2

  Julia sat in the farthest and darkest corner of her cell, shivering and sobbing quietly. She had no idea what time it was, what day it was, or where her baby cousin Addie was. The last time she'd seen her was when she'd left her apartment for the bank... but now...

Addie, or Madeline, was the daughter of her father's brother Phillip. He and his wife Rosemary had been a large part of the Assembly's elder council, and influenced many ground breaking decisions during their time in office. When they had Madeline, they had left the Assembly to live a humbler life much like that of Julia's late parents. When Julia was 18, Phillip and Rosemary came to her apartment asking her to take their beautiful five year old daughter into her care. They gave her no answers, only a letter that they made her promise not to read until Addie was in bed. It would explain everything.

Hours later, after the couple had left and Addie was fast asleep on Julia's couch, Julia sat down to read the note. It said:

Dear Julia,

We know you may be busy, life on Terra Nova can be tough for the young.

Our only request from you is to protect our angel from the Assembly.

My family is composed of blue bloods, and when Phillip and I pass away, our office positions will default to Madeline. We do not wish that. Caethe has become corrupt and we can no longer stand against him alone, the Rebels need our aid, and we theirs.

We hope to see you again, and of course, our loving angel, but we fear that when we leave, it will be the last time. We are escaping to the mountains to hopefully further Kain's efforts in overthrowing Caethe. This may kill us, and therefore we need to know, Julia, that our daughter is in good hands. We trust you.

Stay safe, both of you, and wish us the best.

Love,

Phillip and Rosemary Turner.

Tears had streamed down Julia's face as she read the last lines, glancing nervously at her innocent baby cousin. How could she possibly feed and shelter a blue blood? If the Assembly found out of Addie's whereabouts, they would surely come to take her to the Youth Camp, brainwashing her like all the other youths. Looking back at the letter, she decided to do as was asked of her. They were her family. Julia's parents had died when she was only 15, and Phillip and Rosemary had been the ones to take her in. It was her turn to return the favor, no matter what it may be.

She shook her head. It had been three years since the Assembly had found Phillip and Rosemary and executed them for treason. There was no point in depressing herself further; she could do nothing about the situation she was in, anyway.

Thoughts of last night's conversation with the two strangers still plagued Julia's mind, and she still couldn't grasp the idea of what they'd said to her. “They must be messing with me, a type of hazing probably... I don't know, but it didn't make much sense at all,” she muttered to herself.

Just then, a lock snapped open and a door squeaked on the other side of the hall. She squinted to see better, and tried to find out what was going on. Maybe they were releasing her?

Two tall hunched over figures stood under the light in the hall, accompanied by a third who was holding something that resembled a cattle prod. The submissive looking pair glanced over at Julia, their faces sorrow-worn and thin, their red hair badly matted, and their emerald eyes had sunken deep into their skulls. They couldn't have been older than their early thirties, but fear and hopelessness had taken their toll. One of them, a woman, opened her mouth to speak, but only a quiet whisper managed to escape her lips. “Pray for us, girl.”

Julia's eyes flew open. It was the voice of the tigress in her dream last night! As she ran to her cell door to interrogate the lady, the man leading the two zapped them both with the cattle prod and commanded them to move.

“Where are you going?” Julia tried in vain, but it was too late, they had already disappeared into the cold, unwelcoming shadows of S16. She slumped down and looked at her hands. They were not as she remembered them, which was odd since body parts don't usually change without your knowledge. They were stronger, and her nails were pointed and long. “I wonder when the last time I trimmed these was...” she sighed. Her forehead pressed against the cool brass bars of the cell, seal into her very own bird cage, now completely alone.

“Stand in a row, hands to yourself, face forward, and no talking. I hear one word and you'll all get fried.” A burly man with a large hand-held taser and a mean scowl yanked on the chain tying the hundreds of S16 prisoners to one another, threatening a few rebellious individuals with the stink-eye.

