Book 2 is officially in the editing stage, so stay on the lookout for more updates on the title, cover, and release dates!

BOY: (Book One in The Truth Series) Release date: October 1st, 2024 on Amazon.com.

You can now buy BOY on Amazon on kindle ebook or paperback form. Here is the link: https://www.amazoncom/dp/B0DGXSS77X

If you are a Kansas City Local, you can also purchase it at KD’s Bookstore in downtown Lee’s Summit.

You can also purchase it at Freedom Literature’s bookshop corner at Headquarters Winery and Mercantile. The address for that is: 100 W Pearl St, Harrisonville, MO 64701

It is also available at Parkville Coffee in their little book-nook.

If you are local to the Kansas City area, it is also available at the Library. All you will need to do is search: BOY by Jessica L. Reber!

Year 2402

A world that has fallen, a virus that has taken every man and boy alive. Skip ahead two hundred years later, now women have come together to build a city to keep themselves safe from the horrors of the aftermath of the world outside their walls. Young Ella Munson finds life to be nearly perfect, turning sixteen, getting a job with her best friend, and overall having a good life; considering what happened six months before. But when she and best friend Lodi are taken along with others from their home, and are dragged to a place called the Camps, they find that men and boys are still alive, and the two girls try to find answers, and fast, wanting to go home. After some time, the real Truth is uncovered to Ella, having her question what she truly believes.

Come join Ella’s journey in finding out that the Truth can be found no matter how lost it may seem.

FREE SAMPLE (PROLOGUE-CHAPTER 3)

Prologue

-The Girl-

Two-and-a half years earlier…

Deep breath in and then out.

As quietly as she could, the young girl wrapped her tiny fingers around the wall with a quick look, her head peeking out from around the corner. Her best friend, who was crouching beside her, shifted uncomfortably.

“Alright, Lodi. You ready?”

The brunette girl shook her head in protest, telling her blonde friend that she, indeed, was not. It was quite funny. Usually, Lodi was dragging Ella into situations like these.

The persistent girl rolled her bright blue eyes. “Oh, come on. Why are you being a scaredy-cat now? Hm?”

Once again, the brunette shook her head vigorously.

Anger overtook Ella Munson, and standing up, she crossed her arms tightly across her chest. “Well, fine. I’ll do it myself.”

And so, she did. Before her friend could object, the eager child dashed out from their hiding spot and down the old, greying hallway of the Laboratory. She loved the old Labs that both her mother and her best friend’s mother worked in. They had grown up hearing stories of the tasks that had gone on behind the walls of the Nouveau Monde Laboratory.

Neither of them had ever been able to get inside though—until that very moment.

Ella didn’t understand how she was able to slip inside unnoticed since usually there were guards lining the entrance. But the thirteen-year-old didn’t think much about the topic. She was just thrilled by the prospect of seeing the Labs from the inside.

As she continued to dash down the long hallways, making sure to hide herself from the cameras and the women walking down different corridors, her mind wandered back to Lodi, one of the twenty girls who had been part of her Pod. Since their mothers worked together, they were brought up more as family than friends. The two girls acted as sisters, even though they looked nothing alike. One had blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and the other had brown hair and dark brown eyes. Their differences didn’t stop them from going to one another’s homes after school or just whenever they felt like it. Their mothers shared a similar connection and always treated each other’s girl as her own.

Ella thought upon the issue at hand: Lodi usually was the one who took her on adventures. For some reason, though, today, Ella was the one tackling the big excitement. And against her nature, she was doing it alone.

Hearing voices up ahead, the girl came to a rough stop; her chest was heaving up and down as she listened from around the corner.

“Yes, ma’am, but are you sure they are ready?” one woman whose voice sounded a little familiar to the young girl queried.

With the rustling of papers, another woman finally spoke up. “Yes, I believe they are. They are healthy… and I can tell they are ready to be out of their Pods.” They both laughed before the girl heard the clicking of their heels as they made their way deeper into the winding labyrinth of hallways.

After another deep breath, Ella was on her way again, following the women at a safe distance. She cautiously peered around the corner and then sprinted noiselessly down the corridor. Her sparkling eyes eagerly tracked their movements. The tall one with bright red hair took swift, confident strides. The other, a short-statured doctor with black hair, took quick steps in a visible effort to keep up.

“Pod Lab Door, open.” The red-haired doctor spoke with authority, and the door immediately opened.

All the while, Ella held her breath, mesmerized by the incredible technology. She quickly shook off her amazement and was careful to follow close behind, but before she could walk through, the door shut in her face.

Most would have lowered their heads in defeat, but the smart young girl simply pulled her mother’s extra keycard out of her hoodie pocket. A small grin played on her thin lips as she watched the women advance to the next room. Ella laid the card onto the card-reader, willing the tiny red dot to turn green for her.

“Dr. Munson, access granted,” the computer voice hummed out.

Ella stood back in wonder as the same door slid open for her with a soft gust of air. The clear glass moved with such ease that it earned a giggle from her.

The moment of silliness ended, and Ella shook her head to return to reality, nearly forgetting that she wasn’t supposed to be there.

As she took a step inside, she moved her focus around the odd space, finding an empty glass room with what appeared to be floor-to-ceiling windows. From her vantage point, she saw nothing on the other side of the perfectly see-through glass. She just hoped it wasn’t a one-way mirror.

That would be terrible. Ella shivered.

A gust of air began to blow all around her, bringing her back to the present moment. She slapped a hand over her mouth so the soft yelp of shock that had spilled from her lips wouldn’t be heard. The cold air came and went quickly, finishing with a sterile recording of a woman’s voice that came out of a speaker somewhere in the small room: “Disinfection completed.”

Exhaling, Ella tiptoed forward, keeping her focus on anything that could get her caught. The second door opened just like the first, with a small puff of air. When Ella walked into the next room, her body froze in astonishment.

All around her were aisles upon aisles of Pods—shiny metal Pods mounted to the wall, all in rows. Inside of each one was a baby, floating and curled up in the fetal position. She couldn’t believe what her eyes saw. Lodi and Ella had heard hundreds of stories from their mothers and from children in the City as well. But they couldn’t have ever imagined what it would be like. What she was seeing at that moment didn’t even look real.

Ella tiptoed forward to the very first Pod. As gently as she could manage, she placed her hand up to the glass and, interestingly, found the Pod to be warm. The baby inside was a girl, of course. They hadn’t been able to make boys since the B.O.Y. Virus. They didn’thave a way to keep the boys alive since the virus affected every male.

The baby girl was connected to what looked to be a small tube protruding from her belly—not like the umbilical cord that she had read about in books. Instead, it was a thin rubber tube. The baby was curled in a very tight ball. She didn’t have much room in the small space to stretch. She continued to kick around, clenching and unclenching her tiny fists and trying to break free from her enclosed life.

