Ari gasped awake from her nightmare, looking around in the bright room. Her back was slightly sore from the stiff bed that she couldn't get used to and sighed heavily.
"Ariana, come have breakfast!" Her mother called from the adjacent room.
She wore a black tank top with some shorts because she always went to the gym in the morning to get her mind off of some stuff.
"Ariana, did you sleep well?" Her mother asked while placing a cup of coffee in front of her.
"I slept fine, how's the weather outside?"
"You know I'm getting so tired of that joke." She rolled her eyes.
"Just trying to lighten the mood mom."
"You know today is lottery day so make sure you're back by evening. Be careful!"
"I will mom, bye!" Ari grabbed a hair tie and pulled her flaming locks away from her face into a high ponytail, a couple of strays escaping from her grip. She never used to hate her red hair, nobody ever bullied her for it. In fact, people often wanted to get a closer look of it. She glanced out the window for a second, watching the debris float past the window.
She wasn't paying much attention to outside but rather her reflection, making sure she looked presentable. Freckles dotted her face and her emerald green eyes completed her look of a typical red head. Ari scanned her card to enter the gym and refrained from commenting on the sweaty smell that emitted from it.
She thought the gym would be empty this early in the morning. Someone bumped into her and when Ari turned to apologize she saw it was her best friend.
"Evie!" Ari pulled her into a hug, burrowing her face in the explosion of hair.
"Hey hey, watch the hair! I just conditioned it! Do you know how much shampoo and conditioner I have to use?" She sassed.
Evie was a beautiful woman. She maintained herself well and her smooth chocolate colored skin always shone under the light. She was the friend that the boys would ask out.
"Do you have a spare hair tie?"
"I don't, but you can use mine. You seem to need it more." Ari pulled her hair down and handed it over.
"Thanks." Evie forced her hair into a tight bun.
"You usually don't come this early." She said while walking toward the treadmills.
"Ya, it's because today is lottery day." Ari admitted.
"Ah right, I forgot about that."
"You FORGOT about lottery day?" Ari scoffed and walked on top of the treadmill.
"I couldn't care less, just focusing on living my life." She shrugged.
Ari admired her bold personality. She always wanted to have fun and forget about the past or future. This was why she was the one everyone likes.
"You know, I heard that private sector is having a party tonight." She smirked.
"Evie we aren't allowed in the private sector."
"Oh I know that."
"C'mon, have some fun once in a while." She begged.
"I can't. My mom told me to come back by evening."
"Fiiiine."she frowned and broke into a jog.
There were three sectors: Private sector, where the rich and VIP's live, Common sector, where the middle class belonged, and Working sector, which consisted of immigrants. People from the private sector are allowed to visit any of the sectors. Overall, they have the highest advantage.
Life on the space station wasn't bad, although it was heavily segregated, people seemed to be happy most of the time and enjoyed the activities that were offered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Zara, how many rotis do you want?"
"Two is fine."
"You sure?"
"Hari, I always have two why do you always ask?"
"Because I know you secretly want three." He smirked.
Zara laughed and rolled her eyes.
"Here." He handed her a plate filled with steaming rotis paired with a vegetable curry that he made himself.
Zara was just about to eat when she noticed that her brother only had one on his plate.
"Why do you only have one?" She looked at him.
"I'm not so hungry today." He smiled and urged her to eat.
Her older brother had always dedicated himself to look after her after their parents expiration date had occurred. They were left alone in the working sector to fend for themselves. He had barely managed to afford a room where they could stay in.
Zara shook her head and placed on of her rotis onto his plate.
"I can't have you getting weak." She smiled.
Hari sighed and knew there was no use arguing with her.
"Make sure you pray today, it's lottery day." He reminded.
"Right, we get to go to the common sector right?" Zara was excited.
"I'm not sure if that's a good idea."
"What why? We always go!"
"The difference is that this year we don't have amma and nana." He referred to their mother and father.
Zara felt disheartened by the news and quietly ate her food. Hari watched her eyes, it absolutely ate him up inside when he saw his sister unhappy. He bit his lip in hesitation and sighed.
