Breakout

Chapter 1

As a little girl, my mother would tell my sister and I stories of how the world wasn't a bad place. There were no such things as an "annual selection". At the age of 15, the boys in our town were taken away from their families to the Academy to be trained as soldiers. The girls were to be their maids, among other things. At 18, a soldier and his maid were wed, regardless of how they felt about each other. I always thought that was a sad way to live a life. The only ones exempt from this were the wealthy ones and disabled children. Scholars, physicians, CEOs of large companies, high ranking officers, and the like were able to live comfortably and not fear for their children being taken. They're considered "essential citizens" while the rest of us, the shopkeepers, teachers, artisans, farmers, all lived in fear of having our children taken away. If a couple were not able to conceive within the first 5 years of marriage, they'd be disposed of, regardless if it was the husband or wife who physically or physiologically couldn't. This whole process is not to be messed with, at all. Any resistance results in death.

The day finally came when they took my sister. I watched from the doorway to her room as my mom helped Korina pack. She was scared. She feared of how the boy she'd be assigned to would be cruel. There were rumors of the boys being abusive towards their maid. My best friend, Elana, says otherwise. Her older sister, Nora, raved about how sweet the boy was to her when families were allowed to visit their children. He treated her as a princess, according to her. Even with that information, Korina still feared of how she'd be treated. My only solution to ease her fears was to give her my favorite bear, Peppermint. He was the only thing that helped me through a bad dream or anything else that scared me. "I think you'll need him more than I will," I said to her as I handed Peppermint to her.

"Thanks, Stella. I'll cherish him for eternity," she said, "I love you. Stay safe and don't get into any trouble. Got it?"

"I won't. Five more years until it's my turn. That means five years to plan my escape," I replied.

"Plan all you want, but you know there's no possible way to escape."

"I'll find a way," I said, then stuck my tongue out at her.

"Are you girls ready to go? We have to be at the plaza in 20 minutes," my dad hollered from downstairs. "We're coming down now, Joseph," my mom replied. "C'mon. We don't want to be late. We have to be there at twelve-thirty and not a second later," she told us. The three of us made our way downstairs and met my dad at the front door. He ushered us out the door and onto the streets. Us common folk weren't allowed to have vehicles, only bicycles. I held onto my mother's hand as we walked, yearning for the safety it brought to me. There were six other families that walked with us to the plaza, all with a mournful look on their faces as their 15-year-olds were to be taken as well. Once we made it to the plaza, there were at least a dozen other families there, all were hugging and kissing their children goodbye. We had only five minutes until the shuttle arrived for the teenagers. Five minutes to give our goodbyes.

"We'll come visit as often as they allow us, Korina. Don't ever forget how much we love you," my father said to Korina. He then hugged her tightly and kissed her head.

"I won't, daddy. I love you," she replied.

"Remember, no talking back, especially to the superiors. Mind your manners and you will be fine," my mom said.

"I'll try my best, mom. I can't guarantee I won't talk back."

Korina turned to me next and hugged me. "I'll be fine. Just pray that when it's your turn, you'll be assigned to a nice, good-looking guy." I giggled and hugged her back. "Yeah, maybe he'd look like Andrew." Andrew was the guy she had the biggest crush on. He left to the Academy two years ago. "It's too bad you won't get to be assigned to him," I teased.