Introduction:
Much of this story was inspired by Maximum Ride. Essentially it is a very similar story about genetic transformations, breaking out of a lab and, obviously, kids with extordinary abilities with wings. That is basically where the similarities end. Forever August is story about 15 year old Leara that escapes from the lab after an unexpected accident during surgery. The rest of the galaxy views her as a threat, and would interrogate her upon sighting, so Leara counteracts her new wings, and doesn't fly up; but propells herself further through the atmospheres and into Earth. Forever August is an idea that I congregated a year ago. To me it is a tale about how power and unjust experiementations can very well be bittersweet, in this case the scientists intensified the strengths of men, but at the price of heightened greed and an overall war.
Stage 1: Creature
There is nothing worse than feeling calm while knowing that the end is near. I knew that the Amanite Phalloïde was a creature of incredible power. It possessed a strength that others besides itself knows not of. My fingers looked so big and strong while laced with the Amanites. It's hands were so pale and fragile. Which is a rather silly thought, since the Amanite could have crushed every bone in my body in one single motion. The dark creature giggled. The sound was hallow. It sounded like leaves blowing by in the wind. The giggle seemed to touch every nerve in my body, causing me to shake violently. I could have thrown up right about then. I could have cried my eyes out right about then. But I didn't and for a very selfish cause; I wanted to live. I did not want to have my soul wrentched apart by the Amanite.
It had already taken me from my home and into this place straight out of hell. The Scouts called it Terrain D'essai. Three main elements made up the Terrain; fear, pain and an inevitable cloud of judgement. That was all that the Workers ever did. They judged you on every single thing possibly imaginable. If your hair didn't look perfect, too bad! You were sent to be improved. If you weren't strong enough, too bad! You were sent to have five rounds of hormones injected straight into your stomach.
That's not the worst part. The Workers, they tested you ro a point where you were practially dead. No. To a point where you were practically wishing that you could die.
How cruel. The Workers had made it virtually impossible for us to die. We could withstand any circumstance. We were virtually unstoppable. The only thing that could kill was the Amanite Phalloïde.
The amanite phalloïde was a rare being, that is barely ever seen. The only time that people speak of them is during the vieille histoire. But do not think that mothers told the old stories in a strong loud voice! People always, always spoke of them through hushed, hardly audible whispers. Many Solielians believe that speaking of the amanite phalloïdes is the equivelent of beckoning them to come your way, but passing on knowledge about them is vital.
I never, ever once in my life talked about that Amanite. Never. So, how in the world did I end up standing beside one?
Stage 2: Soliel
I was born in a world not too far away from your own. If you travel to the center of Italy and fly to the third star on the left you will eventually reach my home.
Soleil is like a world that only exists in myths written by masters. Yes, beauty reins over the town, and Soleil's inhabitants are always so happy and at peace, but things are far different for those that have truly seen the flaws of the community. For there is always darkness in the universe, even in a world where the sun never ceases to shine.
There are a lot of things that Solielians refuse to accept. Their constant denial may be one of the key reasons for their own destruction. Leading up to the capture of my home, a thick suffacating air of fear would loom over the community. It is safe to say that my people lived in fear. When the invasion first began, I honestly believed that it would only last a short amount of time. I was proven tragically wrong. The Scouts "visited" Soleil so frequently that I even began to recongnize more and more of them. Every single one of them was beautiful and yet so ugly! Their thirst for destruction manifested directly inside the pupil of their eyes. Their hate overpowered their beauty, and erased every drop of it inside of them. In time, the Scouts became dark creatures.
Soleil was dying. Everyday, things would worsen. I would always tell myself that it would end soon, because things couldn't get much worse. But it did.
I am ashamed to admit that I had once hoped.
It was not safe for children to walk the streets, much less step outside their own front doors. There had been rumors circulating that the Scouts would pluck children off the streets. The Scouts didn't choose children at random. They used a certain method that didn't become clear until the final capture.
The night had been disturbingly quiet. You could almost your own breath. It's funny, ever since the invasion had begun; silence was all that I wished for. But now that silence had come, I wished for sound instead. Sleeping was an impossible task that night. Everthing felt wrong; my bed felt different, the light from outside seemed to shine too brightly. I was just about to kick off my sheets and go to mother when out of the corner of my eye, something moved.