"Alright, we can go since I'm here." He boasted his muscles, that were actually well toned due to the lifting he did at work.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you!" She crushed him with her killer hug, something she was famous for in the family.
"Ok please stop, I can't breath."
Zara released him immediately and made sure he was ok.
"Alright, I'm going to go to work. Don't worry I'm being let off early so we can walk around common sector a bit." He put a hand on her head and ruffled her hair.
"Stoooop." She whined.
Though Zara was a prime eighteen year old she often had a habit to act like a toddler in front of her twenty year old brother. She watched him grab his backpack and leave. She smiled and ran over to her side of the room and dug through her backpack. She pulled out some makeup that included eyeliner and red lipstick. Zara was determined to practice her makeup skills so that she could look decent when visiting the common sector.
To her surprise, when she was doing her eyeliner she managed to do a perfect and symmetrical wing on both sides. When she went to do the lipstick she found that the shade did not suit her light brown skin color, but she had no other options. She groaned in frustration and wiped everything off with water and tucked them back in her backpack. Zara left the room to walk around the sector but all she saw were people sweating from working.
"Attention citizens, this is a friendly reminder that the lottery is today. Please make sure you are registered, otherwise, you may miss out on a valuable opportunity." A voice said over the intercom.
Zara only grew more excited, she didn't care much for the lottery. She just wanted to walk around a sector that doesn't smell like piss and shit everyday. She remembered that her brother reminded her to go pray so she went to her usual spot that was the bathroom. It was the only place that nobody judged or criticized her for praying in front of everyone.
She went into a stall and locked it, beginning her prayer routine that often lasted at least an hour.
Ari huffed hard as she approached the ending of her workout. Her hair stuck to her neck but that didn't stop her from completing her set.
"Damn girl, work those glutes." Evie walked over, finished with her run.
She had been running on the treadmill the whole time without stopping which was insanely impressive.
"Aaaand I'm done." Ari panted as she let go of the weights.
"Let's go shower." Evie invited.
Ari nodded and grabbed her towel, walking into the showers of the locker room. After a quick shower they saw that it was already lunch time and they decided to head to the cafeteria.
Once they got their food and took a seat Ari noticed a group of boys that laughed obnoxiously, jumping around on the table and bothering other people.
"Ugh, those guys are so annoying." Evie groaned and began eating.
There was a guy in particular, more annoying then the rest. He had bright green eyes like Ari but with caramel hair. He looked well off, more than a commoner.
"Who's that?" Ari eyed.
"Oh? Him? His name is Cass, the definition of a douchebag. He's from the private sector, but most of his friends are here. Let's be honest, he only has friends because of his money."
"Dude, the food here tastes like shit. Remind me to bring you guys some from private sector." He pushed the plate away.
It was clear to Ari that his 'friends' were definitely putting up with him because of his money. He looked over at Ari, catching her staring. He walked over with a raised eyebrow, when he came closer she saw that he had a slit in his eyebrow, a classic sign of a bad boy.
"Why were you looking at me?"
"Am I not allowed to look at anyone?" Ari scoffed and stared right back at him.
"I mean feel free to do so, I already know I'm great to look at." He sighed.
Evie stood up and faced him.
"Can you go fuck around somewhere else? Some of us are trying to eat."
"Whoa whoa, alright miss." He taunted and looked at her with a smirk before leaving and resuming his immature activities.
"God..." Evie took a deep breath and continued eating.
"Are you ok?" Ari asked.
"Ya, it's just I hate people like him the most. Egotistical assholes."
Ari snickered at her insults and took a drink.
"Attention citizens, we have decided to pull the lottery earlier then usual, please gather at the central sector in approximately one hour."
"What?! Why are they doing it so early?" Ari gasped.
"I don't know..." Evie also seemed nervous.
"Alright, I'm going to go home." Ari stood up.
"Me too. Let's meet up together." Evie nodded as they both left.
"What?! Why'd they move it up?" Zara said out loud, still in the middle of prayer. She quickly ran back to the room to get ready. She waited for her brother for a bit but after thirty minutes she realized he wouldn't come so she put on her eyeliner and lipstick, it was slightly messy due to her rushing but presentable. She grabbed her backpack and made her way to common sector.
