The Roamer (teaser/short story)

                                                                          Dakota

    I wonder how close this is to over. I looked around at the others, making sure I had memorized their faces. All of the members of this youth chosen to be protected from whatever wrath was unfolding above.

     Another child came up to me, David, I'm pretty sure, was his name. "Um, Dakota," he said, "we found the food but it tastes...strange."

     I expected as much. When I was being specially trained for leadership, they'd told me something they hadn't told the others. They'd said, "We put a special chemical in the food. This new mixture will help you adapt better, maybe even give you 'powers', depending on your need. Only Officials are to eat this special food. It is one of your jobs to tell the others when the time is right."

     I told David,"Food is food, and we will eat it no matter how it tastes." He frowned, nodded, and walked away. I sighed. How and whenever I told the others, they could be mad at me. This leader thing was hard already.

     "Hey, its ok," I heard a voice behind me say. I turned to see that it was Josh, my vice president and...good friend. "You're not alone, you got Anna, Rachel, David, Drew, and of course, me." He smiled as he took my hand. I smiled back, secretly reveling in his touch.

     "Come on, Josh," another voice said, interrupting my bliss, "you wouldn't be forgetting me, your own twin? I'm an Official too." He smiled as he said this, but I noticed his eyes narrow slightly at the sight of our interlocked hands.

     "Oops, sorry Blake," Josh said, slipping his hand from mine to smack himself in the forehead, "Duh!" I guess he must have noticed Blake's eyes too.

     "Thanks, guys. I'll need all the support I can get to do this," I said, drawing their attention back to me.

     "Well, you've got it," Josh said, and he winked at me with the eye not visible to Blake.

     "Yeah, we all got your back," Blake said. "Come on, let's get ready. Soon we'll have a nation to build!"