The City of Dolores

Prologue

Staring at the maps I memorize how we're going to escape. This city is too dangerous. There are risks involved but I've got to take them. I pull up a floorboard near the door frame and push all of the evidence of my plans away. The sound of small footsteps creep up beside me.

"Daddy!" I look up to see Xael holding her baby sister.

"What's up darling?"

"I'm going to take Juniper with me to the neighbors like mommy and you said. Our bags are packed." She has the biggest, goofy smile I've ever seen. I hug her and her sister tightly.

"I love you girls."

"We love you too! When are you coming back?"

"I'm not sure just yet," I give her a sad smile and ruffle her hair, "run along now." I walk into our living area. I rummage through Zabel and I's bags to check if we have all of the essentials. The living room is dark and gloomy. Following to rules of the city of Dolores, no personal items are allowed in living spaces. I hear a bunch of excited chatter from Xael outside the front door. Ms. Zelenski, our neighbor, opens the door shooing away Xael from her side.

"Ms. Zelenski! How are you?!"

"I'm fine, thank you for asking. Can I talk to you in private please?" She sighs. She pulls me aside and fidgets with her appearance. Smoothing her clothes and fixing her silver locks of hair into a bun.

"Brecken, I can't believe you. How can you leave behind your children like this. I understand you are risking the rules by having your third child but leaving Xael and Juniper behind doesn't seem fair. Are you even going to try to come back for them?"

"It's too dangerous to risk the entire family. Thank you for watching them. I'm sorry for throwing them into your care but you're the only one that we trust. Take care of them." I leave her last question unanswered.

"I hope you realize if you get caught I can't take care of your children, they will be on their own." She whispers. Zabel is already saying her goodbyes. She cried while hugging both of her children tightly. I watch as Xael continuously wipes away her tears and kisses her mother's cheeks. Zabel reluctantly lets go once I put a hand on her shoulder.

"I love you!"

"Love ya too." The pain of leaving them behind rests in the back of my head. Zabel and I leave the house, going through the map's routes. We know the danger of leaving. We know that our escape can lead us to certain death.

Four Days Later
Xael's POV

A loud alarm rumbles the underground city signaling we have five minutes till a city meeting. Ms. Zelenski rushes to give us our clothes, relying on me to get Juniper ready. She throws her hair up into her signature bun before pushing us out the door. Ms. Zelenski rushes Juniper and I to the city center. The beautiful mosaic of tiles that scatter the floor in a shape of a sun is still as bright as ever. A short pudgy man comes up to the pedestal and raises his arms into the air as the crowd begins to cheer. The square is filled with the entire population of the city. Everyone looks similar as we all wear the same piece of clothing. The simple beige clothing blends into the center. The only things that marks us from everyone else is the stitching used to convey our ranks in the town. The stitching of our clothes is black, meaning we are one of the lowest ranks here. Many people give us dirty looks as they pass by or bump into us like they never even knew we were there. The man silences the crowd and gets their attention to focus back on the reason they are there.

"Hello citizens of Dolores! I am Oda, the top man around here. Today I have a big show for you all. We will be holding a beheading ceremony today of two citizens that are traitors!" The man wipes his face with a handkerchief to prevent the sweat from pooling into his clothing. Two city guards appear dragging behind them a man and a woman with bags over their heads. They throw them to the floor and correct the way they sit. Forcing them to sit on their knees, they remove the bags. As if the world slows down, I see both of my parents kneeling before us. They squint from the amount of light pooling into their eyes. The crowd cheers, but I stand in silence. I struggle to breathe, holding on tightly to my little sister.

"Zabel and Brecken Camari are being punished for trying to leave the great city of Dolores. What do we have to say to these people before their demise?!"

"May the sun take you into it's warm embrace!" The crowd shouts, cheering and clapping. The pudgy man, Oda, steps back and allows both guards step forward. The guards step forward, forcing my parents heads to lay onto a chopping block. With one swift movement, I see my parents heads roll across the floor. It feels as though my heart breaks. No tears fall from my eyes. Instead, I just slump to the floor, still cradling my sister. I hold onto her tightly, like she's my last hope at holding onto my sanity.

"Now, Zabel and Brecken have children that are apart of our beautiful city. These children did not try to leave with their parents but because of the relation to these two traitors, I ask that you all act upon their punishment. They no longer exist. Their threading shall be turned to a deep red, showing that with all needs they shall not be acknowledged unless it is in the hands of life or death. They will be marked with tattoos to show what disgrace their family has brought upon our city. Thank you for your attention good citizens!" Oda laughs and waves as he walks away and disappears into the city.

Ms. Zelenski looks down to me. She sighs and straightens her shirt.

"I am truly sorry." She just leaves us. Leaves my sister and I without a guardian. She walks away and disappears into the crowd. The crowd avoids us, creating enough space to stay away from me. It almost seems as though I am diseased and they are trying to avoid getting infected. I hold Juniper tight against me. Two guards approach us, grabbing my arm to pull me away with Juniper in my arms. I don't fight them, still in shock by the scene that I just witnessed.

I sit in a dark, musty room as a doctor inspects me. He checks for sickness and asks me questions regarding our family situation. I answer half heartedly and in a mumble. My responses are barely audible as I stare past the man who documents my answers, as if he isn't there. I feel as though I am not really sitting on a stool, that I'm somewhere else completely. I barely acknowledge the sudden buzzing and pain that shoots through my arm. I wince and look down at the tattoo gun, hurriedly drawing a small, red square on my wrist. Tears threaten to fall when the sudden pain brings me back to reality. The loss of my parents, as well as the loss of any type of guardian. I was on my own now. I only had myself and my sister.

A/N

Thank you for checking out the prologue to "The City of Dolores" I've been working on developing this story since my freshman year in high school (which was two years ago.) It started off as a writing assignment for my english class that I knew I always wanted to turn into a book. I'm looking forward to sharing it with you and I hope you enjoy!

I try to edit my stories as best as I can but I know that I may miss some errors, if you spot anything feel free to let me know so I can fix it! I'd be grateful on feedback and what you think so far!