The War of Sand

Chapter One

Chapter One

USNA, 2314

        Once again, the world was at war.

        "After five years of strained peace, the Allied East Asia has declared war on the United states of Northern America. The USNA government has recently released information regarding the bombing of Edmonton in British Columbia four days ago. The AME was unsatisfied with the compromise the USNA government had offered them, leading to them bombing Edmonton," the HoloVision droned on, the hologram occasionally flickering as scenes from the devastation were shown.

        "The death toll is at a thousand and quickly rising. Twelve days ago, West Russia and Germany declared themselves allies of AEA, approving of the BC bombings. In response, eight hours ago, Japan, who has made their alliance with USNA, bombarded Germany with drone missiles. Casualties are unknown but are estimated to. . ." The international news reporter's voice ended abruptly when Alyce flicked off the HoloVision from her seat at the kitchen counter.

        Her head hurt from the constant ravings about this new world war; it was the only thing talked about at the Learning Center in between lessons, at the Bullet station, and between her parents during dinner. She wished everyone would stop gossiping about it. Or, better yet, if everyone would not be so quick to pick up guns and drones and attack each other when things weren't going their way. They were acting like spoiled children throwing tantrums that ended up costing so many lives.

        Sighing, Alyce buried her face in her arms, drumming her lilac colored nails against the counter. She wished she could board a spaceship and fly away to one of the multiple Earth colonies. She could even settle for the moon, despite its close proximity to Earth. Unfortunately, she had neither the money nor the credentials required to make such a trip. They were usually reserved for the privileged Class One citizens, so her "lowly" Class Two citizenship wouldn't do.

        At least she was safe where she was. Seattle, Washington, USNA, was a major trading center with hundreds of thousands of civilians living within city limits. Since the bombing of Edmonton was so close by, the government had recently erected a force shield over the city. Never before used, the tests had been impressive and it had been said that the force shields would be able to stop any and all enemy attacks in the air. In addition, the National Guard had begun to send soldiers to major cities across the nation to patrol the streets, on the lookout for any enemy attacks at home. She was definitely safe; there was nothing to indicate that she was in any danger.

        Groaning, Alyce stood up, stretching her limbs before heading to her bedroom. She pressed her thumb to the Print Scanner, which flashed a faint blue as it scanned the bumps and curves of her finger print. It clicked, allowing her inside.

        Pushing thoughts of the war out of her mind, Alyce rummaged through her closet, searching for an outfit to wear for that day's lesson. Spring had just begun; the last of the winter's snow trickling away under the scrutiny of the sun yet there was enough of winter left in the breeze to require warm clothing. Alyce settled for black jeans and her favourite winter sweater.

        After styling her black curls into a some-what tamed ponytail, she studied herself in the mirror. There were slight smudges under her green eyes, revealing to all the lack of sleep she had received. She grimaced, but there was nothing she could do. At seventeen, she was forbidden from using any and all beauty cosmetics.

        Looking away, she grabbed her FlexiPad, molding it into a square small enough to fit into her sweater pocket. The wonderful device contained all the features of a regular tablet with the added bonus of shatterproof technology and the ability to be molded into any shape its owner desired. It was a popular item among the Class One and Class Two citizens, the only people with enough income to afford them. Alyce was glad that her parents were Class Two.