The train passed under a bridge; the same monotonous bridge it passed under everyday. As it exited, daily news flashed on the large buildings and the projection screen in front of the railcar. The rain clouds rolling in from the west suggested a storm later in the day. The streets bustled with men and woman in black and gray suits while going on with their day and occasionally stopping to visit with their peers. Children walked along the sidewalks, swinging their arms and laughing at the amateur jokes only they understood. The train was silent, the only sound it made was a low hum, ineffective to the masses outside. The windows were open, letting the cool spring air travel through the scorching car. The train moved rapidly, faster than any Pre-Downfall vehicle, although it was probably not nearly as comfortable. 

I was on this train, heading to the only Accelerated School in Arcadia, the City where I lived and one of three regions left in existence that is inhabited by humans. The train pulled to a stop and more people piled into the already crowded car. Most of them were students, but a few were Workers returning from the night shift. The smell of detergent, cologne, and perfume floated through the room and I breathed it in heavily. Next to me, my friend coughed. The students chattered with the same friends they’ve had since birth and would probably die alongside with. My guess was that most of them were from Thatcherville, a small neighborhood for more endowed members of society.A small pit of jealously formed in my stomach, but I pushed it down. I was supposed to respect them, not resent them. 

I lived in a tiny apartment building at the very edge of Arcadia called London Heights. According to my grandmother’s books, London was a city that existed before the Downfall; it was beyond Utopia’s borders. My friend Casee also lived in London Heights with her widowed mother, but her apartment is on the lower levels. The building was for elderlies and disadvantaged individuals. I had lived there with my Grandma Dorris and Grandfather Anthony since the disappearance of my parents nearly a decade before. The only links I had to my childhood were my brothers Tam and Miekal and my sister Imogene. I was seven when my parents disappeared, the oldest of the four of us. I was the only one who still had faint memories of them: my mother’s singing, my father’s laugh, their stories about angels and flying.

Casee nudged my shoulder and I realized I had been daydreaming about the past again. “We’re stopping, Aranda,” she whispered.

We stand as the steel doors slid open. “Arcadia Accelerated,” a robotic voice announced.

I turned around to look down at the seat behind me and saw Miekal asleep on the leather seat. When I poked him, his chocolate brown eyes popped open. “Are we here already?” he asked me groggily.

I nodded, “Yes, Miekal, education awaits.”

He moaned as he sat up, “Imogene is so lucky it’s here birthday.”

“Luck’s got nothing to do with it.”

Casee and I exited the train, Miekal close at our heels. “I can’t believe she starts Accelerated tomorrow,” he commented as he yawned quietly into his hand.

I nodded, “It does seem strange; she’s still so small for age.”

Poor Imogene had grown barely an inch since her seventh birthday. She was so small and it distressed me. What if they couldn’t find a Occupation that she could do with her small frame? Casee laughed, “She is very adorable though.”

I stopped to stare up at the large gates to the wrought iron fence surrounding the school. “I can’t believe I’ll graduate in three months,” I whispered, more to myself than my companions.

I tugged my messenger bag up higher as they walked ahead, not bothering to comment. The Accelerated School was huge; the largest building in Arcadia. It had ten floors and over a hundred rooms. There was an old uninhabited building next to it that students were forbidden to go into. I had to wonder what was behind those locked doors and boarded up windows. A girl in my class had told me that it was going to be demolished the following year.

We passed through the large gate into the courtyard. Aside from the large trees and the green grass, the area was all but dreary. Hundreds of students wandered around, each of them dressed in the same gray pants or skirt and cotton white shirt. Self-consciously, I tugged up my white stockings and brushed off imaginary dirt from my black shoes. When I straightened up, I saw Miekal and Casee doing the same thing. One infraction could lead to immediate disciplinarily action. I avoided the searching gazes of the Elites as I scuffled into the school’s boundary. 

The Elites were young genetically engineered men that were created for the purpose of protecting the citizens and detecting a threat. All of the Elites were male, handsome, and mysterious. No one knew anything about them because they rarely answered anything with more than a one word sentence. All that I knew was that they were everywhere in Utopia, but no one has ever seen one that appeared to be over the age of eighteen. I assumed that they retired and lived normal lives, but most of the students had other ideas. 

I could feel a pair of eyes on my back as I walked into the crowd, but when I glanced back, no one was there. I spun back around, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching me.

_________________________________________

As I went through my workbook, I felt the same gaze on my back. Although I was tempted to spin around a face the offender, I continued to focus on my book. The intensity of their gaze made me anxious, but I kept my composure until I finished the last problem. After I gave my work to my teacher, I made my way to the door and punched in my ID number. With a small intake of breath, I looked over the crowd of students. 

My eyes immediately focused on the Elite in the back of the room. It wasn’t the one that I was used to seeing in my literature classroom. The other guy was older, probably seventeen or eighteen... It had to have been the other Elite’s replacement. He watched me emotionlessly with calm blue eyes, his light hair cut close to his head.

I watched him for a moment more before leaving the room. The moment the door slid closed behind me, I slammed against the thick wall and slid into a crouched position. My breath came out quickly, but I forced it and my heartbeat to slow. An Elite watching me couldn’t be a good sign... But I hadn’t done anything wrong. According to the governments standards, I was the perfect citizen. I received good grades; I only spoke with those of my level; I did what was expected of me. I should have a bright future ahead of me.

Unless they found out...

I jumped to my feet and slowly paced back and forth. How could they figure it out? I was so careful. I spent endless hours training and it could be for nothing. My life could be ruined.

After a moment, I hurried to the restrooms, the only room not monitored. The wooden door slid shut behind me and I eased the bold into place. When I pulled out my compact phone, it almost fell out of my hands. I punched in my grandmother’s number and jumped in place as I waited for her to pick up. She picked up on the second ring, “This is Dorris Deli-”

“I think they know,” I interrupted her.

“Aranda?”

“Grandma, they know,” I repeated, feeling my heartbeat quicken.

My grandmother breathed out slowly, “What happened, Ara?”

“A-an Elite was watching me. I think he’s been watching me since I entered the school’s boundaries,” I explained, walking over to the mirror and sink. I was pale, too pale. “Grandma, what do I do?”

“First, you need to calm down, Aranda,” she told me calmly and I let out a long breath. “Good. Has he tried to approach you?”

“No, but-”

“We planned for this to happen, Aranda,” she reminded me. “If he approaches you, you know what to do.”

“Grandma, I don’t know if I can do that.”

“Of course you can. Your mother and father didn’t risk their lives just so you could give up yours,” she paused as if lost in thought. “Go about your day normally, okay? Blend in and don’t do anything unless it is absolutely necessary.”

I nodded, but then I remembered she couldn’t see me. “Y-yes, Grandma,” I replied verbally, my voice shaking. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Ara. Have a safe day.”

And with that, she hung up. I let my arm fall to my side. I felt sick to my stomach as I stuffed my compact back into my pocket. With a sigh, I splashed water on my face and pinched my cheeks to make them look healthier. My grandmother was right; I had to act normal for the rest of the day and if worse came to worse, I could handle it. I could; I knew I could. What if I couldn’t though? What if everything comes crashing down because of a procedure I didn’t realize I missed. 

I shook my head. I couldn’t think negatively because it would only get me killed. With a sigh, I unlocked the door and opened it. I was about to leave, but someone was standing in my way. My eyes slowly lifted to be met with a pair of startling blue ones. A small gasp escaped me as I stumbled back, tripping and landing ungracefully on my butt.

The Elite stared down at me impassively. I scrambled across the tile, prepared to do anything. He simply watched me. “What do you want with me?” I asked, my tone sounding more confident than I felt.

Moments that felt like hours passed before he said, “I know what you are.”

My jaw nearly dropped to the floor. That was the first time I had ever heard an Elite speak. His tone was calm but forceful. To my surprise, there was the slightest incline of arrogance in his voice. I didn’t reply to his accusation, but he seemed to take it as an invitation and he crouched down to my level. His blue eyes glowed with knowing, “You are an Aura.”

2: Leaving

My heart stopped, but I forced myself to breathe normally. Dread spread through my body. They knew all about me. I had to get out of here. My fingers curled around the pen in my back pocket as I decided on a strategy. I needed to play dumb. “What’s an Aura?” I asked, tilting my head in an almost comical way.

