Blood Orders

The Beginning

Vivian
    I was sixteen when it happened. It was just like any other day or so I thought. My mom was in the kitchen making supper after a long day's work at the hospital. Dad had recently left us which made mom pick up double shifts sometimes, but she always insisted on making dinner, no matter how many times my sister and I would protest.

    She had grey hairs starting to show through her light brown hair that was fading due to age. She wasn't as old as she looked like she had been through a lot, and it had done a number on her. Her bright blue eyes held so many emotions either from her past or the things she saw in her line of work. I smiled as I realized she was still wearing her scrubs from work. I silently laughed to myself because she always had time to do everything except change into normal clothes.

    My sister, Lucy, was sitting on the couch. She was either playing a game on her phone or texting the person she recently got in a relationship with. It kind of upset me that she wouldn't tell me who it was, but I had a feeling I would find out sooner or later.

    Lucy had our dad's brown eyes which I loved. They were a deep milk chocolate brown that turned almost golden when the sunlight hit them. She had blonde hair that went just barely past her shoulders which mom said she got from our great-grandma, Cassie, who we never got a chance to meet. She was wearing her favorite sweater, which she got for Christmas last year, it was a dark green color that resembled the color of moss. She had on a pair of blue jeans that she had worn so much they were starting to get holes in them.

    I was sitting in the chair that was almost right beside where Lucy was sitting on the couch. At the time I had short wavy brown hair that I had straightened that morning so it looked longer than it was. I was wearing a random black shirt with red letters that read “Not Today Satan” with the first letters of each word forming a line down the right side of the shirt. I had on a pair of black leggings and fuzzy socks to complete my look. I had blue eyes just like my mom except they always looked dead or at least that's what people have told me.

    I was working on my latest drawing of some horses running through a field with their manes flowing beautifully in the wind. I had very few friends so I usually had no one to talk to making being lonely an almost daily thing, so I filled my time with different hobbies like drawing, cooking pastries, or reading to keep my mind off of it. I was halfway through shading one of the horses’ manes when my sister turned the television on, blaring what sounded like the news. This is when I found out my life was going to change forever; however, I never would have guessed just much it would change.

    Breaking News ran across the screen of our tv as my mom slowly walked into the living room looking just as confused as Lucy and I was. “This just in,” said the news lady in a serious yet shaky voice, “ a study that was being conducted on criminals has been proven 98% accurate in those of the age of eighteen and up. The study found that most criminals in this age group and above, murderers, in particular, had a chemical imbalance that seems to produce some effect on the brain making the person 98% likely to kill. This imbalance has been named the killer chemical.”

    I looked at the screen in shock knowing somehow this spelled trouble for me. I had heard about this study at school from my teacher, but I never would have guessed something like this would happen. I was brought out of my thoughts when the news lady continued talking. “Our Great Superiors have decided that they will make changes based on their findings,” she said, “starting with everyone from the age of eighteen and up getting their blood checked for this imbalance.”

    Mom turned off the tv and told us that dinner was ready. Dinner was mashed potatoes with gravy, some carrots, broccoli, and leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. We ate in silence well my mom and sister ate in silence, I sat there still trying to process how much this news was going to change our lives. After dinner, I went to my room and laid there for I don't even know how long still thinking about just what exactly this meant. Before I knew it though, I had slipped into a dreamless sleep.

    The next few months were chaotic as everyone was getting visitors from people in medical outfits who were going to each house collecting samples from all the members in the house who fit the age criteria of eighteen or older. The results started coming in for the blood orders probably a month after everyone in our quadrant got their blood taken. We got a phone call not long after saying that my mom and my sister's blood both showed up negative for the chemical imbalance; however, I know some people weren't as lucky.

    Later that night I woke up to the sound of sirens coming from somewhere outside. I ran to my window to see what was going on only to be completely floored by what I saw. Some of my neighbors were being dragged away from their houses with their families being held back by the officials.

    I ran outside as fast as I could only to see more chaos. I see a mother crying as her teenage daughter was being taken away from her. A dad fighting desperately trying to make it back to his family only to get tased the moment he broke free from the officials’ grasps. A little kid getting taken to be adopted while their parents were being put on the prison bus with everyone else; however, not everyone was losing someone they love to the new reforms in our society. No, some were just watching this heartbreaking display take place right in front of them just in shock that something like this was happening.

    I look around taking everything in seeing all the families who were affected in some way by this monstrosity. I realized that this was not just happening here but it was happening all over our society. I felt a sickening feeling settle in my stomach when I realized that our Superiors had just started something I don't think they can finish.

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The first chapter of my first book I hope you guys like it. I'm going through and editing so