UNDEFINED

Chapter One

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It has been over 500 years since anyone on planet Earth has seen the sun.  We were told Earth wont be safe for another 200 years and in the meantime we are confined to the small space of a vault, thousands of feet beneath the Earths crumbling surface. We reminisce the planet we abandoned in flames. Hoping that it has recovered its natural beauty from before colonization.

Every day is the same here. I wake up at 6am and hop in the shower, praying I get to have the hot water this time. Once I'm finished, I happily wipe the steam off the mirror. One of the few pleasures here is when its your turn to take advantage of the hot shower. I look at my reflection and see an unfamiliar face staring back at me. My long dirty blonde hair almost passes my hips and my deep blue eyes look more tired than ever. I sigh as I criticize my small figure. Because we live in the vault with limited resources, my calorie consumption is extremely low causing me to be fragile and skinny.

I hate that word.

Fragile.

The women in the compound are forced to work in the kitchens and on cleaning duty. While the men work in mechanics and leadership roles. There are very few women who are considered able to communicate their opinions to our leaders. We are not allowed to obtain leadership roles because it is assumed we are too emotional. I wont let them define me though. As soon as the work hour starts I will sneak off to the laboratory and continue my studies. I value intelligence and the human capability to create change to benefit the environment and those who inhibit it.

I'm a little bit later than usual today. I'm normally there by 7:45 but its already 8:30am. Our scientists usually work at 9:30am. I slowly open the door hoping there is no one inside. I see a tall strong figure hovering over a microscope. I hear him mutter under his breath and shake his head in confusion.

"Um, hi.. Do you work here?" I ask hesitantly. I will get scolded for being out of my work zone. Startled, he turns around and looks at me as if he had just seen a ghost. His hazel eyes are illuminated by the bright lights and his dark brown hair moved with him as he spun.

"No.. do you?" He says, and I soon realize my mistake as his once bright eyes turn a dark and his eyebrows narrow.

I burst out laughing to attempt to ease the tension. "Don't worry, I wont tell on you" I say with a wink. He chuckles lightly and I see him smile for the first time. His perfectly straight teeth are showcased in his cute smile.

"My name is Jasmine" I say with a smile. He looks me in the eyes as if he is trying to connect the name to my face. He then proceeds to scan me up and down and I begin to feel uncomfortable. I feel heat rise to my cheeks and I already know I'm as red as a tomato, "And you are?" His eyes return to me and he leans in closer, as if I wouldn't hear him if he didn't.

"I'm Noah" He replies, and flashes a grin. My heart beat quickens at the sound of his voice. I feel the warmth of his breath on my skin and the room suddenly becomes smaller. I take a small step back hoping to soothe the intense moment.

"So what are you working on? if you don't mind me asking." I say curious to find out, but also ecstatic to find out there is someone else like me.

"To be completely honest, I don't really know what this is" he returns, with a puzzled look on his face. I look at the computer attached to his microscope. Noah is studying Earth and the nature found on our planet. I read his work as if its my own. I don't understand how he could be studying the exact same topics as me. Stunned I ask him how long he has been at it for.

"A few months" he replies.  I watch how his broad shoulders carve around the microscope and his gentle fingers adjust the knobs. "But I've been stuck at the same conclusion for weeks now and I just cant figure it out" He carefully words his sentence as if he doesn't want a certain detail pertaining to his studies to get out. Jokes on him, I have been at the same conclusion.

"Earth is safe... and has been for 300 years" I look up at him in desperation. hoping he understands it too. Please Understand.  He looks down at me and I quickly realize how much taller than me he is. He nods in agreement almost as if he was too afraid to say it aloud. Too afraid to come to terms with the fact that we're being held like prisoners.