The Playground (Book #1)

two

I'm stepping all over it. All her over her blood.

I hear screaming, not Emilies this time, but my own. Someone is pulling me away, taking me by the elbow and towards the inside of station. Everyone watches me as I leave, their eyes dark with fear. I turn around and see that it is my mother who has dragged me in and it is my mother who sits me down on one of the benches inside. "Wait here" She says. I stare into nothingness not being able to wrap my head around what just happened. The inside of the station is now empty and with only the buzz of monitors and clicks of computers filling the room. My mother comes back with a cloth drenched in water. She kneels down and begins to rub the cloth on my boots. I realize that they are covered in blood. I try to tell her not to bother, that the train will leave at any moment but she simply ignores me and says "They will wait."

I remember grandmother used to say that shoes held  memories of our adventures. That they were the evidence and the proof of our journeys and our struggle. If that is true, my boots are filled with stories. Today, I had another one to add to the collection. And unlike many of the memories that I had pushed to the far corners of my brain, this one would forever stand out. Mother finally finishes and looks up at me but I avoid her gaze. I don't need to look into her eyes to know that she is embarrassed by me, irritated by me, completely loathing me. To her, this was all my fault. She throws the cloth in the near rubbish bin and then leans into me. "Get on that train now." She says her voice hollow and cold. I practically sprint out the door onto the platform. Everyone else has already gone into the train. The people that remain are the parents and families; all still in utter shock as to what has just happened. I glance to my right and Emilies body is still there. Medical assistants are covering it up and packaging her away. Emilies mother is wailing at the top of her lungs. Her eyes land on me but I promptly look away. The warden at the door beckons me forward. "We'll depart in just a minute" He says. I'm about to go in the train but I stop myself. I can't explain why. I look over my shoulder and see my family just across from me. Pleione and Deeme hold tightly to each others hands. Mother stands behind them, her hands loosely on both of their shoulders. "Go" she mouths. So I take a deep breath and finally walk into the train leaving them behind me. The train is enormous with three level and appears to look much more like a house than a train. The entire room is lined in plush love seats, couches, and chairs all decorated in golden embroidery. Both screens and beautiful artwork decorate the walls and a plush red carpeting covers the entire floor. The other kids have gathered in small groups all around the perimeter, talking loudly among themselves. The chatter dies down; however, as they notice me pass by. I maneuver across the sea of eyes, trying to look for an open space to sit. I finally decide on finally decide to sit on one of the long benches right next to a large window. On the other side of it, sits a boy named Oliver Lake. Unlike the others, he doesn't look at me with judgmental eyes, in fact he doesn't look at me at all. His eyes are pinned outside, staring at Emilies bleeding body. He is fair skinned with large brown eyes and red cheeks. Like me he's more quiet and likes to keep to himself and so I can't believe I even remembered his name. Tentatively, I take my seat on the farthest side of the bench so that my back rests against the wall. I feel the engines of the train begin to power up and suddenly I feel a drop in my stomach. I look over at the window and the world is receding away; flashing before my eyes like pages flipping frantically in a picture book. Everything becomes a blur of gray and green. I cannot make out Mother's figure any longer. I can barely even make out that she is my mother from this distance. I'm breathing faster now, and I clamp my fists together. This is it. I think closing my eyes. This is where it begins.

I guess I dose off because when I open my eyes again the sky is now on the opposite side of the sky. I look around me, groggy and bewildered. It takes a second for me to realize where I am. On the pod train, off to take the test....I groan a little bit under my breath.