“You know very well what an Aura is,” the Elite snapped, stepping closer.

Then, I withdrew my pen, clicked it and flung it all in one motion. The Elite ducked to the side as the pen dug into the wall. I scrambled up, leaping through the door. The moment my foot touched the ground, I was running. I sprinted down the hall, ignoring the looks from passing students. When I glanced back, I saw the Elite gaining on me. He would catch me at this rate.

He was a transfer, I knew this school better than him. I turned into the nearest Chemistry room and reached for a Petri dish, flinging it at the Elite. It slammed into his face and he pulled to a stop, coughing uncontrollably. My legs didn’t stop for a moment as I raced out of the room, my feet hitting the linoleum floor in a steady rhythm. When I reached the stairs, I flung myself over the rail and rolled onto the solid ground below. A few younger students gaped at me, but I sped past them towards the window at the end of the hall. 

And I threw myself through the window.

I heard the screams of other students as I landed with a thud onto the flat roof below. Heat raced up my legs, but the adrenaline pushed the pain back. My muscles screamed in protest while I pushed on. I heard the Elite thump onto the roof; I didn’t bother looking back. When I reached the ledge, I tuned to face the Elite. He started slowly advancing towards me like a predator hunting it’s prey. “We just want to ask you some questions,” he said quietly.

I barked out a harsh laugh. I knew exactly what they wanted to do with me. With a smirk, I let myself fall back. For a few moments, I was falling through the air, wind whistling in my ears. It was peaceful until I landed on a mound of soft gardening dirt with a thud. I looked up without moving a muscle and saw the Elite peering over the edge. After a few tense minutes, he moved away from the ledge. For now, he thought I was dead or injured. That was good enough for me. 

When I rolled off the dirt, I gasped, realizing someone had been watching me. The boy tilted his head. I gaped at his familiarity. It slowly dawned on me; the light hair, the blue eyes. He looked exactly like the Elite who had been chasing me and he was dressed like one, but he wasn’t attacking me. Why wasn’t he attacking me? He grabbed my hand and I let out a startled squeak as he pulled me up. “Are you an Elite?” I questioned breathlessly.

He dropped my hand, grimacing. “Yes.”

I raised an eyebrow, ready for any attack he threw at me. “Why-” 

He shook his head and grabbed my arm, “No time to explain.”

“What?”

Then, I was running again, with me following an Elite instead of being chased by one. I wondered if I could trust him. He dragged me away from the school towards the back gates. “Can you climb?” he questioned.

“Wh-what?”

He glanced back at me, his blue eyes cold, but not unfeeling like the other Elite’s. “Can you climb?”

“I-I don’t know,” I stuttered out, stumbling when I tripped on a rock. “I’ve never done it before. 

He groaned in exasperation, running a hand through his blonde hair before suddenly pulling to a stop. I stumbled a few steps and would’ve fallen if he didn’t yank me back up. He watched me seriously, “Are you an Aura?”

I stared at him and wondered if I should answer. He simply stared back, but I could tell he was getting more irritated as the seconds passed on. As I stared into his eyes, the feeling that I could trust him washed over me. I opened my mouth and was about to answer him- with the truth or not, I don’t know- when a a loud sound rang through the air. The Elite pulled me to the side and something whizzed inches from my face. I faintly recognized the first Elite in the distance, holding an object of sorts. The Elite I was standing with withdrew something from his pocket, the light glinting off it’s metallic surface. 

I froze, paralyzed with shock. It was a gun, something I had only seen images of in History Class. He pulled the trigger and a loud gunshot echoed through the courtyard. The other Elite’s shoulder jerked back before he dropped to the ground. A scream froze in my throat as a warm hand clamped down on my arm. He steered me back to the gates. “Get ready to climb!” he yelled to me.

I was about to reply when I realized I was about to run into the gate. I glanced at the Elite; he was already climbing up. I gripped the bars and yanked myself up. After a moment, I found another place to set my foot. It wasn’t long before I was halfway up. I had to stop to breathe. “You have to keep climbing.”

I glanced to the side, seeing the Elite also on the gate. He reached up before latching onto another bar. Then, he pulled himself up. “Don’t look down,” he told me.

My eyes slowly shifted to glance at the ground below me. My heart stopped as my eyes slammed shut. It was at least a forty foot fall. How had I never noticed how large these gates were? I breathed in shakily, easing my eyes open. With one hand, I reached up as high as I could and grasped a bar. The cold metal bit into my skin, but I pulled myself up. “Hurry!” the Elite called down anxiously.

I followed his voice and saw him sitting in a groove on the top of the gate. I glared at him. “Easy for you to say.”

“Just hurry it up!” he replied, anxiously glancing back at the school. “There’s more coming.”

My hand slipped and I frantically pulled myself higher with the other one. I scrambled up quickly, latching onto the Elite’s hand when he held it out. He pulled me up as I threw my leg over a different groove. I looked over at the school as he jumped down, landing on the ground below softly. “Well?” he looked up at me.

I bit my lip before leaping down. He easily caught me and set me on the ground. “We’re not safe yet,” he told me. “Keep running until you see a car. Okay?”

A car? I had never been in a car before. He gave me a little shove, “Go!”

“What about you?” I questioned.

“I’m right behind you,” he told me, pulling out his gun again. The sight of it made a little queasy, but I did as he said and broke out into another sprint.

To my surprise, there was a little dirt road hidden behind the trees and a gleaming silver car was rumbling on it. “Hurry!” the Elite shouted at me and I rushed towards it. 

He threw the door open before I flung myself inside. A woman sat in the front, her gloved hands gripping the wheel. I noticed a knife sitting on the dashboard. After slamming the door, the Elite slid into the front seat next to her. The moment his door was closed, we were speeding down the road. The woman glanced at me in the mirror and I gaped at her familiarity. She was Felicity Waters, a news reporter. “Felicity Waters? What are you doing here?”

“Rescuing you, kid. Hold on!”

I didn’t know what she meant, but my grip on the seat tightened as the car shot forward even faster. Miss Waters jerked the wheel to the right and we went skidding onto the main road. There were several other cars and buses on the asphalt, but she avoided them with amazing accuracy. Anxiously, I glanced out the back window and saw what looked like Elite Cycles gaining on us. Speaking of Elites... I looked at the one sitting in front of me, “What kind of a stunt was that?”

He glanced at me in the rear view mirror, “One that saved your ass.”

Ass... Slang for butt. I had never cussed in my life and I had never heard anyone cuss, so the Elite cussing at me came as a bit of a surprise. I refused to let it show though. “Why did you save me? Shouldn’t you be trying to kill me like your buddies?” I growled lowly.

He jerked around in his seat to face, “Listen here, Aura. I am no longer affiliated with those demons, do you understand?”

He stared at me and I stared back defiantly. Miss Waters shook her head as she swerved around a bus, “I really don’t think this is the place to be discussing this.”

“Then how about this, Miss Waters? Why exactly am I sitting in a car, having this discussion with you in the first place?”

“Because you’re an Aura,” she told me simply.

“So? Most people would just kill me on sight if it meant eternal glory in the eyes of the Council.”

The Elite barked a laugh, “Eternal glory? More like eternal damnation.”

Miss Waters glared at him out of the corner of her eye before looking at me in the mirror again. “You see, Miss Delimore, we are part of an organization known as the Liberation Front.”

My eyes widened as she continued, “I’m not going to lie to you, we didn’t save you because we were feeling particularly kind, we did it because we need your power.”

I lurched towards the door, “Stop the car and let me out right now! I don’t want to be a terrorist. God, what did I get myself into!”

Suddenly, Miss Waters pulled to a stop and I turned to look out the front window, where four Elite Cycles were blocking the path, six more parked behind us. “Dammit,” the Elite muttered as Miss Waters pulled a mask over her face and put a pair of sunglasses on. I felt tears stinging my eyes, but I refused to let them out. Instead, I did the smartest thing I could think of; I followed my instincts.

