Chapter 1- Soccerball

"Thank you" I told the nurse as she handed me an ice pack. I gently placed it on the burning side of my face, wincing at the slight soreness that had already started up. The boy who had kicked the ball, and carried me here sat next to me, twiddling his thumbs idly. I had to say, it was a rather strange moment all together. After the event had happened, he had freaked out over whether or not I was bleeding. Asking me all sorts of medical questions like, do you feel dizzy, or, are your legs okay? Until finally he spazzed out before I could say anything and he scooped me up from under and carried me to the infirmary. There was a long silence after we got here.

"Sorry about the soccer ball, I guess I wasn't paying attention to where I kicked." Or where he kicked for that matter. What kind of guy put enough force into a soccer ball to hit someone in the face from the third floor window? It was impressive though, I had to give me that. A slight giggle escaped my throat.

"No worries, not the first time I've been hit by some type of ball, no sexual pun intended." I said, as he started laughing next  to me. The boy had a nice laugh, it was one that made you want to laugh with him. My voice sounded a bit strange, with the numbness and  all. As  we let out a breath of fresh air, I made a little sound of pain that I didn't intend to. As the boy suddenly sparked up and put his hands on my shoulders.

"Are you sure your okay? I didn't hit you hard enough for you to pass out." I shoved  him off.

"I'm fine, just my face hurts, that's  all. And, it happens more then you think it would." It was true, if I had a nickel for every time I had been hit by something last year I would be rich. Things like cups, falling food, Balls, and  every school used item you could think of, specially books. The boy didn't seem satisfied, and frowned  at me. I sighed, and shifted my hands. "My name's Vanessa, I'm a second year, B class." The boy stood up finally, shifting in his seat.

"My name's Drake, Third year A class, but since of all my free time, I tend to spend time with my friends here playing soccer and other sports." Drake stated, pulling his hands behind his head and relaxing. I giggled at him, he was  kind of cute, but, he was too spazzy for me.

Minutes  later we were told to return to class, without another  word. Drake was making sure I was able to stay on my feet. Before we left the nurse said I might end up having a few dizzy spells, so it was obvious that Drake had felt it was his fault while watching me like that. Holding my things close to my chest, my mind was wondering about it. My face hurt and was  sore, but I was certain I'd be alright, it was one hell of a way of kicking off the first day of school though I had to say that. I looked up at Drake to say something but then shut my mouth again. He was  taller then me, by some height, and he raised an eyebrow to me when I shut my mouth.

Drake had long dark gray hair, that reached  just  under his ears. With light blue eyes to match. The average light blue uniform and red tie was worn along with pure white converse tennis shoes. He wore his shirt unbuttoned and seemed to have his own touch to it himself. As he removed his hands from behind his head he looked at me as if I had something to say, I figure to ask him a question that had been lingering inside my head.

"Where'd you learn to kick like that?" Drake then looked out the window away from my face. He struggled through his hands, pulling his palms onto his hips as we continued down the hallway.

"My father works for the military. Though I didn't see that it was needed, he figured to train me some if anyone ever targeted the family. It seemed  like my being was much more important then his own, he's a foolish man. And the government plays him like a puppet on a bunch of string, they do it to all of us, so I think their on crack." I slammed my hand hard into his mouth as we came to a sudden stop in the hallway. My eyes were wide  as  he stepped back a bit from the impact.

"Don't say that kind of stuff  so freely,  we can get into serious trouble, and get thrown into a correctional facility." Drake's eyes looked at me for a moment, as if it was  a joke he chuckled and  gently grabbed  my small hand into his. Making my face  blush as he pushed it down. Drake pulled up his long sleeve's and  showed me  his wrists.

"Really? I would have thought they keep better tabs on people like me. If I didn't know the things I did, I'd be dead." It suddenly slapped me in the face. Drake,  didn't  had an id wristband. Confusion was making it's  way around my head. I felt faint and almost fell, but Drake pulled me back up to my feet,  moving my  long brown hair below my ear. Had I ran into someone I shouldn't have? Because if he was going to stop me from reaching my goal then I don't think I even wanted to be involved with him. I could take care of myself, and if it's a bad  crowd, that's  one thing I don't want to get involved in. A delusional escapee of a correctional facility?

"Then...."

