The country Anthem was founded in the year 2099, after the collapse of the British Empire. Due to several wars that had been breaking out, an uneasy truce forming. Though famous for their trades, their science was blossoming, advanced technology coming out almost every year. Until they caught wind of what was going on in Main City. Instead of being appalled, they were intrigued, dipping into the funds for Anthem's cities building being put into purchasing young children, and being wired to their desire. Secretly, they were being sold off into distance countries used as either bodyguards or assasins needed for shady governments. Some were even experimented enough to be kept as pets. Once the animal DNA came into play, they did whatever they wanted to those poor chidlren. Until an escape was planned and half of them went missing. Now, catching the attention of a certain team, Anthem's most ugliest secrets are coming into the light. And
"Our goal is to initiate the very best soldiers, to protect our thriving society. After careful consideration, we've decided that your son, Jonathan Lee has met our standards and expectations. Please fill out the rest of the forms with the needed information and we'll get started right away." My mother beams at the letter, her hand on my head. At seven years old, I knew this was something big. I just couldn't fathom how. As she begins to excitedly talk to my father about it, I peek at the note some more. Re-reading it, I see that it doesn't have a yes or no option; it basically screams we want your kid, and this is when we're getting him. "I thought the training didn't start until he turned thirteen. Doesn't this seem a little too soon?" My father questioned. Despite he himself having gone through the same training, he questioned everything and everyone. He had a better understanding to this life, and that made him one of the best soldiers there was. Standing
"He is the one." The squad leader said, handing a chart to his boss. "You were able to determine that from just nine months of him being here?" she replied, going over the chart, doubt in her words. As she scanned through the pages, a frown formed on her face. "We're sure these numbers are correct? Do you test him again, and again?" "I did. Three times each." "Jesus, you could have killed him! He's only seven." "That's the thing, Boss; every time I tested him, he scored higher than the last. I don't know how that's possible but it is." She dropped the folder down on her desk, taking a seat. "You know what this means?" "He's too perfect to be a soldier...but he can be of use." She nodded, tapping her fingers against the desk. "You already have the letters, right?" "I have someone working on it as we speak." "Such a shame, such a shame. What a waste." "We are sorry to say that despite our very best trainers trying to impr
10 years later...I pulled my hood up as I walked through the destroyed streets of Umbridge Town. My feet dragged against the cracked cement of the sidewalk, a hunched figure pattering along with me. Stopping, I felt my body shudder as I coughed, shoulders shaking with the nasty sound. The small person accompanying me stopped, placing their hand on my leg. I waved off their unspoken worry, my ears perking up at the sound of someone approaching us. Since the streetlamps were barely flicking on, lighting up the depressed sight of town, three figures emerged, throwing down their hoods, angry steel blue eyes boring into my own. Of course they'd appear; I was easy bait. The ringleader of the group stepped up, standing at 6 foot 3. He had a vest on that was unbuttoned, the color once light blue but so dirty it had turned gray. He had thick bands of muscle with faded bruises and almost healed scars, hair buzzed near to his scalp. I stared at his face, taking in his crooke
The Markets. The most dangerous place for anyone, especially if you're an orphaned girl under the age of eighteen. They're sold like livestock, and the worse part was they had close ties with the School. Celia was lucky to escape, finding solace with us down here. I'd tried my best to keep her away from me; I had to be responsible for myself, now a small kid was getting in the way of that. She'd been stubborn, seeking me out whenever she had the chance, showing off trinkets that were very impressive for someone her age. And after a while, I enjoyed her company. We were just two kids trying to survive against the odds that were given to us. And then she got homesick. Bad. She began to wander off to the Main City, always being brought back by one of the helper bots, or a concerned adult. Until one of the visitors noticed Celia's gloom, and decided to exploit it for his own benefit. His name had been Destry, a malnourished thirty-something year old. He'd been pass
I know I should be looking for Celia. But this journal has answers that to the questions I need. It's a diary, Lu's Mother's diary, and it starts off with her first pregnancy, the child before Lu. The dates are smudged, and I struggle to read her swirling letters, as she wrote in an old font that no longer exists. Cursive, I believe the word was. I traced the words with my fingers, trying to get them in the correct order, sounding out each letter until the proper word fits. Lu's Mother, Astra, was pregnant before Lu had been thought of. An older sister name Leah. She had been overjoyed, her husband even more so. The talk about the Tests putting a strain on the marriage. Astra's husband was harsh, forcing Leah to go through rigorous training by the time she was ten years old. She had tried to get him to calm down, but it was moot point; her husband was determined to make Leah into a perfect soldier by the time her 13th birthday came around. Not only that, bu