My body lunged forward, grabbing the knife off the dashboard. The Elite and Miss Waters were about to take it back when the doors were thrown open. I carefully tucked the knife into the waistband of my skirt as a Elite with black hair and gray eyes yanked me out of the car. He held my arm behind my back, pushing me to my knees. I faintly saw another Elite step in front of me. He swung his foot forward and his steel boot connected with my jaw. “Aura scum,” he growled, yanking me up my hair.

I smirked and spit into his face. He gasped, steeping back as I bit down as I could on the other Elite’s arm. He yelled out before scrambling away. The knife came out easily in my hand and I yanked my arm back. The knife connected with flesh while I spun my leg behind the Elite’s, tripping him. Then, I stood up, barely registering the unconscious Elite at my feet, blood pouring from his stomach. Another Elite came at me and I ducked under his arm, digging the knife into shoulder as I did. 

When I ripped it out, I spun around and threw the blade into the heart of another Elite. “All out of weapons?” the Elite who had kicked me laughed.

“Not quite,” I gasped shallowly. 

I swung my leg up, roundhouse-kicking another of the genetically altered boys in the face. He dropped to the ground unconscious as I pulled his gun out of his holster. Then, in succession, I shot each of the Elites before they could draw their own weapons. As the Elites pinning down Miss Waters and Renegade Elite tried to pull out their weapons, the two Liberation Front members brough them to the ground. “Get in the car!” I shouted and we piled in.

Miss Waters swerved around the now abandoned Elite Cycles and slammed her foot onto the gas pedal. The moment the site was gone from the rear view mirror, I slumped down in relief. The two people in the front were watching me curiously as I wiped some blood from my face, running my fingers through my matted auburn pigtails. “Where the hell did you learn to do that?” the Renegade Elite exclaimed suddenly as he spun around to face me.

‘Hell’. More slang. “My grandfather. He worked for the police before the Elite Project was initiated.”

“You couldn’t have just learned that from your grandfather, “Miss Waters said. “That was Elite-level fighting.”

“I fight from instinct,” I answered. “If I think it’s what I should do, I do it.”

Miss Waters and Renegade Elite looked at each other. “It’s without a doubt her Aura genes, Xander,” Miss Waters said.

Xander. So that was his name. “Xander” sighed, “Fine, she’s an Aura. You happy? Doesn’t mean she’s any use to us.”

“She took down an entire Squad of Elites almost single-handedly,” Miss Waters argued. “How is that not useful? I haven’t seen of our current Auras fight that way.”

Current Auras? Does that mean there’s more like me? Xander shook his head, “They’ll learn with time, we don’t-”

“There’s other Auras?” I asked quietly, interrupting Xander.

Miss Waters looked back at me, “Of course there are. Did you think you were alone?”

My cheeks warmed, “Kind of... What happens now?”

Xander faced me, his face completely serious. “You have two choices: you can go back home and have them kill you and most likely your family or you can join the Liberation Front and fight against the Council.”

I gaped at him. Fight against the Council; the people who control Utopia. Sure, they made mistakes and wanted to kill the Auras, but they had kept peace in the Three Cities for so long. Without them, the world would fall into chaos. Would I risk that to save my own life?

But, Xander was right. If I went back, they would find me and kill me without hesitation. I wouldn’t care so much if it was just me, but they would kill my family. Little Tam; sweet Imogene; annoying Miekal; Grandma; Grandpa. I couldn’t let that happen. The Elites probably assumed my family knew nothing of my genetic make-up. With me out of the picture, they’d be fine. The thought of probably never seeing them again made me sick to my stomach. 

I couldn’t let them die, but I couldn’t just abandon them either. Miss Waters sighed, “Don’t put so much pressure on the poor girl, Xander. It’s okay, Miss Delimore, you don’t have to make you decision just yet. We’ll take you to one of our bases for now and you can rest there for the night.”

I barely registered her words, but I nodded anyways. The next thing I knew, I was blindfolded. “We can’t have you knowing where the base is if you aren’t in the Liberation Front,” Xander explained, even though I didn’t ask him anything.

My mind was still trying to wrap around my choice. How could I leave my family? How could I turn into my parents and go AWOL? But, how could I put them in the line of fire? The line of fire aimed at only me?

3: Choices

I woke up in a room that wasn't mine. Unlike the warm cream-colored walls with pictures of my family and the poster of Klein Copal I was used to, these ones were stark white with a silver hinged door in one corner. I was in my school uniform, rumpled from sleep, and under scratchy gray sheets. I pulled myself out of the bed, wincing when a sharp pain shot through my head. As I looked around, memories from the day before came flooding back to me. My breath quickened as I pressed the heels of my palms to my eyes and tried to make the flashing images go away.

After the memories finally ended with Miss Waters leading me to the bed I had just woken up in and me easing my way under the sheets. I caught a glance of myself in the mirror in the corner. I looked horrible. Blood was smeared against my pale skin and my previously perfect uniform. My auburn hair was matted and greasy, tangled in the ties that kept the it up in pigtails. Hideous bags were incredibly visible under my forest green eyes.

I sighed as I forced myself to stand up despite my muscles and bones protesting to the movement. I noticed a table in the corner of the room, two sandwiches and a glass of water sitting on it. It was only then that I realized how hungry I was. I hadn't eaten since breakfast the day before. I walked over and began slowly eating the turkey-and-swiss sandwich, chugging down half the glass of water.

As I finishing the second one, the hinged door swung open. I hadn't seen a hinged door in nearly four years, when my class went to visit Council HQ for a field trip. I noticed the hall beyond the woman standing in the doorway was much darker than my room (or prison cell, whatever one you want to call it). The woman herself was tall with short straight black hair and soft gray eyes. She smiled at me and I saw the pile of clothes in her arms along with a towel, hairbrush, shampoo, and body-wash.

I stood up, drowning the rest of the water. "Good morning, Miss Delimore," the woman said kindly. "I am Anne; you personal assistant for the day."

I watched her cautiously. Her words were clipped and straight to the point and the longer I look at her, the more her posture seemed too perfect and her stance too practiced. Then, it dawned on me. "You're an android," I said.

She nodded to affirm my suspicion. I had seen a few of them when I would walk around Central Square, but I had never actually talked to one. "Come along now. I will show you to the baths, Miss."

I followed her out of the room after a moment's hesitation. The hallway, I realized, was more like a tunnel, bricks rising up on either side of us. I looked at Anne who waited patiently for me then followed her down the tunnel. Light bulbs dangled above us, barely sitting above Anne's head. We passed very few people and they all watched me with a curiosity that made me nervous. Each one was different in their own right and it was a bit of a shock for me, a girl who was used to uniformity and sameness.

Eventually, Anne turned down a hall and opened another hinged door. Hot air smacked me in the face as I followed her in. And almost fell into steaming hot water. Anne caught me by the arm, "You are supposed to undress before you bathe, Miss."

I nodded as she led me further down. "Here we are," she said cheerfully and I found myself standing in front of a natural hot spring.

"Where am I?" I wondered, more to myself than to anyone else.

"Miss Waters shall explain that later," Anne answered my rhetorical question. "The baths are empty except for you; I will make sure you are not disturbed."

And with that, she turned and walked back towards the door. I stripped down and sunk into the hot water, reveling in the feel of the blood washing off me. I ducked under, running my hands through my hair.

My family must be worried sick, especially Grandma. She had expected her plan to be foolproof. If only she had anticipated me getting kidnapped by terrorists. That's all the Liberation Front was. They had been causing problems since I was three, blowing up buildings in Utopia, causing chaos. And they had the gall to call themselves "liberators". The only people they were liberating were themselves. Free from the restrictions of Utopia's society and free from caring about innocent people. And I would have to join them.

For my family to be safe, I'd have to become part of their terrorist organization. Otherwise they'd throw me out and then where would I go? If I went back to my family, they'd be killed with me for treason against the Council. If I ran, they'd catch me. Utopia wasn't a s large as it seemed and no one knew what was beyond the large stone walls that surrounded our Three Cities. I could try to go to Shangri-La and get a boat to cross the ocean, but what good would that do? I'd die before I reached another continent, if there were still any continents beyond ours.

My only choice was to join the Liberation Front and live day by day. I didn't want to be responsible for the murders of innocent people, though. I already had the blood of all of those Elites on my hands. I didn't want anymore.

