Violet Eyes

Chapter 1

70 years later

Cassy was sitting on the rusty railway track outside her house. She had been sent to go and get water from the well. She appreciated her home in Jan Mayen and she also appreciated the fact that she had a home, unlike most people after the happening, but she still wished they had been sent to somewhere warmer, like Hawaii. It was below zero degrees that morning and Cassy had a lot on her mind. Her 16th birthday was fast approaching. The day she had been dreading ever since she found out about it. Cassy had been born with a rare genetic mutation – Alexandria's Genesis. This meant that she was different. Not only did she have violet eyes, it also meant that she was born with pale skin and no hair anywhere on her body except for her head, eyebrows, eyelashes and nose. Despite her fair skin, her mutation prevented her from being burnt by the sun or tanned. Not that it was possible for the sun to even touch you in Jan Mayen. About a year after the happening first occurred, a scientist in New Zealand discovered that people with Alexandria's Genesis were immune to the radiation. Since then, every person with the mutation that was of 16 years of age and older was sent out into the world to try and fix it. So far there had been no known success. We had been gone for so long that we no longer knew what was out there. The fact that no-one had ever returned from this 'experiment' didn't help Cassy's nerves. Whenever she thought about it her stomach felt as if it was doing somersaults. She heard footsteps approaching her from behind, but didn't turn. Someone placed their hands over her eyes and spoke. "Guess who" said a low voice. Cassy thought for a moment, happy for the distraction, and decided on a name. "Is it Jeremiah?" She asked cautiously. The hands moved away from her face and a pretty girl with long, blonde hair that curled at the ends stood in front of her, her green eyes sparkling from the reflection of the cold sun. "Breeze!" Cassy exclaimed. "Your voice sounded so low!" Breeze giggled and spoke in her usual high and happy tone. "I've been practicing" she said. Cassy shifted along the track to make room for her friend. "How are you?" She asked, her voice changing and becoming more concerned. "I'm fine" Cassy replied, trying not to show any real emotion. She attempted a smile but knew that it looked pathetic. "Come on Cassy, we've known each other our whole lives. I know you're not fine." Breeze was looking at Cassy, her face full of comfort and concern. She couldn't hold it in any longer. Tears started to stream down her face. Breeze was one of the few people that Cassy felt comfortable crying in front of. The two girls wrapped their arms around each other and cried together. They didn't need to speak to understand each other.