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I was walking through the hallways before I noticed it–just a small piece of paper which jutted from a locker. I shouldn’t have cared, but I did. I shouldn’t have stepped forward to grasp it…but I did. Although I didn’t feel anything as I lifted it up to my eyes, I knew something inside of me had changed. When I read the words written in a masculine scroll, I knew without a doubt that I had accepted a mission without knowing it. That no matter what lie I fabricated, it was my duty to carry out the note’s message. I knew that this mission would change my life. Forever.

Posted By KenzieB19 On 04.01.2013 @ 5:50 pm

My life is nothing more than a lie, fabricated by the stories I’ve been forced to live out. I can never be myself. I do not know who I am. Because my whole life has been fabricated by this one truth: If anyone finds out my identity, I. Will die.

Posted By KenzieB19 On 04.01.2013 @ 5:47 pm

I was walking through the hallways before I noticed it–a small piece of paper that jutted from a locker. I shouldn’t have cared, but I did. I shouldn’t have stepped forward to grasp it…but I did. Although I didn’t feel anything as I lifted it up to my eyes, I knew something inside of me had changed. When I read the words, I knew without a doubt that I had accepted a mission without knowing it. That no matter what lie I fabricated, it was my duty to carry out the note’s message. I knew that this mission would change my life forever.

Posted By KenzieB19 On 04.01.2013 @ 4:03 pm

There are seven lords who rule seven cities in the country of Alikahtolm. As rulers over us, they are vicious and cruel. Nothing seems to be able to penetrate their forces, so it is with a fading hope we continue to march on through our day. Hoping -no praying -for a deliver to save us. We have not heard in four hundred years. Many of us have lost the remnant of hope that we possessed.

Posted By KenzieB19 On 03.17.2013 @ 7:15 pm

When I saw my picture on their magazine, my heart swelled in fear. It didn’t matter that they had covered my face with a black box . . . I didn’t feel any safer. I studied my clothes and hair in the photo. Without further thought, I ripped my hair from its bun and braided it down my back. I took a soiled handkerchief from my laundry basket and secured it around my hair. Then, I went inside the hut and found the clothes I had worn. I hesitated for a brief moment before casting the dress into the fire. My very last outfit . . . burned because of a simple picture. But the cinders just may save my life. Gazing into the fire, I determined to flee my village. Tonight.

Posted By KenzieB19 On 01.31.2013 @ 9:08 am

When the verdict sealed his fate, all grew silent. Simultaneously, we then drew our weapons. The sound of steel upon steel echoed across the forest as swords were extracted from their scabbards and arrows from their quivers. We waited. We watched. We prayed. Shackles bound his wrists and ankles, anchoring him to the ground. Instead of cowering when the first fist flew, he seemed to open his arms wide for its coming approach.

His end came too quickly. Too soon.

Posted By KenzieB19 On 01.13.2013 @ 2:57 pm

He throws his sword to the ground. “Do you really think all of this –the lying, the thievery, the killing –will amount to anything but your own death?” Glaring at me, Nate nervously runs a hand through his tangled curls, his face showing the conflicting emotions that tremble inside of him. “This is not about making sure your family has enough to eat anymore, Lydie. This is a matter of principles!” Slowly, I stand from my stooped position. Around me I feel all my men gathering to listen to our argument, curious as who will win. Whether or not I’ll fire the arrow that my fingers are twirling between themselves. Knowing that I won’t miss. “Don’t speak to me of principles, Nathan Scarlet! While your father burned my village to cinders, you stood by and did nothing. You bedded all the widows and teenage girls from my village who had nothing to eat. When given the opportunity, you lied about your heritage just to gain favor in my eyes. Do not speak to me about principles unless you can condone your own actions!” Nate grows silent. His eyes spit fire. He gathers his sword. “You are a hoodlum, Lydia Robin. No better than the ruffians who burned your village to the ground. You can’t keep killing people who oppose you. I understand the pain and anger you feel, the wrath you wish to descend upon my father. I also know that you’re better than this. Everyone knows.” “That’s the last straw!” Growling through my teeth, I point my arrow at his heart. “Leave right now.” “That’s no what you want . . . or what I want.” Nate steps closer. “Lydie, I-” “I never want to see you again.” I pull my hood over my head. “Goodbye, Nate.” “Farewell,” he whispers to my retreating back, “Robin Hood.”

Posted By KenzieB19 On 12.22.2012 @ 11:36 pm

Five minutes. Five people. It was hard not to act shocked as I glanced around the New South China Mall, analyzing people, forging cover stories. Among five thousand shoppers, maybe more, I had to find five operatives. In the largest mall in the world. And blend in. Five skilled agents against my lousy five senses. Smacking my mouth closed, I gingerly chewed my gum, took out a camera, and shot a picture. Easy as pie.