I resurfaced, breathing in deeply. Utopia needed the Council. Ninety-eight percent of the population wouldn't know how to take care of themselves. They don't know anything but the Council; it had been around since my grandma's grandma was a newborn baby. Taking it away would be like condemning all of the people of Utopia to death; a massacre that would be on my hands. I sighed and pulled myself out of the water.

The clothes that Anne had left for me consisted of a black skirt, a white t-shirt and a light blue hoodie. I realized that Miss Waters was trying to keep me in my comfort zone by giving me plain clothing; nothing like what the people in the halls had been wearing. I pulled on the clothes and the white socks with my school shoes. After running a brush through my hair, I pulled the long tresses into two pigtails on either side of my head. The pigtails reached my lower biceps because Grandma always refused to sign the form for having my hair cut once a month. Anne came back minutes after I finished up, "Do you feel better, Miss Delimore?"

I nodded, "Much; thank you."

The android nodded once, "Now, come with me."

"What about my clothes?" I asked, looking back at my school uniform. I had always hated it's bland style, but it was all I had of my previous life.

"They will be cleaned," she said dismissively. "Come along now."

After a moment's hesitation, I followed her out into the tunnel. Several twists and turns later, we were standing in front of a steel door, much like the one in the room they had put me in. Anne opened it with an actual tin key, which I found strange. The only kind of key I had ever used was a standard ID card. I had lost mine back at the school, which was probably best, considering the fact it could be tracked. Xander had disabled my phone in the car on the way here- wherever here was.

Anne lead me into the room and I saw Miss Waters sitting on a desk, Xander leaning against the adjacent wall and a large man sitting behind a desk. The man and Miss Waters smiled kindly at me while Xander scowled. "You are dismissed, Anne," Miss Waters said, waving her petite hand.

The android bowed and left the room. "Please, sit, Miss Delimore," the large man said, gesturing to one of the steel chairs in front of his steel desk. I sat reluctantly. "I am Allan Cordele."

"Pleasure to me you," I managed to squeak out despite my nervousness.

I realized that Xander was still staring at me and I lowered my gaze to my lap. "Do you know where you are?" Mr. Cordele asked and I shook my head. He laughed, "You're directly underground Utopia."

"Allan!" Xander exclaimed, probably mortified that Mr. Cordele had disclosed the location of their secret headquarters to me. I would be too.

"I won't tell anyone, Mr. Cordele."

He nodded, "I know you won't, Miss Delimore."

It was still pretty amazing. The tunnels seemed endless and for me, they were now. Under all of Utopia... There was probably a tunnel below the school and Central Square and London... Heights. I looked up at Mr. Cordele. He was bald with sharp hazel eyes that seemed to catch every movement. I wouldn't have been surprised if he used to be a Persecutor, a person who found infractions and persecuted people for them. They rarely missed anything and their blue and black uniforms made me uneasy.

"What do you want with me?" I asked as bravely as I could, feeling judged under his gaze.

Cordele laughed, "We want you to join us, of course. Auras are capable of so much; much more than humans and even Elites." When he said that, Xander's eyes lowered slightly. If Cordele noticed, he didn't bother commenting on it. "You could be very useful in our cause."

"Which is to overthrow the Council," I stated bluntly.

He nodded, "Yes and finally restore Utopia to what it used to be."

My gaze hardened, "Which was the Downfall."

He laughed again, "No, before that. Before the Downfall. Before Utopia, there was a society greater than anything we know now. It was called America."

"I know that," I persisted. "And America caused the Downfall."

"No," Miss Waters said. "It didn't. America's leaders did. They thought they could win wars that were beyond their control. The leaders sought to rule the world and control, which is why the created the Prismorph Project."

"'In theory'," I said, repeating what my Grandma had told me a hundred times. "'The Prismorph Project was ingenious; the Morphixes, as they were called, could make the world a better place with no war, hunger, or hate. But, the Project went horribly wrong and the America's leaders used them to win wars and destroy their enemies. This is what lead to the Downfall.'" I looked directly at Cordele, "I understand that, but America fell centuries ago. The people of Utopia know nothing else."

"They will learn," Cordele said. "In time, they will learn."

"I-I can't," I lowered my eyes again.

Cordele leaned back in his seat, "I believe you can. Think about it, with the Council gone, your family will be safe, permanently. You won't have to worry about them being persecuted."

I stared at my hands. Delicate; not used to hard work. I could do hard work, though. I would do anything to protect my family; to make sure they didn't end up like my parents. Cordele was manipulating me and I could see that, but at the same time I could see that he was right. With the Council gone, my family would have nothing to worry about. When I was done with the Liberation Front, I could take them and Casee and her mother and we could go live in some secluded place in the heart of Eden.

My head slowly rose to look up at the three people watching me, "If you'll let me leave when the Council is overthrown, I'll do it. I-I'll going you."

Cordele smiled brightly, "But of course, Miss Delimore. Anne will take you back to your room."

I glanced to my side and saw that Anne had reappeared there again. After recovering from my mini heart-attack, I nodded. "Come along now, Miss Delimore," Anne said and I followed her out of Cordele's office.

"No."

"Miss Delimore, the clothes you are wearing are impractical," Anne persisted and I shook my head again.

The clothes she was insisting I put on were more impractical than what I was wearing. Short black shorts, a skintight black t-shirt and black boots. Okay, the boots I was fine with. It was the rest of the clothing that made me feel uneasy. I was an Aura, yes, but I had still grown up in Arcadia, the more practical part of Utopia. I was used to grays, whites, and lighter colors with moderate amounts of black. And skirts. I had never worn a pair of pants or shorts in my life; women weren't allowed to in Arcadia.

Apparently, Eden and Shangri-La were a bit less strict in this aspect. Women wore jeans and students were even allowed to wear black slacks to school, but I didn't live in wither of those cities. I had lived in Arcadia, where modesty and plainness ruled the lives of everyone.

I had seen other people in the underground compound wearing similar clothes. All black and form-fitting. It was true that they seemed to be easier to move in, but they seemed to reveal as much skin as possible without making them walk out in their underwear. And they seemed comfortable with it. It was disgusting. I may have to join them, but I didn't plan on becoming one of them any time soon.

Anne shook her head, "Sometimes you humans are much too troublesome for your own good. Try to see logic, Miss Delimore. You cannot fight in what you are currently wearing."

"Then get me something a bit more modest," I countered. "I'm not walking around looking like a prostitute."

Anne's expression didn't change as she shook her head again, "I will see what I can find, Miss Delimore."

She turned, unlocked the steel door and left. When the door closed, I heard the distinct click of the door locking. I shook my head and leaned back in the chair I had been sitting in. They were treating me like a prisoner, keeping me locked up in my room. It was humiliating. I said I would join them. Why couldn't that be enough?

Anne returned a moment later with a new bundle of clothing. She trotted over to my bed, her stilettos clicking against the tile. And my clothing choice was impractical? When she turned towards me, I saw that she had laid out a different outfit. Black pants, a long-sleeved black shirt with a higher collar, and the same boots. I walked up and inspected it. I still wasn't completely comfortable with wearing it, seeing as the shirt was still form-fitting, but it was something I could live with.

After she left the room, I slowly changed. I let my hair down from my pigtails and pulled it up in a single ponytail. When I faced myself in the mirror, I felt like I was unrecognizable. It was the tightest clothing I had worn and the first time I had worn pants, but the outfit felt comfortable for some reason. It was a little strange. Anne entered the room, "Xander and Miss Waters have requested your presence in the Training Room."

She had used Xander's first name instead of his last name like she normally would and I found myself wondering what his last name was. We left the room and walked down a series of halls before she paused in front of a door that seemed different from the others. My eyes widened slightly when the door slid open instead of swinging. It was a normal steel door like the ones I was used to. Anne gestured for me to go inside and when I stepped into the room, the door closed behind me. I jumped, glancing back at the door.

When I turned back around, I first noticed that I was in a large circular room with blue mats, punching bags, and target boards. Along one wall were several lockers, each one a different color or several different colors. Then, I saw them: Xander and Miss Waters standing side by side, their backs turned to me as they spoke in low whispers. I approached them quietly, "You wanted to see me?"

