It is the year 2057. A treatment was made available to the public in 2030 eliminating the process of aging. It is known as the Cure. People can now live as long as they want, never needing to worry about growing old. Treatments to all diseases and sicknesses have been found as well. It is a "perfect" America.

This has all accumulated to a concern that soon the planet will not be able to hold everyone comfortably. Thus, the Protectors were created, their job to prevent having children. Everyone is expected to go into the treatment facilities where they will undergo a surgery making it impossible to have children. The semen and eggs from those most prestigious, resilient, and healthy will be preserved for later use if a time arises when more people are needed.

Those who no longer want to live can go to exterminating centers where they are put to sleep.

There are resistors, though, who defy the Protectors, unwilling to be at their mercy. It is said that people come out different from the treatment facilities than when they went in, altered somehow. The resistors believe the Protectors/government are altering the minds of humans, making them credulous and accepting of the way things are. They call this the Change. The Protectors want a society that does not question what they do. They want a stupid, gullible, "happy", Capitol loving society. The Resistors catch on though, and hide. They don't want to be captured, or go through the Change. Some go along with the "happy "society, pretending. Some run and hide. But the Protectors job is to find the Resistors, and the hunt is on.

I have failed.

These three words continue to flash through my mind.

I have failed. Myself. My parents. Jacob. And most of all my little sister, Lee.

I can't help but think of them. What I've cost them. If they're safe. If they're okay. Is Lee scared? Does she realize what this means? She must. She's already 7 years old, and she's so very smart. She must realize that I might as well be dead to her. That in fact, I would be better off dead. Jacob will realize this too. I hope they will be strong for each other, and help each other get away to safety.

Sitting here in the dark I can't help but think of what happened over and over again, though I keep trying not to. It makes my head hurt, my body hurt, my heart hurt. But there is nothing else to do but think. I don't know where I am, only that it is dark, cold, and dirty. The stench is horrible, but that shouldn't matter now. Nothing matters now. I've lost the only people in the world that I cared about, the only ones I had left. And now I've left them. I thought we were safe. Jacob said we were safe. We had been traveling for two days without food and barely any water. We needed to rest, to gather our thoughts and think up a plan, and what better place than there?

...

I'm so exhausted I can hardly think. How long have we been running? It feels like a lifetime. The only thing that is keeping me going is Lee. She's only seven, ten years younger than me, and she's already so brave. So much braver than she should have to be. If she can be brave, I have to be.

It's getting light out, and I look over at them, Jake, holding Lee's hand. He is so good with her, makes her feel safe. Makes me feel safe. He looks up and catches me watching them and smiles. He knows what I'm thinking.

"Getting light out" he says.

"Yes, we should find a place to rest for the day," I say back. Does he notice how I get a tingly feeling every time I look at him? Does he notice how amazing he is? How much I love him? No, I don't think so.

We continue walking for about 20 minutes more. "How about here? We can make cover in the little crevice over there, and make a plan to get some food." As he's talking of food my stomach growls and I laugh. "Are you sure it's safe?" It's hard to trust anywhere.

"Positive." Jacob says with a smile. If he believes its safe, I do too. I trust him completely.

…...

I reach up to brush the tear from my cheek. It's been so long since I've cried, and I don't like this feeling. The feeling of sadness, of impending doom. I'm dreading what's to come. My parents told me what would happen before the Protectors got them.

The Protectors go through your mind, pulling out the memories of where you were, how you went so long unfound, who you were traveling, or "rebelling" with.

They will dig through my mind and find that I was with Lee and Jacob. They will know everywhere we've been. The places we considered safe, where we were planning on going. They will know every thought I've ever had, every emotion I've ever felt, and record it all in a file with the name Aylene Starr. They will know my mind better than I do, and then they will take it away from me.

They will do the surgery to take away my ability to ever have children. They will alter my brain so I'm not me anymore. I'll be a Capitol version of myself, the Aylene that goes along with whatever she's told, doesn't question anything, cares of nothing but herself and what the Capitol tells her, and worst of all, isn't Aylene anymore. The Capitol is creating a mindless, zombielike army. A society that does not question or fight back. And soon, I will be nothing more than one of them. A Capitol loving freak.

I bury my head in my hands, letting the tears come now. It is all the fear, anxiety, sadness, worry, and fight coming out. Everything I've worked for, all that time of running and hiding form the Capitol, protecting Lee. The only thing keeping me going is that Jacob is smart, and he will know that nothing we were planning is safe anymore. And he'll protect Lee. That I know. And that is what is keeping me from going insane.

I lean my head against the wall, curl into a ball and wrap my hands around myself. To my surprise, I fall asleep almost instantly.

…...

I'm running, and running, not daring to stop. My chest heaves as it tries to get the air its being deprived of as I continue to push myself harder, faster. I chance a look over my shoulder to see that they are gaining on me. I cry out and run faster, the adrenaline coursing through me, but I know I won't last much longer. I know my body is past it's limits, and it hurts so bad. I keep running, digging my feet in the mud, leaping over fallen logs and branches, desperately trying to get away, just escape. I look back again and my heart drops, because they have closed the distance by over half. I turn forward again, and then I'm flying towards the ground because I tripped over a log. I reach out to catch myself, but its too late to keep running, because the lights surround me, the men with their flashlights. To my surprise, I just sit in the mud, frozen in place, too numb to move.

"Put your hands up" I hear, but I don't, can't. "I said put your hands up!" a man yells. I turn to look at the man. He's in the black protectors uniform, fully equipped with armor and tons of fancy weapons. His mask is up, and he's staring at me, his dark eyes full of hate because I am a rebel. I am evil. I am going against our Capitol. I am the enemy. "This is your last warning, rebel." He says, as he pulls the trigger on his stun laser. I'm flung to the ground, and pain explodes through my body. I feel myself shaking, convulsing, twitching on the forest floor for what feels like an eternity. Then finally, the shaking stops, the pain goes away, and I'm numb and can't feel anything, except sadness and fear. I have one last thought as everything goes black. Lee is safe.

…...