p style="text-align: left;"strongWildflower /strong/p
p style="text-align: left;"strongChapter One/strong/p
p style="text-align: left;""It's that wildflower again…" she whispers disapprovingly./p
p style="text-align: left;""What's she doin' in the Third anyway..." he questions./p
p style="text-align: left;""They've been saying 'er parents left 'er..." They mutter./p
p style="text-align: left;""Her parents were Sevenths..." She utters./p
p style="text-align: left;""Her mum was part of the order…" He mumbles/p
p style="text-align: left;""Weird."/p
p style="text-align: left;""Different."/p
p style="text-align: left;""Odd."/p
p style="text-align: left;""Standout."/p
p style="text-align: left;""Orphan."/p
p style="text-align: left;""Doesn't belong."/p
p style="text-align: left;""First?"/p
p style="text-align: left;""Second?"/p
p style="text-align: left;""Fourth?"/p
p style="text-align: left;"Rumours./p
p style="text-align: left;"Wildflower./p
p style="text-align: left;"Briar woke in a cold sweat; breathing heavily. Her sheets had been thrown to the floor. Nightmares again; A string of dreams, impossible to awake from until the shock sinks in:/p
p style="text-align: left;"Rain is pouring down on the streets, but you can only see it through the dim lighting of the high-standing head lights./p
p style="text-align: left;"Two faces stare back at you disapprovingly./p
p style="text-align: left;""This, this. That, that. Mumble, mumble..."/p
p style="text-align: left;"You don't understand them as they argue at the front of the vehicle./p
p style="text-align: left;"The car comes to a screeching hault./p
p style="text-align: left;"You cry and as they glare./p
p style="text-align: left;"The female of the two steps out onto the street./p
p style="text-align: left;"She pulls her male companion out from the other front door./p
p style="text-align: left;"You're all alone. They left you there./p
p style="text-align: left;"A large muscular man beckons you from the corner you're standing in./p
p style="text-align: left;""Duck! Load! Shoot!" He shouts./p
p style="text-align: left;"You stand there shaking with fear./p
p style="text-align: left;"He scowls down at you./p
p style="text-align: left;""I said shoot!" He yells./p
p style="text-align: left;"You don't want to shoot, you don't want to go to war./p
p style="text-align: left;""N-No sir!" You manage to stutter./p
p style="text-align: left;""Get out of my face you little wimp! You coward! You are a shame to this country! Do you hear me?!" You definitely hear him. Loud and clear./p
p style="text-align: left;"You're in the belly of a Speed train, with a gang of rebels:/p
p style="text-align: left;"People who want to flee their country; People who are against the Order./p
p style="text-align: left;"Then footsteps from the hollow floor above you make you shutter./p
p style="text-align: left;"'Don't find me. Don't find me' you think as you rock back and forth, dazed./p
p style="text-align: left;"You hear gunshots followed by a loud thud./p
p style="text-align: left;"You scurry to a small cupboard nearby and squeeze in./p
p style="text-align: left;"Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. on and on and on, with a thud following each one./p
p style="text-align: left;"You stay silent even though you want to cry./p
p style="text-align: left;"You hear them leave and the train starts moving again./p
p style="text-align: left;"You open the cupboard doors and see all your companions lying on the floor. Dead./p
p style="text-align: left;"Wake up. Wake up. WAKE UP!/p
p style="text-align: left;"strongChapter 2/strong/p
p style="text-align: left;""I know you're in there Briar." He knocked at the door. I was in there, but I didn't want to answer, I was still pacing and he could never see me like this./p
p style="text-align: left;""Briar? I'm coming in." he picks the lock, comes in and locks the door./p
p style="text-align: left;""How respectful…" I roll my eyes as I sat down on the edge of my mattress./p
p style="text-align: left;""You wouldn't open the door."/p
p style="text-align: left;"He wandered over to my chair and sat, facing me, his brown eyes staring back at me./p
p style="text-align: left;"He was beautiful: dirty blonde hair and tanned skin, deep brown eyes, even his dirt stained hands were perfect that day./p
p style="text-align: left;"And then there was me: knotted scarlet hair, average green eyes, and a torn white night gown. 'A nightgown. In front of Wes Grendon. Please. Kill me now.' I thought./p
p style="text-align: left;""What's going on? And what is that?" He pointed to the nightgown and grinned./p
p style="text-align: left;""Shut up." A smile tugged at the sides of my mouth./p
p style="text-align: left;""Come on, I'm serious, what's going on?" he reached for my hand and I took it./p
p style="text-align: left;""It's nothing, okay?" I stood up and walked up to my wobbly dresser./p
p style="text-align: left;""It's not nothing Briar…" he stood and stretched./p
