I can't love you, not yet |Original story|

Prologue

Madi's pov

  Today is the day. The day where the counsel and leader choose the names of the fifty people who are going down to Earth. Oh wait, let me introduce myself. My name is Madeline Alexander Jones. I have two younger siblings, a brother named Hayden and a sister named Emily. My mom and dad are both still alive, surprisingly. My mom works as a nurse and my dad is an engineer. I had an older brother, his name was James. When I was about thirteen (I'm sixteen now) he did something, something bad. My parents wouldn't tell me what he did but he was Galixitized. I will never forget the feeling I had, watching him get shot into space. That helpless, useless feeling you get in the pit of your stomach. That's what I felt. But that was years ago now, and it's time to move on to bigger problems.

  My mom rushes into my room. "Come on come on its almost time to go" she says quickly. I look up at her, and she must notice the saddened look I have. She wraps her arms around me, pulling me close. "It will be okay my dear, if anything does happen just remember. I love you, so do your father and siblings. We won't let anything change that". I nod and look up at her "if I do go, I want to know what happened to" I lower my voice "James". She nods and looks away. "Your brother had a girlfriend, her name was Stephanie. When they were both sixteen, she was sent to Earth. She went with a group of people and never returned, it set something off in James and he killed the leaders son. He had a good reason though, the leaders son told everyone that he was always of somewhere making out with Stephanie. James got mad because he thought that it was a lie and killed him". I blink away a few tears and nod, walking past her and out into the hall to the kitchen.

  After we eat and get dressed it's time to leave. I'm wearing a knee length baby blue dress that has white polka dots. I'm also wearing baby blue flats and a little bit of makeup. I don't know why this event must be so formal, but it is. We walk down to the main hall quietly and slowly, just making it in time. The leader, Joel Carrman, walks onto stage. He smiles and looks around. "Welcome everyone, firstly I would like to congratulate the scientist of the compound on their success of making these extraordinary machines that will track your heartbeat and other things of that sort. And now we move onto the part everyone must be waiting for, the choosing".

At first, it's only people that I have passed in the hall or never met that are called except for one person, Alex Carrman. The leader's son. After the first ten people or so, I wish I never came to this stupid ceremony. A girl around twelve or thirteen is called. She walks up and I can see a group of people start to cry. This place is messed up. I've always thought that. The next name called is just as hard for me as the last one was "Taise Aberdeen". No, not her please. I watch in silence as my best friend since birth walks up to the stage and feel a tear fall down my face. The next few people are called and now it's only a few more. Joel digs his hand in the bucket of names and pulls one out. "Colby Amber" a guy that I've only seen a few times walks up onto stage. Next is another person I didn't want to go up, my other best friend Tanisha Abigail.

"And now for the last one" Joel say, picking one "Ashly Smith". A girl who looks to be about eight months pregnant starts to walk up. I can't let this happen. "Wait!" I call out. Joel looks in the direction that I am sitting in. I stand up "she's not going, I volunteer" I say loud enough for him to hear. "Madi" my mom whispers but I just start walking towards the stage. The girl waddles over and hugs me, well as much as a pregnant girl can. "Thank you" she whispers. "It was nothing really, now go sit down". I walk the rest of the way up and sit in the last chair. "And here are our brave soldiers that are going to Earth" Joel says. Everyone starts to clap and one guy does the whistle that represents the compound, everyone else soon follows suit.

We are lead into a big room and close family and friends come in to say goodbye. Ashly comes in and smiles at me and my, now crying, mother. She walks up to me and hands me a bracelet. It's a beautiful bracelet. She hugs me and whispers "Stephanie was my sister, that is the bracelet James gave her." She pulls away and smiles "good luck out there". I nod "thank you, I'll be back to meet your little one" I say smiling even though I feel tears start to fall. Once all the people who aren't leaving have left someone starts to walk around with a small gun like machine and injects something into our necks. "Those are your trackers" Joel says walking in. "You will be leaving soon so I suggest that you use all the facilities in this room before we leave. I look around and see a bathroom and people start to wheel in food and medicine. There is also clothes in the corner.

I grab clothes and a back pack, I change. When I walk out everyone is eating. I walk over to where there is medicine and starts taking certain things. I take bandages, Advil, poison ivy cream, a few assorted shots, gauze, and protein pills. I put them all in my bag and then move to what's left of the food. I grab a few granola bars, some apples, a bag with dried food in it and a few more things. I also grab a pair on clothes and a few cloths.