Pilot - A Dystopian Novel | 80+ Writing Contest Entry |

Instructions

- PILOT - Prologue - A year before the events in Chapter One. It’s raining, and it’s raining hard. Nana’s face is soaked with tears but is masked by the pouring from the clouds. There’s a voice in the distance, barely heard through the thrumming of the droplets hitting the ground. “Nanani! Come back!” But, surprise surprise, she doesn’t. She runs, her legs begging her to stop. But she doesn’t listen. Ever since the echos started, it’s always been better to shut the voices out. Was pretty good at it, too. Nana was able to block and blurr all the chatter that came from the outside world. It wasn’t a practical talent, but it worked as if the skill was specially designed for Nana. By shutting out the murmurs of the people around her, she was left with a silent space. A space where only she could be. Apparently, people don’t like it. They would always whisper, “A twelve year old girl, pouting because she isn’t allowed to do football! She’ll thank her parents in the future.” It's a whisper, but it’s a loud one. Echoing throughout the halls, repeating again and again in Nana’s ear. The echoes. She runs even faster. The background comes to a speeding highway, colors swirled together, dull and negative from the fog. “She’ll never make it to Harvard. She’s too distracted. What a disappointment.” Nana huffs and pants as she sprints, her shoes trying their hardest not to slip as her steps become wobbly and jagged. She closes her eyes and tries to make her strides longer, worried she might not be able to escape after all. “She won’t even make it through the sixth grade with an attitude like that! With so many trips to the principal! He will hold her back, surely?” Nana’s breathing is shaky but still she persists. Not true. All fake. Lies. But she knew, deep down, that it was true. All of it. All the “What are we going to do with you?”s from her principal, all the “We should make better choices next time, okay?”s from her vice principal, all the “You’re such a freak! Who do you think you are?”s from the boys at school, all of it. It all swirled together, blocking Nana’s clear view of what she ever wanted to do. It’s cloudy now, her future. Even the tiny glimpses of light fade away as Nana tries to wave away the clouds. Nana gasped and slipped. Snapping out of her thoughts, she tries to steady herself. But it was too late. The last sound Nana heard was a big thud, and then the world went dark. She was not allowed to play football. Why, you may ask? Well, the only football courts to be accessed are at the border. By the Pilot. _____________________________________________ Chapter One (Year: 2057) (Beep, beep, beep) The noises grew louder with every second that passed. (Beep, beep, beep) Slowly, but surely, each sense returned. A soreness fell upon Nana from head to toe. Her eyes snapped open. Blinding light filled her eyesight. (Beep, beep, beep) Nana's eyes adjusted, and her breath quickened as she realized where she was. A heart monitor was attached to Nana, which was the cause of the beeping. She sat up and looked around vaguely. 'No.. not again!' she thought desperately. Nana was in a hospital, she recognized the structure and colors of the building. She was here because she had almost gotten a serious injury playing football with her only friend. She had gotten into big trouble, as she was forbidden to play that game. 'It's not fair. It's not fair that I was chosen.. I'm not allowed to do anything fun!.. Let alone live a normal life.' Nana thought. The door to the room slowly creaked open, and a nurse stepping inside. "Hello! It seems you've woken, Nanani." The nurse said, examining the clipboard that was attached to the front of the bed. "Uh- yeah. Who are you? Where's my family?.." Nana hesitated with her questions. She was afraid... No, anxious. She hoped that her family did not report her actions to the Pilot. The system that knocked the government out of existence 20 years ago. "Well, your family members are in the waiting room. They had to make a call, but they'll be here soon. I can see that you're getting nervous, please calm down and relax." The nurse smiled warmly, and checked her vitals. Nana froze. Her parents made a call. To the Pilot, most likely. She was almost certain that she would have a punishment. She had been through it many times before, since she was chosen. Nana shivered. The door slammed open and her mother walked in with a fuming expression, as well as her father, looking resentful. Her older sister, Annalise, didn't even look at Nana. "I honestly cannot believe this behavior coming from you, Nanani! I expected you to be on your best behavior since you were chosen last year." Her mother coldly spoke. (Cont. Below)