A dark shadow lingered in the hallway. It was covered in a dark, smooth velvety cloak. Every inch of it's body was concealed, so it was impossible to tell if the figure was a man or a woman. I had heard terrible stories about cloaked figures before. Each and every story was different but was based on one central theme; the snatching of children. Solielians reffered to them as amanite phalloïde.
I could not help but to stare at the creature.
The amanites have a certain way of luring their victims. They have a sort of compelling charm that varys amongst people. For me, I'm not quite sure what it was. Maybe it was their, scent or possibly even the inevitable tug that they exuted. Whichever the case, I still could not help but to find myself walking towards the amanite.
This is the most dangerous characteristic of an amanites. I walked, enchanted, towards the creature.
Stage 3: Climate Change
It was approimatley -125 degrees outside. I would have died immeadiatley in this weather a few months ago. The first time that I was taken to Terrain D'essai was the first time that I had ever truly ever felt cold. Before, back at Soliel I knew the word but never quite understood the concept. I remember standing, shivering, thinking that I would die because of the dramatic climate change. I had been taken from a world of sunshine to a world of forever isolation.
I stood beside the Amanite now, nervous. The Amanite began to laugh hysterically.
The Amanite lead me to a large gated arena. The building was massive with grey stone walls. Its roof sloped down, making it look similar to a tilted frisbee.
Oh no. My heart sank. I knew what was coming.
Dread settled right in the pit of my stomach.
"Please." I begged. "please stop this." I was in excruciating pain. I would have been dead by now, if this had taken place a few months ago. This test still would have killed me, even after my Transformation. This pain was new and fresh. It was unlike any other that I had ever felt before.
My opponent was Robert. He is the appitomy of the term "silent but deadly." Robert he moves at such a speed that it is almost impossible to know where he is. Behind you? In front of you? Beside you? In this case he was in front of me. I felt the punch before I even knew what had happened. The top half of my body snapped back at the force of the blow. I couldn't feel my stomach! (never a good sign).
I stumbled back and unsuccessfully tried to keep my balance.
He is also extremely silent. His motions are quick and yet so quiet and graceful.
My head was dizzy and I was pretty sure my arm was broken and everything hurt, but I tried to get up anyways. In a second flat I was knocked back onto the ground.
Not only is he fast and quiet, but he is also extremely strong.
Think of it, a force strong enough to bring down an entire building in a single blow coming from this tiny little guy? Unbelieveable, right? But at that moment I was believing it more than any thing that I had ever believed in before. In one swift motion, he kicked the side of my body.
I felt and heard my bones snap. The sound was loud and sickening.
"please. stop." He kicked my face. Hard. Once, twice. I wanted to scream out in pain, but I didn't even have enough energy to do that.
So instead, I decided tp lay there on the rock-hard floor, crumpled. I probably looked like a piece of paper that someone had crumpled up, and tried to smooth out again.
A wave of sleep washed over me as Robert infliceted me with one last blow. It was a feeling that I welcomed so many times in the past. It was a feeling that I had wished for since the battle had started. Finally, the feeling had come.
A woman with a flowing white dress sewn by the hands of a master for a princess was the focus of the scene. She was undoubtedly, sincerely beatiful with slightly pointed, but kind eyes. Her hair was not in a typically seen style. It was a bright shock of yellow that contrasted greatly with the landscape. She had it curled at the bottom half and pinned back with a sparkling jeweled headband. A slight smile was painted on her porcelin face. Her bright green eyes looked straight ahead at the crowd of cheering invitees. She held a boquet of assorted flowers in her hands.
She looked so familiar, like an old photograph of a friend found years after being taken. Her eyes stood out the most to me; they were just like mines. I knew who this was, this was my sole protector, this was my mother on her wedding day.
My eyes fluttered open and I grabbed the nearest thing out of pure instinct. I felt a cold, mettallic surface. My hands squeezed the armonred arm until my fingernails were practically digging into the soft flesh below. I was dizzy, and my vision was blurred. I could barely make out a figure that I reconginzed. It was Daniel. I opened my mouth to say something, but it felt so dry.
"Thirsty?" His words sounded cynical.
I cleared my throat and when I spoke my voice sounded like sandpaper. "Not really." I looked around the room, trying to find a clock. "How long have I been here?"
He turned his head and quickly glanced at me. "Two hours." He turned his head back out towards the window.
"That's not as bad as last time. I was in here for a day."
Daniel shook his head, and this time when he turned to look at me he was glaring. "You are a coward."