"Let's just say that I have a very complicated life. But I refuse to pledge  myself to a city built upon the illusion of 'peace'. There  are things the citizens  deserve  to know, deserve to have, but they don't. I'd rather live as a walking dead man then as a ghost in these walls." He stopped, pressing his fingers against his lips once he realized what he had said. The bell rang, and the hallway began to have an outpour of students. Drake and I stood in the midst, of silence, for some time. All moving as if our world was frozen, their's in slow motion. It sure seemed like it to me.

After some time Drake finally turned around and had his back facing me. He looked back with no sense of emotion in his eyes. "Look I'm really sorry about the soccer ball, I hope you feel better. See you around." He waved his hand over my head and left. There were  still questions I wanted  to ask him. Shoving themselves into my head as he left. It was curiosity of this boy that took me over. A year older, and yet, he  seemed to have a more care free life then I did, then again, he was at risk of being arrested at any moment. I shook my head, touching the blue id wristband on my wrist, that marked me as a prisoner, in this so called "peaceful" world.

The lunch system was fairly easy. Students  went into the cafeteria and had their wristbands scanned to  receive food. After they were done eating they were free to roam campus, even to grades higher or lower  to visit siblings or friends. I decided upon skipping lunch and trying to search for Drake. I wanted to confront him, ask him a question I deserved an answer to. I wanted to know what this "thing"  was that  the citizens should know about, and what rights? After all, I didn't see anything wrong with not being allowed certain things, in which it was for our own safety was it not? I walked over to the third years building, checking in the sandy sports area. I figure to look for someone without a wristband, it seemed like a smart  deduction, after all, how many didn't have one? I spotted a boy sitting with a group of girls, assuming it was him without a wristband I shoved his back.

"Hey you!" I pulled him away from his friends, when I noticed.....did he shrink? When he finally went to look at me, I noticed, it wasn't Drake. A hot rush went to my cheeks and I bowed, embarrassed about the situation. How many people in this school didn't have wristbands? After all, I would have thought rumors would run through the school quickly. Then again, they pulled their sleeves over their wrists to make sure nobody could see them. Yet still, as strands of my brown hair dangled in from of me, I swallowed. "I'm sorry I....I thought you were someone else." The boy only chuckled. Crouching down to try and see my face, I lifted my head to meet his eyes.

The boy had dark black hair, shorted then Drake's but still darker, and then longer in the back. His eyes a deep green and his face was a lot younger looking. The boy was around the same height as me. And a small red ribbon was worn around his left arm. He smiled at me, showing sharp canines that had probably been filed  down by some sort of metal by himself. One of the few freedoms of this society was to alter your body the way you wanted.

"And you would be?" He asked me.

"Oh um, my name is Vanessa, second year B class."

"Well, I'm steven, third year C class. And who were you looking for might I ask?" I blinked  and stepped back, the girls giving me some evil glares that I had pulled the handsome boy away from them.

"Well, uh I was looked for a boy called Drake, he uh....doesn't" I gestured towards his wrists where he was missing a vital asset of this city. I didn't want to give him away right out in the open. Steven smiled at me, and  wrapped my  wrist, pulling at my own id band.

"This is  a symbol of being a prisoner, we don't have these because we want our freedom and are willing to show them that we don't need it to survive. We get a good education even without something like this." The girls called out for Steven. He turned for a few second and told them that he needed to take care of something for his friend Drake. The girls giggled, and walked off, leaving the two of us alone in the area. Steven put his hand on me shoulder. "Well Vanessa,  if Drake  has shown you enough of just not having an id band, then you must be something." He stopped for a moment, touching the sore side of my face, I winced and fell down to my knees and held my face. Steven crouched in fascination. "Oh, so your the one that he hit with the soccer ball. Sorry about that." He helped me back up to my feet, but I smacked his hand away.

"Who the hell are you people? You and your stupid talk about freedom, and how the government is bad, it's like your trying to give yourself a death sentence. And with Drake, kicking that ball like that, something only special ops officers can do. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON here?" Steven leaned against himself for  a few  moment, still with a smile spread across his face.

"Well, when you say it out loud like that, your getting yourself in more trouble. At least we know how to escape the police, you however don't."  My eyes narrowed, fist clenched.