Nadya pressed her forehead against Rajiv's back, forcing her eyes shut. “So how do you plan to get us through this one, baby brother,” she exhaled audibly.

The guard snapped his head back and made a sort of growling sound at Nadya, making her jump. The two siblings had done anything and everything to stay optimistic about their upcoming weeks in the Shifter Reform camp, but somehow neither felt much comfort in the others presence; there was just too much fear in the air. The pungent odor of burnt flesh clung to their clothes the minute they stepped onto the gravelly grounds of Hell. They all knew what was to come, they'd heard the stories.

First, Outlander generals would sort the strong from the weak, males from females, and parents from children. Then, throughout the course of about a week, every prisoner would go through a series of obedience trials, slowly getting brainwashed into the same loyal group mentality as that of 'his Lordship' Caethe's almighty servants. Only when the guards deemed a prisoner fit enough to fight for their beloved king could they leave S16 and become a Shifter of the Blue Army.
The gorilla of a man, accompanied by twenty other armed officials, rounded up the some 3,000 camp newcomers and placed himself on a low stage. “Good people of Terra Nova, welcome to Reform. Your king, Sir Caethe Uldrick III, has asked all of you specifically to come here and spend your precious time with us, to learn about him, learn to serve him, and to love him as he deserves. You will leave here strong, confident, and most importantly, one of us.

Not only will you join the glorious ranks of the Blue Army, but you will help further history by driving back the Rebels and ensuring a safe and bright future for the next generation, carving your own names into the history books. Now, each Blue official is holding a card with a category on it. Find your category and stand in front of said official. Long live the Blue!”

Looking around after the propaganda speech, all of the confused prisoners found their way through the masses to their designated cards, labeled as follows: Men Over 50, Women Over 50, Children Under 16, White, Dark, Men Over 60, Women Over 60, Albino, Disabled, and so on. There were even cards that listed eye colors. Nadya and Rajiv inserted themselves between two groups, hoping that they wouldn't be noticed, but a guard came behind them, unlocked the chains on their wrists, and shoved them into their rightful places.

“Let me go!” Nadya screamed, reaching out for her sibling, who did the same.

Rajiv elbowed the guard and wrapped his arms around her, gripping as hard as he possibly could without hurting her. “Don't touch her,” he snarled and turned his back towards the assaulter. His body began to quiver as it prepared for a sudden emotion-triggered shift.

“You dare disrespect a man of my stature? I am a general!” The tall, dark-browed, broad shouldered brute grabbed Rajiv by his long amber hair and yanked him to the ground, hard. Dusting himself off, the assaulted rose to his feet and spread his feet, preparing himself for a brawl. Rajiv's body twisted and snapped until he was hunched over on all fours, covered in a full coat of orange and black fur and a mean snarl. Man to tiger, the Shifter now relied on his animal instinct to protect his sister.

In an attempt to be helpful, Nadya attached herself to the guard and bit him on the shoulder, but unfortunately for her that only seemed to make him stronger and more angry. He flung her off after an enraged cry, pinned her down with one foot, and then pulled out a Cold .45 pistol, aiming it in the dead-center of Rajiv's forehead.

The tiger boy didn't even blink. He just raised the corner of his lip and let out a deep humming growl. “Get your filthy foot off of my sister before I tear it in half,” he snapped, grabbing hold of the barrel of the pistol with his fangs and tilting it upwards past his head. Then, he thrust his head into the guard's chest and sent him flying a good ten feet. Just as Rajiv was about to finish making his point, he felt the cool edges of the tazer come into contact with him and send a mini lightning bolt coursing through him. He collapsed in a dancing seizure, and watched as his tear-streaked sister was pulled up and out of his reach, and eventually out of sight. His body returned to it's original form, and he dug his nails into the tiny stones beneath him.

“Let's go, punk.” The humiliated guard yanked his now-human opponent up onto his feet and tossed him into a random line, spitting as he turned. Defeated, Rajiv hung his head and waited for the single silent tear to make its way down to his wobbling jaw.