I was only thirteen years old when everything started.
At thirteen years old, you don't really know much about the outside world, nor do you really care about what happens beyond the life you've always known. As a thirteen year old boy, the only thing I cared about was passing all my classes.
I had always admired the older students and instructors. They were so mature and responsible— I looked up to them. Seeing the DPO guards train and observing all the mechanics fix things around District 17 was so admirable to me. I couldn't wait to grow up. I couldn't wait to see what my purpose was in the district.
That is, until I met Emi.
She was about a year older than me, but she never avoided talking to me like a lot of the older kids did. Whenever I waved at her, she'd wave back with a cheerful smile. Whenever I sat alone at lunch she'd sit with me. During breaks we'd hang out together in our favorite spot in the entire district— the River.
One time I saw her fish out her morning pill from her pocket and throw it into the water, allowing the small capsule to drown in the current.
"Why'd you do that?" I asked as she stuffed her hands in her overall pockets.
"I just don't like them," she shrugged, "It feels weird down your throat when you swallow the pills."
She made a bitter facial expression, like she had swallowed the pill with disgust, making me burst into a fit of laughter. She smiled of satisfaction, watching me attempt to calm myself down. I let out a sigh before looking back at the River.
"You're right... the gummies were better," I agreed, in which she chuckled and called me all sorts of things, like cute and adorable.
After that, I started doing the same thing with my pills. When they gave us our morning prescriptions, I pretended to swallow the pill then hide it in my pocket. During break times I met up with Emi by the River, and we'd throw our pills into the water together, watching them flow away with the strong current. I noticed that I felt a lot better once I stopped taking my pills. I wasn't as tired every day and I felt more lively and expressive.
As the months wore on, I got to know more sides of Emi that I didn't know before. I knew she was nice, but I never expected her to so intelligent too. She passed every exam, and she knew the most challenging math formulas. You name it, and she was a master at it. In my eyes, she was the coolest person in the world.
What made her even cooler was that she shared this knowledge with me. She helped me with my assignments, topics in school I struggled with, and so on. However, the things that interested me the most were the secrets she'd share with me.
Every day by the River whenever we met up, she brought a different book that talked about certain things you couldn't learn in school. We read stories about animals, found information about different types of seasons and weather, and even traveled the outside world by reading the books.
"This is called an ocean," she once told me, pointing to the picture of large blue area that surrounded a small little green island. "An ocean is a huuuge body of water."
"Bigger than the River?" I asked her, making her giggle.
"Way bigger," she beamed. "And some day, I want to see it for myself."
"How will you do that?" I asked, knowing full well how strict District 17 was about leaving.
She thought for a moment, not really sure herself what her plan was. She turned her attention towards the rushing current below, falling silent as her gaze got lost in the glistening waters.
"I'll figure out a way," she finally said.
"Can I come with you?" I asked innocently.
She turned her head to look at me, her eyes meeting mine that were full of anticipation. She grinned once more and ruffled my hair, which caused me to whine at her doting gesture.
"Of course you can come," she responded, making me smile. "We'll figure out a way, I promise."
After that, we promised each other that when we grew up, we'd find a way to leave District 17 and see the ocean for ourselves. I no longer focused on what my purpose was in the district. Ever since Emi had shown me something beyond the world we lived in, I didn't care about that anymore. She helped me discover I had a bigger purpose for my life.
Soon a year passed by, and Emi and I were both moved up to our next ages. I was now fourteen and more aware of what was actually happening. I started to notice how much power the tiny pills held in controlling one's behavior. I noticed the strictness of the instructors and also the manipulation of the higher authorities. It scared me at first, but Emi helped placate any anxiousness I felt.
Whenever I was with her I was in euphoria. I felt so alive whenever we were together. She brought me so much joy, so much strength. When I was by her side, I'd sometimes forget that I lived in such a lifeless, dull community. The world I lived in seemed bright through her smile. I wanted to protect her. I wanted to make her happy.
And I still remember that day vividly.
I was waiting for her at the River, kicking a few of the gravel pebbles every now and the. I looked up and saw her jog towards me. She greeted me with a smile, holding up a another secret book for us to read.
"Seriously, where do you find all these books?" I asked her curiously, causing her to shrug.
"It's a secret." She said with a grin.
She showed me the strange-looking book, one that didn't seem like it was nonfiction. Instead, it had a painted cover of a boy and a girl holding hands in a meadow field, along with a title that was printed in gold cursive letters.
Stronger Than Anything.
I looked up at Emi with confusion.
"What kind of book is this?" I asked, a little embarrassed after I read the title.
"It's a romance novel," Emi responded, opening the book and flipping through the pages. "It's about a boy and a girl who are trapped inside a scary, hostile camp. Together, they attempt to escape and eventually fall in love with each other."
Emi looked up at me and set the book down on the round wooden table. She took a few steps closer towards me until her face was inches away from mine, never breaking eye contact. She reached out her hand and press it against my cheek, caressing it gently with her thumb. Her lips curled into a weak smile as she began to admire my facial features lovingly.
"I hope we can do the same," she spoke up, almost at a whisper.
It was then when I noticed how beautiful Emi was. Her dark wavy hair was pulled back into a ponytail with a few loose strands hanging from her ears. Her big brown eyes sparkled with passion, and her lips were tinted with a natural shade of pink, and they looked soft and smooth.
I lifted up my hand and placed it on top of her own, allowing myself to melt in her touch.
"I hope so too."