Ella giggled softly, making sure not to be too loud. She couldn’t help it though; Ella was seeing what she had always wanted to see. Her desire to work in the Labs grew even stronger at that moment.

Her wandering eyes drifted down to the base of the Pod.She smiled as she read the label: Baby 30,370, Natasha Weston. Due on September 17th, 2399.

Her eyes went wide in excitement. Woah, that’s only a few more days.

“Hey!”

She froze, not believing that she had been caught.

“Hey! What are you doing in here?”

Lifting her head up from the Pod, the girl found the black-haired woman she had seen only minutes prior walking straight toward her. The woman didn’t look happy. She rushed toward Ella, her heels clicking against the hard ground, and the papers on her clipboard fluttered in a messy fashion as she walked briskly down the aisle.

“Oh, um—” Ella tried to explain, moving back a bit in hopes that she could come up with something—and fast. “I’m sorry. I was um—”

“How did you get in here, girl?” the woman demanded, cornering the child whose eyes wore an expression of terror.

“My mom, she’s um—”

Barely letting the girl get her words out, the woman shook her head. “She’s who?”

Her heart began to pound in her chest as she weighed her next move. Fortunately, she didn’t have to do anything. Another voice pierced the charged silence.

“Dr. Grey?”

Both the girl and woman looked back, finding none other than the red-haired doctor whom Ella had seen with the one in front of her, walking right up to them with a soft smile plastered onto her lips. She looked so calming, so nice.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry. I found her snooping around the Youngs.”

Coming to a full stop, the woman’s green eyes landed on the young girl.

“Thank you for your help, Dr. Grey, but I’ve got it from here.”

With a quick look between the two, the short doctor walked off, leaving Ella with a whole new person to deal with.

“Young lady, aren’t you Dr. Munson’s girl?”

Ella didn’t know exactly what to do, so instead of saying anything, she only nodded rapidly, smiling shyly.

The woman rotated her head, first one way and then the other, as if trying to find someone.

“Where’s your friend? Dr. Bannett’s girl? I hear you two are always stuck to one another’s side.”

Scratching the back of her neck, Ella nodded.

“Too scared to follow you today?”

Another nod.

The woman smiled, sticking her hand out to the young girl. “Well, I’m Dr. Isabella Theodore, the Head Doctor here at Nouveau Monde Laboratory. Since you seem to be so curious about the Youngs, why don’t I show you around? A little tour, if you will.”

Ella couldn’t believe it. Even though she was still terrified, she was so excited! The girl had been waiting for this moment for her entire life.

“Yes, ma’am. Please.”

Laughing at the child’s excitement, the doctor nodded. She hooked her arm around the young girl’s back, and the two walked down the hallway lined with Pods.

Ella’s blue eyes watched each baby carefully, taking mental notes of their features. They were all small, yet some were bigger than others. Some had bright hair, black hair, and no hair. Some had dark skin, light skin, and olive skin. They were all so beautiful.

“So, Ella, I know this is a lot to take in, but for the last few centuries now, this has been the way we have produced babies—only baby girls as you’ve observed for yourself. We haven’t been able to produce baby males yet. Well, with the B.O.Y. Virus still able to infect and kill males at such a young age, we don’t like to birth just to torture.”

Dr. Theodore explained, stopping at one of thePods. “You see, ever since the great B.O.Y. Virus appeared in the year 2202—killing all males and only leaving us women to run the world, well, we had to come up with a way to keep humans alive. My great-great grandmother found a way. She built these Pods but not by herself, of course.” A soft chuckle left the doctor’s lips as they kept walking. She went on, “They allow us to continue to build our world. Does that make sense?”

Ella didn’t know much about the history of their ancestors, but she had heard about the great B.O.Y. Virus that killed every man and boy alike. It didn’t cause her any confusion because things like that just happened in their world. The Pods were what they had created to keep humans alive—that much Ella could understand.

“Yes, ma’am,” Ella answered truthfully.

Dr. Theodore nodded, patting the young girl’s back. She pointed to the label on thePod in front of them and said, “Now, as you can see, this baby will soon be my own.”

Ella read the label and then nodded. It really is the doctor’s! Baby 30,380, Omaira Theodore. Due September 17th, 2399.

Looking back up to the woman, Ella smiled brightly. The woman grinned back and then settled her green eyes on the baby who would soon be in her arms.

“Yes, Ella, she is mine, and I am hers. It is a very exciting thing to become a mother. Maybe, even someday, you will be as well.”

Ella’s mind started to race with the doctor’s words. Will I ever be a mother? Is that something I would really want? She hadn’t ever thought of that. Ella was only thirteen; it was such a young age to think about something so extreme.

“Anyways, dear, I think that is enough for one day. I’ll show you out, and I promise I won’t tell your mother if you don’t. How about that?”

Relief filled the girl’s body as she nodded.

“Good, good. Now, let’s go.”

As they walked out of the Pod Laboratory, they started down the white hallways once again.

“Thank you,” Ella spoke softly, gaining the woman’s attention.

“For?”

Wringing her hands out nervously, she gulped the lump in her throat down.

“Well, I mean, I feel like I don’t know a lot about life. This helped. I would like to learn more someday.”

Something in Dr. Theodore’s expression changed. She looked distant; it was as if her mind were replaying memories from long ago. She had a feeling about the girl. This girl could either ruin everything or she could advance Nouveau Monde into the 25^th century, years ahead of its time. Was that a risk the woman was willing to take?

“How about this?” She paused by the exit before turning to Ella. “As soon as you turn sixteen, you can come be my apprentice here.”

Ella couldn’t believe her ears. The Head Doctor was asking her to come work in the Labs in just a few years’ time?

“How would you like that, Ella?”

Not being able to verbally answer, her blonde head bobbed up and down rapidly.

Amused by the young girl’s expression, the doctor nodded, pleased with her plan.

“You may need to try and convince your mother, even though I am sure she would love for you to step into her line of work and follow in her footsteps. And don’t worry too much. I shall put a good word in for you.”

Ella was ecstatic at the news, barely able to contain her excitement.

“Alright, well, I believe your young friend is waiting for you.”

Turning her attention, the girl spotted her best friend peaking her head out from behind a low wall in the courtyard. Before she rushed over to tell her the good news, Ella thanked the doctor politely for showing her around.

“Thank you, Dr. Theodore.”

“Of course, dear. Please, call me Dr. Isabella.”

Ella stared at her with wide eyes. The woman in charge of the entire Citywanted her to call her by her first name. Ella jumped in place for a moment before bursting through the Lab’s glass double doors and coming face to face with Lodi, who looked upon her with dark brown eyes. Before either of them said a word, Ella started walking forward; Lodi skipping up behind her. She needed to know what had happened to Ella while she was inside the Labs.

