Taken in Lies

1

PART I

Chapter 1

Nature is a beautiful thing. Rushing waterfalls over sleek grey stones, white foam spraying onto anyone lucky enough to witness it. Tree bark, killed so dirtily by knives and tools to engrave the names of two star crossed lovers into its fiber.

A lone desert marigold, rooted into the ground and petals splayed outward serenely and on display for the beaming sun above.

A moment passes.

The marigold is crushed under pounding feet.

Dust claws into my dry eyes and my breathing labors into fast unsteady breaths. The ground cracks under my feet with every step, the fissures spreading like veins of a shattered mirror. The air burns my lungs with its merciless heat and the dirt whips my skin until it is raw and bleeding. Cramps sting my ribs and exhaustion pains my legs with a cry to stop, stop, stop.

I can't stop. I cannot be caught. Accepting my fate would be humiliating, dishonorable and agonizing. It would be worse than death. I refuse to go along with the plan set out for me.

Each year ten children are taken by Amata Arcasia and forced to become soldiers in their army to defeat Orenda Ereny. My future states that I am to become one of them. I am to become a soldier for the enemy. A warrior of evil and demons, liege of demented smiles and twisted words.

A rough surface brushes my arm, registering in my brain a second too late before it splays out in front of me.

A net.

I quickly duck and dodge, running in a sporadic zig-zag motion, my golden hair sticking to my forehead. My grey eyes brim with tears, heat near the edges threatening to spill over with the tease that they easily could if they wanted. My movements become more predictable. I just need to hold out a while longer.

Ahead of me stands a forest. If I can make it in I will be safe for a long enough duration to hold out and escape. I widen my strides and push to go faster. The sound of my name being called and attack dogs barking start to close in on me. The cloying sweet voices ring in my ears, a beckon to slow down and accept my fate. My heart drops to my stomach in a pained cry.

They're going to catch me.

My brain scrambles for an idea, something, anything. A miracle, perhaps. Tranquilizer shots fire and blow-by with a bolt of hot wind. The swishing sound of air rushing by my ears almost makes me stumble. The vile men chase me and I can feel the vibrations of their brogues resonate through my entire body.

Ideas! Come on Omega, think, think, think!

I scurry across the balmy desert like habitat, hoping to make it to the forest, thoughts racing and my entire body numb. One step, then another, then a sharp pang in my left shoulder.

I'm shot.

I can feel the caustic substance enter my body, the cold liquid spreading through my veins like blood. My vision starts to blur and my head screams. I stumble and slow. The forest in front of me turns into a giant green blob swirling into a spiral of green and white. I can feel my body stop and start to sway. My head suddenly feels like a boulder on top of my neck. I squeeze my eyes together in pain, the pressure becoming more than I could handle. I reach up and grab onto my sweat-filled hair, trying to relieve myself. Nothing changes and I drop to one knee. Nausea causes my stomach to twist into knots and bile rises into my throat. I choke and cough causing the pain to intensify. Vomit and spit rolls down my chin and drips onto the ground. My breathing constricts, my body feels weak, heavy, and tired. I can't stay kneeling. My body is incapable of staying in this position. I involuntarily fall and the resonance of feet surrounds me. Black shadows tower over my lifeless body. My eyes roll into the back of my head as hands grab at my arms and start to drag me away. I try to shift but my body doesn't move. Exhaustion washes over me like a wave and my brain turns to mush. My surroundings become a fake reality and my bodily sensations stop stirring. Black and purple dots cloud my vision like a fog. Consciousness wanes in and out of my body like the ocean itself. My eyes are dull and my eyelids slip over them. A last thought races in the last second of consciousness; my mother's last words to me.