Tempest [ON HOLD]

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Give me your tired, your poor,  

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,  

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. 

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, 

I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

-Emma Lazarus, "The New Colossus"

"Name, please?"  

"Lily Hunter." 

"Date of birth?" 

"March 10, 1993." 

"Reason for immigration?" 

"I...." I scrambled to find a convincing answer. The immigrations clerk glared at me through suspicious eyes. 

"I'm seeking asylum." I stated, finally. 

"From where?" The clerk asked. 

I sighed. "Detroit, Michigan." 

The clerk peered over his glasses at me, taking in my appearance. After deeming that I was not a threat, he stamped my immigrations papers, allowing me access into my new home.

New York City. January, 2013. Much had changed with the assassination of the newly elected president. America had erupted into brutal riots, quickly escalating into a full-fledged Second Civil War. Entire cities declared their independence, setting off a chain reaction for other cities across the world to follow. Although it only lasted one month, the country had been destroyed. Cities turned against cities, states against states, and the rumor of Doomsday 2012 only exacerbated tensions inside the once prosperous nation. Laws were forced to change; passing between the cities became illegal without the possession of a passport, and city governments were granted the privilege of declaring war on whomever they deemed a threat (inside the country, or outside.)

All around the world, the most powerful cities sought to outdo each other in the ways of economics and technology. Tensions between the top two, New York City and London, were reaching an all-time high. The fragile alliance between the most advanced cities was about to break.

I stepped into the streets of New York City and took a deep breath. 

"This is when I should break out into a musical montage and dance my way to 'happily ever after'." I muttered, taking in my surroundings.  

Buildings. 

Buildings EVERYWHERE. 

I had a total of $200 in my bank account, an iTouch, and only the clothes I had on to keep me warm. After drifting aimlessly for an hour, I let myself be carried by the masses of people on the sidewalk. I didn't get too far when I heard, "Hey! Outta the way! Out of the way! Bike coming through! BIKE!" 

I turned to move when I felt myself thrown forward, and everything went black.

*Hi, everyone! This is my first story on Wattpad! I would love to hear what your comments are for the first part of this book. Also, if you see any misspellings or grammatical errors please let me know so I can correct them. If anybody could help with the cover design, I'd be grateful for that as well. Thanks a bunch!*