The book was in my face as I took the stairs down to the lab, ignoring the mildew-like smell that came from the tunnel always being moist. Astra had managed to find out major things about Main City; it was different place to live due to the dome-like structure it had to present itself as what the Higher Ups wanted it to appear like. The sun wasn't real, the climates weren't even real, everything was just faked due to how they wanted to keep us brainwashed. A hidden memory surface in my mind, and then I read about something else that piqued my interests; certain glitches were made in the to see if they could single out the ones that were aware of what was going on around them. That's how they managed to find me at seven years old. It had been raining, when all of a sudden it stopped, the clouds disappearing a little quicker than I thought possible. I'd pointed it out to my Dad who had been distracted reading the news on his wristwatch. He'd looked up disinterested, and went
I stare at her dumbfounded, my mouth a bit agape. She closes it, before smiling a bit. "You didn't think you were the only one that could escape despite having a Dead status, did you?" "I mean, at the time, I was seven when they found me, and did a whole bunch of experiments on like as if I was a guinea pig." I replied. "Did they enhance you though? Were you brought up to that level?" she asked, face lost in thought. "The needles? Did they inject me with something?" I asked, sounding more and more unsure. "Don't feel bad. To some they did, and some they didn't." she explained. The tic was back again, and I chewed on my lower lip, lost in thought. "By the way, my name is Nova." she said, with her hand extended out to me. "Jonathan." I replied, taking it and shaking her hand. "Well, Jonathan, get ready to meet a fellow Zomb." she said, as she got up from her seat, and walked away, gesturing for me to follow her.
The country Anthem was founded in the year 2099, after the collapse of the British Empire. Due to several wars that had been breaking out, an uneasy truce forming. Though famous for their trades, their science was blossoming, advanced technology coming out almost every year. Until they caught wind of what was going on in Main City. Instead of being appalled, they were intrigued, dipping into the funds for Anthem's cities building being put into purchasing young children, and being wired to their desire. Secretly, they were being sold off into distance countries used as either bodyguards or assasins needed for shady governments. Some were even experimented enough to be kept as pets. Once the animal DNA came into play, they did whatever they wanted to those poor chidlren. Until an escape was planned and half of them went missing. Now, catching the attention of a certain team, Anthem's most ugliest secrets are coming into the light. And
Rumors have been going on around a country not far from Main City. Anthem. A prosperous country with even more advanced technology-and even more secrets hidden within the Capital Tower. Children and young teens are going missing. The Officers are coming up empty handed, but even they cannoy deny something strange is going on over there. And that's where Celia and her team come in. Contacted by Anthem's leading lady Saoirise Renn, she's desperate to get some answers and hopefully get the children back home safe and sound. Something is taking the children. Someone has plans. Celia and her teammates are determined to take down the kidnappers.Jonathan's POVTruthfully, I don't want Celia and the others to join in on this mission. Not that I don't need them; more of a I want them to lead as much normal lives as possible back home. Their childhood has been taken from them; they don't need to witness the disaster in another country. But I know when we're
Jonathan's POVWe're in the main building of Main City. The cameras are facing us, and the smallest groups of kids that I've seen. The survivors. They are the only ones that made, desperate to stay alive, and be reunited with their families. But after everything that's happened, they look like empty shells of what they use to be. It's Celia who's talking into the cameras; the feed is being shown to every available screen in the city. She looks more like an adult than the child she is, and I feel a wave of sadness. "We have no government, and we have no one to lead us. The time to choose what we do and how we do it is now. We ask that each person vote on someone they trust to be the leaders. No one that approved of the Testing trials, or experimenting on children may enter." and when she says this part, there's fire in her eyes, as if she's daring them to do it. "We're on our own now." she says, as the cameras cut out. Several months later...I wake up sore fr