They spun around- Xander frowning at me and Miss Waters smiling brightly. Xander had changed out of his Elite clothing into a black t-shirt that conformed to his muscles and a pair of black pants along with his heavy steel-toed boots. Miss Waters, on the other hand, had changed out of the clothes I had always seen her wear on the television (a white blouse, black pencil skirt, and high heels). I gaped at her black catsuit and she smiled, "You like? It's so much more comfortable than that stuffy newscaster uniform." Her smile dropped when she saw me, "What happened to the clothes I picked out for you?"

I chuckled nervously, "They made me feel a bit uncomfortable..."

"Were you trying to put her in a standard uniform, Feli?" a new voice I had never heard before asked as a woman walked out of a door that was next to the lockers.

The woman was beautiful to say the least and she looked somewhat familiar. I envisioned an elaborate Shangri-La dress on her and my jaw dropped. "Y-you're Kindle Gray! The famous singer!"

Kindle smiled at me brightly, "Are you a fan?"

"Kind of," I replied, scratching my cheek. "My sister loves your music..."

"Well, I don't."

I blanched. She didn't like her own music? "Why not?"

"Too many rules. My choir instructor made it my 'recommended Occupation'. I love singing, just not what the Council tells me to sing."

Recommended Occupation. Your Occupation was what you were stuck with for the entirety of life, until you retired. My language teacher said she had recommended me as a journalist and my Government recommended me as a Councilor. I didn't want to have to write what the Council deemed right and I would be too exposed as part of the Council. Chances were I would've ended up as one of those anyways. Once the recommendation was made, you didn't have much choice.

Kindle clapped her hands, "When we overthrow the Council though, I'll sing whatever I want. Now, you're an Aura."

After a moment, I nodded. It was weird openly admitting something like that. Kindle's smile brightened. "Cool. Anyways, Felicity, you can't just force an Arcadian into wearing the standard uniform. Trust me, I know from experience. When I first moved to Shangri-La and they tried to put me into those overbearing dresses, I almost fainted. She'll get used to it eventually."

I blinked at her sincerity. Next to Miss Waters, Xander grunted, "Let's just get to work. Felicity, go get a knife for Delimore."

Delimore, eh? Someone's not very friendly. Miss Waters looked at him, "Xander, shouldn't we get her a gun."

"No."

"But you saw how well she handled one last time."

"I also saw how she nearly fainted when I pulled one out for the first time," he retorted, watching the blonde reporter evenly.

Miss Waters rolled her eyes, "Honestly, you act like you're the Leader or something."

Xander glared at before spinning on his heel and walking over to the lockers. He came back a minute later with twelve knives and a pistol. He held out the pistol, avoiding eye contact with me. When I didn't take it, he shoved it against my chest. I caught it before it dropped onto the ground. He set the knives on the ground before pointing to a target. "Shoot it."

"W-what?" I looked at him like he was crazy.

"Shoot the target. If you can hit the bullseye in three tries," he held up three fingers, looking into my eyes challengingly. "Then I'll let you use the gun more often. Unless you don't think you can do it?"

I glared at him before pushing past him to stand in front of the target. When I took a deep breath, I heard him hum in victory. I looked at the gun, If you miss the bullseye I will burn you in an inferno. Then, I slammed my eyes shut and pulled the trigger. Stunned silence followed the gunshot, making me slowly ease my eyes open. Right in the center of the target was a smoking hole.

I glanced at Xander, a small smirk on my face. He closed his gaping mouth and cleared his throat, "Lucky shot."

I gritted my teeth in frustration and faced the target, shooting it two more times. Bullseye. Miss. Growling, I pulled the trigger one more time. Bullseye. When I looked back again, Miss Waters and Kindle were glaring at the blonde boy. He groaned, "Fine. She can use a gun. That doesn't mean anything though."

All three of us groaned at the same time. He turned on his heel and left the room without another word. I watched him leave with pure joy. No more annoying Renegade Elite! "There goes Rebel," Kindle muttered shaking her head.

I glanced at her, tilting my head, "Rebel?"

"It's his codename," Miss Waters explained. "We use it when we're out on the field."

"You mean blowing up innocent people?" I spat, disgusted as I faced the target again.

I felt their eyes on my back. "How else are we supposed to get the Council's attention?" Kindle questioned.

"By fighting a two-sided war."

"We are-"

I shook my head, "You're not. The Council just makes people hate you and arrest you guys. To fight a two-sided war, you need to get people on your side and make the Council actually tactically fight you."

Silence followed my statement. "That... Actually makes a lot of sense..." Kindle said softly.

Miss Waters sighed, "We don't do anything without Cordele's permission."

I spun around and faced the blonde woman, staring into her eyes, "If you keep this up, all you're doing is killing innocent people. You're not winning a war and you are definitely not making the world a better place. What you're doing is cowardly and disgusting."

With that, I slammed the gun down on the nearby table and left the training room. I waited for the door to close behind me before walking away.

It took me about two minutes to realize I had no idea where I was going. The tunnels continued to wind and zigzag, continuously changing direction and it was confusing me to no end. At first, I refused to turn back and ask the two women I had just dramatically left for directions. By the time I realized I was hopelessly lost, I had no idea how to get back to the training room. To tell the truth, I felt like an idiot. I had let my emotions get the better of me... Again. Imogene always said I had a problem with that. "Ara," she would say. "You have too bad of a temper to ever get anything done."

Back then, I'd always laugh and say I got plenty of things done. I had kept my job, hadn't I? It was only a part-time job, working at a grocery store, but it had kept the bills payed. Realization hit me like a ton of bricks. If I couldn't go to my part-time job, how would they pay the bills? Grandpa and Grandma's retirement only went so far.

Right there, in some unknown hall, I sunk to the ground, my back pressed against the wall. Tears stung my eyes as I buried my face in my knees. For a moment, I just gasped for breath and bit my lip. Then, the dams broke and I silently sobbed. I had never wanted to leave my family. I was supposed to take care of them and make sure they were safe. How does someone fail to do that? How?

"Delimore?"

My head snapped up and I saw Xander watching me from almost a yard away. I quickly wiped my eyes dry before glaring at him. "What do you want, Xander?"

"Are you okay?" he asked, walking towards me. I was surprised to see genuine concern in his deep blue eyes.

"Fine," I sniffed, looking away.

The next thing I knew, he was kneeling in front of me. He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. "You've been crying," he stated solemnly.

I jerked my head out of his grasp and glared at him, standing up "Well what do expect? I'm ripped away from my family and forced to join some terrorist organization!"

He stood, anger evident on his face, "Is that how you see us?"

"Yes, that's how everyone sees you."

"God, Delimore! You're such an idiot! We're trying to help the people of Utopia!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms up.

"Well you're doing a lousy job," I growled. God, this guy was irritating.

"I'm doing a lousy job? You're the one sitting in the hall, crying your eyes out while your family is wondering where you are."

I gritted my teeth and opened my palm, slapping him hard against the face. He grabbed his cheek while staring at me in surprise. "You're such a-a-an asshole!" I screamed. "At least I have a family, you freak of nature!"

His hands curled into fists at his side as he glared openly at me. "You're one to talk, Delimore."

I shook my head, "I'm more human than you."

I turned to walk away, but he caught my elbow. I paused, preparing for anything. "I-"

"Who's there?" a voice called out, interrupting Xander.

After a moment, a black-haired boy stepped around the corner. "Xander? What are you doing in this Wing with... Who are you?"

It took me a moment to realize he was talking to me. Xander practically tossed me behind him, "She's the newest Aura."

"Aw, Xander. Why are you hiding her from me?" the boy asked.

"Because," Xander said seriously. "You will try to get her to sleep with you."

I choked on air at that statement. I didn't plan on sleeping with anyone for a long time. "I'm not all that bad, Xander," the boy protested.

"Yes, you are, Oliver."

Olivier? I peeked over Xander's shoulder and practically fainted. It was Olivier Yancey; he had Graduated last month. Olivier gaped at me, "Aranda? What the hell are you doing here?"

Xander glanced back at me sharply as I stepped out from around him. "Hey... Olivier. How's it going?"

