300 years ago, the world descended into a long ice age, with humanity barely surviving.
Today, twins Alek and Amber have to deal with the new society that has emerged from this environment. Alek is an anti-social geek with not enough research materi...
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"Alek, hurry up, we're going to be late!" shouted Amber from the foyer.
I rushed down the steps from the bathroom, throwing on my underclothes as I ran. We weren't really going to be late, just on time. Amber was a little dramatic sometimes.
"Alek!" she yelled, piercing my ears. If it weren't for the extraordinary insulation, she would've woken up half the city.
"Coming, coming!" I replied. I jumped into the foyer with her and started throwing on my thick outerwear. She helped, violently shoving on my snow pants and boots. In a few moments, we were ready to go, throwing on our goggles and rushing out the door. The sky was still dark, but the city was beginning to wake. We hurried down the road we always took, jogging past groggy people in similarly giant clothes.
It wasn't long before we reached our high school, North West Arcadia High. There were three public high schools in the city, and one private school. Not many people lived outside of cities in Jorde, as it was extremely difficult to live on your own. And with Arcadia being the capitol city of Jorde, well, it's safe to say we were filled with people.
The high school was pretty big. It wasn't the best high school in the city, not by a long shot, but it was sufficient for our needs. Amber would go on to be an athlete or a soldier, and I would become a scholar. It was more of a requirement to attend lower schools than a necessity.
By the time we arrived, only a few students had actually made it to the school. We stepped into the large foyer and put our heavy coats and outerwear into our assigned lockers. It was really cold for a few seconds, but we quickly stepped inside the building. The school had been remodeled a few years before Amber and I started attending, so it was huge for the number of students it had.
The ceilings were high in the commons, which was a rarity in common households or offices. The commons was where we usually hung out before school, and where I usually ate breakfast. Today was no different. It can't be helped that I'm a late sleeper, it's one of my favorite parts of the day. Unfortunately, my love of sleep caused me to miss breakfast on most days, so my father has become accustomed to packing me a breakfast to bring with us to school along with our lunches.
Amber handed me the paper bag without word and sat back in her own chair. They weren't very comfortable, just budget wooden chairs with small cushions. However, I could tell her discomfort didn't come from the seat.
"Hey, what's bothering you?" I asked quietly.
She leaned her hear back to look at the ceiling. "I'm worried about you," she mumbled.
"Me?" I asked, surprised. "Why?"
"Because, if I'm gone, who will protect you?"
I scoffed. "Amber, I can protect myself. I'm more than capable." I stuffed the cold potatoes into my mouth and looked away. "Worry about yourself, one slip up could mean you're caught."