“You’re such a scaredy-cat, Lodi,” Ella said as she started walking away with a pep in her step.

“Oh, I am?” Lodi retorted, her thick Scottish accents tumbling from her mouth. “I ask ye tae do aw sorts o’ stuff wit me, but ye’re too much of a goodie-goodie tae come along!”

Not minding her, Ella only skipped on through the parking lot, gripping her mother’s keycard tightly in her hand while the loose strands of her pigtails slapped her playfully in the cool autumn air.

“Just mind you, Lodi. I will become a doctor here someday! I will be one of the women up there making the world a better place! I’ll protect us from anything like the B.O.Y.Virus!”

Lodi could only raise her eyebrows at her friend’s insane exclamation. Folding her arms, she shook her head. “Not a chance, Ella! Not a chance! My mother always says it’s not what it seems up there.”

Ella didn’t let her friend’s words put a damper on her good mood. She continued to prance about, the keycard dancing through the air as she waved her hand around. When she finally turned, Ella continued walking backwards, in step with Lodi. The brunette girl began to laugh at her friend until she came to a stop, forcing Ella to do the same.

“Lodi?”

The girl with olive skin went stone cold in fear. It confused Ella since Lodi was never scared. Lodi shook her head and pointed to someone behind Ella.

When Ella turned around slowly, her heart dropped along with her bright smile. Both their mothers were getting out of their cars. If that wasn’t bad enough, they were looking right at their daughters and the keycard, that one in particular was waving carelessly.

“Eloise Clairie Munson! Lodi Dorice Bannett!”

“Oh no,”the girls said simultaneously.

It didn’t matter, though. Even with the grounding both girls got and the lectures they received; Ella couldn’t hold back her excitement for the future. Instead, she continued to dream about the Pods she had seen and the babies who were growing. Someday, I will be there, helping to continue the work of keeping humans alive.

If only she could have known sooner what exactly she might be a part of in the Labs…

* * *

Two years later…

For the last two years, Ella had tried to convince her mother to let her work as an intern for Dr. Isabella. She laid out her argument carefully, explaining that she wouldn’t be getting paid but would simply be sticking by the woman’s side, assisting in the care of the Pods and the Youngs, cleaning, organizing, counting, and keeping inventory. Just the basics. But Willa would still always end the discussion with a stern “No.”

Ella was never one to continue with a topic if her mother had answered with one of her dreadful nos. Instead, the girl would just go on with her life as if everything were fine. But something about working at the Labs always stuck with the enthusiastic girl. She wanted to do it more than anything. The only one Ella had to convince now was the woman who raised her.

Ella never understood, and she felt she never truly would understand, why her mother was so persistent in not letting her help around the Laboratory. Ella was nearing sixteen, and she thought she was old enough to know a thing or two about life. But there was something in her mother’s tone of voice that said that she wouldn’t grant Ella what she wanted.

One day as she was rushing around their home, Ella’s mother sighed, “I don’t understand you, Ella. I mean, there is nothing special about being a doctor up there. Why don’t you study to become a teacher, a botanist, or something like that?”

Standing off to the side crossing her arms to her chest, Ella simply shrugged. The girl couldn’t put a finger on why she wanted that one thing so badly. But ever since she was young, the girl had imagined working up in the tall, shiny building alongside her mother, watching the babies grow. Something about it mesmerized her. She wanted to be able to make life… to form life.

“A botanist? Mom, really?”

Not paying much attention to her, Willa continued to race around, trying to find her keys before she was late for work. The woman let out a small whoop as she snatched up her keychain and headed over to her daughter, who was watching her carefully. “Listen, all I know is you’re only fifteen… hardly sixteen. Enjoy being a kid while you can. Because, before you know it, you’ll be an old maid like me, having to tell her stubborn daughter to stop pestering her.”

With a smile, her mother pecked Ella’s check with her soft lips before saying her goodbyes and rushing out the door. As the girl watched her mother jump into their aged car, Ella wondered, What is the real reason she doesn’t want me up there? Why can’t she be happy that I want to be next to her up in the Labs?

* * *

Day… 740 of trying to convince my mom to let me work in the Labs. Ella laughed as she skipped down the perfectly paved black street, smiling giddily in the hot summer breeze. Today was the day. It was happening. Well, she hoped it was the day and that it was happening. Hopefully, it was happening. Maybe? Possibly?

“Ella!”

The blue-eyed girl whipped around sharply, smiling brightly as soon as she found her brunette friend rushing up to her.

“Lodi! Hey!”

Taking in deep breaths, Ella watched Lodi let out a loud laugh.

“Day 740, ain’t it?” Lodi questioned.

An eyeroll was her response. “You’ve been keeping track?”

Lodi moved her bangs out of her eyes, shrugging as she snagged a bright yellow dandelion from the grey sidewalk. “It’s not like ye tell me every single day that ye’re trying to convince yer mum. I mean, come on. Why not become a teacher or a—”

“I promise you, Lodi,” Ella stopped speaking, pointing her finger at her friend who was tearing pieces of the flower off and throwing them to the ground, “If you say I should become a botanist, I may actually go crazy.”

Lodi could barely hold back her laughter as she turned and continued, walking ahead of her friend. “Your mum is really persistent about ye becoming a botanist, huh?”

Letting out the longest groan she could, Ella twirled herself in a circle, throwing her hands up. “I don’t even know why that’s the thing she really wants me to do! I mean, for Pete’s sake, I hate plants! They make me itchy.”

A loud laugh sounded from Lodi as she threw down the stem that remained in her hands. “Well, ye could study to become an engineer, like me.”

Ella didn’t even respond to her friend. Everyone had tried to tell her what she should become. The girl had known for years upon years what she wanted to do. But, as always, the world had other plans for her.

* * *

“Access granted. Welcome, Dr. Munson.”

Ella smiled gleefully at Lodi who stood beside her, confused. How did she end up following Ella into a stupid situation? As she looked at the determined girl, Lodi saw her best friend—the truth teller, the teacher’s pet. But it was clear that even if Ella didn’t take many chances, she was changing before Lodi’s eyes, right into a woman who never gave up. One part of Lodi was proud of who her best friend was growing into; the other part feared for Ella because sometimes not giving up means you get hurt. That’s what she was afraid of.

As the two walked through the Laboratory, making sure to be quiet and keep their heads low, they finally came to the section where their mothers worked. Ella wanted to see if she could find any clues as to why her mother didn’t want her working there.

Sure enough, when they peaked their heads around the corner, they found the blonde and brunette women, their doppelganger mothers. They wore black and brown slacks, white blouses, and to complete their looks, their white lab coats.

