The Memoirs of Charlotte Hamilton

Chapter 1

The City of Danta lay like a smoking ember in a dying fire. Overcrowded and filled with poverty, the people were subdued by the government officials and lived their highly structured lives by the rules of the book. Imagination was illegal and highly suppressed. Vibrant colors were completely absent from the city as well as anything to spark creative minds. The original population was dying out, replaced by specially selected people groomed by the government to their standards. Taken at birth, the children were brought up by officials and then dispersed in specially selected tasks and jobs suited to the government's needs.

One of the highest honors was to be chosen to bear a child for the government. Standards were extremely high. Anyone caught with an unofficial baby was immediately considered a rebel and never seen again. The use of drugs was widespread and rampant but the government turned a blind eye to it as they were all a part of their plan. Relationships were against the rules, but many times overlooked as long as nothing came from them. Marriages were not allowed and highly illegal.

Except for the occasional issue, the government kept its city running smoothly with their tight reins. The only threat to hinder their complete success was the group of people known as the Outcasts. This group was especially dangerous as they had completely rebelled against the city's laws and went against everything the government had gone to so much trouble to set up in the city. They had the special ability to access an entire world in their minds, a world filled with joy and color, and most horrifying of all, a place where they could set their imagination free. The Outcasts were severely oppressed and their numbers were dwindling. But they were hard to catch and very clever and cunning. The government spent billions of dollars in seeking out these people to destroy them, fearing a rebellion may break out if they were to leave them alone. It was a frightful place to live in if you were one of them.

Deep in the heart of the smog filled city, Charlotte Hamilton sat in the office at her desk. It was a small room, one made for the purpose of work and not for one's amusement or to provide a place for lounging. A desk just fit the space snugly, the dark, stained wood standing out in stark contrast against the blaringly white walls of the office. Not even the light spilling in from the window was enough to break the dull monotony of color as the view outside was just as bland. Both light and dark buildings could be seen out of it in the distance, tall enough to blot out any glimpse of the sky above. The view was depressing. Below was more gray, in the form of streets, nestled in between the tightly packed buildings. There was no room to breathe. Unsuspecting people walked the sidewalks below with black or dark gray jeans and shirts that were equally lifeless in color, oblivious to anyone watching them.

But even that view was not to be looked upon. It was time to work and Charlotte was completely absorbed in it. Stacks of paper were piled onto the desk top, nearly covering the smooth surface. Also sitting on the item of furniture was a black lamp that let off a pale whitish light and a black container for holding pens, two of which were home inside of it. Charlotte held a third one over the paper she was looking at. She was a pretty thing, with shiny black colored hair that cascaded gently over her shoulders and down her back nearly to her waist. Her clear gray eyes stared down at the paper from behind dark rimmed glasses, giving her almost the appearance of a secretary, though her clothes gave just the opposite effect. She wore the black scrubs of the hospital she worked in and the usual tennis shoes that were the custom in the city Charlotte lived in.

Sighing, Charlotte scanned the contents of the paper with the tip of the pen she was holding and turned her eyes back to the computer screen that sat blaring silently at her. On it was an exact replica of the paper beside the device, until a closer look revealed that words had changed, meanings differed from the original copy. It was Charlotte's job to change others' lives, or rather, their deaths. An important job, no doubt, but a dangerous one as well.