What?! I was appaled. A coward? I was told I was weak. Yes. I was told that I was too small. Yes. But a coward? No. "I am not a coward. Just because I'm not willing to hurt someone does not make me a coward."
Daniel stood up and walked towards me. "It makes you everything. It makes you just like everyone else. It makes you a coward." His words were sharp, but his voice was kind. That's the thing about Daniel, he'll tell you he hates you in the sweetest voice.
I liked that idea, being like everyone else. I'd rather be sitting at home with my family in Soliel than here. In Soliel people were hiding in fear, whereas here I was the fear.
"I don't want to be a coward." I said quietly.
Daniel's eyes softened a little. "Then don't be. Next time go and beat that guy."
"I don't want to be a monster either."
I did not expect Daniel to react so violently. He jumped towards me and grabbed my hair. He knotted his fingers through it painfully. "You do what I tell you Leara! This is why you're a coward!"
Tears were flowing down my face. "You're a coward! You're the one that's a coward! You make us fight, yet you do nothing!"
Daniel let go of my hair, and I rubbed the side of my head. "We make you guys fight because you are Indestructable. You are the angels."
I wanted to scream. How many times had the Workers told me this? Did being powerful justify this? No it didn't. I was too afraid to tell Daniel that he was stupid, so instead I turned my head and tried not to cry. I looked for something to stare at and focused on the lamp. It was dark, and beautiful. The lamp was shaped like a tree, drooping down and protecting the lightbulb inside. It reminded me of the people here. They wore a dark mask, but some of them were kind. Gabriel was nice. I had never talked to him though, but I know he's nice because one time I saw him giving a little girl a teddy bear.
I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. I imagined a place where I wasn't forced to fight. A place where it didn't snow everyday. A place kind of like Soliel.
"She needs a higher dose of that."
"It'll give her the soul of a jackal if we do that."
"Give her a higher dose of that, Gabriel."
".........okay."
I knew what was going on. The Workers were operating on me. Battles were not private, whenever an angel went into the dome workers would be watching us. Daniel was not the only Worker that had made a note of my inability to fight back. I felt myself smile slightly as Daniel fought with Gabriel over the dosage. The Workers knew I could register what they were doing, but I had been paralyzed. That was the most important thing. Even if I knew the horrible things they were doing, I still wouldn't be able to go. I felt a needle go into my arm. It didn't hurt, it felt more like a slight pressure on my arm. I gasped out in shock. All at once I felt the room spinning, and felt the sudden urge to throw up. I'd never get used to this. The Minllery was a chemical that the Terrain D'essai created specifically for the purpose of making angels better, wilder, stronger fighters. It messed with our feelings and warped us. The Minllery isn't permentant, it only lasts for a few months.
I felt a force push down on my stomach, it hurt. Had operations always been like this? I didn't remember them hurting so much. I gasped out in pain, and held on tight to the nearest thing. The room was spinning. I tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn't open. No, the did but I couldn't see anything. I shook my head, as if doing so would allow me to see again.
A terrible scream escaped me, and I could feel the Workers grab onto me and inject me with other chemicals. The only problem was that I had already been injected with the Minllery and the Workers had put me under a situation that would be classified as a fight. Crud. All of my senses sharped and a jolt of adrenalin rushed through me.
I could feel myself getting into battle mode. I arched my back, and flung myself at the nearest worker. I couldn't see, but I could feel. Any little vibration registered to me as pictures. Someone moved towards me. Their steps had a rhythm and feel to it. Gabriel. I bit down into the Worker below me, and I heard him cry out. I jumped and flipped in the air, over Gabriel before he had even made it to me. Daniel grabbed my foot, and I fell hitting the tiled floor. I heard something snap and waited for the pain until I realized that the sound was coming from Daniel. I gasped as I realized that I wasn't on the floor anymore, I was on top of Daniel and was holding his broken arm. For a second, I stopped fighting and listened to the vibrations. The other Workers were on the other side of the room observing. Two of their men were on the ground, and they were observing? Where was Gabriel?
I listened for his vibration, but couldn't find it. I began to walk around the room, searching for his feel. Oh no, what if he was hurt? I threw myself on the floor and bent down next to areas where vibrations were stiff. After a few minutes I found Gabriel. When had this happened? In the midst of the battle had I hurt him? I could feel tears sting the corners of my eyes. Don't cry. It was an acciddent. No, no it wasn't. Nothing was ever an acciddent anymore. I was mad at the Workers for making me do this. They didn't care if one of them got hurt, as long as we still fought.