"Are you saying that just because I don't have some special training I can't take care of myself." Steven turned and waved his hand over his nose.

"Not at all, well maybe a little. Anyway, if you want to find Drake, he'd taking care of something. If you value your life, then I suggest you stay away from us, and  stay out of trouble." Steven walked on and left me alone. I was  angered, this was frustrating. I yelled out loud and ruffled the tip of my long hair. I was confused, and this guys really pissed me off.

I was distracted at home. Moving from shelf to shelf and taking care of customers for my mother. She was busy at the store, so it left me to look after the bakery. I sighed as I punched in the last of the days number of profit. It seemed like our money supply was getting lower and lower, and I could barely stand to think of it. I dragged my hand through my hair as a hand slammed down on the table I didn't dare look up as a man spoke.

"Hey kiddo, where's your mother." I looked up to realize, it was Kato.

Kato was around my mothers age, maybe a bit younger, with natural orange like hair, he wasn't a ginger though. With a red id wristband, he had been trying to make a move on my mom for months, though I didn't blame him. Kato was a nice man, he did honest work, but he always seemed to slip away, mysterious. I smiled and laughed at him.

"She, went to pick up some fresh supplies for tomorrow, but your free to stay, I'll make you some hot tea."  I told him clicking the little close button on the hologram of the cashier. The store went dark and I lead Kato to the back of the room, where the house was. Our house was small, except for my room. My mother slept in the living room and I had a large out looking room to the very back. It had a first point view of the Clusterphobic buildings. As I moved over to the kitchen Kato sat by the table, looking around the house.

"Even though I've been here over a million times, it never ceases to amaze me how unique this place is." I moved  the kettle to a burning piece of the stove. I grabbed  an apron and put it on over my store clothes, moving over to Kato.

"Yeah, I always managed to trade in the education points I get to get something new for my mom." I said, sitting across from Kato.

Kato had been a customer at the store for five years. He would come and buy bread every day to help my mom out in caring for me. Sometimes, when she couldn't watch the store. He would do it. Yet, still somehow slipped my mind every time. Kato was an honest man I believed, but sometimes, you had to put your trust in people you didn't know well to survive. That's how things were around here.

"So, how's school been Ven" Kato also, had a habit of calling me Ven.

"Well, first day of school, was....interesting." I moved my apron a bit, pulling my hands across the table. As Kato raised an eyebrow.

"Meet, any boys?"

"Yeah, one, but. He hit me in the face with a soccer ball." Kato laughed.

"What on purpose."

"No, he was playing soccer, I was on the third floor and he kicked it up to the third floor." Kato's eyes opened wide.

"No kidding, how the hell did the kid manage that" I laughed  pulling my hair behind an ear.

"Well, I guess he was a really great athletic, he kinda freaked out and carried me all the way to the nurse's office. So we were cool after. His name is Drake." I got up when the pot started boiling, and pulled the tea into a cup before moving it over to Kato back at the table. I wasn't much of a fan of tea. It was strange of my mom not to be back yet, I wondered what was holding her.

Me and Kato were silent for a long amount of time, he played with his empty tea cup while I looked up at the ticking clock. It now had been two hours since my mom had gone out to shop. That, was a really abnormal time just to get dough from the local market. I finally slammed my hands on the table in protest. "That's it, I'm going to look for my mom" I growled and pulled off my apron pulling on my jacket. Straightening my id wristband. When Kato stood up and walked behind me.

"Well let me help you, it isn't safe for a young girl to walk on these streets alone" I rolled my eyes.

"You should know better then anyone that, that isn't true." I shoved past him and pulled out the bakery door. Walking down the street. The sun was just below the wall, making an orange glow spew through the dirt and clouds in the less fortunate sectors then ours. The clouds were gathering in the sky though, and I could tell, it was going to rain soon. I sighed, everyone was to be inside when the clusterphobic was singing it's angel song. But, my mother was far more important then some stupid law. I was beginning to think like Drake.....it was kind of disturbing. Kato followed in pursuit behind me, despite my last comment, the orange haired man stayed silent, until we found ourself at the market. Where Riley Salazar was, a worker at the shop my mom saw often.

"Riley! Have you seen my mom?" I rushed up, as Kato followed in pursuit, leaning over to catch his breath. He said something about me being in good shape, but I ignored as the young girl looked up at me.

