Ardtrea

{Prologue}

Her yellow rainboots sloshed in the mud; they were getting closer. The Novar split the island in half, ran down the middle and provided the island of Ardtrea with more than just a water source.

Today, the Novar wasn't just a sacred river, it was the only thing standing between Essa and the institution. Dr. F Fern built the institution in the few miles of land in the crook of the river. It was the big ugly eyesore on the edge of town, its watchtowers looming over the good decent people of Ardtrea. It didn't take long for Dr. Fern's ideologies to leak into modern society. Hate speech and crimes aimed at the very people Dr Fern wanted to eliminate: those genetically predisposed to crime. The very essence of which, Essa knew, was garbage science that suggested people with the MAOA gene were prone to violence. It didn't take facts or logic for people to jump ship. Essa saw people she once loved with hatred and ice in their eyes, an effect she once coined as Dead Eyes; there was no stopping the powerful man behind the lies.

Suddenly, Essa was aware of her surroundings. She was approaching the most private shores that the Novar had to offer; the most direct crossing location.

"Thank you Kin," she said to her guide.

"Cross the river diagonally and hold your breath. You have about 30 seconds before the river swallows you whole, so make it fast." Kin was to the point. He had been a part of the production of the three main buildings some seven years prior and he knew more about the land than anyone Essa had ever encountered. She was shocked when Kin Willenworth joined her cause, as he had been a big pawn in Dr Fern's uprising, and with constant threat from the media, he had retreated to a cabin along the northern end of the Novar.

"There will be no trace of what took place today," he stated.

Essa nodded and tightened her pant straps, trying not be enticed by the crystal shine of the river even on such an overcast day.

"Ashes," he said.

Essa looked up at the man and inspected his face. He was clean shaven, kind of handsome with dark features. She searched his face for some sign of humour or pain, but there was nothing.

"Ashes," she repeated.

The water was cold even through the layers. She felt her boots kicking up small stones as she trudged deeper into the river. The current was strong and seemed to vibrate against her body. She began to count in her head. 10,11,12- she could hear the river beginning to speak to her, draw her in. The water shone so bright, Essa squinted against the light and focused on the rocky shores on the other side.

She was losing her footing as stones tumbled from underneath her and the current only seemed to get stronger. In her reflection, she saw her mother's Dead Eyes and heard the words she'd said the day she kicked her daughter out of her house.

"You'll regret this," she heard whispers in the current. She knew they were wrong. The Novar didn't know what Essa had come for.

Essa stumbled onto the shore, falling and slashing her knees on hard stones. She looked up with blurry vision, to see three figures running in her direction and they were gaining speed impossibly past. She knew it was now or never.

"Ashes."

Essa's entire body engulfed in flames. She stood with her arms out, making herself as big as she possibly could. The figures stopped running and she could see now with complete clarity that the man in the centre was Dr Fern himself, with a sick look of disdain on his face.

That was the last thing Essa Winters ever saw.