p style="text-align: left;""Whatever. Turn around" I told him and gestured a circle with my finger. He turned and leaned against the tin wall. He was wearing his grass stained white pants and old blue dress shirt, all Order issued./p
p style="text-align: left;"I tugged off the nightgown over my head and grabbed a shirt and a my only pair of shorts./p
p style="text-align: left;""Done." I announced and he turned around, looking me up and down,/p
p style="text-align: left;""You realize today is visitation day, right?"/p
p style="text-align: left;""Of course I know it's visitation day. It's the one day of the year a try to forget." I said./p
p style="text-align: left;"Visitation day: Once a year the Order visits each fraction, and selects three people from each to become the next generation of the order. For Third, it's September eighth. The day I dread all year long./p
p style="text-align: left;""I look fine." I grabbed my single strap backpack; all the rage 200 years ago, the illegal laughing stock of em2180./em I found it in the mouth of a fox in the fire zone of Thirds junk yard. In it, was a rusty music player of sorts, a broken locket with a sepia photo of a woman and baby, and an old notebook, filled with pages of someone's personal life. A diary I think, but whatever, it just sits under my floorboards untouched./p
p style="text-align: left;""You look terrible. No offense" He took the bag off my shoulder and ushered me towards the sink./p
p style="text-align: left;""Wash your hair." he twisted the tap on warm./p
p style="text-align: left;""Well isn't someone judgy today?" I gently punched him on the shoulder and started scrubbing a soap bar into my red knots. I should've gone easier on him; If it weren't for him I would look crappier than I naturally do. Wes walked over to my dresser and opened the drawers, searching for something Order distributed. He shut the drawers and wandered over to the kitchen./p
p style="text-align: left;""When was the last time you got something new to wear? Or new food?" he asked, shutting the nearly-empty cupboards./p
p style="text-align: left;""Never." I said nonchalantly, drying my hair with an already damp towel. I brushed my hair until it looked okay again./p
p style="text-align: left;""There. Beautiful." Wes said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear./p
p style="text-align: left;""Far from." I hurt-smile./p
p style="text-align: left;""Come on Briar, what every girl in Third wouldn't give to have your eyes." he smiled and lifted my chin up with his thumb and fore finger./p
p style="text-align: left;"We're just friends; Always have been. Always will be./p
p style="text-align: left;""Stop flirting and let's go." I laughed and wished he hadn't./p
p style="text-align: left;"He went and unlocked the door, opened it, and waved me out./p
p style="text-align: left;"The sun was bright as ever in the glass dome. It always is on September eighth. Because everything has to be perfect for the Order. Everything./p
p style="text-align: left;""Hey Wesy!" Ratter Cimbel squealed. Wes's kiss up, preppy, ex girlfriend. EX girlfriend. Emphasize the EX. And the preppy. And the kiss up part./p
p style="text-align: left;""Hi Ratter." He walked over to her and took her bag, the new light blue (Thirds National colour), The one that is, technically, the only bag your allowed to use in the fraction, but our government doesn't give a crap what I'm doing in Third, to them, I shouldn't even be here. But it was visitation day. Which means if your not wearing your Order branded clothing or bags or have your hair anything but up and off your neck and face, then the dusty old courtroom is sitting, waiting to deprive you of your innocence. The courts are known for being Cold Bloods, and they get their way, that is, in fact, why they were sorted into Cold Blood./p
p style="text-align: left;"Most people around there were Moyen like Wes or Power tone like Ratter. But me? I'm a Wildflower. I was a sore thumb in what used to be called North America, the Third fraction in the world. Rare, unique, but mostly, unwanted. My own parents abandoned me in an air raid, on the side of bay in Eighth. Wildflower? Please. More like 'Garden Weed'. They want me to leave. I wanted to leave. But, I couldn't. I couldn't leave./p
p style="text-align: left;"Not then. Not ever./p
p style="text-align: left;"I'm stuck in third alone and lonely./p
p style="text-align: left;"Just as I was being consumed by depression and fear in another, Wes walked back over and took my wrist. As he pulled me into his arms, he brought his mouth closer to my ear. He whispered into my ear "kiss me" then glided my mouth against his. I pulled away in shock./p
p style="text-align: left;""What the hell Wes?" I said threw barred teeth, tearing myself away./p
p style="text-align: left;""Come on! Just… Please" he whispered harshly as he nodded to Ratter, who was shaking her head in fear and surprise, dazed, as Ashty and Mist tried to get her to walk to the welcome tower./p
p style="text-align: left;" /p
p style="text-align: left;"I walked away from Wes as he tried to make me understand. But I just walked away in a blur./p