"Mrs. Colloid didn't come here at all. Some care picked her up over at the side." Riley was shorter then me, with long gray hair. Her face, was similar to Drake's when I finally thought about it, though just meeting him today. I stopped for a minute, a car?

"Did you see what direction it was going in?"

"That way why.....?" Riley pointed the way to an empty street, where  most likley was left over from when suppressors came to arrest a group of people. I didn't hesitate to start running that way.

"VANESSA WAIT" Kato brushed his hand at me, but it took him awhile until I heard his footsteps behind me. I stopped when the street finally got dark. And saw the buildings with boards pulled up. I pressed my hand against the wall of a building. Trying to catch my breath from my energy being run out.

The dark glow of the clouds was starting to come over us as we walked down the middle of the road. Both of us were a little too occupied by out surroundings to say anything. Blocks and blocks of buildings were here. As a reminder of the devastating past of fifteen years ago of an event known as the suppressor act. A memory that was only a stake in me, because I was only a year old.

The suppressor act was an act of violence when a group of citizens rebelled and took off their id bands. Large sections of sectors were deleted, or closed, and the residents arrested never to be heard of again. The event finally shut most people up, but it's an event needed in history, so we don't repeat the past over and over again. This place, was only a small imprint on the many areas that were forgotten and stumbled upon many times, only for teenager to find refuge and do reckless things.

The buildings were  tall apartments, each with locks cut and boards up to the windows. Those that weren't covered, showed memories of the fallen. As the rusted chains fell and made a metal concrete sound when it collided with the cement ground. I stopped when Kato places his hands on my shoulders.

"We shouldn't be here Ven" He whispered, his cold breath moving down my neck as if he was dead. It made my skin go white as I looked down the alley next to me, pulling my hand over the side of the building. I completely ignored what Kato had said, and moved down the alley, to a window, of a open house. I placed my hand on the side and pulled myself through. Kato quietly yelling as me as I landed on the molding carpet under my shoes.

The room was silent, a bed that was only a metal string of a  skeleton. A picture of a family cracked and laying on it's back. As I pulled my fingers over the dust, Kato grabbed my shoulders. "Ven, we should go, we can't just look for your mother here." I brushed him off and turned to the door that lead into the corridor, to where the entire apartment complex would be acessable from.

"Come on" I whispered grabbing Kato from the collar and moving through the front door. Down the hall, someone's face vanished and I froze in my tracks. As Kato struggled, my other hand clasped over his mouth and we continued to walk down the hallway. There were a series of doors and rooms, it looked to be a crowded place to live, but it was far different from my house which was so large for only two people living in it. I stopped at the hallway where I turned, but still there was nobody there.

The people who used to live here, lived by their own rules. They could write and read all they wanted, it sounded almost like paradise to me, but still, what did that all matter if I couldn't protect my family with my intelligence. I stopped when Kato pulled my hand from his mouth and spoke to me in a loud voice that dragged down the hall and echoed into the dark building.

"HEY, haven't you been listening to me young lady. We have no reason to be here, we could get into serious trouble. I'm sure your mother just ran into an old friend and they passed through here to get to wherever they were going." I turned and slapped him in the face.

"What do you think your doing saying that so loud, now we could be caught." I hissed. I wasn't in the mood to be lectured by rules at the moment. I wanted to find my mother, besides she wouldn't just run off with a friend without telling me through an id call. I stopped for a moment, "Listen."

"Listen to what?" Kato said.

That was exactly it, there was no sound. Not even the sound of the wind. It was completely and unnaturally silent. Outside, there was no noise, and neither was there any inside. As the air contracted and expanded, I felt a pang of heat start to form behind Kato. Instinctively I zoomed forward and grabbed Kato who was much taller and bigger then me and pushed him in front.

In those few seconds an explosion caused the wall to burst open, the flash of light sending my body forward. The fire that singed my back was happening too fast, as everything went dark, and all that was left in my ear was the pounding of the air that had contracted  like a bass drum that when off inside of my head like a firework.