Posted By KenzieB19 On 12.17.2012 @ 12:12 pm

“It’s actually quite simple,” he says, jumping down from his perch in the tree. Standing closely to me, he points off into the distance, raising my hand until I see the palace in the far off distance. “We blend in at their own palace! They will never know. With your skill and my brains, we could be the best hunters of the forest, and they can’t resist hiring us!” I bite my lips, gingerly walking away from him. “It could work.” “It’s simply genius, Lydie!”

Posted By KenzieB19 On 12.06.2012 @ 8:32 am

I rise from the ground. Dust coats my eyes, blurring the city into obscurity. I blink and everything becomes clear. Destruction had flooded my city, leaving behind only rubble. Death had risen like a lion, slaughtering all in sight. Unmovable buildings now lay in ashy heaps at my feet. Immortal people lay dead around me among the debris. Fire scorches the area, devouring everything left in sight. Sounds of war grow nearer. Blocking out the gut-wrenching pictures surrounding me, I tighten the satchel across my chest. I check inside it –food, water, clothes, matches . . . “Lydie,” a voice hisses. I turn around, pulling an arrow into its socket. “It’s me,” the pale male in front of me huffs, walking nearer. Beneath the dust and soot, I see who it is before he says, “Nathan.” I lower the bow. “Is there anyone left?” He shakes his head, bites his lips, and kneels beside a corpse. He chokes out, “No.” There is no time for emotions, I think, taking deep breaths. “Do you have food? weapons? blankets?” He touches the hilt of his sword, resting in his back scabbard, and the backpack strapped upon it. “Everything I own is here.” “We need to leave,” I say. “Immediately.” “The soldiers are coming.” He rises. “I’m ready.”

Posted By KenzieB19 On 11.29.2012 @ 2:19 pm

Soon I will be dead. I won’t have to worry about who is chasing me, whether or not my family is safe, if people are my friends or enemies. Because it won’t matter . . . I’ll be dead. Soon, soon I hope it will come, cloaking me in its darkness. The pain I am enduring is too much, too excruciating. When they come, I hope that they’ll finish me off quickly- they’ll see that I truly do not know anything of consequence. Soon I hope my deliverance will come.

Posted By KenzieB19 On 11.25.2012 @ 1:10 pm

Nothing was worse than being called into the Great Hall. When a person enters through its colossal, wooden doors, they never return. That is why I quaked with fear when soldiers encircled my house, and the captain of the guard stood at attention before my door. “You’ve been summoned,” the Captain spoke, clenching his teeth. I realized that I knew him…in fact, I knew them all. I did not have to ask why or felt the need to ask where I had been summoned to. I just knew. “Allow me to draft my final will.” Sighing, the Captain glanced behind him before edging closer to my side. He whispered into my ear, “You have one hour.” I nodded. Tears sparkled in my eyes, but I blinked them back. I had to be strong. For my family, for my friends. For my country. “I’m so sorry, Ellen,” he whispered, bowing his head. “Don’t offer me your apologies. Offer me a promise.” “And what promise is that?” “That I will emerge from the Great Hall. And not in a wooden casket.” “I do not believe I can promise-” “Captain.” Grasped between my fingers, I tugged on his tunic. “I have to live. Please contact the General for me.” “He will not help you. You are a rebel.” “No, Captain. You are wrong. I am a rebel, and that is why he will help me.”

Posted By KenzieB19 On 11.21.2012 @ 2:58 pm

“Why are you here?” Kye demands, executing a vertical slice. “I thought out could use some help,” I say through clenched teeth, thrusting my short blade into my opponents right arm. When he falls, I turn my attention to the next two opponents. “Thank you, Tris,” he cries over the deafening scream of war. He seems satisfied with my answer. If only he knew… I shake off the guilt, pulling an arrow from my quiver, sending it flying through the air. If my plan works, he never will know.

Posted By KenzieB19 On 11.19.2012 @ 1:24 pm

“Why are you here?” Kye demanded, executing a vertical slice. “I thought out could use some help,” I said through clenched teeth, thrusting my short blade into my opponents right arm. When he falls, I turn my attention to the next two opponents. “Thank you, Tris,” he cries over the deafening scream of war. He seemed satisfied with my answer. If only he knew… I shake off the guilt, pulling an arrow from my quiver, sending it flying through the air. If my plan works, he never will know.

