The whole world has changed. For the past 500 years, the two small countries that remain in this sick world are at war with each other. I'm not even sure what we fight for anymore. We just fight. And it never ends.
"You're up early." My mom greeted me when I entered our pathetic excuse for a kitchen.
"Well it's a special day isn't it?" I asked, grabbing my bowl from the cabinet.
"I suppose." She agreed.
I sighed, as I poured my soup into the bowl from the can.
"It'll be okay." She said, patting me on the back.
"No." I said, "It wont."
"So, what are the chances?" She asked, "There are thousands of other people in the drawing too, Ahirya."
"That's true." I huffed out with a sigh.
"Worrying will only make things worse." She added.
"I guess so." I said, shrugging.
"All worrying does is raise your blood pressure and make you think irrationally." My mother said.
"I get it mom!" I argued.
"Okay, okay." She said, taking a step back, "Just get some food into your system before we head out. And wake up your lazy brother while you're at it!"
"Alright." I agreed.
"I'll be in my room if you need me." She called, as she walked down the hall.
This will surely be a long day.
"As you all know, this is our 500th year of doing the drawings since the war started." A lady dressed in all blue announced, "So, let us begin with the drawing."
She walked over to a large glass ball that contained thousands of names. Every year my name was in that ball, It scared the living daylights out of me. It reminded me the tale of my father. My father was chosen to go to the battleground and fight. But, sadly he did not survive.
He looked in both directions, making sure the path was clear.
"All clear." He said to his ally, Harlan.
"Go," Harlan ordered, "I've got your back."
My father checked each direction once more, before running straight out. He ran into the enemy's base. The point of this battleground was to grab the enemy's flag out of their base, and capture it to yours. As he sneaked up the tunnel of the Zoltar's base, he felt a sharp pain in his lower back. He fell onto his back, and as he looked up, he saw Harlan's face staring back down at him, with an evil smirk on his face.
"I never told you," Harlan started, "I am a Zoltar."
"You-" My father paused, gasping for air, "You betrayed me!"
"Oh, Atticus, you knew we'd have to kill each other at one point." Harlan said with a chuckle, "And I was just doing my team, my whole faction, a huge favor."
"I thought we were friends." My father choked out, "I trusted you-"
"It was fun while it lasted." Harlan said, "But if there's only one winner, It's going to be me."
"I hope you die." My father said.
Harlan flicked off my father's blood off of his knife. He raised his knife up, pointed it closer to my father, and stabbed him twice in the stomach. He knew exactly where to stab him, so that my father would bleed out in seconds. Even if he had missed, my father had already lost a ton of blood. Sadly, he didnt, and my father bled out in seconds. But on the bright side, he didn't have to suffer any longer after it was over.
"And the lucky young lady that has been chosen, is Miss Ahirya Sabre." The announcer named Alaura announced.
My heart skipped a beat. All of a sudden, it was like all the air from my lungs left my body. I froze in shock. I didn't know what to do, how to react.
Don't cry. My father's voice echoed in my head.
My dear sweet, Ahriya... You don't want to end up like your silly gullible father now, would you? Harlan's evil snarl echoed after.
"Don't you dare call me that!" I hissed at the voices in my head.
"Come on up, dear." Alaura commanded kindly.
I'm not moving from this spot. There is no way my name was picked. You must have read that wrong!
Be brave, dear. You will get through this. And you will win.
Just like how you won?
Go up there, and face your fears.
They can't make me.
You can't stand there forever. Let's go! Move!
I stepped forward awkwardly. I felt the stare of ever single human being crowded behind me. I walked up to the front and thanked Alaura.
"Here we are!" Alaura shouted, "Our brave soldier."
Don't talk to anyone, don't look at anyone, do not cry, in fact, don't show any emotion at all. Be kind to those who are kind to you first. Trust no one. Especially don't trust anyone from Zoltar. Be sure you know who's from Zoltar. Do not make the same mistake as I did.
"Okay dad!" I shouted.
Everyone stared at me. The color from my face drained, as I stood in the front of the entire crowd, humiliated.
You're already doing horrible.
I know. I just want to get this over with.
