CHAPTER ONE: THE CHOSEN ONES

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"Wake up Astrid! You going to be late! And today is the first!”

Oh god. Choosing Day. The people who come late get chosen for the Program. That dreadful Program.

“Yes Mum!” I jumped out of bed and raced to get my toast. I took a few bites of it and I ran back to my room to quickly use the Outfit Selector. The Outfit Selector is a machine where it selects your outfit based on the weather, comfort, and style. I press the on button and enter my password. It selects a sky blue zip-up hoodie, black long sleeve shirt, denim jeans, green socks and casual red lace-up sneakers. I quickly put my clothes and shoes on and race to the bathroom. I look into the mirror. I look at myself. Short blonde hair. Blue eyes. Pale skin. Oval-shaped face. I think I am a pretty normal 16-year-old, apart from the fact that I am autistic. I have a few friends. Rebecca, Emily and Victoria, so I am sociable, just that I pay attention to a lot of things.

Well, really, I just remember a lot of minor details. It’s something I can’t help. But it makes me very knowledgeable, and I think I would be a great spy.

I realize I have been looking in the mirror for quite some time now, and I get on to brushing my teeth. I apply too much toothpaste and my mouth is exploding with mint. Why did Mum get the really strong toothpaste?

I apply my liquid eyeliner and I use some tape to make a really good wing. I mascara my eyelashes, and put some lip-gloss on my lips. It smells like raspberry soda with a slight dryness to it. It feels like paint on my lips.

I look in the mirror and I realize I have put on lipstick! I get a tissue and wipe it off really quickly, which makes my lips sore. I open the draw. Should I use lip-gloss or lip-balm?

I settle with lip-balm.

I grab my bag and say bye to Mum, and I rush out the door and go across the street. I look at all the posters with “JOIN US!” and “FIGHT FOR OUR COUNTRY!” They’re so intimidating. Sometimes I even see posters for the Program.

The Program is a… well, it’s a program, where 8 people (4 boys, 4 girls) aged 14 to 20-years-old have to see something terrible happen, such as seeing their parents being shot, or having to face their worst fears. No one knows what happens to the people who’ve been chosen, only the people who have been chosen and the leaders in the army know what happens. That’s the scary part.

I arrive at the Academy, where grades 1 to 12 go to classes. It’s a big school, made out of polished marble and stone, and it has 6 levels, each holding two grades, and 10 classrooms for different subjects. It holds almost the entire colony, and it needs to, because it’s the only school in this colony. (Apart from the kindergarten and university.) I go up the stairs to the fifth level (which holds grades 9 and 10) in a hurry. I slip on one of the steps and nearly fall down, but I grab hold of the rail and lift myself up. I rush to my locker, and unlock it with my fingerprint, and saying the numbers, 17, 23, 14 and it opens. I check my timetable. Colony history. I get out my textbook and my notebook, and rush to room 514. I open the door and the Army generals who come to our school are there. I quietly sit down at a desk in the middle row. The teacher says David Kendrel, which is the name in the roll before mine. He says here. David Kendrel is a bit of a teacher’s pet, but I don’t say it aloud to him.

“Astrid Lingrem?” The teacher calls my name and I say here, and the Army generals nod.

The teacher finishes the roll, and the Army generals call out a name.

And that name is mine.

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