p style="text-align: left;"strongChapter One/strong/p
p style="text-align: left;""It's that wildflower again…" she whispers disapprovingly./p
p style="text-align: left;""What's she doin' in the Third anyway..." he questions./p
p style="text-align: left;""They've been saying 'er parents left 'er..." They mutter./p
p style="text-align: left;""Her parents were Sevenths..." She utters./p
p style="text-align: left;""Her mum was part of the order…" He mumbles/p
p style="text-align: left;""Weird."/p
p style="text-align: left;""Different."/p
p style="text-align: left;""Odd."/p
p style="text-align: left;""Standout."/p
p style="text-align: left;""Orphan."/p
p style="text-align: left;""Doesn't belong."/p
p style="text-align: left;""First?"/p
p style="text-align: left;""Second?"/p
p style="text-align: left;""Fourth?"/p
p style="text-align: left;"Rumours./p
p style="text-align: left;"Wildflower./p
p style="text-align: left;"Briar woke in a cold sweat; breathing heavily. Her sheets had been thrown to the floor. Nightmares again; A string of dreams, impossible to awake from until the shock sinks in:/p
p style="text-align: left;"Rain is pouring down on the streets, but you can only see it through the dim lighting of the high-standing head lights./p
p style="text-align: left;"Two faces stare back at you disapprovingly./p
p style="text-align: left;""This, this. That, that. Mumble, mumble..."/p
p style="text-align: left;"You don't understand them as they argue at the front of the vehicle./p
p style="text-align: left;"The car comes to a screeching hault./p
p style="text-align: left;"You cry and as they glare./p
p style="text-align: left;"The female of the two steps out onto the street./p
p style="text-align: left;"She pulls her male companion out from the other front door./p
p style="text-align: left;"You're all alone. They left you there./p
p style="text-align: left;"A large muscular man beckons you from the corner you're standing in./p
p style="text-align: left;""Duck! Load! Shoot!" He shouts./p
p style="text-align: left;"You stand there shaking with fear./p
p style="text-align: left;"He scowls down at you./p
p style="text-align: left;""I said shoot!" He yells./p
p style="text-align: left;"You don't want to shoot, you don't want to go to war./p
p style="text-align: left;""N-No sir!" You manage to stutter./p
p style="text-align: left;""Get out of my face you little wimp! You coward! You are a shame to this country! Do you hear me?!" You definitely hear him. Loud and clear./p
p style="text-align: left;"You're in the belly of a Speed train, with a gang of rebels:/p
p style="text-align: left;"People who want to flee their country; People who are against the Order./p
p style="text-align: left;"Then footsteps from the hollow floor above you make you shutter./p
p style="text-align: left;"'Don't find me. Don't find me' you think as you rock back and forth, dazed./p
p style="text-align: left;"You hear gunshots followed by a loud thud./p
p style="text-align: left;"You scurry to a small cupboard nearby and squeeze in./p
p style="text-align: left;"Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. on and on and on, with a thud following each one./p
p style="text-align: left;"You stay silent even though you want to cry./p
p style="text-align: left;"You hear them leave and the train starts moving again./p
p style="text-align: left;"You open the cupboard doors and see all your companions lying on the floor. Dead./p
p style="text-align: left;"Wake up. Wake up. WAKE UP!/p
p style="text-align: left;"strongChapter 2/strong/p
p style="text-align: left;""I know you're in there Briar." He knocked at the door. I was in there, but I didn't want to answer, I was still pacing and he could never see me like this./p
p style="text-align: left;""Briar? I'm coming in." he picks the lock, comes in and locks the door./p
p style="text-align: left;""How respectful…" I roll my eyes as I sat down on the edge of my mattress./p
p style="text-align: left;""You wouldn't open the door."/p
p style="text-align: left;"He wandered over to my chair and sat, facing me, his brown eyes staring back at me./p
p style="text-align: left;"He was beautiful: dirty blonde hair and tanned skin, deep brown eyes, even his dirt stained hands were perfect that day./p
p style="text-align: left;"And then there was me: knotted scarlet hair, average green eyes, and a torn white night gown. 'A nightgown. In front of Wes Grendon. Please. Kill me now.' I thought./p
p style="text-align: left;""What's going on? And what is that?" He pointed to the nightgown and grinned./p
p style="text-align: left;""Shut up." A smile tugged at the sides of my mouth./p
p style="text-align: left;""Come on, I'm serious, what's going on?" he reached for my hand and I took it./p
p style="text-align: left;""It's nothing, okay?" I stood up and walked up to my wobbly dresser./p
p style="text-align: left;""It's not nothing Briar…" he stood and stretched./p
