|ONC 2024 SHORTLISTER|
In the isolated world of Veridonia, three teenagers-Axelle, Wylan, and Keira-uncover dark secrets and face dangerous truths as they battle a deadly plague and oppressive government, challenging the very fabric of their once-p...
He stopped there, but there seemed to be so much more to the story that my brother was trying to tell us but was refraining.
"You're missing something, Miles." My voice came out more snappy than I wanted.
"I'm getting there, Kee. This is an 85-year story."
"Sorry."
He ignored me and started the real explanation. "That was before the War happened. The War was the most true thing they've taught us about. The War happened when too many people were dying. They wanted to disband the experiment, but the Dominion Council had different plans. They wanted to continue the experiment. They wanted a place where they were in power. They closed off Veridonia entirely, and Vancouver couldn't do anything about it. After all, they developed the weaponry to such a high degree. The Verids' sticks are not just wooden sticks. They are embedded with electrifying, instant murder, and pain-induction capabilities. Anything that was deemed illegal in the real world? It became a reality in Veridonia. Vancouver lost."
As Miles spoke, everything started to finally make sense. The world that we were trying to rebuild should never be rebuilt. It wasn't even real. Veridonia wasn't just a nation—it was a last-ditch effort to evolve with the climate itself but that didn't happen. The Council decided that the subjects' lives weren't important enough.
"You can guess what happened after that. Vancouver couldn't keep interfering with Veridonia, so they left it. Veridonia was wiped off the world map. It became a forbidden area. Veridonians didn't bother them, so Vancouver let it be. Until Caity was pushed out."
The tunnel seemed to stretch on endlessly, a bleak reminder of what we were leaving behind. Each step brought us closer to freedom or the real world. The world that was safe, and not constructed.
Here's the truth. The Dominion Council gambled with human lives in a bid to make sure that their own power was forever. Wylan's grip tightened on Alissa, his expression a mixture of anger and disbelief. His mother had sacrificed everything to uncover the truth about Veridonia, only to be killed by those who wanted to control it.
Axelle's eyes widened in shock, her mind wandering off. I remembered the first day I saw her. Naive, curious, and much like a child. I wondered how it felt, knowing that her safe place was a prison. It was just a prison for human cruelty.
If we got out of here alive, Axelle would get to see her father. Wylan and Alissa could live as a family again and...Miles and I could be together again.
It was a fever dream.
"My mother? Madame Henderson?" Axelle asked softly, and I could tell that she was scared. She was frightened by every new revelation she made about her mother.
"What about her?" Miles asked and nodded. "You know everything you need to know about her anyway."
We did. Melissa Henderson was perceived to be the Queen of the Chessboard but she was the Knight. Only able to go places that she was allowed to go to. She probably didn't know that mere pawns would be able to destroy her.
The tunnel stretched further and further and further until we saw the end. Almost a light. It was almost warm too, and we could feel it from inside the tunnel.
"This is the first tunnel." Miles fiddled with the large keys in his hand. "The other one is nearby. You can see the outside from here."
We got out and it was the most remarkable thing I'd ever seen. No one was allowed here, but the fence was larger than I'd imagined. From a distance, it looked tall. But it reached the top of the sky, even further to horizons I couldn't even see. However, one thing was clear. The light and warmth that was reflecting above the fence. The light hit something transparent, and Miles pointed up to it.
"The dome."
Wylan, Axelle, and I stared in awe as the dome was clearly visible from this angle. No other person was in sight and I had a question that was burning in the back of my head.
"How are we going to...get to the other side of the fence?"
My brother smirked, his old charm and charisma shining somewhat on his face. "The same way Caity got in and out."
"You're not going out!" a voice screamed, and we all turned to see Madame Henderson.
With a gun in her hand. Pointed at my brother.
We weren't going to give up, not when we were this close—even if it meant killing Melissa Henderson.
I hope she knew that.
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈
𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳 𝙲𝙾𝚄𝙽𝚃: 𝟷𝟹𝟽𝟻 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳𝚂
𝚃𝙾𝚃𝙰𝙻 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳 𝙲𝙾𝚄𝙽𝚃: 𝟹𝟼𝟹𝟿𝟽 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳𝚂
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