ꜛꜜ𝓐𝓵𝓽𝓲𝓽𝓾𝓭𝓮ꜜꜛ

ꜛꜜ𝓣𝔀𝓸ꜜꜛ

"Finch!"

"Finch, get up, you lazy bum!"

"Wha-" My head snaps up, and I hear my mom yelling from the kitchen.

"Finch! You're going to be late!" My mom shouts. I rub my head and get off my bed.

"Geez, ok..." I groan and get up to change into a light blue tank top and shorts. I stumble into the kitchen to shove a bagel into my mouth and grab a drawstring bag. I grab my house key and shove it into my pocket as I trail after Syra.

ꜜꜛꜜꜛꜜꜛ

"Welcome to the Landing!" I hear someone say. I walk up the steps of the building and address a Guider.

"Good morning! Please state your name, age, and parent's occupation," The Guider chirps.

"Um... My name is Finch Aseen. I'm 15, and my father is the head Governor."

"Ah, Finch, you are..." I stare at her as she checks her hot pink board. She raises an eyebrow.

"You aren't on the list today... strange. I was sure that your dad checked in with someone."

Please don't remember, please don't remember. I feel like throwing up.

"I am losing it; your dad definitely did not check with anyone. You'll have to wait another day, bud."

Hmm, strange...

"He's with me," a man with a blue clipboard pipes up. He shows his list to the female Guider, and she nods apologetically.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Finch! Dad must have registered with Corey instead of me. Have a nice day!" I smile and follow the man to the front steps.

"Sorry about all the confusion. I should have informed you sooner. I take male Students, and the other woman, Rachael, takes female students. My name is Corey." He extends his hand out to shake, and I take it. His sky-blue eyes pierce mine as he examines me.

"You're not 17, are you?" He raises his brows. "You're not supposed to be here."

"Oh, my father said he got special permissions. His name is Peter Aseen. You can ask him if you'd like..." I say. Wait. What am I doing? I don't want to be here! Why am I trying to get into the Landing?

"Oh, my apologies. I see the note here." He scribbles something on his notepad and says, "Welcome to the Landing! You'll have a fantastic time here." His voice cracks at the word fantastic. "Oh, and here." He ties a strip of purple cloth around my arm. "School requirement. Look for rooms with purple symbols; those are your classes." I smile and thank him as I enter the large building. This is going to be a long day... I think as I twist the fabric around my arm. I loosen it and enter the Landing.

I see groups of teenagers and a few other people who are alone. There is an assortment of different colored armbands; some are blue, some are green, many are pink, a few are yellow, and I spot a couple that are purple like mine.

I look across the room, avoiding eye contact with anyone else, and crane my neck to see above heads. I spot a purple doorway and jog over since it's the only one with a purple label. I am about 50 feet from the door when I slam into someone. I hit my head and bounce backward, landing hard on my rear. I look up to find the whole room spinning, and a small gasp escapes my lips. I look around to see who I bumped into, and through my hazy vision, my eyes land on a girl.

She is tall. Her long brown hair is streaked with copper, bronze, and red, along with some darker and lighter brown streaks. She wears a bright lemon-yellow tank top and light blue shorts. She also has a pink armband. She is propped up on the heel of her hands and looking around, puzzled. Our gazes meet, and she narrows her eyes.