“Can ye tell whit they’re sayin’?” Lodi whispered to Ella who was in front of her.

She squinted her eyes and tried to read their lips. Ella wanted to know if they were speaking about letting her work as an intern in the Labs. Maybe her mother wanted to say yes but also wanted Ms. Melissa’s advice?

Ella held in her groan. They’re too far away.

After a minute of watching them, her face went pale as soon as Dr. Melissa’s eyes landed upon her, and she immediately retracted her head from its outstretched position.

“Whit? Whit happened?”

Heart beating fast, Ella didn’t answer; she only squeezed her eyes shut and slammed a hand over her face. Why? Why did I look so long? I didn’t have to look that long.

“I knew this wasn’t a good idea. But whit dae ye say?” Lodi knew what had happened, and she was preparing herself to give the lecture of her life. “Tis okay. Thay won’t ever see us. Bit lookie whit happened now, Ms. I-wanna-be-a-doctor.” Her thick Scottish accent fell from her lips.

“Lodi. Ella.”

Both girls stopped breathing, and immediately, they knew they were in trouble. When they raised their eyes, they found the two women standing above them. No smiles. No sympathy. Only disappointment.

“Mom,” both girls chimed in, each referring to a different person.

As always, they got a lecture. Lodi didn’t even have to do it to Ella that time; she instead received one.

“We’ve told you both!” Willa exclaimed with anger filling her voice, all while the two teenage girls sat in the lobby chairs, their heads low as their mothers walked back and forth around each other. “This isn’t a place for two young girls.”

That caused Ella to tilt her head. She hadn’t ever heard her mom say that. What did that even mean?

“Why not?”

“What?” Willa stopped when she heard her daughter’s voice

Ella knew she should have kept her mouth shut, but she wanted to know.

“Why isn’t it a place for young girls to be? Why?”

Willa Munson looked at her daughter—she saw too much of herself in her—and glanced over to her friend. Melissa only shrugged.

“Are you serious?”

The girl nodded, taking a quick swat from Lodi, but Ella was feeling the need to ask her mother. Maybe they knew something they weren’t telling their daughters.

The mother with anger coursing through her veins bent down to the same level as the girl who narrowed her blue eyes on her. The two studied each other. “Eloise Munson, do not test me or question me. I am your mother, and what I say, goes.”

Ella knew what she had done was wrong, but instead of apologizing, she sat back and folded her arms as her mother leaned away.

As they waited a moment, Melissa looked down at the girls, knowing she had to give her input too. “I don’t even know how you girls got in here.” And there it was. Stopping her words, Melissa Bannett placed a hand over her face and sighed.

Seeing the way she held herself, Willa knew immediately what had happened. Her eyes shifted to her daughter’s hand. There it was: the lanyard hanging from her palm. Even more anger lit her sea-blue irises.

“Eloise Clairie Munson!”

The girl’s eyes widened at the mention of her full given name. Before Ella could react, Willa snatched the key card from her hands.

Why? Ella wanted to cry from the anger at herself. Why did I take it again?

“No more. No more of this.” Melissa shook her head at the two girls in front of her and Willa. “This cannot happen again.”

They both nodded, shame overtaking them.

“Now, go on. We will come up with a punishment for the two of you when we get home,” Dr. Melissa told the girls.

The two girls picked themselves up and began to walk out, but Ella suddenly flinched in pain as she felt a hand grip her arm and turn her sharply around to face none other than her mother, but the real pain came from the anger that dwelt in the woman’s eyes. She had never seen such disappointment in them. It tore her apart.

“I’ve trusted you with a lot, Ella. Too much in my opinion. But stealing my keycard and going behind my back, again… that’s unacceptable. And for that, as of right now, and as far as I am concerned, you will never work in the Laboratory. Do I make myself clear?”

With tears brimming in her eyes, the girl pulled her shoulder out of her mother’s grasp. The two stared at one another for a long moment.

“I just wish you would listen,” her mother sighed.

After that, Willa set her free to walk outside with Lodi. Her friend immediately sensed the depth of her hurt.

“Ella—”

“You know, all I wanted was to do something good. I’m not a bad person. I try to be good, and that just got me banned from Nouveau Monde Laboratory forever. I don’t know what I was thinking. I don’t take risks. I am not a risk taker.”

The two walked along the streets, silence filling the warm summer afternoon. Even with all the laughter from the children around them, neither girl could find the motivation to smile or wave back to the young girls who waved playfully to them as they passed. They walked for a good while before coming to their special place in the forest down by the stream where an old tire swing hung.

Hoisting herself onto the wooden plank that hung suspended by a sturdy rope from the branch of an ancient oak tree, Ella looked up. A squirrel scampered past above her and disappeared, chattering busily as it found refuge in a nearby hollow. Her mind drifted to the first time that she and Lodi had found this spot. They were eleven, and Lodi had convinced Ella to skip school, only to get into trouble in the end, but she had taken Ella to a spot, that spot, where they found that old tire swing. It reminded them of the ancient books that were at least a thousand years old. Okay, they were not that old, but the books were from long before their time.

There was something familiar about that place. It brought back memories that didn’t feel like Ella’s own. It was as if she could imagine a young girl back in the old days, laughing and enjoying life… all before the B.O.Y. Virus… all before the world went downhill. Little scenes would flash in front of her eyes, showing the pretty forest and the swing hanging there all alone. It only lasted a second or two before Ella would come back to reality.

Aside from the flashes, Ella loved it so much in the forest because even if no one in Nouveau Monde liked to think about life before The Great Uprising or the virus, that place had given the young girl some of it back. It gave her a taste of what life had been like when her third-great grandmother was her age.

A loud crack broke both girls out of their daydreaming. Their eyes darted up and around. Nothing had caught their vision, so maybe it had just been a bird or some kind of wildlife. But then another loud crack sounded, and both girls jumped up from their spots, glancing around cautiously.

“Lodi?”

“Shhh.” Lodi placed a finger up to her lips as she continued to study the woods around the stream. But surprisingly, there was nothing. Still nothing.

“Hm, I don’t know. Maybe it was just a—”

As if it all happened in slow motion, Ella heard a low BANG and watched as something small and sleek came whizzing past her and found its target in the side of her best friend’s neck. It was as small and as sharp as a toothpick, but it didn’t appear to draw blood. Lodi’s brown eyes suddenly rolled into the back of her head, and she fell with a sickening thud onto the hard forest floor.

Ella didn’t know what to do. She was frozen in her place, her focus on Lodi who was out cold. All the while, her ears strained to pinpoint the position of their attacker.

There wasn’t anything out of place from the songs of the birds or rustling of leaves. The forest was normal.

