Grasp The Stars

Chapter Ten

--Unknown, Utah

--Penny

--2080 (...or maybe not)

"...There will be no trial," Eliza Wolf continued. "And you will not be returning." Even without the smirk that came with those words, what had been said was enough to send shivers down my spine. "Finally, where you are going will be very different from this place, so we have prepared some things for you that will more than likely be essential." A woman walked around to all of us, handing each person a knapsack of mysterious things that we would "need." After those had been passed out to everyone, Eliza continued. "You will be split into two groups based on region," A screen popped up beside her, showing our names grouped. I was with the North American group. Then, Eliza turned around and began pressing buttons on the control panel next to the machine, which now emitted a blueish glow.

"The group headed to North America will go first, so those assigned to that group should come forward." I weaved through the other kids, stepping up to the front. Nervousness boiled up from somewhere inside of me.

"You will be going to the United States of America, so any of the money we provided will be in that currency." The machine began to whirr loudly, and Eliza motioned for the six of us to step closer to it, which we did...reluctantly. She told us to line up, and walk into the center of the machine. The first person in line hesitated, before walking forward and sticking their hand into the mass. They quickly pulled it back, took a nervous glance around, and stepped through. Finally, it was my turn. I took a deep breath to calm my swirling stomach, closed my eyes, and stepped forward.

I felt like I was suspended in the air, floating in the clouds. I opened my eyes to be met with darkness. Only for a moment. Suddenly, my body jerked forward, and an array of swirling colors extended on-sort of like a tunnel. It felt like seconds before I was again thrown out of the tunnel, but this time, not into darkness. My face hit the dirt, which seemed to be more like sand, and my body soon after. I groaned, rolled over, and glanced up. The sky was a brilliant blue, and, I looked to my side. The five others who had walked through ahead of me were scattered along the landscape. I struggled to my feet, watching as the others began to get up as well. We made our way to each other, forming a sort of circle as we tried to comprehend what had happened.

"Where are we?" A blonde-haired kid asked, glancing around at the miles of sandy dirt.

"You think any of us know?" Another exclaimed.

"Hey guys, look!" A girl exclaimed, pointing behind me. Dust was on the horizon and a streak of green shone through.

"What is it?" I asked, watching as the small dust cloud got closer to us. Soon, it was nearly in front of us, and I was able to determine what it was.

"It's a vehicle of some sort!" I exclaimed. The vehicle stopped, and two men wearing strange clothing got out of it. That's when I noticed: the vehicle wasn't floating. They must be civilians! I thought.

"You kids shouldn't be out here," One of them said. "This is government property." They beckoned us to get into the vehicle, to which we hastily complied. Any time government was mentioned, we always knew that we'd be forced to cooperate. No words were spoken as the vehicle turned around and went back the way it came, kicking up clouds of dust behind it. We rode for what seemed like hours until finally, the ruins of a city came into view. But, they didn't look like other ruins. As we got closer, I realized that they were in perfect condition, not a single brick to be out of place. The men quickly ushered us out of the vehicle once we reached civilization. Then they disappeared, again, back the way they came. The city looked alive, vehicles driving down a well-maintained road, and people bustling in and out of buildings.

"Where are we?" I heard someone murmur. Then, I noticed a few sheets of paper tumbling down the sidewalk in front of us. I picked it up and read what it said. 'The Salt Lake Tribune', read the headline. But, what surprised me, what made my mouth hang open in surprise, was the date below it. 'July 16th, 2019'

"Guys," I said, unable to manage any more words. The others came over, seeming to have the same reaction as they read what I pointed at.

"We're not in North Country anymore," Someone whispered from behind me.

I couldn't have said it better, I thought. 

A/N-Yeah....idk 

I actually have motivation which is A.) very rare and B.) very rare.

Thanks to all of you who read (and finish) these chapters, I'm glad that my writing is actually worth your time! 

I'm not gonna let my motivation go to waste for a while so there'll be more chapters soon! 

Again, thank you for reading this, and have a nice day/night!

--Laura S. :D