Resilient

Chapter One

"You wouldn't know what was coming to you if you saw it." The last words my mother ever said to me. Before she was taken by the Guard, never to step back into this house again. She abused my father. He reported her two days before my birthday.

He became an alcoholic. My sister and I never got along until this happened. Her golden locks cascade down her back, twisting into a braid. I took care of her during the night when he went mad. He was taken away a few days later.

In Creovania, we have one moto--to keep the peace. No matter what the situation is, peace must be ensured. The government always step in when it involves violence. Especially when they came.

Pools of genetic modified people started popping up all over the nation. It didn't just begin here, either. All of over the world, the gifted people started rampaging all over the world. They poured over the world, taking over dictatorships for years until they hit the Union.

When that happened, everything fell to peace. The only thing that we heard about was who these "gifted" people were. Experiments were shown across the world.

"Divya." The guard snaps at me. I flicker my eyes toward his, the stare making me stone.

"Yes?" I gulp down my fear.

"Where did you last see your sister, Jessie?" He asks, still holding a notepad and a pen between his gloved hands.

"In the warehouse where we were staying for the night." I told him, wrapping myself in my mother's blanket.

"ID please." He holds his hand out. My hand slips into my pouch. The card rises to my fingers. I pull it out, flicking it to him. He takes out a handheld device, grabbing the card. He scans the barcode. My eyes scan the area.

The rain hits the ground, shining the streets and platinum buildings. Umbrellas spot the streets, covering business men. Their suitcases swing as they run to their sleek, gold cars.

"Thank you, Divya." He hands me my card. I push it back in my pouch and head toward Josiah's hideout. Horns blast in my ears. Lights flicker on my face, blinding me. Steam rises from the vents as Josiah appears in his alleyway.

His dirty blonde hair shimmers under his beanie. The dark clothes contrast his blue eyes, staring me down as I come closer. He leans against the wall: one leg crossed over the other. His arms weave around the other over his chest.

"Well look what the cat dragged in." His lips turn up in a smirk. I roll my eyes.

"Shut up. Have you seen Jessie?" I snap. His muscles tense up slightly at the question. I stop a few feet away from him.

"No. Oliver might have. He knows everything." He shrugs. He holds out his hand to me.

"What?" I wonder.

"The pool grows." He says, shifting his eyes. I sigh, taking his hand in mine. The electricity surges through my veins. He stares in my eyes for a minute. For a second, I could see what was going to happen in his life. Before I could grasp it, he pulled me back to reality.

Dead, raw meat fills my nose, clawing at the walls inside. He drags me along. I hold my mother's blanket close to me, not wanting it to fly away.

"Why do you say Oliver would know?" I wonder.

"Well, Jessie possibly did come over." He gulps down his guilt. Anger rises up to my face, my hand slipping out of his to pass him. I spread my hand on the metal door, pushing it open. It slams against the concrete.

"Jessie!" I call out, my voice echoing down the hall.

"Div, don't be so upset." Josiah tries to calm me. He touches my shoulder hastily. I shrug it off as the blond strand catches my eye.

"I reported to the cops." I snap, turning his way. His eyes widen.

"Divya, why the hell would you do that? Blowing-"

"Because Josiah, I care about my sister. I had no idea she was with you." I hiss, turning back to meet eyes with my sister. Her eyes quickly fall to the ground in shame.

"Jessie-"

"Div, I'm really sorry." She begs, getting down on her knees. Tears stream down her face, rivers of sorrow.

"You could of hurt them. Josiah counts on us to help cover up his problems and I am not gonna give up on that." I raise my voice. She shakes, grief running through her.

"Div, please stop." Josiah takes my hand. I realize I am shaking too from anger. He squeezes my hand, calming me down. I take deep breathes, looking to the ground.

"We will figure out how to get you guys out without being seen." Wimbledon comes in from the back. His leather jacket is slightly unzipped, the white glowing in through it. His eyes stay on the tablet, analyzing the area.

"Wimbledon, you forgot your shoes again." Sammy calls after him. She is holding combat boots, holding her nose with her other hand. He moves his head to the side to get a look at his feet and shrugs.

"Ugh, why do I even date you?" Sammy groans, throwing the shoes to the ground. He slows turns his head, looks at the shoes then at her before giving his attention back to the tablet.

"Josiah, head out to the east wing. Tabitha needs help with a load. That will serve a distraction. Oliver, get the load of ammunition to the bunker. Sammy and I will head out the tunnel underground. Where are you staying tonight?" He wonders, finally looking me in the eye. His green eyes pool into my purple ones.

"The warehouse." I reply, coughing and bringing my arms closer. The air thickens, the mood shifting.

"Yeah okay. Sammy will take you there at the right moment." He explains. He slips on his combat shoes, placing his tablet in a pocket. Jessie comes closer to me, holding my arm.

"Divya, I am so sorry." She whispers. I keep my eyes forward. The pain rises up.

"Let's go ladies. No sappy moments until you get back to the warehouse." Wimbledon winks, waving us to follow him. I unhook arms with Jessie and move behind them closely. Josiah walks off with Oliver while Jessie follows me.

"Be careful out there, Div. The Rebellion rises in Creovania. Don't want you to be caught in the crossfire." Sammy turns to me.

"When has the Rebellion ever cared about if I was in the crossfire?" I grumble, keeping a few paces behind them. Wimbledon turns to me abruptly. I run into him, my face making contact with his chest.

"That was a mistake. You know that." He hisses in my face. I gulp down the fear. He turns on his heels, continuing down the corridor. I follow him, piercing my lips together to keep from talking.

The air thickens with dead mice and rusted metal. Tension pierces through the air as we come to ladder leading to a manhole.

"I would be careful out there. Even though peace was brought to our world, the Rebellion rises and The Guard is being thorough. The longer you are out in the open, the more chance they get to discover who you are. But I shouldn't be worried about you, Div. You were always the most clever one out there." Wimbledon turns to us. I nod and pass him to grasp the medal. Jessie follows close behind me.

I push the cover up, letting the night sky flood in. Grasping the edge of the street, I pull myself onto the pavement. Jessie hops up after me, kicking the cover back into place.

"Div-"

"Save it. You betrayed my direct order and put Josiah and the Rebellion in jeopardy." I walk toward the warehouse entrance. Voices from the other homeless echoes as we step inside.

"I was trying to get us somewhere to stay." She argues, picking up the pace to catch up with me. I whip around.

"I left there for a reason. Go to bed and think about what you did." I snap. She gulps and heads to our part of the warehouse. I take a deep breath and take a deep breath before following her.

I never understood my mother until a moment changed my perspective on life.