Redemption

Chapter 1

My back hurts. When I get up, my pillow is laying away from my body. I stand up, grimacing. I live in a Society where our government is powerful. My house is simple, meaning that everyone has the same house and same clothes.

I walk towards my closet and I put on a blue shirt and jeans. Downstairs, my mother is making breakfast, my father is reading the paper, and my little sisters are fighting over a little stuffed bunny. They're thirteen.

I sit down and my mother gives me a plate of scrambled eggs and a piece of toast. The toast is burned. The Society doesn't give us many ingredients to cook with. All we have is a stove with two burners. I finish eating and I stand up.

I mutter a "thank you" to my mother for the eggs. I also nod to my father and sisters. We are prohibited to talk to others or make contact with them. Sometimes, my family slips a little.

I get my bag for school. I've learned that the word "school" was used many centuries ago to describe a place of academic learning. Now, we call it the Academy. Our military patrols the Academy all hours of the day. I hate it.

I have a comfort toy as well as my sisters, although, I don't have to share it. The little stuffed bear sits on my bed. I pick her up and lightly kiss her. I put her in my bag as well.

When I was seven, I stole the grading book from my teacher's counter. It was dare. It was one of those many nights where I hadn't had breakfast, a noon meal, or a dinner. So, when I went to the Academy I was starving. Mia, a girl in my class, had me steal the teacher's grading book so she could change her grade on a test that she had failed. In return, she'd give me half of her sack lunch her mother packed her. It went wrong.

As soon as I was clear, I sprinted to the nearest exit we planned to meet at. Unfortunately for me, a soldier was standing guard at the door. He turned and his gray eyes met my green ones. He glanced down at the grade book. He grabbed me and threw me to the ground. He slapped my cheek, and took me to the General's office.

The General was a cruel man. He punished kids for no apparent reason. He interrogated me.

"What is the meaning of this?" his chalk-like voice had screeched.

I had just stared.

"What is the meaning of this? Answer me stupid girl!"

I had stood there holding the elbow that hit the pavement first. The General stood up and hit me across the face with a ruler. I still wouldn't answer.

"We have a mute," he smirked.

He picked up the grade book.

"You have perfect grades Miss Rider. Why in the world would you be stealing a grade book?"

"No," I whispered.

"No, what?" he grinned.

"No, I stole the book to change a foe's grade on the test." I lied.

"Oh, and who is this little enemy of yours?" he said mockingly.

I closed my eyes.

"Answer me!" the General shouted.

"Him," I pointed to a child's name, whom was in my class. He had the second lowest grade. He was a sweet boy.

"I see," he muttered stroking his black beard.

"You may go."

After that unfortunate meeting, I was scared out of my mind of the soldiers. I carried my teddy bear around to comfort that fear. I went home covered in bruises.

I walk to the Academy with my little sisters every morning. We are there every day of the week for eight hours. There used to be such things as weekends. I wish they were still around.

I step out the front door and stare at the sky. It's polluted, just as I thought. The gray hazy sky hangs over our city. It creates a mysterious green mist.

When we get closer to the heart of the city, destruction is everywhere. Broken things are scattered across the pavement, cars, and skyscrapers that seem to tilt as you watch them. The world is broken. At least, I think it is.

A city bus rattles by. I pull Claire to the sidewalk. Only some vehicles are allowed to run under government orders.

"Stay next to Meghan." I whisper.

The sidewalks are crumbled and the pavement is definitely unsafe for any child to use. Rocks and shrapnel litter the floor and stop lights hang above the road like a frayed string waiting to be trimmed.

No one knows exactly what happened to the world because all of the people that could've known the answer have gone and passed. Even so, they wouldn't mention anything if they were still here. Honestly, neither would I.

When I see the red of the brick building, I pace myself a little quicker. I hate being outside too long. Who knows what could happen. My sisters quicken their pace too. A soldier stands guard.

"Names," he says.

"Avery, Meghan, and Claire Rider," I say.

He takes our fingerprints and matches them on a small electronic device. He mutters a "clear" and we walk inside. I take Claire to her class. She sits in the back of the room. It is all dark in the classroom. It smells like dust.

Claire is the youngest. She has dark chocolate hair and green eyes. I look at Claire sitting in the classroom alone. Something makes me want to cry. She is just too sweet to be in a place like this. None of us deserve this.

Then, I bring Meghan to her classroom. Her classroom is covered with graffiti. There are ragged mats on the floor and a teachers' desk. The teachers' desk seems to crumble as I study it.

There is also one other child in the classroom. He is scrawny and covered in soot. He must be an orphan. When child's parents pass or abandon them, the child may not keep the house. Instead, they are thrown out to the streets until some kind adult takes them in on the Society's behalf. Otherwise, the child is homeless and left to die. There is no caretaker for any lost child. I wish there was, looking at him makes me seek something that I have never experienced.

I leave Meghan in her classroom and walk to mine. My classroom is a musty shade of yellow. The walls used to be white. Paintbrushes are strewn across the floor, broken of course. A thought rushes to my head. This used to be an art room.

I sit on the floor and wait for the rest of the class to arrive. The wind blows through a cracked window. It's lonely, but in a way it is alive. A seed blows through the window. I catch it, and put it in my pocket.