My parents were going to k!ll me. I ran down the streets of Chicago, my caramel-colored hair blowing in the wind, and passed by the 360 CHICAGO observation deck. “Hey, Aoife!” Mrs. Li called out. I smiled and waved back before I hurried away. I had something important to do. I had to get home before dusk, and the problem was that the sun had started to set. I rushed past the people on the sidewalks, but it wasn’t an easy task. Chicago was one of the most populated cities in America. My eyes darted around, trying to find the subway. There! I jumped onto the train at the last minute, out of breath. I looked around. Great. Just great. There were no seats on the subway. I grabbed the hanging strap suspended from the ceiling of the train. There was supposed to be an announcement today, and I wondered what it was. Last month, there was an announcement in our province that let us know that the new planet, Ceotis, was ready for people to live on. If anyone wanted to survive, they would have to worship The Gems. A sour taste filled my mouth, and my stomach plummeted to my ankles. What if that’s what we will find out today? No. I told myself. The government couldn’t really decide that fast, could they? All that was important was that no one in my family got selected. The train rushed to a stop, jolting me out of my thoughts. I ran back home asfast as I could, praying to The Gems that it wasn’t what I thought. I reached my apartment and rang the doorbell. After what felt like an agonizing hour but was probably a minute, my mother answered the door. Her hazel eyes brimmed with tears, and she looked like she had been crying. But her face contained a fear, well hidden but visible. The radio was playing in the background. And then my heart dropped. The announcement was on repeat, saying once again what had brought despair to my mother's eyes. "Today, The Gems have decided. Their will has been known. The team that will start a new era on Ceotis is made up of adolescents across the province, ages 11-18. Listen to the list of 20 carefully, and if your name has been called, you will be considered for the team of 10. Shortly thereafter, a team will visit your home. Brayden Alegreys - 12 Lucia Rivera - 16 Nina Wang - 12 Noah Everest - 11 Tessa Parks - 14 Reyes McClaire - 17 Lucas McClaire - 14 Navya Agarwal - 13 Raylee Anderson - 18 Aoife Byrne - 13 …" I stopped listening after my name. I couldn’t breathe! Mom helped me to the couch where I sank in, not able to take in the reality. Red-hot anger flooded my veins. Why me? Why the kids? Sure, we were trained in space safety, but none of us were prepared for something of this magnitude. “Aoife, darling, look at me,” Mom tilted my chin up to face her. I obeyed, trying to look through my bleary eyes. “ Mom, what about you, Dad, Áine, and Aislin? What if-,” I started. “ Shh, it’ll be alright. Whatever happens, you will be fine. I’m here, okay?” She held me close, and I did, too, like she was my only grip on this world. The edges of my vision quickly blurred. Ceotis. A New Era. The Gems. Sh00t. I was having a panic attack again. “Sweetie! AOIFE!” *** The rest of the night didn’t get any better. Dad came home from work, and the twins arrived from school; they didn’t take it calmly either. Dad got extremely angry at the government, even The Gems. And my poor sisters, they didn’t even cry at first. They didn’t understand how bad the situation was. “Aoife, why are you going away?” “Aoife, I don’t understand.” “Aoife, we’re going to be so lonely!” “Aoife, I’m going to knock on The Gems’ door and smash-POOF them!” I tried to hold myself together for their sake. I couldn’t have another episode now, and I most definitely couldn’t have one in front of the Officials. The next day, we were visited by an Official. My father invited him inside, and my mom gave me a weary look before heading upstairs with my dad and sisters. I was on my own now. He wore a sleek jet-black suit, which made me look quite rumpled. “Hello Aoife, I’m Officer Rathod,” greeted Officer Rathod. His voice was calm and unnaturally smooth, and he looked almost friendly. But I knew better. Rathod wanted to separate me from my family, my life! I didn’t say anything, just nodded back. “Okay! Let’s get going. We have to get to the testing room. Your time block is in about 15 minutes.” I didn’t understand. Weren’t we already chosen to go to Ceotis? My brows furrowed in confusion. Officer Rathod sensed my confusion, judging by his sympathetic nod. “There were 20 kids chosen across the province, but only 10 will go to Ceotis. To make sure you stay safe, we need to test your physical, mental, social, and emotional health. We also need to test your will to survive. " ***continued in notes!! credits inside proj!! btw its called I'm Not D3ad yet, But I Might Be Soon
“ What do I have to do?” My voice came out angrier than I meant it to. If it had any effect on the Officer, he didn’t show it. “Not really much, you will just have to put this headset on and we’ll take the tests in VR mode and then wait. The High Priest will also be here soon, so I’m sure it is an honor.” He smiled as if he were talking about how nice the weather was outside. I didn’t know what else to say, so I forced a smile on my face and nodded. Again. Once again, Officer Rathod ignored my discomfort and continued to speak: “Make sure that when you are putting on the headset, you put it on the correct way. I had a few other people put it on the wrong way, and they saw upside-down things the whole time.” He paused, waiting for a reaction. No one found the joke funny. “Okay, shall we leave?” Officer Rathod asked. “Can’t I say goodbye to my parents?” I asked. Rathod’s irritation showed for a second before he imitated a smile on his face. “Hurry if you must,” and I ran. Who knew if I would ever see them again? I burst open the door and hugged my mom. She was shocked, but then hugged me back. She always smelled like lavender. “I know, honey, it’ll be okay,” she whispered in my ear. I nodded in understanding and went to hug my dad. “Listen carefully, if you stay in the middle, you won’t get selected.” “What?” I was confused. “Don’t be amazing, don’t be horrible, if you look absolutely ordinary, they won’t pick you. Then you come back, and we’ll forget about all of this.” He spoke fast. I took the advice and tucked it away in my brain. Whatever they do won’t matter if I just come back home, and then I’ll forget this ever happened. I pecked my sisters on their foreheads before returning to the living room. I took a deep breath in, “ I’m ready, let’s go."
