In the city of Vir girls are property, bred and raised to be the perfect wives. To serve and obey and honor the men that rule their city.
Elaia has always been content with her place in society. She is a perfect daughter, and with any luck she'll b...
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------- CASTINE -------
I'm lying in the shade of the big oak tree when Valas comes rushing out to the backyard, the backdoor slamming behind him. I shoot up, stricken with fear.
"We need to go now," he whispers, running a hand through his thick black hair.
I stare up at my brother in confusion. "Why? What's going on?" I ask, keeping my tone equally low. It's not drill day.
He stares down at me, his brown eyes wide with terror. "Hunters."
I'm on my feet in an instant. No, it's not a drill. It's the real thing. Those bastards have finally found us. It only took them sixteen years. I rush towards the old wooden fence, flinging myself up and over with practiced expertise. My feet hit the ground with a thud and Valas is right behind me. I take his hand in mine and we take off, tearing through the woods behind our neighborhood.
Barely a moment later I hear shouting and the splintering of a door being broken down and terror wells up in my chest. The hunters have finally come.
When I was little, Mom would tell me horror stories about the city. About the men that live there and the things they would do to me if they ever found us. She told me that women in the city are property and they've been raised to believe they need a man to think for them. All they can do is cook and clean and make babies.
Then, she told us about the hunters. Men that are trained to track down the women who have defected from their society. She always told us that if they caught us, I'd be dragged back to the city, brainwashed, and forced to marry some rich asshole. Valas would either be killed, or he'd be taken to a facility where he'd be stripped of his individuality and taught to think like them. Mom always said that of the two, ending up in the facility would be worse. Much worse.
Once a week she made us practice this escape plan. When she left us last spring, we kept up with the weekly drills, more out of habit than necessity. Now, as we're running for our freedom, I'm glad that we did.
Leaves and branches crunch under our feet as we run towards the cave Dad's old chopper is hidden in. If we can make it there before the hunters can catch us, we'll be safe. Get to the chopper. Get out of town. Head south, towards the Old City where we'll be safe. That's the plan.
"Get the girl!" Someone shouts behind us. He sounds close, but I don't look over my shoulder. The only thing on my mind is getting to the bike.
I stumble over a tree root, hitting the ground hard but I don't have time to feel pain and I'm back on my feet in an instant, following Valas through the trees. Dad's bike is only a few yards away. I can see the growth of ivy that covers the cave entrance just ahead. We're almost there. For a moment I think we'll make it, that we'll actually get away. That Mom's paranoia will pay off.
But then, I hit the ground again, and I'm not sure what happened but as I try to get up I find that I can't. I'm pinned to the ground, the twigs and branches that cover the forest floor biting at my skin. I thrash and flail wildly, trying to get free. But the more I try the more tangled I become.