Posted By KenzieB19 On 11.19.2012 @ 1:21 pm

“Don’t mention it,” he said through clenched teeth. “What you did was amazing!” Livvy insisted. She paused, a smile flashing her dimples, and reached out to gently touch his arm. “Thank you, Eli.” Jerking from her touch, Elijah glared at her, his blue eye* flashing. “I said. Don’t. Mention it.” Livvy shook her head. “You’re not the beast everyone thinks you are.” Without another word, she turned on her heels, leaving Elijah in the wake of her frightening words. “She’s not the one,” he whispered to himself.

*the singular “eye” was on purpose

Posted By KenzieB19 On 11.18.2012 @ 7:28 pm

“Think,” I hear the thoughts of my teacher, reassuring, urging. But I can’t even breathe. With the gun trained towards my head, the lone man regards me in quiet speculation. “Why should I let you live?” Think. Think. But all thought escapes me. My mouth grows dry. “I know the Kaisians very well, sir. I could aid you on your quest.” He laughs, the cool metal barrel pressing deeper into my skull. “All of Paula’s recruits know about Kaisians. What can you offer me that they can’t?” If I tell him the truth, I could die because of it. “I know the Kaisians well because…well.” Think. Think. “Because I was one.” Then, a click.

Posted By KenzieB19 On 11.17.2012 @ 1:28 pm

“My job is to make sure you don’t get in the way,” I say, gripping the bow tighter.Slowly, I tilt the tip of my arrow lower until it is aimed at his abdomen. “Are you going to get in the way?” “Your Institution says differently.” He steps closer, his mesmerizing blue eyes burning holes into mine. “Your job is to kill me simply because I am related to the Kaisians.” He stops before my arrow, reaching out his hand for my own. “Will you kill me like the others?” My face contorts into a grimace. I scowl. “Stay away from me, Jace.” “You are as much of a Kaisian, if not more then I.” Moving the arrow to the side, he leans close to my ear. “Are you going to kill me too?” “What are you talking about?” “Your…Institution is unaware of your ties to Kaisia. I could make them…ohhh, aware.” I shove at him. “Don’t ever come near me again or you’ll regret it for the last moments of your life.”

Posted By KenzieB19 On 11.16.2012 @ 4:55 pm

Slowly, he pours sugar into his coffee, measuring the white sweetness and me with his bright blue eyes. “Death will come from this.” Taking a deep breath, I glance at my feet before raising my gaze to his. “I know,” I say on a shaky sigh. “But. But it is the only thing I can do.” He tilts his head to the side, inspecting me. Returning the favor, I survey his black hair with salt sprinklings that is pulled back into a loose braid; black trousers and a crisp white shirt, tucked in at the waist with one button undone; a sword swings at his hip and a dagger is hidden in his left black boot. “There are other ways, little one,” the man speaks quietly. “Other ways will sacrifice more lives!” I cry. Suddenly, I grow quiet. Still. Silent. “I can’t lose anyone else. A gentle hand falls to my shoulder. I wipe the tears from my eyes. “People don’t want to lose you either.”

Posted By KenzieB19 On 11.14.2012 @ 4:07 pm

“Some people may call it a skill or something that I have been trained in. Others may say the skills I have are a curse. But I believe that the art that I practice is a blessing in disguise. Who else can claim that they are gifted in the arts of espionage, murder, and thievery?” I cross my arms, glaring at the guy who stood carving another message into wood. “Your gifts will cost you,” he says. His blue eyes briefly hold mine. Then, they swing back to his riddle. “Are you willing to take those risks?” Mingling in the cool, dawn morning air, the vapor of my sigh drifts into oblivion. . . .and I can’t help but think that my life could very well be like the vapor. It will disappear into bleak blackness, leaving no sign that it had been there before. “I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

Posted By KenzieB19 On 11.13.2012 @ 10:26 pm

“You know what to do,” I hear the echo of Garcia’s words. “Don’t let me down.” Third down. How does one have pretend to have an asthma attack? Different ideas flood me, flying through the filter of my brain. But at last, I don’t settle on any of these thoughts. When I gaze across the long stretch of the football field and meet Elijah’s eyes, I know. Touchdown. Standing up, I begin to scream with the crowd. Suddenly, my eyes grow wide, and a coughing fit steals my breath. I’m wheezing now. My face is pale. I’m sweaty. People start to crowd around me, but I pretend I can’t hear them while my eyes quickly scan the faces, searching for one in particular. “Someone call 911!” I shake, my wheezing becomes worse. “Give her room! Move! Let her breathe!” When a doctor with a hazel and light blue eyes leans over me, I almost smile, knowing the relieving fact before I hear Elijah whispering to me into my intercom. “Mission accomplished.”

