Starbound

3 - Room 0890

Charlotte

Two days pass by before my schedule band alerts me of an incoming message. It is early in the morning and I am on my way to the Academy, the sky is a pale grey and the city is as alive as always. I glance down at my band, heart leaping with excitement and tap it to receive the message. As expected it's from the LOE, informing me of what comes next.

CHARLOTTE DESQUITA.

I wince at the use of my surname, remembering the way my father had looked when he had kicked me out of the apartment. I begin wonder if he's regretting his choice but I push the thought away, not wanting it to ruin my mood. I continue reading.

WE ARE PLEASED TO INFORM YOU THAT YOUR JOURNEY WILL BEGIN SOON. PLEASE REPORT TO ROOM 0980 AT THE ACADEMY TODAY TO BE RETRIEVED BY A STAFF MEMBER AND TAKEN TO OUR HEADQUARTERS. YOU DO NOT NEED TO BRING ANYTHING WITH YOU, EVERYTHING WILL BE PROVIDED BY US. SINCERELY, THE LOE.

I smile to myself, it's almost time. The message says everything will be provided and that there is no need for belongings but it doesn't matter anyway. I lost my backpack of clothes last night and now I have nothing left. Nothing except for the clothes on my back and the simple, thin silver chain hanging around my neck. Unconsciously, my fingers lift to fiddle with the heart-shaped locket dangling from it. It was a gift from my grandmother when she died, something passed down from mother to daughter, although my grandmother couldn't pass it down to anyone until I came along for her only child was my father. She used to tell me that it was from before the world turned to this giant city but I never believed her, there is almost nothing left from that era. Dropping my hand from the locket, I continue on my way to the Academy, the excitement building up inside of me. Soon, I will be leaving Earth behind.

Less than ten minutes later, I find myself opening the door to room 0980. Most of the chosen are already inside, talking amongst themselves before the staff from the LOE arrive to take us away. As I walk inside, not a single person looks up from where they are immersed in their own conversations. I narrow my eyes at the crowd, feeling like I should have been noticed by at least one person. Shaking it off, I scan them for people I know. There is a boy in the corner who is a couple of days younger than me with long red-gold hair and a twin sister who will probably be emotionally destroyed once he leaves Earth. Deciding he is probably feeling similarly right now, I leave him alone and flick my gaze onto the next person and the next, until I come upon a dark-haired girl from my computer engineering classes who is talking with a group of five other girls. I approach them confidently, a smile plastered on my face.

'Hi, Bridget,' I say before turning to smile at the rest of the group. 'I'm Charlotte, by the way.' They return my smile, each giving me their name before launching back into the conversation they were previously having about what it would be like out in space.

'I can't wait to get into space,' a girl who introduced herself as Alyssa says. 'My brother told me that stars are all these pretty colours, like pink and purple.'

I roll my eyes and bite my tongue. It's clear that she has never paid attention in any of our classes, something that could cost her her life when she does eventually get off Earth. I can't help but wonder if the reason no one ever returns is because too many people who don't know anything get chosen instead of those who would have a better chance of survival. Maybe if they did choose those people, we would already be living on another planet.

I see the some of the other girls rolling their eyes too, while a couple of them shoot Alyssa disapproving glares that I'm glad to not be on the receiving end of. Alyssa's cheeks flush and she ducks her hear, eyes looking down at her shoes.

The door to the room swings open, turning our gazes away from Alyssa and a woman dressed in white enters the room followed by three men dressed similarly. But it isn't them who captures my attention, it's the boy trailing along behind them. He's got skin a few shades darker than most of us do, dark chocolate pools for eyes and a messy mop of dark hair atop his head. As he steps inside the room, all eyes are on him but he doesn't seem to notice, instead he stares straight ahead, not even seeming to acknowledge that there are other people in the room. My attention is snapped away from him as the woman speaks.

'Welcome, Earth's chosen,' she says. 'I am Angela, an employee of the LOE and I am here to collect you for the Leaders. Before I can take you back to headquarters, I need to outline what you will be doing there up until your departure.' Her announcement captures me and I find myself listening more eagerly than I have in my life, my mind taken off the boy standing a few paces away from her.

'Firstly, you will be assigned your Pairs,' Angela tells us. 'Next, you will be assigned ships and given a few days to prepare while we stock your ships and give you a few final briefings. I do hope you've all said your goodbyes to your families because you will never be seeing them again.'

From off to my left, I hear someone sob. Looking out the corner of my eye, I see the red-gold-haired twin, obviously missing his sister. I can't imagine how difficult it would be for twins to part, especially since they have been together their entire lives and are likely to know the other better than they know themselves. I've heard people say that twins sometimes even share telepathic abilities, that they could sense if something was happening to the other. His sister would be torn apart if anything ever happened to him out there.

For the second time today, my mind drifts back to my family and I feel tears prick my eyes. At least the people around me parted with their families on good terms. I left mine in a storm of anger and shame. What's worse is that I can't do anything to take it back, what's done is done.