*COMPLETED*
One event in history has the power to change everything. One choice...can leave an entire society shifted. For the new society, it is a constant battle between two powers, separated from one another by a defining characteristic.
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The headwinds allow the birds to fly briskly across the skyline. The skyscrapers towering over like superior judges, gazing out at the city with deciding eyes. The streets bustle with life in every direction. Men, women, children, they all walk the streets the way they always do, the way they are free to do.
But not me, no, I do something that would have been considered reckless and careless in the old world, I run. And for once, I finally feel free. I finally feel alive in a world that didn't allow living.
The wind blows through my brunette locks, throwing them over my shoulders and slapping them against my back with every bounce. I heave for air with every jaunt, my chest rising as I put my left foot forward, propelling my body through the air in a steady motion. I take in the buildings, not caring if the men in the offices see me run in the back alley.
I saw how society used to work, the separation between two worlds perpetual and expected. Men and women segregated because of their unchoosable pasts. Long ago, that made me want to run. It made me want to find a better life...never would I have expected to end up back here where it all began, in the back alleyways of the city where running once was outlawed.
I'm dragged from my thoughts as the rhythmic beat of my shoes on the concrete gains another tempo, another set of feet beating from behind. I laugh, my eyes involuntarily scanning the upcoming path in front of me, searching for the next turn. I pick up my pace, my breaths coming in unsteady heaves as my stomach begins to churn from the uncontrollable laughter. My hands find their way to my side, gripping it as a cramp clutches my muscle. I run faster.
I peer over my shoulder, finding that I remain alone, yet the beating tempo of the shoes on the cracked ground still remains. I take in the jagged ground below me, the concrete falling into disrepair as weeds and life of all kinds break through the fractures. I avert my gaze up to the once daunting buildings, their appearance altered with vegetation. Vines and leaves grow on the sides of the structures with ease, twisting and winding up the sides of the reflecting windows.
The feet seem to be gaining speed, their steps sounding closer and closer to me, yet far away enough that it'll give me some time to speed ahead. Adrenaline rushes through my veins, and I can't help but find a smile spreading across my lips as I'm reminded of the present moment. I am running in a newborn city that permits running, I am running in a city that once viewed it as barbaric, but now it is viewed with satisfaction. Those above in the buildings peer down at me with wide grins, enjoying the sight they see in front of them. The space needle begins to come into view, trees sprouting at the base with rapid growth. The birds glide overhead, almost as if they are guiding me down a path to laxity.
The slapping of shoes begins to dissipate from behind me, becoming less and less constant, like a roaring river coming to a still lake. I slow my pace, my breaths becoming more stable with every new step I take.
And that's when I hear it, the voice that always sets the butterflies in my stomach free from their cages.
"Got you!" I whirl around quickly, my brunette locks flowing over my shoulder as a squeal escapes my lips. I try to run faster, but he catches me in his muscular arms and pushes my back up against the concrete building.
"I got you," he repeats softer, his emerald green eyes peering down at me with unconditional love. "And, I'm never going to let you go," he adds, taking my lips into his as he leans down towards me. We move rhythmically against one another, sparks flying everywhere his skin touches mine. Our breaths come together warmly, the entire atmosphere around us becoming heated.
He pulls away, resting his forehead on mine as I take in handfuls of his clean light grey jacket.
"I love you so much," he whispers, his arms wrapping around my waist and pulling me closer to him.
I rest a hand on the back of his neck, peering up at him thoughtfully, "I love you, too, Tate, and nothing is ever going to change that."
A wide smile takes hold of his crimson red lips, his irises lighting up brighter than the sun. He leans down again, placing a small kiss on my lips, leaving me wanting more. He pulls away from me again, a wicked grin plastered on his face as his cheeks turn a beautiful rosy red.
"What?" I ask, incredulous.
"Race you home!" With that he takes off running.
"Hey, you get back here!"
Long ago, there was a nation that was once said to have thrived from living life to the fullest, and that to me seemed so unimaginable. A world where the people were free to do whatever they wanted seemed so alien to me, it was a thought that almost felt forbidden; but not anymore. I once lost sleep at night dreaming and thinking of what it would have been like back then, but now I sleep within his arms calmly, knowing that the world has changed. I can't help but wonder what life will be like now, and what is left to come for us as one united people.