Posted By KenzieB19 On 09.13.2012 @ 11:48 am

My hands were tied. They ached from being behind my back for hours. Everything was dark before the folds of the cloth covering my swollen eyes. A driver shifted nervously in the front of the Lexus, which smelled of old cologne and stale coffee. “Turn right,” a deep voice commanded from my side. I could feel his gaze on me. “We’re almost there,” he said, though I didn’t know if it was more for the driver or me. “Now?” the driver asked. “Not yet,” the burly man growled. Inching away, I tried to settle my beating heart. But the only thing offering me salvation on that side of the car was a door that wouldn’t ever budge. And then I heard a scream, high and laced with frantic agony.

Posted By KenzieB19 On 08.30.2012 @ 10:49 am

“Life means nothing to me anymore,” I say my voice cold. “You can kill me if you want, but I won’t break.” The deep laugh twisted my gut. Leaning into the light, a man with startling blue eyes slyly grinned. “Oh, Miss Levi, you’ll wish you were dead.” Half a minute ticks by before he shakes his head and wickedly laughs, “We can do far worse, indeed.”

Posted By KenzieB19 On 08.22.2012 @ 8:21 pm

He’s taking me to the Interrogation Zone. No, he isn’t going to interrogate me, there is just some people he would like to know if I know, some he said that they had found shortly after acquiring me. Quickly, Jason explains that he had been friends with Katie, Brook, Eric, and I before he came here. To Tulsa, Oklahoma. To this war zone. Afterwards, he had been forced to lose contact with us. He tells me that he also is one of the Appointed. But like everything else in my life, I do not remember what the Appointed is, neither do I remember having any part of it. Jason eyes me wearily, and I can see it in his eyes. He’s wondering how I could have forgotten something, something so… He pushes the Interrogation Zone’s doors open. Entering through the swinging doors, I barely take a glance at the four people with their hands tied, eyes behind cloths. “I…” Jason’s eyes are wide, “I know them.”

Posted By KenzieB19 On 08.15.2012 @ 9:12 pm

The blonde studied me for a few short torturous seconds. Then, he motioned to a chair before the mahogany desk that he sat behind. “It’s good to see you, Mia. Please, sit.” Acting as nonchalant as possible, I ease into the leather chair and smile. “Hello, Sean.” The blond man smiles, his blue eyes twinkling. “Come on, Mi. You’re supposed to call me Jason, no one else can hear us in here.” The name rang familiar, but all my memories were still safely tucked away in my brain so not even I could find them. “Alright, Jason. How long has it been?” “Four months,” he says with a shrug and a frown. His eyes turn strangely hungry. “How’s Katie?” “Fine,” I say, thinking of Kate who was now either dead or in interrogation. And for reasons I don’t know, I say, “She misses you.” Briefly, the smile returns. “Well, I’ve been needing to ask you something about the Central. I’ve heard that they have created something for all rebels. A way to make them forget everything that they once knew about the Central. This concept isn’t quite accurate yet, their first experience totally erased all of the woman’s memory. Do you happen to know who this woman is? I would like to see if she really remembers anything at all.” My eyes grow wide. “It’s…it’s uh.” I take in a shaky breath. “I’m the guinea-pig, Jason. And I don’t remember anything at all.”

Posted By KenzieB19 On 08.13.2012 @ 9:12 am

Notice things, Eric had said. I’m still wearing the blindfold. So, I notice things…with my other four senses. I hear footsteps atop concrete floor, beeps and buzzing, low and soft voices. I smell fresh coffee and stale bread. I taste the flavored power Clum had poured into my water (I assume it’s so I’ll be more emotionally drained). I feel the air-condition brushing my face, every turn we make, and a deja vu feeling that can’t be ignored. “Amelia? Mia, is that you?” a voice says from before us. The voice is scratchy as if it comes from a video camera. Clum stiffens by my side, straightens, and says towards the camera watching on, “We haven’t see her before, sir. She said the secret text.” The masculine voice doesn’t make a noise until, “Send her in.” Placing my hand against a scanner, Clum waits until the machine verifies my hand print. When it does, he ushers me through a door, slips the blindfold off, and exits. Leaving me to stare at a blonde that I could swear I’ve seen before.