She stood in front of the doors, taking a deep breath. People were pushing past her to get through but she managed to enter into the mass. She moved to the outskirts to get a better look at the place and awed at the cleanliness of the place. She frowned as she looked down at herself. They only had enough supplies to shower once every few days.
As she was walking, looking out the windows, and touching everything she was allowed to when she turned the corner she bumped into someone tall and built.
"Oh! I'm terribly sorry!" She said with a genuine tone.
"Ugh, now I've got to burn this shirt."
"What?" Zara looked up and met his snake green eyes.
"What do you mean what? Someone as disgusting as you touched me." He looked at his friends and sighed.
"I-I'm sorry!" She began to back away.
"Hey hey, where are you going miss India?" He chuckled and only took one step to get closer to her. He grabbed her chin and tilted it upward, giving a condescending glare.
"What is this? Are you a clown?" He took his finger and ran it across her lip, purposely smudging it against her face. She gasped and pushed him, barely moving him.
"Why don't you go back to where you came from?" He hissed.
"HEY!"
Zara turned around to see her brother. He was dirty from work but didn't care. She whimpered and ran behind him.
"It's ok, I'm here now." He reassured.
"Aw, hiding behind your big brother?" He taunted.
"What's your name, kid?"
"Cass."
"Well Cass, why don't you go bother someone else." Hari attempted a peaceful approach.
"And what are you going to do about it curry boy?"
Hari flinched at the insult.
"You know...I'm sure your sister would be a good catch for me. It would be nice to add her to my body count." He smirked.
Hari grabbed Cass' collar and punched him right in the cheek. Cass grunted and stumbled backwards.
"Don't you talk to my sister like that you bastard." He growled.
"Hari..." Zara put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.
"Oh, you're going get it now." Cass stood up straight and was about to approach him until someone spoke on the intercom.
"Attention, the time has come to decide who has won the lottery."
"Thank you for your patience the first person to win is...Zara."
Zara hadn't processed that her name was called until after a few seconds later.
"W-what? Me?!"
Hari looked at her with beaming eyes and hugged her gently.
"Congratulations." He was so happy that she would be able to live her full life.
"Next is...Ariana."
Ari's jaw dropped and she couldn't even make a comment before her mother hugged her tightly.
"Evie, Cass, and Hari." The names were being called quickly now.
Zara didn't even hear the remaining names and hugged her brother again. They were both able to live.
There was about 50 names that were called, way more then usual. Something didn't feel right.
"Congratulations, you have been selected to return to Earth."
Zara's heart dropped and she looked at her brother who looked equally terrified.
"No, no, Hari, I can't." She struggled to breath.
"Shh Shh, it's ok, I'll be there with you." He calmed her down even though he was frightened.
"You're fucking kidding me right?" Evie said with disbelief.
"Oh my god...." Ari's mom sobbed.
"Please prepare to leave tomorrow morning and report to Gamma."
Everyone else was mumbling and left the sector until the selected people were left in the room.
"Guys they're basically sacrificing us." Evie said.
"Fuck..." Cass mumbled.
"It's fine...my dad can get me out of this." He seemed to be on the verge of panicking as well.
"Hello." A woman dressed in white approached them.
"Congratulations on being the first selected to venture back onto Earth."
"What the hell do you mean congratulations bitch, you're killing us all!" Cass shouted.
"Please calm down. We have done constant research on Earth and recently found that it seems to be viable enough to live on. However, we must make sure it is safe. That's where you come in."
The woman paced around while explaining.
"You have become a part of a program dedicated to gathering information about Earth."
"Fuck that, I'm out." Cass began to walk out.
"If you leave ten years will be deducted from your expiration date. And no, daddy's money can't save you here. He's already abandoned you. All your parents have known about this program and you lot were predetermined to be selected."
"What the hell...." Cass breathed.
"Provide us with sufficient information and your expiration date will be gone, and you will be known as heros to the human civilization."
"If you don't show up tomorrow, we will drag you to the spaceship. Trackers have already been implanted inside all of you, when you got your vaccines a few days ago."
