I just gotten authorized to make my own profile, these are similar I guess to what were called social media sites back who knows when. Profiles though are safer and more regulated but are great way to spend time communicating with friends. The minute I logged onto my profile I had gotten a message from my friend Amber who was informing me she couldn’t make it to the Green this morning. “Sorry mom’s all worried about the attack she will be more lenient in a few days sorry I can’t get to the Green today.”

            Wow I guess this whole attack affected people I mean there have been many attacks but since Massachusetts is one of the more powerful P.F.S I guess people are taking it more seriously. I sighed and put my paper thin Screen away and looked out across the harbor. Could this just be the beginning to more and more horrific attacks?