“Lodi?” Her voice finally came out shaky when she bent down to the young girl. “Please don’t be dead.” With a deep breath, Ella placed her pointer and middle finger on the side of the girl’s neck, hoping to feel a pulse. Once she felt the quick flutter of Lodi’s heartbeat, she let out a small sigh of relief.

“Please, don’t make a sound.”

Fear overtook Ella when the sudden voice from behind her broke the silence. She wanted to run, and not look back, but the girl couldn’t leave Lodi there. She wouldn’t ever forgive herself for making that decision. Ella had two options that popped into her head: try to dropkick the looney who was talking to her or just give up and face the danger head-on.

She went with the first option.

“Ah!” Her terrified cry preceded her movement as she nimbly picked her petite body up, turned around, and grabbed onto the body of the person who was now directly in front of her. She surprised even herself with how strong she had become at just a moment’s notice.

The person in the full bodysuit was unthinkably taller and bigger than herself. She used her forward momentum to knock the intruder off balance and down to the ground. After her brave stunt, she took in a deep breath, her eyes looming wide at the person who was now drenched in stream water. With the dark mask the person was wearing, Ella couldn’t tell who the attacker was. But from the lack of movement, she guessed that the person probably wasn’t conscious anymore.

As she brushed the hair away from her eyes, the girl turned back around to where Lodi still lay with hers closed. Ella had to get them both out of there before the Masked Attacker woke up.

Standing over her friend, Ella couldn’t help but see the peaceful expression that Lodi wore on her olive-toned face. In all the years of knowing Lodi, Ella hadn’t ever seen her look like that—her face was completely relaxed as if she had no cares or worries in the world.

Ella reached into her back pocket and took her phone out. Unlocking it, she quickly pressed the button with her mother’s name. The large screen lit up as the call began to go through.

“Yes, Ella?”

She still sounded mad, but Ella didn’t even care. Her heart was pounding with fear, and she needed to talk quickly.

“M-Mom, someone just attacked Lodi and me. I think the person shot her with a tranquilizing gun. She’s out cold, but we’re out by our spot down by the creek. Please, come help us before she wakes back up.”

Her mother didn’t answer for a long moment, and Ella feared that maybe she was so mad at her that she wouldn’t come to help them. But Ella knew their mothers wouldn’t leave them in trouble.

“Try to get Lodi behind a tree, out of sight. Keep your breathing quiet. Do not move.”

Ella tilted her head. Her mother didn’t sound afraid. Instead, she sounded as if she had known the Masked Attacker had been there all along.

“Mom, do you know something—?”

“Go to Lodi and get both of you behind a tree,” Ella’s mother demanded.

She didn’t hesitate to obey her. Ella could hear her mother’s breathing as she went over to her still unconscious friend. Grabbing Lodi under her arms, the girl dragged her as quietly as she could a few dozen feet away and crouched behind a thick, towering tree.

Slowly placing the phone back up to her ear, Ella managed to let out a shaky, “M-Mom?”

“We’re on our way, Sweetheart.”

Relief flooded her chest, but fear was still coursing through her veins as she began to hear the groans of the Masked Attacker from forty feet away.

“Ow.” The deep voice sounded funny to the girl. “No.”

She could hear shuffling, and it took everything in Ella to not turn around to see what the person was doing. A low buzzing sound stopped her.

“Hello? Hello, Captain? Are you there?”

More static sounded. No answer.

“Captain? Are you there? Come in?”

Seconds passed… still no answer.

“Come on,” the Masked Attacker hissed out in frustration. “Captain—”

“Channing? What is it?”

The young girl was confused. That voice, why does it sound so low? Deep, almost? It doesn’t sound like any woman’s voice I’ve ever heard.

“Yes, Captain. Um, well, I was spotted by two young girls. I tried to get them, but they got away. Copy?”

More static. Then the same deep voice from what Ella assumed came from a walkie talkie replied to the Masked Attacker.

“Well, it’s a loss, but we’ll gather more soon. In the meantime, head back to camp and don’t get caught by anyone else.”

The Masked Attacker answered, “Copy that, Captain.”

Just like that, with a small huff, the person rushed off back into the forest. leaving the girl holding her breath behind the thick oak tree.

“Ella? Lodi?”

Her heart nearly burst out of her chest when she heard their mothers’ voices. Ella’s eyes recognized the expression of fear on their faces as she scrambled quickly toward them.

“Mom? Ms. Melissa?”

The two women raced down the hill to reach their daughters, their own hearts and minds pounding with fear. Once they reached their girls, they helped them up. Lodi was still completely blacked out, and Ella was hardly in a better state.

While they drove home, the women tried their best to calm their children down. All the while, the Masked Attacker rushed through the old forest, hoping just to make it back to camp without another incident.

The Masked Attacker hadn’t wanted to be seen, but after stepping out right in front of the girls—a mistake that never should have happened—the soldier knew that the cover would be blown either way. After so many years of service with the AOC, blowing cover and having such a slow reaction time was unthinkable.

“Stop. Right. Where. You. Are.”

The Masked Attacker’s heart dropped at the sound of the woman’s voice, knowing exactly who it was.

“Turn around, you virus.”

The very word made the Masked Attacker’s stomach churn as anger rose up. Lies. All lies. Does she even know?

“Listen. I just want to make it back to my family.” The words came out calmly, despite the shaking legs and body.

Four women, including Dr. Theodore and Dr. Grey, came out from all different directions, the guards holding shocker guns to the Masked Attacker.

“What family? There is no way you can have a family. And you know it,” Dr. Isabella hissed at the Masked Attacker, an evil smirk etching up to her lips.

Even with a mask on, the solider made a disgusted face, pained by the all-too-familiar disdain. The City is still the same as it was nearly twenty-two years ago. None of them have changed.

“We told your people to stay away from us. We made a pact to keep the peace as long as you stayed in your territory and let us live our lives,” Dr. Isabella began, the smirk never leaving her face as she walked up to the taller person.

The Masked Attacker simply shrugged, knowing the terms the City and the Camps had agreed on, but everyone who was a part of the AOC rejected those orders. “Well, if it were up to me, we wouldn’t be. But this is my job, and I will protect anyone I’m assigned to.”

Dr. Isabella nodded, understanding. She placed on a fake smile, allowing the Masked Attacker to ease up just a bit.

“Who are you, soldier?”

“Why does that matter? You know that we aren’t allowed—”

“Who are you?” Dr. Isabella demanded, not wanting to ask again.

“You know, Isabella.”

That very answer stole breath from the doctor’s lungs. It’s him. After all these years, he has the audacity… Anger heated her chest.

“Ah, so I thought. But, you see, I couldn’t be sure.” She shook off the feeling of anger and walked closer to the Masked Attacker. “So, you have a family. A wife, of course. Some children. Tell me, are any of them… like you?”

