The Siblings

Prologue part 2

Prologue 2

"You're certain of the decision that you have made?" a woman in a blue suit asked. She looked important, and I could tell that her eyes weren't kind. She looked down and smiled at me, her stiff posture bending ever so slightly.

"Absolutely." My mother said, holding back a sob. Her eyes were full of unshed tears, and she had gripped on to my father's hand seeking comfort.

Her decision had been obvious the moment that I had heard the news. Why would she keep me, a young girl who had never needed her mother's help? I had always worked alone.

"Well, in that case, Cassidy, it is time to go," the lady pointed to an old bus. "That bus is going to take you and some other kids to your new home. Does that sound okay?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Cassidy, you have to go. You want the best for your family, don't you?" she said, looking down at me. I gave her that look that said 'I really don't like you,' but she just gave me a brighter smile back.

The lady gestured to a suited person. Their face was covered, and they looked like an astronaut. But the big gun they carried was a clear sign that they were anything but friendly.

I grabbed my mother's hand. Instead of comfort, it was cold and clammy, and I wondered when she had grown so distant.

"Don't let them take me! I don't want to go. I want to stay with you just like Alex!"

"You have to go, sweetie," she replied, not even looking at me. Maybe if she saw my desperate look she might change her mind. Unlikely, but a possibility.

"Come on, Cassidy. It's time to leave." The lady grabbed my wrist and started pulling me away. But I clung to harder. My mother's hand was limp in my own.

"No! Don't take me!" I yelled. I could see some other children watching me with wide eyes, but I ignored them.

"Please, Cassidy! Just do as the kind lady tells you!" My father begged.

The person in the suit grabbed me around my waist, lifting me away from my mother. I tried to hold tighter, but my grip was quickly broken. That was it. The last time I would see them.

"We love you, darling!" I heard my mother call as I was being carried away. The hands on my waist were tight, gripping me with an extreme ferocity, terrified that I would escape.

"Well, I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" I yelled. Tears poured from my eyes as I carried on yelling. I didn't get to see my mother's face as she reacted to my words. She had long been lost in the sea of faces.

It was all their fault. If my parents had only one child it wouldn't be an issue.

We reached the bus, the outside a sickening yellow. The bright colour didn't suit its purpose one bit.

The inside was completely different. The old grey seats were dirty, and dust floated through the air. Thick straps were placed over each child, holding them down.

I was set down in a seat towards the front of the bus, a cloud of dust exploding as I was dropped down. The strap was tightened, and when I wriggled the masked man constricted it even more.

Before long, the bus started moving. The city streets weren't as busy as usual, and the normal buzz of activity was missing.

I closed my eyes and leant against the window, the cold glass a cool relief to my burning skin. How was this fair? I must have been one of the oldest children on the bus, and I knew that none of my friends would be there. They hadn't been called to the meeting. They weren't cursed with siblings.

Looking out of the window I saw a desperately contrasting scene. We were no longer in a concrete jungle. Instead, a few greenhouse were dotted around, the rest of the space filled with green fields, machines at work amongst them. I'd never seen this area of the city.

The bus kept going, seemingly ignoring the warning signs of 'no trespassing'.

And then we reached a wall.

It was a tall wall, higher than the tallest building in the city. Of course, I had seen it from afar. Alex and I used to make up stories about what was on the other side. But no one knew. Because no one was allowed out.

The outside was a forbidden place. With deadly creatures and dangerous objects, no one would come back alive.

With a loud creak, a gate was opened in the wall. And then the bus began moving, gathering speed until we were out of the safety of the city walls.

But there was nothing there. For as far as I could see, it was empty.

The ground beneath was much bumpier than before, and the bus rattled and groaned at each jolt. If it weren't for the straps holding me down I would have been jerked out of my seat and onto the ground.

The bus stopped.

"Get out!" a voice called from the front of the bus. It was a deep voice, filled with urgency and power. The automatic doors opened, our straps were loosened, and a few of the suited people roughly grabbed us and chucked us out of the vehicle.

I looked around at the other children, most of whom were crying and screaming. Their wails filled the air with a thick tension, and their sobs brought a blanket of sadness over us.

"What are you doing?" I asked, staring squarely at one of the soldiers. "You're supposed to take us to our new home!"

"This is your new home. What happens from here is up to you," he replied, before jumping back onto the bus.

Before any of us could say anything else, the bus had begun moving again, heading back to the city. We all stared in shock.

We had been cast out. And we had nowhere to go.

***

I think she at least deserves a vote :)