"You really thought this out, huh?" Evie gulped.
"Precisely, since you were born."
"Thank you for participating and report to the location that will be sent to your rooms tomorrow at six in the morning sharp." She finished explaining and calmly left, leaving everyone with conflicted thoughts.
"I'm going to die." Zara breathed.
"Don't worry, I won't let you." Hari shook his head.
"Listen here miss India, you and your brother's life are of least value among us. If we have to sacrifice someone it'll be you two first." Cass had noticed that they were the only ones from the Working sector. Most were from the common sector and a couple from private sector.
Zara was on the verge of crying but she didn't want to cry in front of this man that had reduced her to nothing with just a few words.
"I'm sorry for bumping into you...sir." She added for extra sincerity.
Hari turned to look at her and grabbed her wrists.
"Don't you DARE say that ever again. That man does not deserve your respect. Understand?"
Zara stayed quiet and looked up at Cass. He had a smug grin across his face.
"UNDERSTAND?" Hari repeated.
Zara nodded but kept her glance at the ground. She had never felt so submissive in her life. She just didn't want Cass to hurt her or her brother since he is a man with power.
"Let's go back." He began to pull her away.
"Uh excuse me, but we'd like to get to know you two. You seem very nice." Ari asked.
Hari looked at her with suspicion.
"They look nice Hari." Zara smiled.
"I'm sorry, but we can't trust anyone here." He shook his head and pulled her out.
"But they were trying to help us!"
"Nobody can help us Zara. Everyone thinks we are weak and nothing but a burden." He explained.
Zara wished she could argue with him but what he said were pure facts.
"Come, let's get that off your face." He sighed as he stared at her smudged lipstick. Zara nodded and followed him.
Cass angrily shoved past everyone and went straight home. He was furious with his father for knowing all this and not letting him know. He barged in and saw his dad sitting and watching tv.
"DAD! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"
"What are you yelling about again?" He sighed.
"I have to go to Earth now! Do you not understand that I could die?!"
"I was well aware when I signed your name off."
"What?" Class' voice trembled.
"I'm done dealing with you. Ever since your mom died you've been going off the rails and causing me and everyone else trouble. You run away from your problems and anyone around you, perhaps this is the only way to get you to realize that you're a coward and you should be grateful for what you have." His father said with no remorse and continued staring at the tv.
"You're kidding...so you literally don't care about me?"
"Sorry, you're not my son anymore. I gave away all my parental rights after I signed that form."
"You know what, FUCK YOU! I hope you to die in hell." Cass shouted and went to his room and shoved a bunch of random things in his backpack and left. He bit his lip to stop himself from crying as he walked down the hallways. He knocked on one of his friend's door and asked if they could sleep over for the night.
It was late at night and Ari couldn't sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about the horror of Earth. It would definitely not be safe for them to live peacefully. She looked at her clock and saw that it was already five, and she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. She got up and began packing a simple backpack for her to take. She managed to shove a first aid kit and some other medical supplies.
"Ari?" Her mother knocked on the door.
She hadn't even realized how fast time had gone.
"Time to go."
Ari stood up and walked past her mother without a second glance. She couldn't stand to look at her without bawling into tears so it was best to avoid it.
She immediately went to the designated spot, a few others were already waiting.
"Damn...it's too early." Evie yawned and leaned against Ari.
"Did you get any sleep?"
"Barely." Evie sighed.
"Me too."
The next to arrive were Hari and Zara. They both stayed well away from the group to avoid any confrontation. Zara had her hair in two Dutch braids and fashioned a satchel, making her look like an old fashioned school girl. Ari examined her brother. He was good looking for someone in that sector, granted that his sister was cute as well, he had a sharp jawline and healthy jet black hair. His muscles were obvious from all the hard labor she assumed he did.
Cass was the last to walk in. He looked even more pissed then usual, and wasn't even talking to anyone. Right on schedule, the woman in white appeared again.
"Thank you again for participating. Please step into spaceship Gamma."
Everyone walked in admiring the walls full of buttons. There was a seat for each of them to sit, three in one row, along with basic supplies like tents and items to make a fire.
