Warrior

A Work in Progress

"I win!" I rejoice as I slam my hand over my mother's fist. We were playing my favorite game of rock-paper-scissor-shoot.

"You're too good at this." She compliments as we prepare for another round.

"I practice with my friend Rosalie in school." I tell her thinking of my best and only friend I had made on the Ark.

"Tell me about this Rosalie." She says as we continue battling each other.

"Well..she's a nice girl and she's very smart. She has fiery red hair and dark brown eyes and she always wears a metal cross around her neck."

"Sounds beautiful, why don't you invite her over sometime? I can get to meet her." She offers, fake-cutting my hand with finger scissors.

"No that's okay, I'd rather not just in case daddy comes home." I tell her knowing my dad would just end up embarrassing everyone in his presence.

At this moment my mother sighed and grabbed the side of my face gently yet sternly.

"Don't grow up in fear of your own blood, you're strong enough to resist his firm hand. I don't want you to end up like me, cowering whenever he is in the same room as me. You have so much potential Maddie, don't waste it just because your father left some bumps and bruises and even scars. I wan-I need you to fight. Fight the upcoming trials that will be placed in your path, fight the haunting memories of this past that will crash down on you further in life, but most importantly fight just because it's necessary to survive." She finishes with tears in her eyes. "I love you baby girl, take care."

My face goes from attentive and naive to confused as the door swings open, revealing two guards.

"Lauren Steele get on your feet." One of them demand.

"M-mom what's going on?" I ask terrified as I get up with my mother, grabbing her hand.

She crouches down to my height, holding back tears as she takes a deep, shaky breath.

"They found out." She whispers as she moves a strand of hair out of my face.

"Come on lets go!" One of the guards yells as he grabs her by the arm and pulls her up.

"MOM!" I yell after her as she gets dragged towards the door. I grasp onto her hand one last time before she would disappear from my life.

"May we meet again." Are the last words she can tell me before our hands lose contact with each other and the door slams, leaving me in the room all alone.

"May we meet again."  I whisper, but I was yet to be told by my father that she was gone.

**

I wake up to something being chucked at my head.

"Psst" A voice hisses from outside as I slowly open my eyes. I look around but there is nobody in the tent. I turn my head to my right to look down at Octavia snoozing. Then I see an acorn fly by, just barely skimming my face.

I snap my head towards the tent entrance and see Lincoln's head pop through. I stop myself thankfully from screaming and I put my pointer finger up to tell him to wait. I throw on my boots and put my hair into a quick messy bun. I then leave the tent, catching up to Lincoln outside.

"Acorns really!?" I whisper yell so that people in camp wouldn't hear.

"You oversleep." He states exiting camp.