Pointer

Prologue

A/N: New story! Woohoo? Anyway, hope you enjoy it since I've never written anything like it. And don't be influenced by the rubbish beginning :)

Also, I don't really know how to make a description for this story without giving away main points, so I would just ignore it really.

Caysie. x

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Prologue

Noon Square, sixteen years in the future.

It had been an act against everything we believe in. She had purposely rebelled, and now she was to be punished. She deserved it. We all knew it was inevitable, she was destined to get caught one day and the time had finally arrived. All anyone could do was stand and watch. 

However, as her best friend, I felt it was my part to defend her somehow. Any excuse I could make up would most likely be accepted, because everyone knew that it took some serious will-power to speak out, therefore you only did if you spoke truth. But I ignored that niggling part of me inside that was desperate to defend her because she did deserve it.

Maybe if she hadn't mentioned him when she was caught, she would only be given the First Form of Discipline. Of course she had to though; it wasn't in her nature to pass down such an opportunity. Them kind of actions have consequences though, and it was evident that she was about to receive the Third Form of Discipline any second now.

She was lucky, in my opinion. I thought she would end up getting the Fourth Form, so I was pleasantly shocked when her figure arose on the centre podium. Well, shocked was one of many words. I was mostly relieved because this meant that I would actually see her again after today.

Currently, a Pointer was approaching her up the shallow steps leading up to the centre podium. As always, it took me great effort not to cringe at the ridiculous image of the slow, thick body as it ascended straight-backed in front of everyone. Each Pointer looked the exact same, so every single time I turned a corner, or even blinked, a prickly feeling fired up in my cheeks and neck.  . They were nothing but clockwork and leather armour that served our Keeper and his reign.

The only exception to the similar appearance was the Pointer currently shuffling up the stairs. For some reason, this one had a golden face-guard whereas all the other ones had black to match the leather. Noone knew why this one was different, but this one must have been special because it was practically Keeper Martin's personal slave.

We couldn't see any of their faces, and we weren't entirely sure whether they actually had them. The only parts of them that resembled humans were their figures and their coloured eyes, which were the same colour as their face-guard and armour.

"Which one do you reckon they'll remove?" A whisper came from my immediate left.

I widened my eyes and my pulse started racing. This was against our beliefs, but it didn't take me a second to mumble quietly, "I think everyone knows exactly which one."

Diane beside me nodded, keeping her head straight and facing forward. If she were to turn now then we would both be punished. That was the rule, no ignoring another's discipline. It was either watch or join. Even that small, two-line conversation we had could result in serious consequences which we would have to endure. After all, anyone who speaks between themselves in Noon Square knows what will happen, and right now me and Diane also deserve to be punished.

Now the lone Pointer had reached my best friend, though she seemed to be pretending it wasn't there at all because she was dragging her eyes along the line of girls stood before her. There was only seven of us here, so ten people were in the room all together. All of us, my best friend, the Pointer and Keeper Martin. 

All was deathly quiet, it should be over in less than a minute. I had never actually witnessed the Third Form of Discipline being carried out before. It was the highest on the heirachy we were allowed to witness, the Fourth Form was strictly secret. 

Keeper Martin stood in front of our line, but to the centre also. He nodded his head once to the Pointer, and boldly instructed, "the correct one."

I heard Diane's breath catch inside of her throat, and I stopped breathing myself. This was it. The Pointer held out its hand in front of the disciplinee, palm-turned upwards. My best friend looked down at it, but did not raise her arm from here side. Stubborn as always, stupid as always. 

"Hold out your wrist," Keeper Martin demanded, his deep voice echoing through the silence.

Again, she took to looking at all us. She came to me, the sixth one from the end she had started at, and I shook my head. If she continues to rebel, she will end up receiving the Fourth Form and then there will only be seven of us left overall.

As if she had read my mind, her left arm rose hesitantly and dropped into the the Pointer's hand. Her face looked ridden with defeat, I knew that she had let her walls crumble purely because I had shaken my head at her. It was for her own good, and she knew that.

Silently, the Pointer turned her arm so her palm was also turned upwards. Now he could access the links which kept two identical watches on her wrist secure. Within a few seconds, there was a small tap and one of the watches fell to the floor which an eerie clink.

Then it was over, and the Pointer began to retreat back down the stairs, leaving my best friend alone on the low podium with only disappointment and one watch. Just at her feet lay the time-keeping device that had been removed. It wasn't broken, but if she were to pick it up then she would most likely be killed without even a thought from Keeper Martin of initiating the Fourth Form.

We did not start to move until the Pointer had disappeared and Keeper Martin beckoned the disciplinee to join the back of our line as we exited from Noon Square. Slowly, we shuffled in single file away from the podium and the removed watch. I wanted to glance back to see if we were now a line of eight, but I didn't in fear I would get caught. That would only make two occasions within the last few minutes that could get me in trouble.

Diane quickly whipped her head behind her to me, a risky move. Her face looked fed-up, she had always been less tolerant of our ways than everyone else. She was somewhere around fourteen years old, I think, just a little older than me. We had all been here since birth but I remember her receiving her watches before me. 

As we slowly exited the square, I shifted my eyes from the floor briefly to Keeper Martin. He was still staring in the general direction of the podium, but somehow the Pointer had managed to appear just behind him. 

The only thing ever to have made me shiver happened right there and then. When I looked directly into the warm, golden eyes of the Pointer, I saw that it was staring straight at Diane.