The Huntress

Chapter One

I looked into the mirror over my dresser and rehearsed my speech until my mouth was dry. It was my sixteenth birthday and most people would've been happy at one point. They would've been happy because they would've been old enough to drive and sixteen was a magic number. However, now sixteen was just a number to remind us of what we lost. And at sixteen you were officially employed into the government and they would take total control of your life. We were forced to take IQ tests. If we scored high, we would be taken from our lives and families. We would remember nothing.

I sighed. I was dreading the ceremony. I would dress up and swear a binding oath to the government. That meant that everything that I had worked so hard to accomplish would disappear in the blink of an eye. Because I knew that I would score high. My mind and memories would be erased. I would no longer be able to defy the government as I had been doing.

People needed me. They relied on me. In a way, I was their savior. If religion other than the worshipping of Him was authorized, I probably would've been Jesus.

"What are we going to do?" I asked my reflection hopelessly. I felt lost. Everything was falling apart. I had worked so hard...

I half expected my reflection to answer me and to give me reassurance. I really was losing my mind. If I was being honest, I probably had lost it long ago. But that was beside the point.

Feeling depressed, I got dressed. If I still had my mother, she would've done my hair and would have made a dress for this "special" occasion. But I didn't have my mother, so I bought a dress that was awful and ugly and I did my hair in a plain and boring braid. No color was added to my face to make me prettier and I wore brown leather boots. They weren't very ladylike, but I liked them and they were some of the only shoes that I owned.

For a minute, I contemplated strapping a knife to my thigh and taking that with my to the ceremony, but I quickly decided against it. If they found it, I would be in deep trouble. Deeper than the trouble I was already in.

I felt sick and I went over to the bucket to throw up what little food I had managed to eat. I didn't want to go through with this, but what choice did I have?

"Miss Hunter," a voice called from the door frame. I turned to look at the person who spoke to find a boy maybe in his early twenties standing there. His eyes were cold and he watched me with thinly veiled contempt.

"Hello," I answered stiffly, wiping my mouth on my sleeve in a very unladylike manner. I just wanted to see the face that he would make and I was not disappointed. Not in the slightest.

The boy stared at me with obvious disgust and I jeered at him. What did I care? He meant nothing to me. He was little more than a speck of dust. An ugly one at that. Well, the ugly part may have been a lie.

"It's time for the ceremony. Why aren't you ready?" He stared at my messy hair in a bad braid and my dress which did nothing for me. It was little more than a sack with sleeves that was dyed a horrendous shade of purple.

"I am ready," I replied.

He curled his lip to show his disdain for my rather informal attire and left, leaving me to follow him.

I sighed and trailed after him, making sure to keep my distance. I didn't much care for the disgusted looks he continued to give me as we made our way out to the horses. Not to mention that he smelled quite awful.

I hauled myself up onto the horse and sat upon it like a man would rather than side saddle like a pretty lady.

The boy looked at me and I looked back at him, daring him to make a snide comment about my riding. When he remained silent, I smiled triumphantly.