1
Amelia Adams
"Amelia..." The faint voice mumbles. I slowly open my eyes and see my mother sitting at the foot of my bed, shaking my leg lightly.
"It's 8am, Amelia, you need to get up for school," She taps my foot before standing up.
I groan and roll over in my bed, not ready to get up.
"C'mon you have half an hour," She says before pacing out of my room in her robe and brown hair tied up in a bun.
I slowly sit up and sling my feet over the side of the bed and on the carpeted floor. I hate school and everything it offers, it's the same thing every day.
On August 3rd, 2018, the world changed forever. A giant gang in black leather jackets called the 'Malignant' started killing innocent people around the world. People lived barricaded in their homes, fearing that someone with a black leather jacket would cross their path.
It was considered a war, but instead of all the Malignant up front and fighting against the soldiers and troops, they scattered across the world and went straight to the citizens.
After 3 years of hiding in fear, the war finally came to an end. A new team came to power, which is called the 'Salvation'. They fought against the Malignant and were set to protect us. They were outnumbered by the Malignant, but somehow they managed to beat them and we never heard of the Malignant again.
Once the global announcement was made about the decease of the Malignant War, people started to live their ordinary lives again, but things were never the same.
Airlines were forever shut down, schools were always in high security and people were not allowed out of their homes past 10 pm and before 6 am. The Salvation kept us safe this way and said that this would avoid anything like the Malignant ever happening again. People wondered why we had to live to such extents, but it eventually became normal for everyone.
To this day, still, no one knows what happened to the deadly gang Malignant. People just started to assume that the Salvation killed them all, but no one had the facts.
When I was seventeen and the Malignant War ended, the school was back, but nothing was the same anymore. We only learned about history and survival in school. There is no English, no math, no science, and no arts. I can’t really remember a life before the Malignant attack, only vague memories remind me that school was an actual school before the war.
I open my small closet and grab my school uniform. Which consisted of a white button-up blouse, a red striped tie, a red and black crossed hatch pattern kilt, and black knee-high socks.
The uniform is ugly, but it's basically all the clothes I really have. When the world was going back to 'normal' no one really put much effort and care into fashion. The economy was so focused on safety that materials weren't very important. And considering I've grown out of all my old clothes I only have a few outfits that aren't a uniform or sleepwear.
I get changed and walk into the bathroom across the hall. I turn on the bright light and look into the mirror at my reflection. My long brown hair is a mess and I have bags under my eyes from still being half asleep.
I brush my teeth and wash my face so I look more awake. I put on a light layer of mascara and light clear lip gloss before brushing out my hair so it's not all tangled. I just leave it down in its loose natural curls like I usually do.
I leave the bathroom and quickly grab my beige book bag off my bedroom floor.
As I'm racing out of my room and down the hall, I pass my brother Adrian's room which causes me to stop.
His door was a crack open which was weird. Not one soul has entered his room for almost three years, so why would his door be open? I placed my hand on the white wood and slowly pushed it open to see if anyone was inside.
The door slowly opens and a cool breeze makes my spine shiver. Adrian's bed is still left unmade and random articles of clothing still lay scattered on the ground, almost like he never left.
Not one person is in his room, so why was it open a bit? My mom and dad refuse to go in here, hence why his room is a mess. They are still in denial that he is gone. My brother disappeared three years ago, he was nineteen when he left the house in the middle of the war. He said that he was going to try and get to the store because we were running low on food. My parents told him not to, but he snuck out and made me swear not to tell.
Once he stepped out the door, we never saw him again. He was stupid enough to go outside while the Malignant were at their strongest, but he did it for us. Part of me feels that after all this time, my parents have never forgiven me for letting him go and not telling them. I don't blame them, I still haven't forgiven myself for letting him go... I should've told them the minute he said he was going to sneak out.
I know my brother is dead; there isn't another possibility. My parents refuse to accept that he is dead, they think that even after three years he will walk through the front door with the groceries he snuck out to go get.
I get lost in my thoughts and shut the door to Adrian's room. I pace my feet down the hallway and down the stairs to the small kitchen.
My mom and dad sit at the kitchen table with a coffee in their hand. My dad looks at the paper while my mom sits staring into space.
"Hi," I mumble while quietly walking towards the cupboards.
"Morning." My mom says while sipping her coffee.
"Why was Adrain's door open? Did anyone go in there?" I ask while opening the cupboards to look for something to eat.
"Amelia Joyce Adams are you wearing makeup?" My father sternly says as my back faces him.
I quickly bring the back of my hand to my lips to wipe off the excess lip gloss I had on.