"Delimore, you know this-"

"You're the newest Aura, Aranda?" Olivier questioned, sounding very taken aback. "Goody two-shoes Aranda is an Aura... Who would've thunk it?"

"No one," I snapped. "That was the point."

"Whoa, easy there tiger. I'm of a higher Level than you."

I smirked, "Not anymore, Olivier. Weren't you happy with you Occupation?"

He glared at me, "Shut up, Aranda. You know I never wanted to clean the sewage plant."

Xander covered his mouth with his hand, shoulders shaking. It took me a moment to realize he was laughing. I rolled my eyes at Olivier, "Well, maybe you should have payed more attention to your studies then."

"Hardy har har," Olivier mocked me. "At least I had a bit of fun."

"Too much, if you ask me," I mumbled.

Suddenly, Xander gasped before full on laughing. To be honest, it was a nice laugh. Not too deep and not too high, just right. Olivier glared at the blonde Renegade Elite and I burst out laughing too. Not for the same reasons though. I was laughing because it felt almost normal, like I was back at school. Sure, I had never known Xander, but if he wasn't an Elite, he could've fit in. It felt normal. It felt good.

Xander clamped a hand down on my shoulder, still chuckling. "I was about to show Delimore to her room. See you, Olivier."

Olivier glared at us as Xander led me in the opposite direction than I had been going in. It took us awhile to fully stifle our laughter and when we did, Xander had stopped in front of a door. "Here we are."

I looked at the door, but saw nothing different about it from the other doors in the tunnel. "How do you find your way around in this place?" I exclaimed.

He chuckled, "With lots of practice, Delimore. So, is Anne helping you adjust a bit?"

I sighed before frowning, "She is annoying me to no end."

"Really? Why?"

I was a little surprised by the tone of genuine curiosity in his voice. I glanced at him, "Android's can be... A little bit too doting."

His eyebrows knitted together and he seemed incredibly confused, "Aren't you used to having an android?"

I barked out a laugh, "What gave you an idea like that?"

Xander blinked, "I was under the impression that all Arcadian families had at least one personal android."

Now it was my turn to be confused. I shook my head slowly, "No... Only the wealthier Levels have androids."

"Levels?"

My shoulders dropped in disbelief. Did this guy know nothing about Utopia? "I thought Elites were taught this kind of thing as prior training."

Xander actually looked sheepish, "Well, you see... I was only injected with the serum. I'm not trained like most Elites and as such, I'm very unpredictable."

I sighed and shook my head, "Do you ever get out?"

"Not much... Just for missions."

"Okay, well... Levels are like how rich you are and what your Occupation is. I am- or I was- a Level Four; one of the lower Levels."

"How many are there?"

"Ten, not including the Council."

He eyed me carefully, "What about Elites?"

I laughed nervously, "Elites are on Level Two, just above criminals."

"That doesn't seem very fair..."

My shoulders went up in a shrug, "I never said it was. Kindle is a Level Eight and Miss Waters is a Level Seven; it's mostly determined by your Occupation and it determines how much money you make."

After a moment, Xander nodded slowly, "I see... You seem to know a lot about this stuff."

"I studied government. It was even my recommended Occupation."

"That could have been disastrous," he said evenly.

I bobbed my head, "Yes, it could have been."

Another lapse of silence followed my statement and I turned to go into my room, but Xander placed a hand on my shoulder. "Kindle told me what you said and... I think you're right... To an extent. How do you think we should fight this war?"

"It's simple." I looked him straight in the eye, "Get the masses on your side."

4: Drive

I raised an eyebrow at the guy in front of me. According to Miss Waters, his name was James and he was my combat instructor. He had to be no older than twenty-five with messy brown hair and dark gray eyes. He was facing me, a lopsided grin on his face, “You heard me right, Delimore. Come at me.”

My eyes shifted over to Xander, who was watching our exchange quietly, his arms crossed over his chest. “Are you sure, James?”

He bobbed his head once. I turned to look at Xander again, “What’s the point of this exercise?”

We were standing in the training room and I was standing on one of the blue mats, dressed only in a black tank top and a pair of black nylon pants. They were really comfortable and I was half-tempted to start wearing them to sleep. Xander had woken me up at the crack of dawn. He showed me the mess hall, where the Liberators that stayed in HQ permanently ate, and brought me to the training room, where Miss Waters and James were talking to each other. Miss Waters told me “good luck” before disappearing... somewhere...

Xander sighed and ran a hand through his blonde hair. I waited patiently for him to reply. “You see, Delimore,” he stepped a bit closer. “James is our best hand-to-hand fighter. You showed great skill among those Elites.” my lips twitched a little at his begrudging compliment. “But we want to make sure you’re able to handle yourself in any fight.”

After a moment, I glanced back at James and saw that he hadn’t moved a muscle. He was holding the same defensive stance that my grandfather had taught me; albeit, James’ was a bit more exaggerated. Right off the bat, I could tell that his arms were spread too far apart, leaving his chest wide open. I wondered if I should tell him that or not. “Are you going to fight, Delimore? If you can’t, I cannot allow you to join the Liberation Front,” Xander called out in a mocking tone that some kids had used when I refused to cross the street without adult supervision. 

I had always been afraid back then and I had to hope that I would lose that fear someday.

But, I didn’t feel like that day would be today. Still though, for some reason, Xander made me want to defy that thought. He irritated me to no end and the way he had said it made me feel patronized. I hated feeling patronized almost as much as I hated feeling useless. When I had lived in Arcadia and the Higher Levels would laugh at me, I would duck my head and pray that they wouldn’t notice anything off. Grandma always told me to keep my head down; I would be safer that way. 

The Liberation Front wasn’t about keeping your head down and being submissive though, was it? No; it had become obvious to me in the three short days I had spent in their underground HQ that the people here were obsessed with keeping their heads high. They wanted to show the world that they could be strong and stand against anything the tried to hinder their freedom or their courage. When people set their mind to doing something here, they didn’t stop until they were the best. I guess I admired that, in a way.

But could I ever become that? Could I become a person who was ready to face death if it meant a world of freedom? I doubted it. Yes, I would do anything to protect my family. And yes, I had taken down those Elites. However, when you broke it down, those were both controlled by one emotion: fear. I acted out because of fear.

It wasn’t a want for freedom or a need for change. It was because I had been terrified. I ran from the Elite because I was terrified that he had found out my secret, a secret that only a few people knew. I fought those Elites because I was terrified that they were going to catch me and kill me. I joined the Liberation Front because I was terrified of losing my family, like I lost my parents. I was standing here in front of James, the best fighter in the Liberation Front, not because I had been terrified of dying, but because I had been terrified of dying as a nobody.

I wanted to be somebody. I wanted to see the day when my name would become something more than just a name. I needed to be able to say I was there when the world changed. Was this how the creators of Utopia had felt? That they needed to make their mark on this world, no matter how small?

Taking a deep breath, I faced James, my eyes scanning over him in a quick fashion. The Aura part of me analyzed each and every flaw much quicker than an average human’s mind would. His legs needed to be closer together to create a firmer stance. His arms were too far apart; I would aim for the stomach first and fake it, followed by a quick swipe of the legs. I smirked, not taking my eyes off of James’ form. “I’m ready,” I called out. 

I never really thought about who I was calling out to; me, Xander, or James. My mind was too focused on using my fear of being a nobody to bring James down as quickly as possible. I lurched forward. aimed for his stomach. When he went to cover that area, I dropped, easily sliding my leg behind his ankles. 

He tripped, sprawling out on the mat. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion; that was way too easy. There was no way he could be the best fighter in the Liberation Front. Unless... I glared at him, “You went easy on me!”

James laughed sheepishly as he sat up. He rubbed the back of his neck, “Well, yeah... Xander told me to.”

My gaze swung over to Xander, who was smirking. “What the heck, Xander?!” I exclaimed, glowering at the blonde idiot.

Miss Waters came out of one of the many doors in the training room, smiling brightly. I looked between the three Liberators, extremely confused. “She found it,” Miss Waters exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

Xander nodded and gave me a look of... It couldn’t be pride, but it was close enough. James put his hands his pockets, leaning against air casually. I blinked, “What did I find?”

