The Breakaways

Chapter 1

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

And then my fate was in front of me.

Like a switch, my name on the screen suddenly glowed.

My life's genre? Fantasy. Role? Background character. That, I was somewhat disappointed about. I wouldn't be having all the fun and facing towering troubles, ready to collapse at the slightest poke.

I searched the screen for a moment longer before the screen could switch to another name.

Subcategory:

Empty. That meant it was unloaded, and would be made later in the story, by the main character.

Then the screen switched to Katie, and I was left to chew on my destiny.

Through the crowd of people, I made my way to the line of people who had already been decided. It was long, but the time I had to wait was not. They only had to scan something onto your wrist and you were in the clear.

It was night, around 11:00. The big screen showing us where we belonged blocked out the dim light of the stars. It illuminated the hair of the hundreds of sixteen year olds, waiting for their future to appear upon it.

The people in front of me had left the line, and I took the last steps to where a boy was. He held a machine that looked otherworldly in his hand. He had dark hair that looked blue in the lighting, and tired light green eyes. He put the scanner on my wrist, and a green light emitted from it. It was taking a bit longer than normal, meaning my phrase was going to be long.

The bar on the scanner was almost full, so I took one more look at the kid's tired eyes. He looked only 17, yet he was working full time scanning words onto sixteen year old wrists. Wouldn't it be terrible to be chosen for a job like that instead of a story. I'd rather be a villain, was the last thought I had before he covered my wrist in a white bandage with a green mark, and sent me on my way.

When they got their story, my parents hadn't gotten a green mark on their bandage, but I didn't have to wonder what that meant. It was just something new they did to show I was a minor character.

I exited the line with the night sky above me, and was herded into a bus. It would take me home from this big city. It was only halfway filled, so I had a moment to think.

You see, the thing about our world is your life is chosen for you. It can range from amazing to...well, pretty horrifying, if you got the horror genre.

There were 14 genres:

Action, adventure, superhero fiction, fanfiction (that was one of the funnest ones), fantasy, historical fiction. Horror, humor, mystery/thriller, poetry (that one wasn't as fun, most didn't like to live their lives in Shakespearean rhymes). Romance, science fiction, realistic fiction, and monster, which included things like Vampire and Werewolf. The most common were Action, Romance, Horror, Mystery, Science fiction, Historical fiction, and Fantasy.

Each genre had a hundred stories going on at once, and a thousand or so characters in each. Also, each had a subcategory typically based on the main character's actions, choices, and lies. Sometimes, though, it wasn't up to the main character.

Each character, if you haven't picked it up by now, has a role in the story. The big ones are main character, hero (sometimes was the main character), villain, and sidekick. Smaller ones included side characters and background characters. Depending on your genre, there could be more or less of whatever. For instance, in romance, you probably wouldn't have a hero or a villain, but there'd be love interest. If you had realistic fiction in a school setting, there would most likely be bullies.

A voice beside me shook me suddenly out of my thoughts.

"Hey."

Beside me sat a boy with floppy hair the color of cinnamon, and a light skin tone with freckles all over. Not Irish light, though.

"Hey," I responded.

"Minor character, ey?" he asked. I nodded. He continued. "That's still nice. I got minor too-side. What's your phrase say?"

I stared at him for a second. When he didn't say he was joking, I asked, "Um, what do you mean?"

"Your phrase? Y'know, tired guy scanned it on with strange machine? Not ring a bell?" he tapped his wrist, holding it up.

"Um, no. It rings a bell. We're just not supposed to take it off until we get home." The side of his wrist he had shown me had been the back, so when he put his hand down he placed his hand palm side downwards so I couldn't see what the writing said. He pushed his wrist into his thigh in what looked kind of painful.

This guy's probably a troublemaker, I thought.

His eyes were downcast. "I don't have a home. My parents had the horror genre."

I looked down at my shoes. "Oh. Sorry." After a moment longer, I added gingerly, "What's your genre?"

He scowled. "Realistic fiction. I'm probably gonna end up fighting off mean girls who lock me in the bathroom."

"Oh. Um...Sorry..about that..." I found his immediate prediction kind of funny. School didn't have to be the main setting for a realistic fiction story, but it could be. After an awkward silence, I asked, "Well...what does your wrist say?"

He held it up for me to see. I squinted, the writing was small.

"Watch... watch your choices." So he is gonna be a troublemaker.

"Watch your choices," he repeated, with a solemn nod. "Now I'm not gonna wanna make any choices." He sounded kind of...miserable. Which...was not a good look on him.

"I...I'm sorry."

"What did you get?" he asked, kicking his foot against a bag as the bus began moving.

I felt sheepish to say because of how miserable he was with his, which was unfair to me. I suddenly felt a lot luckier than I had already felt to get what I had. "Fantasy."

"Oh, that must be ni-" he started.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Looks like the main character is already there. And- gah, the subcategory is School Romance? Hah, can't wait to see how a realistic version of that plays out."

Something I forgot to mention: depending on your genre and role, things would be in the sides or corners of your view, kind of like a video game. And when you had a notification, it would pop up at the top right corner or top of your screen, depending on how long it is and what announcement it is.

"I'd say you'll have to let me know how that goes," I began, "but you probably won't see me again. Hey, what's your name?"

"Ferret," the boy answered, which seemed like a fitting name, although not common. He was scrawny and slightly tall, with long thin fingers, and plenty of fluffy hair atop his head. He looked away. "My parents wanted me to be recognized. They were tertiary characters, so the only reason they were recognized is because they disappeared first."

"Oh. That's...not fun. Um, my name's Liz. Short for Elizabeth." I decided not to mention how my parents had gotten a pleasant romance story.

The bus stopped before he could say anything more.

"Apple Hills!" The driver called out.

"Sorry, that's my stop. See you in a few years, possibly, when we maybe have a choice in all this?"

He shrugged and left the bus. A choice in all this?

"...Cya."