Posted By KenzieB19 On 08.10.2012 @ 10:44 pm

My world is shaking, literally. I hear the sound of something sliding open, probably a secret elevator door, giving the man and I entrance. A blindfold slipped over my eyes and the man roughly binds my hands together. “Stay very still, or I’ll shoot.” I mentally picture the Beretta pointed at my forehead and shiver. He ties something rough around my waist and then starts to fiddle with something on his waist. “Stop the followers,” the man whispers, “if they don’t know the secret code, bring them to interrogation. If they give you any trouble…you know what to do.” There were others. Probably they had seen me when I was a mile away, running towards their fortress. How did I not see them? The man, who I’ve named Clum, slips one arm around my waist and whispers, “Hold on tight to me.” I’m about to argue, but the elevator door closes and instead of feeling solid ground beneath my boots, only a soft breeze caresses the soles of my shoes. And then, I’m falling. My fingers grasp Clum’s arm as he drops us down the empty elevator shaft. I don’t breath again until our feet touch the bottom. Cold air blasts my face. Clum pushes me from the elevator shaft and I stumble atop smooth floors. “Let me look at her,” a masculine voice asks Clum. “Take her to interr-” “She said Isus,” Clum interrupts. I hear hesitation in the man’s voice. “Take her to Sean.”

Posted By KenzieB19 On 08.03.2012 @ 3:05 pm

My eye catches it…a single camera slightly hidden behind dust and paint. I hear Eric’s words, “It’s a trap!” I’m about to turn back, but my feet keep moving until they stop before an ordinary pile of fallen stones. “Halt!” The sharp command fills the air; quiet yet authoritative. Slowly, I pause and turn to glance at a man, covered in a gray camouflage, who has thompson m1928 sub-machine gun strapped to his back….and a Beretta 92fs pointed at my head. “Who are you?” Staying calm, I merely stated, “Isus.” And that was before I heard the click.

Posted By KenzieB19 On 08.02.2012 @ 9:24 pm

I am walking faster than everyone else. Maybe because I know if they’ll catch me I’ll never see what is beyond the highest point of the building’s ruins. The battle that has dominated this city is nothing like the war raging inside of me. The sky is a dark, dark gray. The air turning bitterly cold. Snow begins to swirl with the dust and ashes. And it’s a strangely beautiful effect. My eyes take in everything as I watch the dust, ashes, snow dance in the fading afternoon sun. “Mia!” Eric is chasing me, calling my name just loud enough so that only I can hear him. “Stop! It’s a trap!” I don’t hear him, I’m not listening but am whispering, “‘He is the Way…’” Someone is getting closer to me. “‘He is the Truth.’” I run even faster. “‘He is the Life.’” I am now standing under a huge arch, or what’s left of it. I begin to push through rocks…until, finally, my hand brushes a small loose bottle. Nothing more, nothing less. Yet, I have the strangest feeling that I need to pull on it. “‘No One Comes to the Father except through Me.’” I pull it. And my world begins to shake.

Posted By KenzieB19 On 08.01.2012 @ 1:31 pm

I am walking in broad daylight. The afternoon sun has yet to begin it’s descend below the horizon, and the air is surprisingly cool for November. Even though Eric has told me that I was trained to take in every detail of every second in my life, I didn’t notice anything except where my feet are taking me. I need answers, I need to understand my formal life. But more than anything, I need to regain the memory I have lost. And to do that…I’ll have to go against my friends’ methods.

I’m sprinting as fast as I can, running through the city’s streets quickly, jumping over debris easily. Adrenaline is pumping through my veins as I start on a beaten road that once was called S. Memorial Drive. I stumble to a stop, breathing heavily. My wide eyes scan the fallen buildings. Some of them shops. Others diners. But there is one heap of rubble that stands out more than all the others. Maybe because it is huge. Maybe because parts of it are still standing up. Maybe because it looks as if it was once beautiful. Or maybe because it seems familiar. Whatever the reason, I set my destination for the ivory building.

Posted By KenzieB19 On 07.31.2012 @ 4:45 pm

We creep through the rubble as quietly as possible. Dressed in the grubby garbs of the Covenant soldiers, we blend in with the raiders but to the few civilians, we are a threat. Many people thought the Covenant wouldn’t concern themselves with Tulsa after the destruction that had befallen it, two years before. They were wrong, and proof was here in the form of a mass army. I don’t remember the bombs that had descended from the sky like raindrops. All I know is what I’ve been told. Of the terrible losses. I feel a hand on my back as I slid behind a pile of bricks, that must have once been a beautiful home. Eric was whispering into my ear, “The coast is clear to the north.” But when I stand, I don’t go north. Instead, I go east….my feet moving on their own accord. I didn’t pay attention to Eric hissing my name, I didn’t listen when Kate and Brook began to grow frantic. Instead, I kept moving. Moving deeper and deeper into the city. And into danger.

Posted By KenzieB19 On 07.30.2012 @ 9:26 pm