PURE

chapter one. » grace athens.

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IT WAS PURE CHAOS. Blood spewed from every direction. Bodies collapsed to the ground bleeding out and covered in bruises. This was nothing new for anyone in the impure community; you were lucky if you made it out alive. For those who died, their bodies went missing leaving their family more grievance. Most built a conspiracy theory about how the bodies go to Azazel to perform science experiments. Others just called them crazy. Screams lingered in the air, only giving the abusing guards more satisfaction.

"Jor, do you think they'll ever leave us alone?" Grace sighed watching from the safety of the run down house she called home.

"As long as Azazel is in charge, we're fucked. He's getting pretty old so maybe before we die, he'll be gone and we'll be free." Jordyn bit her bottom lip watching neighbors die in front of her.

"Haven't you heard? He's working on some kind of serum that makes you immortal. We really won't be free of him." Grace frowned at the negative thoughts flooding into her head. She couldn't help but get that lump in her throat wondering if her family would be next in line to get beaten. Everyday was an absolute nightmare. Not only were they beat, but they lived in complete poverty. Never knowing when their next meal would be or what it would be. More than half of the impure children were nothing but bones and skin. Most small markets had been shut down due to lack of money. Most people had to eat food provided by the government and the one and only Azazel.

"We're always three steps behind him. We'll never come out of here alive unless..." Jordyn trailed off hoping Grace would pick up on the hint. Her eyes widened as she hit Jordyn's arm.

"Are you crazy? We made a pact that we would never resort to that. Not even when things get tough." Grace shook her head at the thought. She would never risk her sanity and lose the ability to love just to live normally. "Anyway, where's Alex? I could've sworn he was just here."

"Eating this great ass honey!" He yelled grinning from the kitchen. He couldn't lie, government honey was great.

"Alex, stop before you eat it all so we can starve!" Jordyn growler stomping into the kitchen snatching away the container including its sticky contents. "Are you trying to kill us prematurely?"

"Sorry! You know we just don't have much at home and here you have the best food in the community." Alex huffed picking at the blood stains on his tattered shirt.

"News flash, Alexander! No one has much at home anymore." Grace rolled her eyes as she became more irritable.

"Grace, why such an attitude?" He asked furrowing his eyebrows at her change in tone. Grace was mostly a positive person. There was rarely an ounce of negativity in her.

"I'm sorry I'm just getting tired of Azazel and his crooked ways." Grace shook her head.

"We can always do something about it. Not going through with the procedure but a revolt. Rebel against those motherfuckers." Alex smiled thinking of being free.

"I wish. The guards watch us all like hawks. Especially since a few dumb kids tried to jump the fence. But remember, academy in the morning. The city lights go out in 30." Jordyn twisted her nose and looked out the window. Most guards were back on their posts but some paced down the rugged roads watching for stray rebels. "Come on, Alex." Jordyn and Alex said their goodbyes to Grace before parting ways.

The three had been inseparable for years. They had been through everything and seen everything together. They made pacts together about their dim future. There was not much to do after they completed the academy. Some people started small businesses but most of them stayed home and had kids. Kids were common in the community. Lust was a large factor in the impures. It was the one thing Azazel hadn't taken from them. They could love who they pleased. If a guard heard the intimate sounds of a couple, they turned their cheek. That was a loophole most people used to avoid a daily house search. It was the norm.

Grace traced her fingers over the books in her bookshelf before waltzing to her father's room. "Dad, do you need anything before I go to bed?" She stared at him laying coldly on the bed. His skin was slightly discolored and his lips were almost white. He couldn't stop sweating yet he lied under half a dozen covers. HR couldn't cool off too fast or it might kill him, so Grace took cautions. Every few hours she would pull back a cover slightly then eventually layer it back on. It kept him just hot enough he wouldn't go into panic mode. His eyes sat lazily on his face as his eyelids struggled to keep themselves open.

"N-no dear." He smiled in a barely noticeable manner.

"Alright. I'm in my bedroom if you need anything. I love you." She blew a kiss his way as he let out a weak chuckle.

"I love you more, Gracie."

° ° °

"Line up!" The counselor spat pointing to all of the students. All students formed a line curving down the hall. Per usual, Grace, Jordyn, and Alex were all behind each other. At home, Alex was unwanted but at school, every girl wanted him. He paid them no attention. His attention was always on his two bestfriends. The girls that begged to talk to him were none of his concern. For him it felt good to be wanted but not by thousands of ugly girls.

"Don't fight me on this. The cane sugar is better than the honey." Jordyn giggled watching Alex turn up his nose.

"You have got me fucked up! Sure the cane sugar is good but the honey is way better. But at least you aren't talking about the chicken and peas." Alex chuckled moving up the line.

"Alex, don't you dare talk about my chicken and peas. Best thing Azazel gives us, hands down." Grace bit her lip just thinking about it.

"You're crazy! It's so dry!" Jordyn screeched once she reached the front of the line. She pricked her finger with the small needle and dotted the blood from her finger onto the column next to her name. Alex and Grace did the same finishing their topic of food. They walked to their first hour classes and sat their bags on the class floor. The teacher turned on the morning announcements and stood back watching Azazel speak.

"Hello my beloved impures. This is Azazel Walker here to inform you on some important information. We have three openings for purity! If you'd like to be pure, you must see your counselor before the lights go out. Secondly, I am happy to announce that in a few short days, we will be rebuilding the wall..." All three friends tuned out the rest letting the words linger in their spirits.

"You heard that, right?" Grace's eyed widened watching the others in awe. Rendered speechless, they all nodded thinking of the same idea. "Once they knock it down, it'll be weak. They don't have enough guards to cover the entire wall so that gives us a chance to-"

"Ms. Athens, I need your full attention." The teacher spoke through gritted teeth. Grace sighed before turning around in her seat to watch the lesson. She looked back at Jordyn and Alex in approval. She nodded her head smiling.

"Game on, Azazel."

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This is unedited because my ass started falling asleep halfway through but I did it for y'all. ❤