That once again confused him. The Masked Attacker only lifted his own shocker-gun up to the woman, not wanting his captain to tell his family that he wouldn’t be coming home.

“If you mean, part of theAOC, then no. My sons aren’t.”

The woman fought to hold back her anger. The very man in front of her had ruined her life.

“And how old are they? I mean, how long have they survived out in your broken world?” Her smile faded into disgust.

He shook his head slowly, coming back from the thoughts about his family that hung over his mind. Lies and more lies. He wasn’t the enemy. It wasn’t anything but a lie. Apparently, the doctor had been programmed—brainwashed—to believe it too.

Trust in Me, Oliver. Do not act out in anger.

“Alright.” The soldier stood tall and cleared his throat. “Listen, I will leave in peace if you do not follow me nor try to kidnap me.”

He needed to get out of there. The woman in front of him, whom he had spoken with over the radio a few times and had even met in person long ago, had seemed kind at the time, but much time had passed since then. The man wasn’t about to try to have a conversation with her.

Smiling once again, Isabella looked down at her hands and shrugged. “You see, I’m afraid we can’t let you go. You have already seen too much. You should be glad those two young girls you tried to steal from us didn’t see your face, or they would be awfully confused.”

Rage instead of anger filled the Masked Attacker’s veins. Not being able to take it anymore, he placed a hand on his mask and pulled it up, revealing his masculine features. That alone was a mistake. His face was rugged. He had a squared jaw, clean shaven, with buzzed black hair and large, dazzling blue eyes.

It had been so long since she had seen a man. The Head Doctor didn’t know what to think. Yes, he was handsome, but something about seeing him face-to-face caused her chest to burn with rage. What Dr. Theodore saw before her eyes was a man, she had thought she would never see again. Yet, there he was. All those memories rushed back in like a door had been flung open in her mind, threatening to remind her of her youth. The woman had tried so hard to push those thoughts down into the deepest part of her mind. Without trying, she began to imagine what the woman whom she had been such good friends with at one time looked like now. She must have grown too.

The doctor stumbled back, catching herself before she showed any further signs of weakness.

“We don’t steal your people. We rescue them,” the man spit back, his eyes full of fire. “You keep a wall up around them, teaching them your own ways when there’s a whole world outside for them to explore. You know that better than anyone else. You know the lies aren’t true,
Isabella—”

“Enough!”

Silence flowed over the small group as the doctor yelled that single word from her mouth, hatred for the man dripping from her tongue. He used her first name as if they were friends who hadn’t seen each other in years.

“Enough. Now, take him back to the Laboratory.”

His eyes went wide, and for the first time in his life, he feared what would happen to him, but his fear was not just for his own safety. The man didn’t worry much about what they would do to him, but what his family would have to go through once he was gone. He wouldn’t let them keep him from his family.

Without thinking, the man grabbed his tranquilizer gun from his side, lifted it high while flickering it on, aiming and firing the darts at the four women. With good aim, he hit Dr. Grey and one of the guards, sending them to the forest floor before he turned and ran back toward the Camp.

Deep breath. Breathe. Just run,he commanded himself.

Thirty feet. That’s as far as he got before he felt a sharp pain of a stung-bullet burst through his suit into his left calf. With a loud yell, the man fell to the hard dirt ground.

Doing his best to turn his body, the man groaned in pain again. He reached for his walkie, but it was soon plucked from his fingers and tossed aside.

In the damp grass, the Head Doctor’s black boots pressed deep into the soil. She didn’t seem to mind; her thoughts were already racing with so much.

Dr. Theodore grabbed his tags from around his neck, frowning as her green eyes fell on the name etched clearly into the thin metal.

“Hm. Oliver Channing. What a simple name for an extraordinary man.” Isabella overexaggerated that word as she said it. “How is Ruth? And didn’t you have a sister and brother?”

Oliver glanced into the woman’s eyes, wanting to feel anger toward her, but instead, he began to feel pity. His wife had only wanted a new life when she left the City of Women. Isabella and Ruth had both seen things from their own point of view, and not understanding her friend’s motives, Isabella had become bitter toward her.

“Isabella, please. I know you’re angry, but please…”

“Angry?” The doctor looked over the tags a moment longer before reaching the walkie she had just thrown. She thought carefully of the words she would say to her old friend, Ruth. “Honestly, Oliver, I’m happy for you and Ruth, but I can’t look weak in front of my guards,” she whispered as the man watched her raise his walkie-talkie up to her lips.

The woman continued to think through every sentence she could say, a grin finally finding the corners of her mouth. For just a moment, Oliver thought he saw a look of guilt and pity for him in her green irises, but it soon washed away, and an evil grin took its place again. Every trace of pity disappeared.

Finding his chance, Oliver threw his tranquilizer-gun to the side and instead reached for his stung-gun, but just as he stretched out his fingers on the trigger, the doctor snatched it up and aimed the barrel at his shoulder.

“From a close distance like this, it will be sure to really knock one out. Will it not?” Finding the terror in his eyes, Isabella nodded to herself, pleased by her conquest and with the horror she had implanted into him.

“Isabella—”

“Doctor.” She raised her voice, anger lacing through it, “doctor to you, solider. Now, I really hate to do this, but…” With the walkie-talkie still in her hand, the doctor pulled the trigger of the gun, hitting the man first in his life detector so the AOC would see that his heartbeat had gone offline, and next, so he could watch her evil plan play out, the woman pressed the button on the walkie-talkie, speaking into it.

“Hello? Captain?”

There was a moment of static until another man’s voice came over the speaker:

“Isabella Theodore.”

“Hello, Old Friend.” The doctor spoke out, “I hate to say it, but your officer, Officer Channing, won’t be coming home tonight.”

Static buzzed over the radio. Oliver could only lower his head and close his eyes.

“Isabella…” The voice had more to say, but Dr. Theodore pressed the button to cut it short.

“Tell Ruth, Mae, Silas, and those kids that Auntie Isabella says hi.”

And with a click of the button, she turned the radio off, throwing it back onto the ground.

Before Dr. Theodore could shoot him, Oliver Channing fell back in pain from the shocker-bullet in his leg, igniting his muscles. Finally, the man’s head fell backwards. Please, Father. Let me go back home to my family, he prayed.

Oliver’s mind wandered back to the Camps, back to his beautiful wife and two sons. His boys’ faces flashed past his blue eyes. His wife’s dark brown ones looked right into his as she whispered a soft, “All in a hard day’s work. Isn’t that right, Ollie?” That was the last thing he heard before the memory faded and he blacked out.

1

-After-

Six months later…

Since the attack, Ella had stopped asking about the Labs. She had stopped pressing her mother for information Ella suspected she might have been keeping from her.