p style="text-align: left;""Whatever. Turn around" I told him and gestured a circle with my finger. He turned and leaned against the tin wall. He was wearing his grass stained white pants and old blue dress shirt, all Order issued./p
p style="text-align: left;"I tugged off the nightgown over my head and grabbed a shirt and a my only pair of shorts./p
p style="text-align: left;""Done." I announced and he turned around, looking me up and down,/p
p style="text-align: left;""You realize today is visitation day, right?"/p
p style="text-align: left;""Of course I know it's visitation day. It's the one day of the year a try to forget." I said./p
p style="text-align: left;"Visitation day: Once a year the Order visits each fraction, and selects three people from each to become the next generation of the order. For Third, it's September eighth. The day I dread all year long./p
p style="text-align: left;""I look fine." I grabbed my single strap backpack; all the rage 200 years ago, the illegal laughing stock of em2180./em I found it in the mouth of a fox in the fire zone of Thirds junk yard. In it, was a rusty music player of sorts, a broken locket with a sepia photo of a woman and baby, and an old notebook, filled with pages of someone's personal life. A diary I think, but whatever, it just sits under my floorboards untouched./p
p style="text-align: left;""You look terrible. No offense" He took the bag off my shoulder and ushered me towards the sink./p
p style="text-align: left;""Wash your hair." he twisted the tap on warm./p
p style="text-align: left;""Well isn't someone judgy today?" I gently punched him on the shoulder and started scrubbing a soap bar into my red knots. I should've gone easier on him; If it weren't for him I would look crappier than I naturally do. Wes walked over to my dresser and opened the drawers, searching for something Order distributed. He shut the drawers and wandered over to the kitchen./p
p style="text-align: left;""When was the last time you got something new to wear? Or new food?" he asked, shutting the nearly-empty cupboards./p
p style="text-align: left;""Never." I said nonchalantly, drying my hair with an already damp towel. I brushed my hair until it looked okay again./p
p style="text-align: left;""There. Beautiful." Wes said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear./p
p style="text-align: left;""Far from." I hurt-smile./p
p style="text-align: left;""Come on Briar, what every girl in Third wouldn't give to have your eyes." he smiled and lifted my chin up with his thumb and fore finger./p
p style="text-align: left;"We're just friends; Always have been. Always will be./p
p style="text-align: left;""Stop flirting and let's go." I laughed and wished he hadn't./p
p style="text-align: left;"He went and unlocked the door, opened it, and waved me out./p
p style="text-align: left;"The sun was bright as ever in the glass dome. It always is on September eighth. Because everything has to be perfect for the Order. Everything./p
p style="text-align: left;""Hey Wesy!" Ratter Cimbel squealed. Wes's kiss up, preppy, ex girlfriend. EX girlfriend. Emphasize the EX. And the preppy. And the kiss up part./p
p style="text-align: left;""Hi Ratter." He walked over to her and took her bag, the new light blue (Thirds National colour), The one that is, technically, the only bag your allowed to use in the fraction, but our government doesn't give a crap what I'm doing in Third, to them, I shouldn't even be here. But it was visitation day. Which means if your not wearing your Order branded clothing or bags or have your hair anything but up and off your neck and face, then the dusty old courtroom is sitting, waiting to deprive you of your innocence. The courts are known for being Cold Bloods, and they get their way, that is, in fact, why they were sorted into Cold Blood./p
p style="text-align: left;"Most people around there were Moyen like Wes or Power tone like Ratter. But me? I'm a Wildflower. I was a sore thumb in what used to be called North America, the Third fraction in the world. Rare, unique, but mostly, unwanted. My own parents abandoned me in an air raid, on the side of bay in Eighth. Wildflower? Please. More like 'Garden Weed'. They want me to leave. I wanted to leave. But, I couldn't. I couldn't leave./p
p style="text-align: left;"Not then. Not ever./p
p style="text-align: left;"I'm stuck in third alone and lonely./p
p style="text-align: left;"Just as I was being consumed by depression and fear in another, Wes walked back over and took my wrist. As he pulled me into his arms, he brought his mouth closer to my ear. He whispered into my ear "kiss me" then glided my mouth against his. I pulled away in shock./p
p style="text-align: left;""What the hell Wes?" I said threw barred teeth, tearing myself away./p
p style="text-align: left;""Come on! Just… Please" he whispered harshly as he nodded to Ratter, who was shaking her head in fear and surprise, dazed, as Ashty and Mist tried to get her to walk to the welcome tower./p
p style="text-align: left;" /p
p style="text-align: left;"I walked away from Wes as he tried to make me understand. But I just walked away in a blur./p