Border-H.S

Chapter 3

As we were walking along the streets, the asphalt rough, broken glass pretty much everywhere, I tried not to step on one of those and mark a stain in my shoes or something. The government said that everything was perfectly fine and tried to make up things, but it just didn't work. 

When we get to the City Hall, my body goes stiff and I'm having trouble breathing. I can't think straight, and the only thing I can see is the sight of me, getting shot and lying on the ground, blood streaming. 

Rebecca grabs my hand and nods at me. "Abbey, it's going to be okay. It's only for a month! And then we can go and play, of course, excluding Alex. He's too young to understand our 'hard questions'." She smiled, "So turn that frown upside down. My teacher said if you frown, bad luck is going to come!" 

"Okay." I reply with a short word. Honestly, I wanted to do as my sister told me, but I just couldn'y, you know? What if you're about to get executed, and your sister who knows nothing tells you to cheer up, are you going to be happy? No. Never.

I tried to smile, but it just turned out like I'm giving a dirty look at other people. And like that, I entered the City Hall.

The City Hall is plain white, just like our uniforms. The pillars, the seats, the podium....everything is white, except for people's skin and their hair, neatly combed back or firmly tied back. I seat on my assigned seat which I sat on since I was born and was allowed to go outside. When I'm gone, this chair would be empty for a month. 

"Quiet down, please," Our leader, Aretha Morgan demanded in a heavy tone. As always, she was dressed in white, her short, dark hair neatly straightened and brushed. Her blue eyes sparkled but in a way, it still managed to have that demanding look. "Today all teens who is 16 will be sent over the border." She stops for a minute, and scan the crowd, like she's reading all of our faces.

"It's a frightning things to do, and I understand. But for the sake of humanity, you have to go out there and learn how to protect yourselves. In this world, you don't know what's going to happen. After the war, when several nuclear bombs had landed, it created creatures, creatures that are too powerful for us to handle. But if we train hard enough and face it-you can survive."

The last word had hit me hard. Survive-you either die, or live. 

"I will call your name. Please come up to the front, take your supplies and go to the room behind." She smiled. I didn't really wanted to smile, but the leader does it, you follow it. 

"Anabelle McKee." A tall and gorgeous girl walked up from the front, first hesitating and exchanging sad looks with her family. She took her black and khaki uniform and supplies that our leader gave and followed one of her assistant to the back door. I tried to look what is beyond that door, but the door closed before I could have a look. 

Aretha went on with the names, and without realizing it was my turn already. 

"Abligail Lee," She called my name. I shivered, frightened about the fact that I will be separated from my family soon. My mom held my hand tight and gazed at my eyes. Her hazel eyes looked sad. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it immediatley knowing that she shouldn't speak in public events such like this one. As soon as she let go of my hand, I had a second look at my little siblings-Rebecca had a smile plastered on her face, holding her thumbs up telling me that it's okay. Alex, holding Rebecca's hand tight, waved at me. My dad was smiling at me and mouthed: 'Good luck'.

With those encouragements, I felt like I could actually survive this training or whatever the technical term is. I had a little hope and even a little confidence that I am going to own this and come back to the City Hall, successfully. 

I walked up the stairs to the podeium where Aretha Morgan was stading. She handed me the uniforms, water bottle made out of metal, undergarments, a bag. I was confused-how am I supposed to survive with these supplies? But I don't argue-I don't want to create a drama, and plus, I am quite shy and terrified that she's going to give our family some kind of punishment. I suppose that the assistants are going to give us more supplies once we get on the train or the airplane-whatever we're going to travel in. 

I follow an assistant with blonde hair and pink hair at the ends. She seemed like a nice person, except that my mother won't approve this-the rules are that we're supposed to not do anything to fix our complexion. I don't question anything and just follow her through the door.

Over the door is just a narrow hallway. 

"So, how are you feeling?" The woman who was escorting me asks. "Nervous, huh?" 

"Yes, indeed I am." I speak, my back is still stiff and my voice sounds unnatural. Suddenly she stops walking, and goes behind me and slaps my back. I hunch my back in pain.

"C'mon, relax! There's nobody to watch you here, besides, you talk like an old person." She looks down. Do I really speak like an old man? "I'm Leah. And you're...Abilgail, right? I saw you on the list. Need a hand?" I hold her hand to help myelf get up.

"I didn't realize that I talk like an old man. I apologize, but it's the way I was taught. And please, can you explain more about this 'border' thing? What exactly is going to happen?" I asked, trying to be polite. Can't change me, this is the way I was told: Be polite to strangers, and me being obsessed with following the rules, I have to follow it, and I know. It's a weird habit.

"Just stop talking like an old man or formal. Pretend I'm your friend. I feel like I;m talking to my mom." She speaks. "Okay, so the border thing, right? So you get picked for a region that you're going to go to at random. You can end up in either Nevada, New York, New Jersey or Seattle. Seattle is fairly easy to survive in, but New York is the hardest...and apparantly, you're going to New York. I'm sorry, but at least there's more than dozen kids whose going there too. And actually, you don't spend exactly a month there. It's month and a half, so it's six weeks. You'll be there, six weeks, sweating in the hot New York weather, trying to survive." 

Six weeks? How's that even......But the announcement, it was Aretha Morgan clearly said it was four weeks long. They lied to us! 

"So anyways, back to the conversation. You will be in train, preparing for it by excersising, and you're going to be there for about five days. You'll make alleys and enemies there-and it is important to make friends because you might get stuck with one of them. It's their decision to save you or give a as a supper for one of those monsters." She says, like nothing's going to happen. "And promise me, New York is the toughest; I've been in your place, not the best place to be." 

She kept blabbering about how awful New York is-he weather, the monsters, how trees was everywhere even though it once had been a city... but I can't concentrate on it. All I can think about is how am I going to make friends? I was never good at making one, and if I don't, I'll be a supper for a monster? Now that's making me feel better, isn't it?

By the time we reach the end of the corridor, I am already exhausted. If I'm exhaisted by walking a long corridor, how am I going to run for my life?

Leah opens the door, and I see a bunch of kids sitting down. Some of them don't even look at me, which is good, and some do glare back at me, which I think is bad.

"So these, are the kids you're going to have to be frinds with."