"No Dad," I mumble before turning around to meet his cold eyes with mine.
"You're too young to be wearing makeup," He strictly says while taking off his reading glasses.
"I'm 19, I'm almost an adult," I roll my eyes and walk away from the cupboards. I've lost my appetite.
"You still live under this roof, therefore you still follow our rules young lady," He drops his newspaper and points.
"I'm gonna be late, I need to go," I mumble before walking out of the kitchen and past the small living room to the door.
I quickly throw on my black Converse and take the strap of my book bag, slinging it on my shoulder.
"Fix your attitude before you come back home!" I hear his voice rise as I close the front door behind me.
I huff and walk down the front steps of our small house and onto the broken sidewalk.
I hate that I'm nineteen and still in high school. School came to a halt when I was finishing grade nine, then three years went by with no school. When school was back, I was seventeen and starting grade ten. The education system was basically giving us all the time that we lost from the war.
My feet swiftly walk down the sidewalk while shuffling my one hand in my book bag. I pull out my small MP3 and place the white earphones in my ears. My walk to school wasn't too long, I would say about 15 minutes. I sing out to the music playing in my head, knowing no one will be around to hear me.
I arrive at the tall fence with barbed wire around the top, the fence surrounds the whole school. My hands reach into my bag to pull out my student ID card.
Two giant men dressed in black-suited armor with guns and a taser stand at the front of the tall closed gate to the school.
They don't even need to say anything before I hold up my ID. The two solid men open the gate and let me pass before harshly shutting it behind me.
I look up at the same kind of men but with snipers in their hands, standing at the top of the four watch towers we have around the outside of the school. I see the same stiff guys up in those towers everyday.
It's funny how when after the world went to shit, nothing changed. The Salvation said that we could all live our lives normally again.
But how normal is a whole swat team watching out for your school every day?
I get to the building and am confronted by security with those weapon detectors. I stop at the routine, dropping my bag and letting them hover the tool around my body.
"You're clear," The tall man with dirty blonde hair says and lets me pass.
"Thanks," I mumble before picking up my bag and walking down the cold hallway while people in identical clothing walk frantically to class.
I have history class for two and a half hours, then lunch, then survival for another two and a half hours. This was the never ending routine of my 'education'.
I walk straight to my class because I already have my books in my bag. I walk into the half-full class of students my age. They all talk and walk around because the teacher isn't in yet. Not really in the mood to socialize, so I just take a seat.
I lay my books out and continue to listen to my music through my earbuds. I have about five minutes before class begins.
While tapping my fingers on the desk, a short figure stands in front of me. I remove my earbuds and look up at my friend Audrey looking down at me.
"Hey girl, how come I didn't see you at Cameron's party on Saturday?" She tucks her bright blonde hair behind her ear before sitting in the seat in front of mine.
Her heavy eyeliner and dark eyeshadow are overwhelming like usual. Her lips reflect a dark shade of purple, which matches her nails.
"Hey, I told you I had stuff to do..." I smile while opening my binder.
Audrey has been my best friend since I was seven. We've been there for each other through thick and thin. Over the years, I've watched her change. Before the war, she was a different person. She enjoyed drawing and reading like I did. Her appearance was nothing but a natural glow, never a drop of cosmetic affliction on her face.
She lost her mom. When Malignant ruled the streets, her mom hid her and her brother under the stairs in the basement when she had a gut feeling that something bad was gonna happen. She told Audrey and her brother not to leave their spots until she came back down to them. A member of the Malignant busted into their home and killed their mom right in the living room. Luckily Audrey never saw it, but she stayed in that basement with her little brother for hours until her neighbor came downstairs and found them.
After that moment, Audrey changed. She was so close to her mom that losing her flipped her world upside down. She now lives with her grandparents and enjoys breaking the rules. She cakes on all this makeup and associates it with sneaking out at night past ten, which can end her up in juvenile delinquent for disobeying Salvation rules.
"Sitting at home reading the same book you always read doesn't count as 'things to do'." She chuckles as I roll my eyes.
She knows me too well.
"Parties are stupid now anyway. They end at like nine because everyone is too afraid of running into the Salvation past ten." I exclaim.
"That's true, but with the right connections... You can find the right secret after the party past ten." She laughs.
"You're crazy," I shake my head while looking down at my binder.
"Not crazy, just adventurous as I'd like to say," She winks and turns to her desk.
"Alright class, take your seats." Our petite female teacher walks in right after the monotone beep rings through the school, signaling class has started.
Once the class quiets down, the teacher starts writing on the chalkboard. I can't see what she is writing because of being in the way, but once she moves I read the one word that has caused so much trouble to everyone.