After everything that had happened, the young girl, who had big dreams, slowly let it go and, instead, was just glad that she and Lodi were both alive and alright. If her mother had secrets, then she must have a good reason for keeping them, right?

“Hey.”

Looking up from her laptop, Ella nodded to her best friend and smiled softly. Their birthday was coming up. They would both be turning sixteen in just two days.

“Hi.”

She went back to typing away on the silver keyboard she had gotten as an early birthday present. Since Ella needed one for her junior year in the fall, her mother told her she could have it as an early present to finish sophomore year. Willa had taken her to the store and told her to pick whichever one she wanted, and Ella had gone for the only laptop she had her eye on for months.

“Yer soooo lucky.” Lodi plopped down onto the girl’s daybed, the dark blue comforter crumpling under her touch. “My mum just gave me her old one from, like, when she was a teenager. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m really grateful, but I did not want tae be the only girl with a 22^nd-century laptop. Ancient.”

Ella moved the blonde strands of hair out of her face. She loved the Bannett girl who always knew how to make her laugh when she needed it. A smile etched itself onto Ella’s face, which was made even paler by the light from the computer screen. Out of everyone from their Pods, even their own mothers’, Lodi listened to Ella. She understood what the girl wanted and what she didn’t. From day one, the two had loved each other and called one another “Sister.” Well, technically, they were sisters. They were born from the same Pod group, on the same day, at the exact same time. They were sort of twins if you thought about it.

“My mum said, ‘Lodi, if ye want something, ye’ll need tae get a job and buy yer own things from noo on. Ye are nearing sixteen.’” The brunette girl switched to a deeper voice, using the much thicker Scottish accent that her third-great grandmother undoubtedly had.

That was another thing Ella loved about her friend; even if the accent wasn’t super strong all the time; it really came out whenever Lodi was joking or upset. Ella still loved it. It was refreshing to hear something so unique. Even though Lodi’s own mother didn’t really share the same accent, which was odd. It was as if it skipped a generation, going from the girl’s grandmother and straight over to Lodi.

“Well, we could both get a job down at the ice cream parlor. They’re hiring for the summer. I really need to start saving for college, like, now.”

Lodi let out a high-pitched laugh, breaking Ella’s concentration as she shifted her attention from the assignment to her friend. The brunette laid back with her head over the side of the bed.

“Was there a reason for that?”

Shrugging, Lodi answered, “Ye don’t need a job for college. Our mums have both started savings accounts for us. Actually, they started them on the day we were both born, so we are going to college debt-free!”

Ella’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head at the words of her friend. She was speechless. My mother has been saving money for college for me and she never said anything?

“Don’t be so surprised.” Lodi sprang up to her knees and pushed her friend playfully before stealing her phone to snap a few quick selfies.

But Ella was surprised. That was the first time she had ever heard anything about it.

“Anyways…” Lodi put the phone down, looking up to her friend through her long, brown eyelashes. “Some of the girls from our Pod were talkin’ about going tae theWall on our birthday—only the sixteen-year-olds. We’re going tae the very top tae look over.”

Ella’s heart dropped to her stomach at the very thought. She had been taught the history of the Wall when they were in fourth grade—how the world was a mess on the other side and that the walls protected them—but that wasn’t all. After the incident all those months ago, her mother sat her down, telling her how the Masked Attacker had gotten in. The Wall was to protect each one of them from the horrors and aftermath of the outside world after the virus and The Great Uprising. Plus, Ella didn’t know what she would see on the other side, so the very thought of standing on the tippy top of the four-hundred-foot-tall walls scared the girl senseless. What if they fell? What if they saw something they didn’t want to or shouldn’t see?

“I don’t know, Lodi.”

“Ohhhh, come onnnn!”

Ella laughed nervously as the brunette leaned her entire body on her.

“Ye’ll regret it if ye don’t.”

She knew that was the truth. But Ella wondered if regretting was half as bad as finding something she didn’t want to see.

“I’ll… think about it.”

Lodi nodded, accepting the fifty percent yes.

“Alright, well, I’ve gotta go. I have a fifteen-page essay due by…” The Bannett girl glanced down at her watch. Her olive skin turned completely pale once she realized what time it was. This only lasted a few seconds before she shrugged it off. “Twelve a.m. Great, six hours. Let’s go!” With a goodbye to Ella, the girl swooped out of the pretty grey and blue decorated room and walked outside.

Ella couldn’t help but laugh softly at her friend who had seemed to stick with her through thick and thin. You know, life can suck, but without Lodi, I think I may have gone insane a long time ago. After a moment of reflection, she went back to typing away on her new laptop.

* * *

The rest of the night consisted of Ella typing on her keyboard, trying to get her own essay done. As usual, she had started it the day it was assigned. She was now just editing it and making it look perfect.

“And… send.”

She watched as the little floating icon turned in a continuous circle until finally the word “Sent” popped up in green. Breathing a sigh of relief, the young girl fell back onto her bed, arms outstretched, and yawned.

“Yes!” she yelled out in excitement.

Ella did that every time. She never got a paper in late, even though she sometimes worked right up until the deadline. To her, it was winning no matter what.

“Ella?”

She picked her head up from her old dog-shaped pillow and yelled, “In here!” Her mother’s footsteps were headed up the old creaky stairs. Ella waited, not moving from her spot until her mother opened her bedroom door. The house itself was at least two hundred years old.

Willa had lived in it as a young girl, and even though they had renovated it to look a little newer, it was still old and creaky, memories of the Munson women from centuries before still lingered. But yes, the small home had housed Ella’s third-great grandmother, and Willa was proud to finally get to call it her own.

When the woman turned the knob and pushed the door open, she poked her blonde head inside and found a smiling Ella stretched out happily atop her comforter. From the way that her sweet girl was lying with her eyes closed and a content look upon her features, the woman automatically knew what had happened. Ella was just like her mother.

“Another essay?”

Ella still smiled brightly, excited over her accomplishments. Her head nodded.

“What was this one about?”  Willa walked fully into the room, settling on the edge of the girl’s bed.

Sitting up, Ella grinned, ready to tell her mother. “About how after the virus and The Great Uprising, the world fell, but women brought it back up. Now, here we are, living without men.”

As she explained this to her mother, Willa’s face held a small frown instead of a proud smile. She was, of course, proud of her daughter. But the topic—she hated that this was the one the girl’s teacher had picked for them. If only her daughter knew. That alone had guilt crawl up the woman’s face, flushing momentarily in a crimson heat.

“Mom?”

“Hm?”

Looking back up to her daughter, she smiled again but found a frown on her daughter’s face. Her emotions had betrayed her.

“What’s wrong?”

Willa shook her head, wishing to forget the sad thoughts that invaded her mind. The past is the past. No need to go back and worry about it. Moving forward is the best thing to do.