It took me a little while to realize where I was and what had happened. The voices around me were yet, still muffled from my ears ringing from the explosion. When I reached to the top of my head, there was red liquid, running down the side of my face still warm. Suddenly the side of my shoulder sleeve was grabbed onto, as I was tugged away by somebody I mumbled something, but didn't know what it was myself. Until I noticed we were down the hall and then locked into a room. Where someone put me down on the bed and started to speak to me. A light passing over my eyes, in which there was no reaction to in the end. I put my hand on whoever's arm it was, before passing out once more.

Minutes in which felt like hours to me passed, in and out I went as  people yelled at me. The ringing still muffled my hearing but if I was right, I could hear fire arms in the background. Around a half an hour later, my arms were tucked into my chest and someone was cradling me in their arms as we ran down the hall into the outside. Outside, it felt a lot better then it did inside. The rain brought me somewhat back to my senses, if not for the singing of the angel song inside my head. The sound was loud, and anything else wouldn't be able to be heard over it unless right next to your ear. As we stopped in the middle of the street I grabbed tighter onto the t-shirt and a hand was placed onto my head.

"Whatever you do, don't open your eyes" The voice sounded like I knew it, as the clearly male figure pulled his finger tips over my eyes for them to be closed. I didn't know what was going on, but I figured for my safety, I would keep them closed. I held on tighter as we moved around, my ears the only thing I had to listen out to my surroundings.

"They're advancing too fast Captain, there's no way in hell we can beat them without our armor." An unknown male voice said.

"S**t! Then find an escape route, Vanessa takes first priority, we can't get her involved in a mess she doesn't belong in."  Another male voice jumped in.

"Cut the crap Drake, your the one who filled her head with ideas in the first place."

"Watch your mouth Steven, that's my brother your talking to" That voice....was indefinitely Riley's but what did I know with my senses dull. Steven, Drake as well....what the hell was going on? I pressed up against Drake's chest.

"Drake....What's going on why can't I open my eyes?" I shivered a bit, confusion taking me over.

"You hit your head during the explosion, but don't worry, we'll get you back home in one piece."

"DRAKE HE'S COMING THIS WAY!" The male voice I didn't know said. Drake shifted me in his  arms.

"Julia, cover my back, I'm going to see if I can get out through the alley." Drake told someone next to him.

"You must be nuts but alright" As soon as that was said Drake started to move, the feeling of him carrying me was almost like I had no sense over my being. Once in the alley, he set me down on my feet, and opened my eyes. His blue eyes looking straight at me.

"Alright, I want you to stay here, no matter what, don't move, if you have to move go down the alley and into the streets, they wouldn't  dare attack you there. But don't get caught by the police." I stopped as Drake grabbed two twin pistols sitting in his belt loops, he was carrying guns!

"Drake, but wait why!" Before I could say anything else he ran off my arms only trying to grasp at his own as he vanished over the corner, leaving me, to take in my surroundings.

The alley was dark, and the gutters filled with rain as the song continued, mildly drowning out the sounds of fire arms around the left corner. The other corner was my escape route if I needed it. I held onto my soaking shirt touching my id band until I heard another large explosion and more shouting. Making the most stupid decision in my entire life. I turned the left corner, and ran out in front of the group of five.

"I want to know what the hell is going on here!" Drake stopped. Steven looked at me with a dumbfounded face and Riley tackled me from the side when a thin line of wire wrapped around me and tugged me in an instant. Falling face forward in a roll on the cement. In front of a very dark, and very disturbing sight.

The man stood there, with a heavy black mask on, with two arms, made of a thick metal. In his right hand near my face, was a bloody head. The head's neck dripped with blood, a face of discomfort displayed on it with an open mouth, being held by the hair, orange hair that gleamed splattered red in the rain, as the mask suddenly turned to me I speechlessly pulled at the word of the name in my throat, as I tried to scramble away. The man looked at me fully and threw the head off away. When his hand reached my face, a bullet reflected off of his mask and he turned his head.

"LEAVE HER ALONE" Drake yelled, holding his two pistols crossed in his hands, giving me the chance to run up against the building wall. That was Kato's head, his bloody head, his spine sticking out all the blood, his hair entangled in the mans metal hand, the image burned into my mind until I watched as the man pulled forward at a strong speed. His hand came forward and hit Drake clear in the face.