Astra's POVThe hurt in her chest is what makes her go through the ruins of her old office. A keycode there would fix all her problems.She limped, touching the tender spot on her head, feeling a wave of dizziness hitting her. She needed to grip her broken down desk for support. Opening the drawers, she found it at the very bottom, still glued after all this time. Perfect. Pressing the buttons with the numbers she had remembered by heart, the keypad pinged, before going green, the walls sliding down and exposing another room. Lights flicked on one by one, and at the end of the hallway protected by a glass case was exactly what she was looking for, They will all pay. She walked forward, and made slow steps to the concotion that had started it all. This had been the very first testing of the product, one that had long ago been perfected. And she was going to take it. Shattering the glass case, and grabbing it in her hand, she rolled up her coat sleeve,
Jonathan's POV"Did you kill her?" I asked when we grouped up with the others. Celia takes her time looking at me, shaking her head side to side, before looking back at the ground. It's a small bit of comfort after all; that is Lu's mother, someone that we know and is within the group. "Did you find her uncle?" I ask, Tomaz, Nova, and Tessa making sure we weren't followed. We have no idea if Lu is going to join us or not, but I still think we should wait just in case she changes her mind. Celia cocks her head to the side, as if she's listening in on the distance, and then relaxes. "Her brother is in a different country, a small place called Aponeal. He has no memory of the life over here." she stops, looking unsure as if she should keep talking. "Yes?" Nova asks gently. "He has a family. And a daughter the same age as me. He has his own life. Why can't she be happy that he's happy, even if it's away from her?" Celia asked, glaring at her shoes. "It's co
Astra's POVIn the end, when the bodies were stuffed in body bags, Astra felt nothing. Just the usual craving for a cigarette. It was the only thing she felt besides nothing. The worst part about her craving, was that it wouldn't be fufilled. She didn't want to go to the unmarked land, and search through old stores for what she wanted. They probably weren't that good anyway. So there she stood, feeling nothing but that annoying craving. When the ceremony is said and done, Astra wanders off to the Rejects and Runaways. Some are trying to hold her hand, and thank her. Others call her the angel of justice. Most don't come up to her; they probably fear her which she is okay with. She sees one of the oldest of the groups standing off to the side, graying brown hair braided down her back. The woman gives Astra a curt nod, and Astra heads over to her, noticing that Lu is still not among them. "Have you seen my daughter?" Astra asks quietly, making it look like they're j
It feels like they've been warped back in time, as the las tliving Higher Ups stand there with nooses around their necks, flimsy chairs underneath them. Astra thought about having their face covered, but she didn't want to miss the fear in their eyes as they realized that their life was going to end. She raised her eyes to the crowd, bowing as they cheered, some booing. Officers were crowding the front, and she held out her arms, and spoke into the mic. "Welcome everyone, to the once in a lifetime show!"Jonathan's POVWe're running fast down the halls, Lu leading the way. I've managed to recover by eating a lot of food, and chugging some water from a cafeteria we passed by. There's not any Officers waiting to ambush us, and I wonder where everyone is at, when Lu disappears down a hall. I follow, noting that this is a dead end, and I glance around, searching for some sogn of where she went. A pebble hits my ear, and I grab at it, noticing that a painting is
Jonathan's POVWhen I wake up, I'm strapped down on a hospital bed, the room spinning. An I.V is in my arm, pumping me with liquids-or drugs. I'm alone, feeling sicker and sicker the more I move my head around. At one point, movement catches my eye, and a figure stands at the edge of my bed, reaching out for me. "Who are you?" I say out loud. I sound drunk when I speak. "You're safe." The voice says, turning around and walking out of the door. My head leans back, and I fight off the nausea. I need water, I need these restraints off, I nedd something. I pull my arms, and legs, feeling the leather bite into my skin, and my stomach rolls. I lurch upward as I try to expel the contents of my stomach. There's nothing, so I make loud dry heaving noises, spit landing on my blankets. The door opens, and someone walks in, making a disgusted sound. I know that voice, though I hadn't heard it in a while; she steps closer into the light, confirming my train
The truth is what broke them. Lootings, and havoc began. The middle and poor to break into the homes of the rich, taking their food, and value. Theu took objects, shoving the people that were still in their homes into their basements, and locking them away. "Down with the System! Down with the Testings! Down with the Systems!" They chanted, swinging their fists in the air, and screaming at one another. They are not fighting one another; they simply attack the rich, and steal the objects. Drones with cameras fly by, but no Officers are on the scene. They're all with Astra, who still continues to play her little game with the Higher Ups. No one is coming to help. Businesses are getting destroyed, people running for their lives. A finely dressed woman stands in between a random man, and her daughter, a the man holding a knife as he points at the jewlery on the little girl. "People of Main City, may I have your attention?" the screens ask, and for a mome