"Please find a seat and buckle up."
Ari and Evie sat together along with some other random dude. Ari noticed a man that was looking oddly suspicious. He looked a bit older then the rest, maybe twenty two and had a sleeve of tattoos. He had cloudy gray eyes and black hair. He also had slightly longer hair and not to mention the intimidating glare he seemed to constantly hold. He paid no attention to them as he found a seat.
Zara sat with her brother but she panicked as she saw Cass approach them. He eyed them both and took a seat next to Zara. Hari gave a scowl and stood up.
"Zara please switch with me."
Zara nodded and switched so now Hari was the one next to Cass.
"The route to Earth has already been entered and the ship will take you there and land automatically. The only thing we ask of you is to not die and gather information for us." She smiled and pressed a button that started a countdown.
The woman left the spaceship and closed the door behind them. Zara closed her eyes and gripped Hari's hand tightly.
3...2...1
There was a deep rumbling and then silence. Ari looked out the window and saw that they were smack dab in the middle of space.
"Shiiiit." Evie said while looking out the window.
Everyone sat in silence for the next couple of hours until someone shouted.
"LOOK THERE'S EARTH!"
A string of gasps and alarmed voices erupted as people looked out the window and saw that plant that was once a vibrant green and blue was now a dull green and dirt color.
"This is not what it looked like in the books." Zara said.
The ship accelerated to the point where they were pushed back in their seats and they couldn't lift a muscle. It felt like they were going to crash as they broke through the atmosphere. At the last second, it came to an abrupt slow down and they began to hover to the ground.
"I thought it would take much longer," Cass scoffed.
"The time that passed for us could be way different for those on the station." Zara said.
"Hm?" Cass leaned over to look at her.
"Nothing!" Zara shook her head and looked away.
A soft thud indicated that they landed.
"How do we get out? Don't we need like suits or something?" Evie asked.
"Air quality....85%" the spaceship answered.
The door cracked open and everyone panicked, afraid they wouldn't be able to breath. When the door opened they were greet by the sight of a luscious forest. The leaves were still moist from a previous rain.
"So...who wants to go first?" Evie brought up the question.
"I will!" Zara volunteered.
"No! Are you crazy?" Hari whisper shouted.
"Oh miss India? Feeling bold aren't we?" Cass laughed.
Zara glared at him. She would prove to them that both she and her brother weren't weak. She walked to the front of the door and took a deep breath. The air smelled mossy. She put one foot out and prepared herself to step out but Cass walked up to her, grabbed the back of her collar, and pulled her backwards, making her fall on her but. He quickly took the chance and took the first step outside.
"Are you ok?" Hari came to help her.
"I'm fine." Zara pushed him off and stood up.
"Hey! Why'd you do that?!" She walked outside.
"Oh? Is miss India getting mad?"
"I have a name! And it's Zara! You should've volunteered if you wanted to go, I would have let you." She huffed.
Cass wasn't paying much attention to her outburst.
"I heard from everyone else that you're a coward, is that true?" She crossed her arms.
Cass whipped his head towards her and aggressively walked towards her. Without hesitation he pushed her against the metal spaceship, pinning her down. His father's words echoed in his head, only making him angrier.
"Don't you EVER call me a coward." He hissed.
Zara gulped, she kept her hands in front of her chest to protect herself.
"Get off of her, NOW." Hari pointed.
"Then teach her some god damn manners." He said while backing up.
Hari didn't want to fight, especially not here. Zara walked back to her brother, clearly frightened from Cass.
"Oh my god....it's...beautiful." Evie gasped as she craned her neck up to look at the massive trees.
Ari admired the view as well. It seemed peaceful down here. Maybe this wasn't a bad place after all.
Faceclaims166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCjXLqUE6Up
Ari166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNsJd1973te
Evie
Zara166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7aoljZA6g6
Hari166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1AWawKpCQI
Cass
Jay
Pronunciation Guide:
Zara- (Zah) (Rah)
Hari- (Hah) (Ree)
Evie- (E) (V)
Ari- (Ah) (Ree)
Cass- rhymes with pass
ns 15.158.61.55da2
