Author's Last Name / 1-2 Words from Title / 6
This story was constructed under the brilliant art of Mrs. Rachel Mead, her characters are obvious hers I just us them for pure creative fun.
I do own this plot.
This story is based in New York one hundred years after the downfall of our government, New York's base lives in the Empire State Building…
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Chapter One
Blacklist
All was quite. Not a sound, only the whistle of the bitter February wind. Echoing along the empty streets inside abandoned buildings; if you listened closely you could hear the glass fall. The tallest building stood black against the non-melted snow the only building in the city of broken glass that stood stable. Humbled by its warmth many crowded its halls, offices, printing closets now made for residents and storage containers. Small fires sizzled off its last ambers in the cement pits craved from the tiled floors. On the three hundredth floor was the observatory, a flat slab of hard stone circling around the metal building giving the watchers a clear three hundred sixty degrees view of the mist clouds circling below. Tonight is a full moon, the moon's beam bounced off the clouds causing the dark grey to contract in a dingy white, almost pure.
Rose Hathaway watched these clouds pass every minute on the clock for five hours without a blink. Silence. No, noise was not forbidden but, a sound meant something wrong and disturbance was against Code. The law that barely held their society together, without laws everything was broken, destroyed.
The late winter breeze sent shivers down Rose's spin causing goosebumps to form under her heavy leather jacket. The chill entered in some places where the fabric had been torn, Guardians on received one per year, she just happened to hit the two year mark. She proudly missed the annual clothing give away new clothes just didn't seem necessary at the time.
The heavy metal door open Ambrose stepped in, an experienced Guardian, scratch that; Ambrose was a legend, a war hero, rumored to have fought in Lux, the first of the Revolutions battles. He held an intimidating domineer many thought in his spare time he kicked puppies for a living. Ironically he did trained attack dogs, as part of his retirement.
He was quite the opposite, every night Ambrose would bring a used Styrofoam cup of stolen hot chocolate from the rations kitchen, as a peaceful gesture to the end of her sift change.
"Beautiful night," he inhaled the crisp air, "nothing better to fill your lungs."
Rose blinked she hadn't moved from her stone slab that she sat on for the last five hours, she took what felt like her first real breath. He was right the air had a certain artic blast that refreshed her air-flow.
"Yes, nothing like the grey clouds to lighten the mood," her sarcasm was her pride and joy something she sharpened with anyone including Ambrose.
Ambrose only chuckled, "says the child that demanded this shift, if you were expecting an extravagant sight, you've come to the wrong place."
Rose took her share of the hot chocolate the wind had cooled the temperature just right so it could be swallowed with ease. "I like quite." It true she loved the moment to herself but she was bored at night seeing that insomnia took her dreamful nights away.
"Aw, I figured. Yes, I picked it for that reason."
She raised an eyebrow, "for the quite?"
"No," he shook his head settling in her now empty post, "the view. You should try it the sun is breath taking."
She left shortly farther clocking out just for the sun rose over the horizon. It was a five flight downward spiral to her bunker, where she would shower and dress for breakfast before heading to school, which took eight hours of her day. She turned the key into her knob opening the door. Her room had once been an office for a clerk of filing purposes, old filing cabinets clutter the left wall keeping what stuff and clothes her had in the drawers, a bed shoved into a corner, and the wooden desk with a green hangover lamp for late reading.
A figure lay sprawled under the covers, the bed was not Rose's, she didn't sleep insomnia took over the habits most of the time when she did the desk chair suited her needs. Lending her bed to a lanky, freckled boy with brilliantly red ginger hair, Mason Ashford, her was a novice Guardian but constantly bullied. Her bunked out in Rose's room to hide from his two roommates.
"Mase?" she shook his sleeping form, he grumbled tossing his pillow his head as if shielding himself.