“Your drive to fight,” Xander explained.

“My drive?” I tilted my head slightly. I guess it was a bad habit of mine: tilting my head when I was confused or curious. I seemed to be doing it a lot more lately. 

In Utopia, the rules were set. I learned them in Primary Class when I was six and never had to rethink them again. The last time a new law had been added was when I was three, hardly old enough to even understand what a law was.

Miss Waters bobbed her head, “Yes, your drive is what makes you want to fight. Do you mind me asking what it is?”

I thought back to what I had been thinking before I attacked James and my cheeks flushed. “I-I just... It was...” I bit my lip in my nervousness; another habit I seemed to be picking up.

She laughed in a very practiced womanly way that made me flinch. It reminded me of the one I had developed around people I wasn’t close to. A fake laugh. A fake smile. I seemed to be having depressing thoughts... I focused back on Miss Waters, “-if you don’t want to.”

I nodded despite only hearing the last bit of her sentence and ducked my head slightly, “Are we done here?”

“Actually, no,” Xander said stepping forward slightly. “I want you to actually fight James.”

I looked over at the Liberator as he stared lazily at the ceiling, swaying a bit on his feet. “Is he really the best fighter in the Liberation Front?” I hissed quietly.

Xander and Miss Waters shook their heads. “He’s still pretty good though,” Xander said. “And I want you to fight him.”

“And how, exactly, do you expect me to do that?”

Miss Waters chuckled while Xander watched me indifferently. I sighed, “You ready, James?”

He nodded and fell into another defensive stance. This one, however, was much better. He had fixed his flaws from before, bringing his legs in closer and his arms in tighter. “Aranda,” Miss Waters said suddenly. “Remember the feeling you had when you fought him the first time and keep that feeling. Use it as a weapon, not a hinderance.”

For a news reporter, she was a pretty good motivational speaker. I nodded, deciding to wait for James to make the first move. 

He rushed at me and I dodged to the side, only to have him come back and try to hit me again. Each time he tried to hit me, I dodged to the side until we had walked across the entire mat. When he tried to hit me again. I ducked under his arm, falling to the side. Then, in one swift motion, I brought my leg up just as he turned to me. My foot connected with his stomach; I flinched when I though I heard bones crushing under the impact. James went flying back, slamming into the mat on the wall across from us.

I blinked once. Twice. He hadn’t moved. One more second. “Damn, that hurt,” he groaned as he sat up. “I think you broke one of my ribs.”

Xander and Miss Waters were still gaping at me. “What?” I asked innocently. They told me to fight him, so that’s what I did.

Miss Waters wrote something on the clipboard she was holding. “Form and movement, impeccable. Combat skills, advanced. Speed, outstanding. Strength, inhuman.”

Well, that made me feel just dandy... Xander was still gaping at me. I glanced in his direction, “You’re going to catch flies.”

His jaw snapped shut before he moved to help James up. The older boy coughed heavily as he felt his ribs. “Yep, definitely broken. I’m going to go see Doc.”

I watched with guilt as he limped away, leaning heavily against the doorframe for a moment. Xander waited for him to leave before facing me, fire burning in his blue eyes, “How the hell are you that strong?”

I cocked my head slightly, not quite understanding. We all knew I was an Aura and we all knew that Auras aren’t human. Even though having that much brute strength had caught me off guard, I didn’t think it would be unexpected. I wasn’t quite sure the full extent of an Aura’s abilities. Our physical power was supposed to be beyond anything in the world, but our mental power is where we excelled at. I had always struggled to not be at the top of my class in Arcadia. Sure, I got good grades, but I never passed Mia Jones, who had remained at the top since Primary Class. 

Xander rubbed his temples like he was developing a headache, then looked at me again. “Auras usually lack in strength,” he explained a bit more calmly. “But they normally make up for it with speed or stamina. We haven’t tested your stamina yet, obviously, but I have never seen an Aura with that much raw strength...”

Miss Waters nodded, “You see, while in most fields Auras outrank Elites, strength has always been an area that the Elites have dominated in. The assumption is because Elites are male and Auras are female.”

I knew that all Auras were female, but judging something like that based on gender? That seemed a little... Sexist? Racist? I wasn’t sure what to call it. “You see, Elites are male,” Miss Waters continued. “Which means they inherently have more testosterone that Auras, which are female. It may be possible that you have a slight boost in testosterone, as compared to other females.”

“Does that mean I’m turning into a guy?!” I exclaimed, mortified at the idea.

“No, no,” Miss Waters said with a slight chuckle. “Its not entirely uncommon. Of course, it could just be genetic. There are some rare Auras that have more... Abilities than most. You may just be one of those unique kinds, Aranda. You’ll lack in some other area obviously, but your strength is way above average for normal Aura levels.”

Normal and Aura in one sentence. That was as contradictory as love-hate relationships-which, by the way, I don’t understand at all. I nodded slowly, mostly understanding what Miss Waters had just explained. “So, I might not be able to use a different ‘Aura ability’?”

Miss Waters nodded slowly. “I don’t know anything about Aura abilities though,” she added quickly. “That’s Kiki’s job.”

I raised an eyebrow, “Kiki?”

5: Descendant

My eyes slid over to look at Xander, who gave me a strange smirk-like smile, before he pushed the door open. Miss Waters had dressed me up in a ridiculous blue balloon skirt with a frilly lime green top. Personally, I thought I looked hideous in it, but Miss Waters insisted that Kiki was adamant about her visitors having a put-together appearance. I had been offended by that statement until I realized I was in desperate need for a bath.

We entered the room and I was surprised by the dimness of it. Small candlelight flickered against the walls, but I could find no signs of candlesticks. Xander stepped in after me, closing the door slowly. "Kiki?" he stepped into the room. "I brought Delimore."

A creak echoed through the room and I jumped back as the wall across from us slid to the side, the formerly steel wall hanging limply like a curtain. I blinked blankly as the form of a small girl came into view. "Welcome, Miss Delimore. I hope you are enjoying your stay?"

I blanched at the sound of her extremely mature voice. She smiled, "Surprised? Yes, I am quite small for my age."

"Which would be?"

She laughed like I had just made a joke, "Twenty-nine."

"Uh..."

"Oh, please, sit," she motioned to the wall adjacent from us, where a coffee table and two chairs sat.

I pointed to the furniture, "That wasn't there before." When I turned back to her, she was gone. I looked around, seeing her sitting on one of the chairs.

"What...?" I mumbled softly, confused. "What's going on, Xander?" I glanced back and saw that the blonde was missing.

The woman took a sip of the tea that had appeared in her hands, "You are in my mind, Miss Delimore."

I blinked slowly as her smile became a little larger. She gestured to the chair and I slowly sank into it. "I guess the better way to explain it is that you are in a physical projection of my mind. You should at least know that Auras have an amazing mental stability?"

Slowly, I nodded. Kiki leaned back, "Well, my mental abilities exceed that of even Auras. I am able to project images into other people's mind. The only problem is that in the real world, I am in a coma."

My eyes widened, "That's terrible."

"With great powers come great consequences. You best learn that now, Miss Delimore," she ran a hand through her short brown hair, her gaze calculating. "I can tell that you have an immense amount of untapped Auric ability- mentally and physically. However..." her brows furrowed.

I leaned forward, "What is it?"

She closed her eyes, sighing softly, "Something about you is off, Miss Delimore." She opened her eyes and glanced at me sharply. "You are unique."

"Unique?"

Kiki carefully nodded before standing up so fast that I jumped back. She paced back and forth along the room. "I assume you know about the Prismorph Project?"

"I don't understand, Miss Kiki."

"What were the participants in the Prismorph Project called, Miss Delimore?" she questioned, whipping her head to the side to looked at me.

"Uh... Morphixes?"

"Yes. Now, pray tell, Miss Delimore, why was it called the Prismorph Project?"

I thought back to all I knew about the Prismorph Project and shook my head, "I don't know."

"It was because there was one Morphix different from the others. One so powerful, she were sentenced to death instead of being banished from Utopia, like the remaining Morphixes."

The room suddenly lit up and what seemed to be holographic projections filled every available space. I looked at the nearest one, which appeared to be a newscast. The banner at the bottom displayed words in a language I didn't understand. Then, it switched to my native dialect. "Prismorph Project is failing. The Prism is sentenced to death."