"DRAKE!" I called out, I looked around my surroundings for a quick moment. There was a but of pipe sticking out of a building, it had a jagged edge  to it. As I ran over and placed my hand on it, Drake was continued to be getting up and then punched down again as the other four tried to find an open spot to hit the enemy. With a tug the pipe finally came  loose and I grasped it  into my fingers. Charged forward I went to slam it into the man's face, but his quick reflex grabbed it and snapped it in half before I could do anything else, his other hand was on my neck, cold, and definitely metal.

"Vanessa, you moron." Drake said, his  blood emitting a little bit of blood as I was raised up off the ground, cutting off my source of oxygen. I struggled against his hand, trying to get breath back but the restriction sent a burning sensation around my head and neck. I got an idea, I gained enough momentum to wrap my legs around his head, taking him by surprise he let go as I leaned all my body weight forward he fell down to the earth. Slamming me into the cement at the same time. Coughing and gasping what ever air I could. Drake grabbed  me and the group ran, but there wasn't anything else as I held onto his shirt. Trying to gain my breath back.

Drake passed back and form in front of me, sitting on his couch in some abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere. Riley was there, along with Steven and two others I didn't know. All I know is they had saved me, while kato had been left for that bionic armed man. The shock was still setting in and with me twidling my thumbs and having no idea what to do I went to open my mouth when steven snapped at me and Drake.

"What the hell were you guys thinking. First Drake goes off and tells you of secrets, and then you almost get yourself killed, not to mention that  man!" Steven slapped his arm across his sides. I flinched, pulling myself back a bit. Everyone seemed to be a little bit tense in the room.

"It's not his fault Steven, Vanessa does have that sense where you want to tell her things. I've known her for over a year now." Riley chipped in.

"No, sister, don't get involved, this is a quarrel between me Steven and Vanessa."

"And what of it? She's my friend more then your two boneheads. She just witnessed Kato killed, and her mother kidnapped. If she's caught, then she is going as well." Riley pointed a finger at me. And Where did I have a say in all of this?

"Her id band, Drake, we have to get rid of it, otherwise they will track us, they're probably even listening in on our conversation right now" Robert said. Steven agreed. Drake stopped his back turned to them. Where the girl in the corner, who I assumed was Julia finally stood up to speak.

"All of you need to calm down, it's not Vanessa's fault. After all Drake dragged her into it, and then when her mother was arrested, may I remind you, BECAUSE of drake, she felt the need to go after her. It's drake's fault for getting her curious, but we shouldn't start blaming each other." Drake clenched his fist.

"Your not helping Julia!" He groaned.

"Oh, I didn't know I was supposed to be helping, I'm going to go outside and guard, considering, yes, she does still have an id band." Julia stormed out and I had tears in my eyes, feeling guilty about the events that had happened. Just the sheer shock was getting to me, and Drake seemed to notice it, but not care.

"Stop crying, there are worse things to cry about" Drake then stormed out with Julia, leaving me alone in the room with Riley, Robert, and Steven. I hugged my knee's as Riley finally sighed and sat next to me.

"Don't worry about it, Drake can get a little overboard at times. He does his best as leader though to look after us." I looked over at her with sad eyes. I couldn't really say anything could I. Steven suddenly walked over to me.

"Give me your wrist." I looked at him.

"Why?" I answered defensively.

"You want to go to a correctional facility"

"If it means not hearing your stupid annoying voice along with Drakes, then yeah." I frowned as I hissed at him hiding my wrists behind my back. Steven groaned and jumped forward, moving Riley out of the way as she made no effort to stop him.

"Just give me it"

"NO!"

"Come on stop being so stubborn!"

"I have a right to be stubborn"

"Not now you don't" Steven finally managed to pin me down on the couch. Grabbing my wrist, he pulled out a small lazer pen that started off at the ends and sliced through the id band breaking it clean in half off my wrist, as well as resulting in burning me.

"Ow" I pulled my wrist closer, as he took the band,  and began to burn it with a lighter. All my hard work was being tugged out in that fire, I wouldn't get anywhere now. Steven finally got off of me and tossed the band in the trash, leaving me where I was to wallow in my own sense of pity about losing the only thing I had to connect me to the city. Now, I wasn't even considered a citizen.

Reviews

[Terohime]

Wow What a ending!!! Oo

[Rivaxorus]

Thanks ^w^ I'm hopping to publish this book when I finish it.