Chapter 1: New Beginning (Sort of)

Eve awoke to a rough floor under her. She sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

“Where am I?”

The place around her was strange. Hospital white walls surrounded her as she sat up. She threw the one and only blanket off her and sat up. Her heart started to race, her mind reeling.

“Peter?” she whispered. She knew she was alone in the strange room but she felt like she wasn’t at the same time. “Is anyone there?”

She heard a shuffle coming from the direction of the door. She stood up cautiously and stepped quietly over to it. She turned the cold metal door handle and pulled the door open a slight bit, expecting it to be locked.

“Sorry, ma’am, what do you need?” a voice reached her ears, causing her to jump.

“Who are you? Where am I?” her first instinct was to materialize a knife of some protection but something told her she would regret it.

“I’m your guard. You need to stay in your room till further notice,” he told her. He reached for the door handle and pulled the door shut.

“Why am I here?” she screamed at the door, pounding on it with her fists.

“I’m tired of this. Never having a place that I can depend on. Never having anyone that stays with me. I’m. Just. So. Sick. And. Tired. Of. It!” The words exploded out of her mouth.

Eve’s mind was still a raging mess. Thoughts ran through it like never before. Possibilities swam around that scared fish and the stress she was feeling was just so heavy.

She screamed, hoping no one could hear her outside the door. She flexed her hands, trying to will anything, anything, a mallet, a hammer, anything, to her hands. The only response she got was a sharp cold stab in the wrist. Her fingers pried at the metal wrist band but her efforts where only met with more stabbing of the prongs and blood.

Eve collapsed to her knees, tears streaming down her face. In a rush, it all came back to her. Water, morphing, Peter, Max, Drew, Aswynn, all of it, came crashing into her mind. A cry escaped her lips as she realised what she’d gone through and the things she’d done.

“Get use to it, Eve,” she told herself, standing up. “It’s your life now.”

*****

Peter slid down the cold brick wall. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. The six sleeping figures around him reminded that he was the leader. Again. He had to make some choices that he knew he would regret.

“The struggle is real, Eve,” he laughed. His eyes still closed, he listened to the extra heart beat in his ear- Eve’s. At least she was still alive.

A figure stirred next to him so he opened his eyes. They tossed and turned for a moment and then found a comfortable spot and settled in. He looked at the others around him. Three boys and three girls. They were his little group he had to lead safely back to the Resistance.

He leaned his head back up against the wall and once again closed his eyes. He let his mind wander and eventually he fell off into a cold sleep.

People swarmed around him, a few here and there bumped into him but he didn’t notice. His attention was focused on one girl standing about fifteen feet in front of him. She had long black hair and her body was shaking with sobs. She was standing with her back to him, her hair flowing in the soft breeze. Melted colors ran around her outline. She turned around slowly, the feeling of Peter’s eyes on her catching her attention. She looked at him, confusion written on her face. Her eyes looked tired and scared.

“Eve.” Peter couldn’t resist saying it. He repeated it only louder.

She shook her head. “I don’t know you.” He couldn’t hear her over the hustle of the people around them but he could read her lips.

“I’m Peter!” he pointed at himself. “Your friend? Do you remember me?”

His throat began to hurt as tears rose in his eyes. “Please.”

“I don’t know you. I don’t know you.” Eve continued to chant the words over again, slowly fading farther and farther away from him.

“Hey.” Peter was being shaken awake by a girl.

“Wha…” he opened his eyes. “What?”

“You were getting pretty agitated in your sleep. You okay?” she asked.

“Yeah. Thanks, Raven,” he said, sitting up straighter.

“It’s Sparrow. Raven and Robin are my sisters,” she laughed quietly.

“Right. You’re all identical triplets which just makes it soooo easy on me,” he laughed also.

“What were you dreaming about?” she asked, settling in next to him. “Figured I’d ask since you woke me up.”

“Sorry about that. The dream was about a friend. A friend who…. I don’t know if I’ll ever see again,” he sighed and looked down at his hands.

“What’s her name?” Sparrow asked, flicking a strand of dirt brown hair out of her face.

“How’d ya know it’s a her?” he asked, a little shook.

“Trust me, I might have two other sisters but I know when a guy’s hung up on a girl. If it was just one of their bros, they’d be sad but they’d also be chill with it,” she shrugged.

“Unless it’s a really emotional boy.”

“Her names Eve,” he answered. “We were close. Not like that but more in a brother/sister way. TRAKKER’s got her and I have no clue what they might do to her. As it is, they’ve already released all the Subjects into the public so that should be,” he hesitated. “Fun.”

“We’re here for ya, dude,” she smiled. “That might not be as big as a comfort as I thought it be when I was thinking about it but whatever.”

“That happens.” Peter nodded. “This is certainly going to be interesting!”

WOW! I can’t believe it!!! I’m writing the second book already? It feels like I started the first one just yesterday. Obviously, I have to go back and change a few things but I will let you know what they are! Thanks for reading and sticking with me through this awesome and amazing journey. -Famewriter