"Ashford! Attention!" She barked like a old commanding officer that they once served back in training. He automatically scurried into a standing position almost tripping in his attempt. Laughing uncontrollably she pushed him back into bed. "Damn it Hathaway, that eventually gets old," he grumbled punching his pillow.
Rose trotted over to her desk still smiling, "then way does it always work?"
Just then the alarm clock started to beep, "5:30," he groaned. "Go, take your shower then we'll head down to early breakfast." He fell back down in exhaustion snoring quietly; she was known to take long showers.
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Breakfast at seven o'clock on the dot still brought in a decent crowd; most were Guardians about to take on a tactic hard day. Mason still gorgy from his wake-up call slumped up to the line, where he grabbed a plate and pointed to his selections. Rose pointed to the freshly baked chocolate donuts at the end of the buffet they only served them at the early-bird meals. Rose was given three cense it was her only food selection, all persons were only given three food options and a choice of drink which was either bottled water or day old orange juice. Mason sat cross from her at what use to be food court. She watched him munched on his bacon squirting tomato sauce on his scrabbled eggs.
"Did you hear about last night?" He asked with his mouth full of eggs. She handed him a napkin "nope," she sighed popping the 'p'.
"Christian Ozera was Ejected last night," he managed to swallow his food whole. Rose jerked her neck in surprise, no one joked about ejection. She had meet Christian a couple times, nice, quite guy, keeping to himself; he worked in the culinary department so she only saw him at dinners and rest hours (he made the donuts!)
"What happened?" Mason shrugged.
"They say he was charged with exporting rationed food to the Broken on the west boarder."
Now he had become the Broken, goodbye freshly baked donuts.
The Broken is of ejected society of mainly ill, disabled people, unable to work by their Codes, at times the guilty of treason or criminals were also sent there for ejection. "Stupid of him," Mason added.
"I think it was brave," she disagreed leaning back into her chair not touching her last donut, "they need it; he was trying to save lives."
"But in the end Rose he screwed himself for a decent living." They ate in silence after that, a decent living, everyone was given equal shelter, food and clothes, their unite lived in a one overly large building with about one hundred thousand residents while they serviced the government in return for their generosity. She was born into the guardian field while Mason's family hailed from agricultural backgrounds.
"Well, well, look what we have here," the voice snickered from behind them, "Farm Boy and Insomnia, tell me Rose, why haven't you been ejected yet," Rose had no idea when her insomnia have become public but Jesse Zeklos was different. Follow by his cronies Randy, and Daniel he was bulky, gorgeous, and had the personality of a rat. His father was the lead of the political department of their small government. "Why don't you stop stalking others files Jesse," she spat.
"I am not breaking any law babe, just helping my dad make the new blacklist."
The blacklist. The center of most Residents nightmare, every year each department went through their updated files if you didn't make the cut of a good citizen you were ejected as a Broken.
"You barely sunk you teeth in Shorty, we almost called your file biased seeing your mother gave you high marks in your finals last year."
"Unless you have a reason to deserve my presence I suggest you leave," she started to snarl.
His smile was of the devil, "actually I'm here to fetch your boyfriend he wasn't has lucky to make the cut." Mason paled his red hair darkening as his baby blue eyes widened with fear. Randy pulled out his hand gun stepping towards Mason. "You will not touch him," Rose forced herself between Jesse and his prey which sadly was Mason. "Move Insomnia before I give them a reason to cut you too," Jesse threatened but she held her ground, Mason was not broken he never was.
"Go Rose," Mason pleaded.
Ignoring his beg she stared into Jesse grey eye glittering like the pits of hell. He twitched is head to the side, the gun when off the blow exploding pain into her arm before flying back from impact. The bang echoed against the cafeteria's walls, her head throbbing, the pain ringing her ears, pain clouded her vision and the world became black.
Translation: Lux (Latin)-Light
I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter I promise Dimitri will be coming in the next chapter in all his cowboy duster glory. Please leave a comment, be courteous of your review, but I love to read your ideas and remarks.
With love, Living Blue. :D