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Bethany Cook

When...

Secrets





BookRix GmbH & Co. KG
80331 Munich

Prologue

Have you ever watched an exploding planet. It's like a star but even more beautiful. I wonder if it can be beautiful to see your home planet die but I guess if you live its fine right? But it is just there leaving me behind.My race is dying no one is here to hear my pleas and wails of sorrow as I just watch my world descend into nothingness.But one question remains in my head and I am desperate to find the answer.When will I go too?

The beginning

It was a normal day for me. Just plain normal. But, well, things are probably different here to then what you are used to. The thing is I can't tell the difference between reality and simulations anymore. I guess no one really can.               We have all been hiding in the shadows for so long we do not know what is light. Day and night are the same to us. We are all afraid of it. The war. We know it will happen... We know none of us will survive. But it will at least be a quick way out of this world. So we just sit here waiting. Waiting for our pathetic lives to be over. It is a dark night as trees sway and the wind whistles. I know I am not supposed to be out after dark,but the dark is so mysterious and so beautiful. I hear a rustle of leaves from a bush and freeze. Something or someone has found me. A voice soon speaks up from out of the gloom. "Why are we waiting for our lives to be over? Can't we just end them now?"It seems a bit obvious that this person was from a sector like me but I cannot decide which just yet.    "Don't be stupid," I say,then I realise how stupid I must have been responding but, still I carry on."They wouldn't let us have weapons, you should know that." A person walks out from the gloom(I guess it is the one who spoke up in the first place,if not I'm screwed.) He must not be any older than 16 and has Crystal blue eyes and jet black hair. "Who asked you to speak?" He told me.

"No one, oh wait don't tell me they've taken my freedom of speech away too!" At this point I was angry, no one told me what I could or could not do especially people without the authority to do so. "Who put you in charge anyway?!" I shouted."You know at times like this I really wish I was... I was..." The boy's expression then softened as he realized what I was trying to say"Dead?" He asked.

"Yes." I replied. Silence shrouded us as we just stood there staring at each other."Now how about we start off with a proper introduction instead of shouting insults at each other?"

"I guess I'll go first then."He said."well my name is Blake and I'm from sector 9. What about you?"

"Well I am Lydia," I respond, "and I'm from sector 8."

"Wow, so I expect to see you more often seeing as your sector is right next door to mine."He winks. I punch him. 

"If we could gladly go back to ripping each other's throats out," I reply laughing,"I'd be much happier." He smiled and followed me back to my sector's fence. "Don't you have anything better to do?" I ask.

"Nope. Just like everyone else. Why would we all just be sitting around doing nothing all day if we had something to do?" He replied.

"Well go back to your sector and do nothing then. Just like I am going to do." I told him.

"Wow,we have interesting lives!" He said in a sarcastic tone.

"Yeah I know right," I responded.

"I expect to see you tomorrow." He told me.

"You really like telling people what to do. Don't you?"I retorted.

"Yes. It is one of the traits that everyone likes so much about me!" He replied." Well goodnight. I'm off to do absolutely nothing for the rest of my days. However many that is."

"Yeah, night but I'm not necessarily sure that it will be a good one." I say half-heartedly.

"You have a good sense of humour on you Lydia." He responded and with that he walked off. That night when I crawled back through the broken glass of my window and lay on the floor with my small blanket barely protecting me from the cold. All I could think was that I had found my light in this extremely dark world...

 

Meeting again

3 months later.

 

Daylight shone through the broken fragments of glass in the window frame. As the sunlight hit my face I knew that I had survived another night. I hated the sun. It was like it was trying to annoy you, it was probably like everyone else. It had nothing to do. So I got up and glared out my window at the emptiness outside. I guess I'm just lonely. There is no one to give me any comfort anymore. Then I realize I'm supposed to be meeting Blake this morning and quickly get dressed in a run-down blue t-shirt and ripped jeans. I then make my next priority food, because who doesn't like food? I run down to my pantry only to find that I have run out of resources. "Damnit!" I shout. You probably think that because our nuclear weapons are so advanced that I have a certain high-tech machines which fabricated supplies out of thin air, that's not how it works we have to go out to the wilderness for a long trek to a singular warehouse which is the only place that you can retrieve food and meet up with people from different sectors.

 

Realizing the long trek ahead of me I quickly grab my back which is packed with my ID card and my ration book. I quickly check my ration card and find only a few ration slips still in it. "God, why do you hate me so much? That is not going to get me anything!" I say loudly. Why is my life a living hell? I am going to have to 'borrow' some. So I run out of the door and dash down the streets that I run down every single day,but this time there is a purpose to it. My brown hair trails in the wind and I laugh as the wind blows through my fingers. This has got to be one of the only things that keeps me going. Excitement. Thrills and now Blake. Blake has become the only other thing that keeps me going. I am now so close to the fence, just a few more yards and I'll be there. Then I hear something. My instincts take control and I run into the shadows and crouch down trying to not make a sound. "Lydia, come out Lydia don't you want to be with your parents, Lydia?" A sharp, metallic voice screeches. Then a shiny mechanism appears out from behind a building, it is anything but silent, it's gears click and whirr as it walks around inspecting the buildings. A tear escapes my eye and trails down my cheek. I won't make it. Anyone who crosses one of the government's creatures doesn't survive. Especially if it is searching for you. So I quietly, but quite quickly, make my way through the shadows. I can still see the mechanism as I reach the fence. I quickly crawl underneath it and run out into the wilderness. I then make it my priority to find Blake. I search for 5 long minutes until I see him perched on a rock. When he sees me he stands up and starts to walk over to me. But I quickly dash over to him and wrap my arms around him. He seems a bit taken back by it at first but he then realizes that I am crying. "What's up?" He questions in a hushed tone as he hugs me back.

"The thing," I reply.

"What thing?" He asks.

"The thing that destroyed my life!" I cry. I then proceed to cry even harder into the fabric of his t-shirt.

"Calm down, for the love of God, Lydia!" He shouts and unties his arms from around me. I then let go of him. I stare into his crystal blue eyes as I watch them become shrouded with anger. The once beautiful eyes turn a dark shade of grey as they stare back at me. "I...I... I'm sorry," he apologizes as he wraps his arms back around me.

"No need," I shout loudly as I pull away from him. "I can see I'm not wanted here." I start to slowly walk away.

"You're not the only one who is alone in this world." He calls after me. I look back as a single tear escapes my eye. But I still continue to walk, well that is until I remind myself why I came to Blake in the first place. I needed more ration cards. I turn back towards Blake and start walking.

 

I hate myself for doing this. I see he has resumed his normal spot on the rock but this time with his back towards me. When I reach him I casually lean over his shoulder. "Whatcha doing?" I ask.

"What the hell do you think?" He shouts.

"Come on, I am only trying to be nice!" I reply.

"If you really must know I am planning a trip for today." He boasts.

"Wow, funny coincidence, so am I." I say.

"Oh so your off to get food too."

"You've got that right!"

"So let me guess the only reason you turned around to come back and talk to me was to get more ration slips. Right?" He questioned.

"Umm...No...I mean yes." I state feeling guilty.

"Well you can have some then, but first I need to go back and get some stuff from my place." He responded."You coming with me?"

"Well, yeah!" I declare. So he smiles and wraps his arm around me as we head towards his sector.