We looked at each other blissfully, wanting time to stop. A smile grew on my lips as I pulled her into my arms to embrace her with all my might. I felt her wrap her arms around me as well, nuzzling her face into my shoulder. We stood there, hugging each other quietly, allowing ourselves to be enveloped in the sound of the River's current hitting against the rocky path. I didn't have to say anything, and neither did she. In that moment, we just knew how we felt about one another. Our feelings of love were mutual.
However, our happiness didn't last long.
Almost month after what happened in the hidden room, I was told by one of my instructors after a lesson to go to District Headquarters. Not really thinking much of it, I nodded obediently and made my way over to where I was told to go. Once I went into District Headquarters, I was immediately ushered towards the Head Council's Office. To my surprise, Emi was inside the office as well. I walked up to her and stood by her side. By the looks of her expression, I had a feeling this meeting wasn't good.
"Emi and Chan," one of the representatives said with an empty smile, "How pleasant of you to join us." We both bowed.
Once we stood up straight, I felt Emi reach for my hand, squeezing it in a comforting gesture, despite how shaky they were. However, when I glanced over at her to see that she kept a consistent expression, not showing any sign of fear or nervousness.
"Long ago," the older man began, "a citizen in our district created a hidden room somewhere in the community, full of books and objects that are not necessarily... a positive influence towards our society."
He clicked a button on a bracelet he was wearing, which signaled for a tall buff man to enter inside the white room.
"We've been told that you two," he pointed towards us, "know where that room is located!"
Emi squeezed my hand once more, slowly inching closer to me for comfort.
"It would be extremely helpful if you could tell us where it is," The representative suggested.
"No," Emi spoke firmly.
"Well," an evil grin grow on the representative face. "I guess we'll have to do this the hard way."
He snapped his fingers, and DPO guards immediately came rushing in to grab ahold of both me and Emi, pulling us apart. Two strong guards held my hands against my back, not allowing me to make any movements no matter how hard I tried. They did the same to Emi, but she didn't seemed too worried about herself.
"Let him go!" She shouted. "He doesn't have anything to do with this! He doesn't know about the secret room!"
My eyes widened with shock. What she said was true; I didn't know. She never told me where the books came from, nor did I question why she never told me. She didn't want to tell me, because she wanted to protect me.
The representative turned his gaze towards her, staring her down as he made his way over to where she was being held. He leaned downward until he was at eye level with her, an apathetic smile on his face.
"So I suppose you know where it is then?"
Emi scoffed, "Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."
I suddenly heard a loud slap, which caused me to call out to Emi as I tried to wriggle myself free. There was continual punching and kicking, the sound of each his ringing in my ears. I couldn't see what was happening from afar, but I knew for a fact that Emi was being hurt and threatened by the representative. Yet I couldn't do anything to protect her; I was helpless.
"I'm going to ask you one more time," the representative said, "WHERE IS THE SECRET ROOM!"
I didn't hear Emi speak. The room filled with silence, only the sound of the older man huffing with irritation. He turned his head towards the tall man next to him and nodded. My eyes widened with fear as I watched the huge tall man march towards Emi and slap her hard across the face.
"EMI!" I screamed, tears falling down my face.
The tall buff man looked down at Emi, no sign of guilt in his eyes.
"I'll never tell you," I heard Emi say.
The representative sighed, disappointed in the way Emi was behaving. "Well then our meeting ends now. Gentlemen, please escort the young boy to the Confinement Floor."
The guards holding me nodded then started to drag me towards a hidden entrance that lead to a glass hallway. I kicked and shouted, trying to free myself from their grip.
"LET ME GO!" I cried, "LET ME GO—EMI!"
I watched with horror as the other guards dragged Emi to another entrance at the opposite end of the white room. She looked beaten up, covered in bruises and blood; but she managed to still look at me one last time.
"Remember our promise!" She called out to me, causing my eyes to water at the sound of her voice. She flashed me one more weak smile as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"I love you, Chan."
The door closed, and Emi was gone.
The guards dragged me down the hallway and into the elevator that would take me to my cell. Once we reached the Confinement floor, they took me to a chamber that was labeled Cell No. 3, where they threw me in and closed the entrance. I banged on the glass and cried out for help, but the only thing I could see was my own reflection.
After a few hours of sitting in the cell, the entrance opened once more and a unfamiliar young man walked in, his face tired and worn out. His jet black hair was geled up neatly, and he wore a white DPO guard uniform. I immediately walked up to him and shook him desperately by the caller of his uniform.
"Where's Emi? Where did they take her?!" I screamed.
"Emi was taken somewhere else," the guard said.
"To another cell?" I asked. "Which one? Can I go see her?"
"I'm afraid you cannot, because she isn't even on the Confinement Floor."
"Then," my voice grew weak, "Where is she?"
The guard took a deep breath, his expression growing crestfallen. He placed his hands on top of mine and prying them off his collar. He looked me in the eye, his voice growing low and gentle and his expression crestfallen.
"Elimination," he stated. "They're eliminating her right now, as we speak."
My eyes widened with horror and began to well up with tears. My legs grew weak as I fell on the floor at my knees. I began to sob helplessly into the palms of my hands, practically drowning myself in my own tears. I didn't know what to do; I didn't know how to deal with my grief.
My name is Chan.
I'm sixteen years old.
And the District killed the person I care about the most in the world,
my first love.
___________
A/N: this chapter do be kinda long doe🙃 anyways STREAM 24H!!!!