Forgetting Donving

Chapter 1

Entry 6388
It's July 1, that's what they're telling us. Today,we get released from Donving. Today, we get to go home.

The bunker room that Annalise, Cara, Lea and I share is nearly empty. The beds are stripped, the shelves are clean and my luggage is at the door. I'm the last one in the room, lingering on just one more minute. Everyone has been buzzing with excitement to leave Donving for months, but we've lived here our whole lives and I'm not ready to let go. They don't tell you anything about our Trivine, about where we came from. I have no idea where I'm going when I leave, no idea what my house looks like or how my family treat each other.
         "Eve, you coming?" Lea sticks her head in the door, looking slightly concerned.
As I've grown up, Lea has always been the best girl in this god forsaken place. She never went through the backstabbing phase like Annalise and Cara did when we were 13, she has stood by my side through thick and thin.
         "Yea, yea coming" I respond, slightly distracted when I notice the gates at the front of Donving are open.
         "Stop looking at the gates my dear, they open every year on July 1, this isn't a new sight" Lea jokes.
         "I know, but it was never me who would be going through them. This time, it feels a bit more monumental."
          She left her suitcase in the hall and climbs into my bottom bunk near the window for one last hug.
         "You know I'll never forget you Eve."
          I laughed, this has been our thing. You know I'll never forget you is our way of saying I love you. Although, once we leave this building today our memories will be wiped. How ironic.
         " You know I'll never forget you Lea."

I'm feeling awfully sentimental walking through the halls that I've spent my whole life running through. I never thought I would see the day where I, Evelyn Scott, would miss Donving. This place has been home to every child in Trivine from the day they were born to July 1 on they're 18th year of life. We've trained every day since we could walk, we are the ultimate fighting machines by the time we are allowed to go home to our families. I feel like this is a bit over the top considering the program was put in place to have a young army to fight Drea, in the event of World War Four. After the Third World War, the neighbouring town Drea completely wiped out almost all of Trivines population. This was many years ago, but the law and tradition to continue sending children to Donving has stayed.

I heard a rustling behind me as I'm walking to the dining hall. I couldn't turn around fast enough, but I knew what was happening when I felt his arms wrap around my waist and pick me up.
        "What are you thinking about with those sad gray eyes." He yells. I squeal as he hoists me into the air.
        "You can be such a pain sometimes!" I yell back as he puts me down.
         "Yea yea, I've heard it all. 'Cam you're so annoying' , 'Cam you're such a pain' , c'mon Evee come up with something new before I forget about all your silly little insults." Evee, the only thing Cameron has called me since he could pronounce my name. He's the only one who calls me that, he used to call me his little Pokémon after he found a book in the attic of the library about the 2000 - 2015 years.
         "Don't say that, I'm not sure I want you to forget about my very good insults" I say as we walk together, hand in hand, towards the dining hall.
         "Maybe we won't forget, maybe we'll be the first people to ever be released from the centre ring of hell to remember it all. Maybe we could even run for lead government and get this whole thing shut down". He tries to say this seriously, but I know him too well. He can't hide that creeping smile from me.
         "You're gonna be the death of us if we ever do remember each other"
          Cameron Hudson has been my absolute best friend (even above Lea but I've never said it out loud because it'll only fuel Cams ego) since we were placed here in Donving. He was seated at my dinning hall table when we were young and we've been inseparable ever since. He's never lost his playful childish spirit, since the minute I met him. He can make me smile on my darkest days, and they get pretty dark in Donving.
          "Come here Evee" he pulled me into a tight hug. I didn't like all the hugging today, it only reinforces that they could be our last hugs. I don't mind it with Cam though, he always smells of fresh pine from his forest training session and laundry detergent. He's the only boy in his wing of the dorms who knows how to wash his laundry and is too kind to say no to washing everyone's training clothes, leaving him smelling like detergent all the time. I take advantage of this, never letting him know that I only do it to spend more time with him alone. We spend hours together every Thursday night in the laundry room. It's in the back corner of the schools, and it's dark and dinghy, no one ever comes down there. We spend most of our time talking. Talking about anything, like how our week went, or about our training sessions, even about our friends. Some nights, he would sing to me, songs he's made, songs he's heard from radios in the common room and we would dance. I used to hate it; it was too cheesy, it was apart of every romance novel and I've never liked those, but then he would make me laugh and tell me if you don't dance with me Evelyn dear lord help me I will throw you in the laundry machine with my dirty underwear. I never let it get to that point.

He pulled back with a deep sigh and held out his hand for me to lead us to our table. The huge underground gray room, that looked more like a prisons cafeteria smelt of tomatoes and garlic. They make lasagnas for the departing students, therefore we only eat it once a year. It's everyone's favourite meal, we get lasagna and bread and pink lemonade. They normally tell us this is too many calories in one meal, too many carbs not enough protein, but the cooks make an exception when it's some of our last days.

         "Hey cutie" Brandon says as he comes up to our table giving me a quick kiss on the cheek.
         "Stop the flirting Brandon, you know there's no dating in Donving" I say back as I smile at him. Brandon's the type of boy to kiss every girl on the cheek, but he'll only trust very few with his real feelings. He's Cameron's best friend, so I've been lucky to get to know him.
        "Oh shut up Eve, anyone who has any sense knows that no one follows that rule" Lea says as she steals a quick kiss from Brandon, but this time on the lips. He blushes, knowing she's right,
        We bunk in a room with four other people, usually of the same gender and we eat in a group of four, usually two girls and two guys. This is what the Donving scientist claim are the optimal peer equations for increased intelligence. It's complete BS but I really lucked out with the people I've been seated and bunked with.
         "Guys, I know you don't want me to do this but all of you know I'm the sappy one of the group..."
         "Lea, you're also the one who cries the most so make this fast" I say jokingly. She laughs, but begins to tear up.
        "You guys are my everything, you have always been my everything, and you always will be" she takes a deep breath.
I hold out my hand, grab Cams and let everyone catch on. Before each meal we are forced to thank the brave fighters of the third world war. We do this every time we eat, although everyone makes it brief because we're hungry but today the whole dining hall becomes quiet when the Trivine anthem begins to play. I listen to each note trying to engrave it into my mind. I open my eyes and look around, at the full hall, at the teachers and trainers I've had throughout the years. I look at the tables around me, filled with kids all my age. Some I know the names, some I feel as though I have never seen, but I feel an overwhelming sense of love for them all. Bleh, you're being too cheesy I think it myself. I giggle, and it grabs Cams attention. He looks up at me, meeting me with his hazel eyes. I look back at him, breaking his gaze and instead looking at his face. How his eyes crinkle at the sides, his dimple, his straight teeth after 3 gruelling years of braces. My eyes wonder downwards, to his black shirt tighter against his strong torso then Brandon's who stayed fairly thin for eighteen years. I look back to see the tattoo Cameron got for his 16 birthday popping out from behind his shirt, crawling up his back and neck. I remember the day he showed it to me, I was amazed by the size, it took up most of his back but it suits him so well. I let my eyes sit on his hand intertwined with mine, now under the table resting on his thigh. I look back up at his eyes to see him doing the same, looking me over. I become self conscious and close my eyes once again to listen to the end of the anthem.
"Let's eat!" Brandon yells once the music stops, but Cam continues to hold my hand.