The Assignment

Chapter 1: Unassigned

Emmaline's POV    

   "Shh! You have to be quiet!" I hissed in the darkness. It was something we both knew- one little sound and we'd both be dead. He hoisted himself lithely, through the window and into my room. The same thing that he had done most every night for the past year or so. He crossed the room slowly, his feet making no sound as he made his way across the floorboards.

   He sat down in the wooden rocking chair beside my bed, a fixture there since I was a baby. "Hey, Em." He whispered in his velvety soft voice. He traced one finger down my cheekbone, and his touch raised goosebumps on my skin. Even after two years of being together, I was still painfully aware that we could get caught. We were Unassigned- every thought about the other, every soft caress, every shared moment- was illegal.

   I stiffened, and he knew instantly what I was thinking. He came to sit beside me on the bed now, and pulled me into a tight embrace. An unspoken promise that everything would be okay.

   "Haden," I murmured. He tightened his hold around me, acknowledging that he was still awake, and that he was listening. "What if... what if it's not us in the end? If we're Assigned different people... What will happen then?"

   He propped himself up on his elbow to look into my eyes. "Emmybaby, I told you, we should've run when we had the chance. Tonight, I'll be sure that there's extra security guarding the city gates. I doubt they'll let any sixteen year old out of the city. But after it's all over, the Assignment done and over with, I promise I will find you." He said, the strong promise burning in his eyes.

   The tears that I had been holding back now came as freely as water from a tap. A tap that had no faucet to turn it off. The tears streamed down my cheeks, and he kissed each one away. Wrapping his strong arms around me once more, I felt safe and strongly reassured. Slowly, I drifted off into a deep sleep.

   She stood in the bathroom stall, crying uncontrollably. Having been bullied, taunted and teased about her stupid new haircut, she felt hatred towards herself for making that decision. she thought it had been beautiful until her friends made so many rude remarks on it. Thinking back, she felt raw with anger. Her hands balled into fists and she dried her tears. Exiting the bathroom, she checked her reflection once and ran out.
    Heading in the direction of her classroom, she rounded a corner and slammed into something -somebody. "Oops, my bad, sorry," she said, ducking past the person, cheeks flaming. "Hey, wait up!" A voice called after her. She recognized the voice, and was terrified. It couldn't be him. Why would he be talking to her? She slowly turned around, meeting his ice blue eyes. She looked down, embarrased, and waited for him to say something.
   "I heard them earlier, you know teasing you." He said, reaching up to gently pull one of her short, blonde curls. "I think it's very pretty, actually." He smiled warmly.
   "By the way, my names' Haden. Haden Markson."
She nodded. She knew - he was the most popular guy in the entire 8th grade. And she was just the stupid tag along of the popular girls. Why was he treating her nicely?
   "Um, I was wondering... do you want to see me again? Like, I don't know, go out sometime? I mean, only if you want." He said quickly. She froze up in shock, having to mentally slap herself to remind herself that she wasn't dreaming. She spoke up in a sweet, soft voice. "Sure, that sounds fun."
   Haden beamed, smiling from ear to ear. He pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil from his bag. He scrawled something on it, and then slipped it into her hand. He met her eyes, and then kissed her softly on the cheek. "Goodbye, Emmaline." He said softly, and left her standing in the middle of the hallway with a stupid grin on her face.

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Authors Note:  Short chapter, I'm sorry. This is my first ever story, so please comment and vote and let me know what you think about it!
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Qotc: What do you think will happen next?