Jump

chapter one

I take in the crisp air as my body awakens. I check my cracked watch. It reads 2:23am.
Well, it's now or never, I guess.
I push the stiff blanket away from my long legs and get out of my bed. Days like today, I'm glad I have a bottom bunk. I go into the bathroom and braid my long, sleek brown hair into two braids.
I might as well look nice if I'm going to die, right? I smirk to myself. I rub my blurry grey eyes, staring into the mirror, and assess my circumstances.
I live in a country where the Males and the Females are divided. Once a child turns five years old, they are forced to leave their parents and move to one of two places based on their gender.
The Males are granted a life of prosperity. At five years old, they are put into schooling and are given the most esteemed education until they are eighteen. At eighteen, they must get a job. As long as they obtain a job, they are welcome to anything their heart may desire.
The Females, however, are not so lucky. At five years old they are assigned a cramped cabin to live with the rest of the Females in their age's year. At eighteen, they are taken to the city and sold. Not for actual money, but each year Males over the age of eighteen have the opportunity to attend the Selling and take one Female home with them to act as their slave at no cost, as long as they have a job.
Some Males treat their Females with respect and obtain them as a housewife. However, some Males do not have that intention. It's rumored that more often than not, Males use their Females as slaves. If the Female doesn't follow the Male's every command, the Female could be beaten senseless, even killed. The murder of a Female is not even a crime to our government.
Today, my year's worth of Females turn eighteen. We don't have individual birthdays. The day before the Selling, every Female turns a day older.
Tomorrow I have to attend my first Selling. The horrifying laws of our government sicken me.
     I've decided I'm not being sold off. Ive decided I don't want any part of this sickening system. I've decided to end my life.
I love each and every girl in this cabin, and I hope the best for them, but I do not want to be apart of the Selling.
I don't want them to have to suffer. I need to leave. I can't have these poor girls find my dead body. It will scar them. I need to leave.
I take a deep breath and head back into the main cabin area. I sit on my bunk and lace up my raggedy skater shoes that are just a tad too small for my feet. I'm wearing a huge button up flannel that I've had for I don't know how many years and a pair of black thin leggings. I take the black cloth headband I made with some extra soft fabric I found and put it into my hair. I used my rusted bobby pins to make sure the headband will stay intact.
I silently climb the ladder onto my best friend Cara's bunk and kiss her lightly on the forehead. I pull the note I wrote her last night out of the inside pocket of my flannel and lay it beside her head. 
"Love you, Car," I whisper. I climb back down the latter and leave the cabin.
It's eerily dark outside. It's starting to get into the warmer months of the year. I'm glad it doesn't get chilly here. I despise cold weather.
There are no guards to watch the Females. Years ago there were, but no Male has been up for the job recently. No one really cares about the Females, hence why we live in these conditions, so they gave up having patrolmen.
I walk the three miles out of the Female District. There is a huge fence, probably about twenty five feet high. I scale the fence with precision and jump down once I'm close enough. I could have jumped from the top and gotten it over with there, but I have a broader idea in mind.
I walk along the highway, not too close to the road, because if I'm spotted by any authorized Males, I could be brought into the City, tortured, and killed. Death is my ultimate goal on this journey, but I don't want to die in pain. I don't want to suffer long.
After walking for about an hour, I come to it. The Golden Gate Bridge. I've never understood why it's called the Golden Gate Bridge. It isn't golden.  It's once before fiery red paint has begun to chip over time, but the monstrosity of the bridge still amazes me. I've only seen it up close twice before when Cara and I have sneaked out of the Female District.
I walk swiftly across the bridge, hoping that the darkness of the night hides me and that none of the few passing cars are authorized to bring me back to the City for torturing.
I stand in the midst of the Bridge and look out. The waves below are slightly choppy; the last night Cara and I came out here, the waves were ginormous monsters.
I'm going to jump. This is how I will die. I come to the side of the bridge.
I take a deep breath.
"Excuse me!" I hear a deep voice say. I swing my head back and see a Male, running towards me.
Oh no! It's now or never. I turn my head back, facing the sea.
"Don't do it. You can..."
I don't hear the last of what he says. I leap out into the air and begin my fall.
I become light headed as my body plummets into the sea.
I smack onto the water and every ounce of my body is in pain. I fall deeper into the cold depths of the sea.
All of a sudden, I'm lifted upwards. My body is being moved, and I'm not the one moving it. My mouth is exposed to air again, and I take large breaths, trying to assess my situation. 
Why am I not dead? I want to be dead. I should be dead.
I feel my body being dragged onto the soft earth and out of the cool waters. I faintly hear the sound of heavy breathing. I blink my eyes several times, and the world around me becomes clearer.
I sit up and look to the source of the heavy breathing and see the man. The same man from the bridge. He jumped in after and saved me.
"Are...you," he pants, "...okay?"
I just stare at him in shock. I'm not dead.
"No! What? Why?" I fumble my words, "How? Who...who are you?"
      At this point, I'm standing up and I can see clearly. I don't even let him answer my question.
      I just run away. I stumble up the large embankment and sprint back to the Female District not even caring if I'm seen, cold tears running down my cheeks.
I make it back to the large fence and stop. I'm completely out of breath. I lean my back against the fence and sink down until I'm sitting. I cry until I see the sun begin to peek up along the horizon.
The Females will be rising in about an hour. I need to make it back to my cabin. I stand up and whip my tears with my flannel sleeve. I scale the fence again and trot back to my cabin.
I see that everyone is just as I left them. I go to snatch the note off of Cara's mattress, and I noticed that Cara and the note are both gone
Oh no. I walk into the bathroom and there she is. She's sitting in the corner of the bathroom, face is her hands. The note is laying opened beside her.
I walk over to where she is sitting and sit beside her.
"Cara," I croak.
She lifts her head from her hands and looks at me. Her mouth drops in surprise.
"Scarlett! You're alive! What happened?" She bursts.
"Shhhhhh! You'll wake the other girls," I put my finger to my lips.
"What happened?" She says, quieter.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. I jumped, I was under the water, and I was grabbed and brought to shore. This Male, he jumped in after me and saved me," I shake my head.
"Wow. Scarlett. I don't know what to say, but I'm happy you're alive." Her mouth forms into a small smile, "I wouldn't be able to go through this alone."
"I'm sorry," I don't look her in the eyes, "I just don't think I can handle this situation. I don't want to be alive."
Cara purses her lips and looks into her lap, "Maybe we won't be chosen, maybe we will be chosen by a nice Male. There are good endings to this situation."
"I know, but I'm awaiting the worst. I could get a ruthless Male,"
"And if you do, you can end your life then. Just stay with me, promise?" She holds out her pinkie.
I lock my pinkie with hers. "I promise."

authors note
hey guys (if any of my readers from like 2015 still have wattpad ahaha), i'm back. i've had the urge for a while now to start writing again and i've finally rewritten my first chapter. i originally wrote it over two years ago, and i've gotten to be a lot better of a writer since then. i'm very proud of this, and i worked really hard on it. i'm kinda self conscious about posting again, because at my school this app is a thing that younger people post on. i'm rlly stepping out of my comfort zone by posting this on the internet. i don't know when or if i'll update again. i've started chapter two already. i hope you enjoyed. this cover is rlly old, and i'm bad at photoshop. if you're willing to make me a new one, i'd really appreciate it. just direct message me about it. i'd love to see what you can do. see you guys in the next one.
thank you for reading,
bailey