Arcadia

Chapter 1: Ground Free

[The events here take place before the synopsis, before they're sent to the ground.]

Imagine if you could touch the ground. Feel the leaves crunch noisily underneath your boots, feel the mud escape between your fingers, if you could close your eyes and pass your finger through the grass around you. You could feel the sun on your face. See trees all around you, scent of wildflowers on a breeze. It would be so beautiful. Imagine if you could touch the ground.

Imagine if you weren't stranded in space, floating over the Earth. Only the dull thud of your boots on the metal surrounding you, keeping you from getting sucked in the dark corners of space. The only light you've ever felt on your skin is the one from the UV lights that illuminate the hallways on this ship. Everything here is drab; the walls, the mess hall, the food and even the people.

Those faces... never have I ever seen someone truly smile. It's always a forced smile, to hide the pain, the hide the boredom. And it's always the same people you see everyday, the same walk, the same look in their eyes, the same smile. Forced. But you can't blame them, there isn't much to do here, people sixteen and over are required to work full time jobs: mechanics, chefs, teachers, spiritual guides, guards, farmers... anything that will keep this ship from crashing to the ground. And all the while being forced to work full time jobs, they still have to attend classes, school I think is what they used to call it down on Earth, ninety-seven years ago. Attend classes, study, pass your exams and if your lucky you might just get promoted to ''space-walker'' and spend most of your days on the outside of this tin can. You'd be making repairs but at least you'd go out, you could explore the farthest corners of space if you wanted to.

But some don't get so lucky, some get elected Chancellor or worse be part of the Council. They're the ones that decide of everything on board this ship, they get to say what's right and wrong, whom gets to die and whom gets to live. There must always be someone in charge, otherwise people would go insane; anarchy is what they called it. It's been ninety-seven years since a nuclear apocalypse killed every single person down on Earth, leaving all the planet simmering in radiation. Luckily, there were a few survivors at the time of the bombing. But now there's only The Ark, this tin can we all live in. It's one station forged from the many, if you want to use the Chancellor's words and make it sound fancy. Mankind has lived, survived, evolved on this ship for almost a hundred years and yet we're told that the Earth needs about another hundred years to become survivable again and man can go home, back to the ground. The ground, that's the dream.

Right now; it's reality.

And chemistry is in fifteen minutes.

Adalia rushed through the many dimmed hallways, passing by groups of people. The sound of her boots on the ground making a loud noise every time she took another step. It's not like chemistry was her favourite subject but she couldn't miss another class or they would alert her father and that wouldn't end well for anyone. Knowing her father was part of the Council and next in line to be the new Chancellor, if anything happened, she would be in for a death sentence. It isn't as if he ever took care of her but when it came to following the rules, he made sure everyone followed them. But all the mattered now, was getting to class in time. Her backpack bouncing up and down as she sprinted down corridor, turning one last corner, she was almost there. Only if it hadn't been for the guard standing by the wall, arms crossed over his chest, a smirk plastered across his lips as if he had waited for this moment all day.

''Did you know running in the hallways was against the law?'' the young guard asked as he stepped out from the shadow, blocking Adalia's path.

''Did you know I'm late for class?'' the girl answered out of breath, looking up at him, ''I'm sorry sir, but I would hate to miss class, and chemistry is my favourite subject!'' she continued sarcastically, clasping her hands together.