Our Names

Chapter 1: Tia

"Name, please! Form a line! Come and wait to get your new Name! Don't shove! Everyone will get one! Well? Come and get a name you can be proud of and brag about! Come and get your new name and get a ticket to being your own kind of Adult with every day in luxury!" Yells a woman from the street. She is the one who gives us our new names.

Names in our community are very very important to everyone because it shows when you join adulthood and left being a kid. Every so often though, the people who don't make it into Adulthood act as the helpers for everyone who does.

Hi, my name is Tia Turner. I am 15 and have short brown hair that always falls on my shoulders if it's not in a ponytail. I have one family member: my sister, who is 17, almost 18, and fits my description exactly. Besides the fact that she's older than me, she is about to get her name changed and will join all of the Adults on the other side of the wall. The gray wall stands at exactly 50 meters high with absolutely no openings. There are rumors that the wall goes around the entire district. It is very surprising since the district is a full 200 miles around. In the district, there are schools, businesses and many other things. The one thing we don't have, that I've always wondered about, was Man. I overhear the teenagers and the Adults when they come to give people their names. They chat to each other quietly about how our district has no Man. I wonder if there are no Man in the other districts as well.

I can't wait to get my Name and join Adulthood with my sister. I've been waiting for so long now. I wonder if my name will be something amazing like Erin or Sylvie!

"Tia, can you go get me some ingredients for dinner? I need to stay here finish making your scarf." Angie said.

"Sure thing Angie! I will be right back!" Tia said as she turned away from her sister and started to run out the door.

"Oh wait, Tia! I forgot to give you something!"

Tia quickly turned around and walked towards Angie. Angie got up and put a blue pin on her shirt that said 'best sister' then smiled. "Get going now!"

Tia had the happiest grin on her face when she left the house. She thought that the pin was the best gift she had ever gotten despite all of the wonderful gifts she got in the past.

She whispered a vow to herself. "I will always keep this pin safe for as long as I live, no matter what happens!"

As Tia walked on the stone path to the store, she past a hidden alley and heard a what seemed, very pained grunt, one that shocked her to the bone. Worried she tried to pin point where this sound had come from. It had a feeling like nothing she'd ever experienced. It was fear. It was fear for their own life.

"hey, did you hear that? It kind of sounded like someone was in pain? Are they okay?" Murmurs of bystanders filled the air with the sickening feeling of dread. When Tia finally pushed her way through the busy streets and to the front of the alley, she gasped from what she saw. There was a girl on the ground with a look of terror on her face. She was covered with cuts and bruises from head to toe, cuts gushing the blood everywhere onto her clothes. The crowd, murmuring about the noise they believe they had heard didn't realise what she was seeing not so far away. A few people tried looked at her funny for looking into a seemingly empty alley on any other day; others just ignored her and walked by, leaving her to her own business.
When the girl in the alley slowly turned around, Tia released a shocked gasp as she saw what she actually looked like. The girl in the alley tried moving again, but grunted. Only, the voice was deeper than Tia had expected. What Tia had originally assumed to be shoulder length hair, turned out to be cut only a few inches away from her head. Her face, was also much sharper than she had expected. Tia, without a second thought, holds out her hand and states:

"Let me help."

"No! It's okay." the girl yelled in an almost whispered voice. Standing up quickly, despite clearly being in pain, she jumped away.

"Can you at least tell me your name?" Tia pleaded.

"It's... it's Leo." the strange looking girl stuttered, looking at her in amazement.

"What's your name?"

as a smile swept Tias' face she replied with:

"I'm Tia,"

Nervous, Leo looked at the crowd. Tia noticed this. No one in the crowd mentioned the grunt they had heard pryer anymore. So Tia thought it may be a good chance to try and sneak Leo away from here.

"Where do you live? I can take you there if you'd like. Did something bad happen to make you this hurt?"

Leo looked away. "I'd rather not talk about it right now, But my home isn't anywhere near here. Do you mind just leaving me...?"

Frowning at even the thought of abandoning this person in need right now she stepped forward.

"Do you think if just leave you? Someone clearly in need of help, to just ditch you in the street?" She asked. "Your badly hurt! And I'll help you even if I must drag you to my house!"

Tia his face phase through many different emotions at her response.

"Um... excuse me, but.... why did you call me she and her?"Leo inquired.

Tia laughed. "Well, you are a girl." She told him. "We all are."

Leo looked at everyone in amazement. "You're Girls?' she asked in wonder. "In District 2, there is only Man..." she trailed off when everyone gasped.

The crowd started to question not her, but him.

"Wait, I thought Man were a made up story!"

"I did too!"

"He does look different...I mean with the slimmer face and weird blue eyes."

"How can this be?"

as the crowd was talking amongst themselves Tia held out her hand to Leo.

"Come with me, quickly. Ok? You must've hit your head pretty hard if you think you're a Man...and from District 2 for that matter? Please."

"But I am a Man!" Leo stuttered, getting dragged along by Tia. "Where are you taking me?!" Leo screamed.

"To my house, ya dummy! Do you want to hurt forever? I've got to get you a doctor! So be quiet and just come along." Tia yelled at Leo.

Leo rolled his eyes and walked along with Tia.

Soon Tia spotted her house. When they got to her front door she shoved Leo inside before he had a chance to react.

"What are you doing?!" Leo yelled, alarmed that she was pushing him so hard.

"Do you really want to stay out here? In the cold? No. Didn't think so. So be quiet and come along." Tia said.

"Why are you so bossy?" Leo groaned. "Sheesh."

"Well I'm sorry for not being up to your standards!" yelled Tia, in embarrassment.

When Tia's sister caught eye of them she asked, "What happened to her?! Is she ok?!"

"I don't know what happened to him," Tia said worryingly. "I just found him like this on the street. We need to bring her to a doctor."

"It's ok I don't need one I can.." Leo coughed up blood in the middle of his protesting. "I'm fine! I can handle this without a doctor, just...please" Just as Leo took another step forward he collapsed and his mind fell into a deep abyss of darkness. The last word he heard before the darkness taking over him was a scream of Tia and her sister Angie saying:

"Leo!"

------------------------------------------------------ Athers Note--------------------------------------- ------------

Sorry Guys but I can't make any promises on updating weekly but I hope you do read this whenever I do publish. Sorry! Don't forget to comment ok! I need more ideas. Thanks!