I stood up slowly, my eyes scanning each and every projection. "The Prism is to die"; "Anika Tanner, the Prism, is sentenced to death"; "Rebellion against the government led by Anika Tanner, the Prism"; "The public fears for political figure Anika Tanner, the Prism"; "The Prism is dead"; "Revolts in Colorado, in memorial of Anika Tanner's death"; "Kirin Owens takes control of the Morphix Branch"; "War lost in the East; public is devastated"; "Paxton Poplar leads rebellion forces"; "The United States expected to fall"; "Is the Prism the cause of this?".

I stared at the last one, reading it out loud, "'Russia issues nuclear attack against America...' This is..." I looked at Kiki and she nodded.

"These are the events that led to the Downfall."

"Who's Anika Tanner?" I questioned, glancing at her name.

Kiki sighed, "The Prism. She was initially created to lead the Morphix's Branch and the invasion of the Eastern side of the world."

"What happened?"

"Anika was powerful; immensely so. She knew that what America's government was doing was wrong. She rebelled and for that, she was sentenced to death. The people who ordered the execution didn't realize that Anika Tanner was a well-loved figure by the public. She gave them hope. When she died..."

"They revolted," I answered.

Kiki bobbed her head, "At first, the government didn't worry about it. It was small revolts; protests and such. They were winning the East War, so they thought everything was going great for them until Kirin Owens took control of the Morphix Branch. Owens was Anika's closest friend; she purposely lost the War. Paxton Poplar, Anika's lover before her death, took advantage of the situation and organized the rebellion forces, which now included the Morphixes."

"Why did Russia order a nuclear attack though?"

She turned away, "America was prosperous before the East War and they still had allies by the time the East War ended. Citizens started causing trouble in their homelands and somewhere along the way, Russia fell into chaos. The Russians decided that they had had enough, so they issued the attack, which lead to America attacking them, which led to World War III. It ended the world as humanity knew it. And, here we are now."

"I don't understand though," I said, shaking my head. "Why are you telling me this?"

Kiki spun around to face me, "Anika Tanner had one child, a daughter named Faith Poplar. She married a man named Lake Melbourne."

I froze; my heart stopped, my breath caught, and the whole world seemed to freeze. Melbourne was my mother's maiden name, before she married my father. I stepped back, "N-no."

The older woman nodded, "You are a Melbourne, aren't you? That means you're the descendant of Anika Tanner, the Prism. Now, Miss Delimore, let me ask you this: Do you know how the Auric genetics work? No, of course you don't. The Aura genes are only passed onto the firstborn child, and only if that child is female."

"But, as far as I know, the women in my maternal family have never been firstborn."

Kiki smiled softly, "That means you might be the Third Generation of the Prism." she walked up to me, poking me in the chest. "You have more raw power than any other Aura in the world, Miss Delimore. All you have to do is learn how to use it."

I threw my hands up, "I don't know how to use my 'abilities'!"

She nodded, "But you will, Miss Delimore."

Before I knew what had happened, I was thrown back, landing on my bottom. I found myself back in the empty room and I glanced around. Xander stood in a corner of the room, staring down at a book. He looked up as I pushed myself to my feet. "Are you okay?" he questioned while he walked over to me. "You're shaking."

I rested my head on the palm of my hand, "F-fine. It's just a lot to take in."

"We should go," he suggested.

I nodded, taking a step. My legs gave out under me and Xander caught me moments before I collapsed. Black spots danced in front of my vision as I yanked myself out of his arms. "I'm fine," I snapped.

He rolled his eyes, "For an Arcadian, you're kind of a bitch."

I glared at him, "I am not a dog, you asshole. How dare you-" I gasped as a sharp pain rushed through my head.

"It's common to feel weird after first meeting Kiki," he told me.

"Thanks for the warning," I replied sarcastically, rubbing my temples. "So much to take in..." I mumbled.

Xander watched me curiously, "What happened with Kiki?"

I slowly stood and he steadied me by holding my arm. "N-nothing..." I answered. "It's not important."

I pushed his arm away before opening the door and hurrying out of the room. Xander followed close behind, "Wait, Delimore. Delimore! Aranda!"

When I spun around, I found him closer than I found comfortable, forcing me to take a step back. "What happened in there?"

"I told you: it's nothing. Now, go away."

"Do you even know how to get back to your room?"

I crossed my arms, turning away, "No; let's go."

He stared at my back, "Why would I want to escort you?"

I faced him again, "Don't offer help if you don't want to."

He looked away, his blue eyes holding a gleam of... Understanding? I waited for a moment, about ready to leave. When I turned to leave, he grabbed my arm. "Look, I understand if whatever Kiki told you was confusing. I know you probably want to deny it. I denied what she told me too. About my Elite alteration..."

I glanced at him, shaking my head. "I can't just come right out a say it, Xander. It's hard to explain. Can... Can you just take me to my room now?"

He paused before nodding and dropping my arm. "It's this way..." he bobbed his head in the opposite direction.

I nodded slowly while he walked away. I glanced at Kiki's door as we passed it, my head still spinning.

~.~.~.~.~

When I said goodbye to Xander, I closed my door behind me heavily, sliding down it's length until I was sitting on the ground. My eyes trailed over the room, so different from my own at London Heights. My eyes drifted over to the white folding table and chair in the corner. My old school uniform was folded neatly on top of it and I forced myself to stand. I gathered up the soft material of the shirt in my hands, my fingers clenching into fists. There was no color to the clothing. I let my fingertips trail along the coarse gray skirt and suddenly I felt like crying.

My family probably thought I was dead and they were going to pack up my possessions to bury in an empty coffin. They would travel to Shangri-La and throw the coffin into the ocean. My funeral would be for an alive person. I didn't want that. I walked over to my bed.

I had barely when someone knocked on the door and Miss Waters burst in. I watched her curiously as she set down two holographic anchors. "Wha-"

"Shh!" she hissed as the holographic image covered my wall and she plopped down next to me. A newscast popped up and my eyes neatly fell out of my head when I read the headline.

"'Arcadia Accelerated Shooting'?" I mumbled in disbelief.

"Quiet," Miss Waters repeated as a voice echoed through the room.

"Four Accelerated students have been reported dead and twelve missing. The dead are as follows: Minnie Alder; Helena Pension; Penelope Olsen; and Aranda Delimore. If you find any of these students-" my picture along with three semi-familiar faces appeared at the bottom of the screen. "Please report it to the authorities immediately."

My heart stopped. I was reported dead. "This is horrible!" I exclaimed.

Miss Waters shook her head, "No, this is great news."

I turned to her, mortified, "How is this good?"

She jumped up, laughing. "It's simple, Miss Delimore. If you're dead, then you technically don't exist."

"And this is good how?"

Miss Waters was practically giddy with excitement. She bounced slightly in her place, "You can go out- undercover, of course- and do missions for the Liberators. No terrorist acts, I promise."

I couldn't help but gape at her, anger bubbling up in me. The only noise in the room was the background sound from the projector. My gaze quickly turned into a glare, "Is that all you can think about?! Throwing me out to do dirty work for you?!"

She frowned, "Miss Delimore, you are a member of the Liberation. It would do you well to act as such." With that, she turned on her heel and was about to leave when she glanced back at me. "Plus, if you're dead, your family is in no danger."

I blinked as she left; her words slowly settling in. She was right, of course. With me out of the picture, my family would be in no danger. They'd be perfectly fine. Sad, yes; but safe. Slowly, I sat down, only to have my door thrown open again; this time it was Xander. "Miss Waters already told-"

He shook his head, interrupting me. I watched as he slowly closed the door behind him. "I heard you and Felicity talking. I've..." he paused, his cheeks reddening slightly. "I've wanted to change the LF for a long time, to be honest, but I've never had the courage to try. You; you're different. You aren't afraid to point out the Liberation's flaws. I want to change Utopia, but not the way we're doing it. I want to do it the right way by only taking out those who are changing Utopia from what it's name means. I don't want to kill the innocent." he looked at me, determination gleaming in his blue eyes. "I want you to help me liberate Utopia!"