“Nothing. I’m proud of you. Like always.” She reached down, tickling her daughter, loving the soft giggle she received in response.

After a moment of silence, Ella finally brought up the question she had been itching to ask her mother all day.

“Hey, Mom?”

“Hey, Ella?”

As she began to pick at the dirt under her nails, the girl finally breathed out, “Do you have a college fund for me?”

Confused by her daughter’s words, Willa scrunched her light eyebrows together. “Yes, I do. How did you hear about it?”

Ella smiled. “Lodi.”

The name alone made Willa chuckled softly.  Just like her mother, Lodi Bannett was adventurous, free-willed, and outspoken. But overall, she was a good girl who would do anything for her friends. And so far, that’s what Lodi had done.

“Uh huh. I see. Well, as always, Lodi should keep some secrets to herself.” Both the woman and young girl laughed softly in the small room, their voices echoing off the walls like a videotape from the old days. “But yes. The day you girls were born, Aunt Melissa and I both decided to place some money aside each month for you two, so whenever you needed it, it would be there when you turned eighteen.”

Ella was amazed. She had always known that her mother loved her and wanted what was best for her, but to know that she had prepared for her future caused the girl to really see how much her mother truly cared about her.

“Ella dear?”

The girl tried to wipe the tears away, but they came in like waves.

“It’s just, I love you so much, and I want to say thank you.”

Willa’s own heart filled with happiness. She didn’t ever think much of it; it was her duty to take care of Ella, the girl who meant the world to her. She was hers to care for and to make sure she was set for the future. Willa Munson began to cry as she pulled her daughter in for a hug.

“Ella. I love you too.”

The two stayed like that for a long while. They would always need one another; they didn’t have anyone else in the world but each other. Willa’s own mother had disappeared some time ago when Willa was only eighteen. When she turned nineteen, she decided to become a doctor in the Laboratory. She started out as an Assistant to Dr. Isabella’s own mother. After a few years of helping with the hatching of Pods, she knew she wanted her own child… a baby girl, someone who would be her own and her best friend. That is exactly what she had received: a baby girl whom she had raised all on her own, Eloise.

Her name meant “Warrior,” and a warrior Ella had become in her own way. She was just like Willa: So very persistent to do what was needed; to do what was right. That was the reason why the woman was always so protective over her daughter. She feared that Ella would get into trouble just like her own mother had, and for the same reason. Her daughter was so much like her grandmother; she followed the rules and stayed out of trouble, but the young girl with blonde hair and vibrant blue eyes was also free-spirited when she needed to be. Ella felt things so very strongly, more strongly than most; she could see right through people, figuring them out after a minute of getting to know them. One of the main things that worried Willa was how her daughter set her mind to what she wanted, and the girl wouldn’t stop until it was hers.

That’s why Willa had to protect her—to keep her out of the harm’s way.

Most nights, Willa would stay up late, overthinking what may or may not happen to her daughter, yet the one thought that rushed through her restless mind most often was: What if she leaves me… or would that be so bad after all?

2

-Nouveau Monde-

Ella stood in the hallway of the large high school. Teen girls piled out of each classroom, books gathered in their hands or backpacks slung across their shoulders, each one either walking with friends or alone. She watched them, not minding if they gave her odd looks or simply ignored her. It didn’t matter to Ella. She studied each girl, taking in each one’s appearance, manner, and way of dressing and walking.

In the City of Nouveau Monde, there were two classes: the High-ups, who literally lived in the upper-town, and then the Low-downs, the ones who didn’t have as much; living on the more unexpensive side of the City. Ella and Lodi could really be classified as both the High-ups and the Low-downs.

You see, the Bannetts’ and Munsons’ ancestors were quite poor when they first came to the City of Women at the time that the virus took over, killing off every man who walked the Earth. Two hundred strong-willed women who had lost everything came together and built Nouveau Monde from the ground up. Over the radio, they told every woman and girl to come to the haven. With the losses of husbands, sons, brothers, and fathers, women were desperate to find a place to start over and to call home. They left the last of their memories and moved across the country to the only safe place that any knew existed. The Munsons and the Bannetts both came from nothing to the City. They had left behind all their memories and decided to start over. Even with no money, they lived wonderous lives inside of the Walls. Back then, there were no classes, but if there had been, then the two families would have been considered the Low-downs. This is, at least, the history Ella and Lodi were told, and most of it had gone into Ella’s essay.

Two centuries later, the two families had made a name for themselves even though they were normal women.

“Well, hello, Ms. Perfect.”

Ella adjusted her blue eyes as an unwelcoming set of green ones came into focus. Lacy Heart stared back at her with a sneer. Lacy was a High-up, and unfortunately, her attitude was not the best. The girl knew she had money and a comfortable place to call home. With that power, she treated others as if they were nothing but dirt. Even without the attitude, her appearance flaunted her wealth. She was a beautiful fifteen-year-old girl with hip-length, curly golden-brown hair and emerald, green eyes. She always wore name brand clothes, along with her signature high-heeled boots. Every girl swooned over her and compared herself to Lacy, but not Ella.

In Ella’s assessment, Lacy was full of greed and hatred and had a cold heart. The girls who stood by her side were not what Ella would call friends. They were more like pawns. They did everything that Lacy would tell them to do, and if they didn’t, Lacy would do unimaginable things to them. It was within her power to lower their families’ High-up positions. She could literally ruin their lives. That was the very reason Ella and Lodi stayed as far away from the girl as they could.

They wanted no part in what she did.

Ella nodded her head at Lacy and resumed her people-watching.

The High-up girl stopped suddenly, intrigued by Ella’s passive interest in the other students. For a moment, she let her own eyes take in the clusters of girls loitering in the halls of their large high school, but she only looked confused, not seeing anything worth paying attention to.

“Ella Munson.”

She just wanted to be left alone until Lodi appeared by her side, but knowing that it wouldn’t happen, Ella took in a heavy sigh and rolled her eyes reluctantly back to the ill-mannered girl in front of her and the three sidekicks following close behind their leader, looking both terrified and happy.

What lovely friends she has… scared for their very lives. Ella laughed to herself. “Yes, Lacy Heart?”

Pleased to hear her name finally rolling off the blonde’s tongue, Lacy straightened her back more and placed her hand on her hip.

“Did Lodi tell you about what we’re all planning to do tomorrow night?”

Ella was completely lost. She had barely slept the night before due to reasons unknown even to herself. Also, the two best friends talked about so much that Ella couldn’t keep up with much of it.

Lacy let out a very loud groan, clearly upset. “Ugh, you’re so ditsy sometimes!”

Her eyes went wide in astonishment at the way that the Heart girl spoke to her. Ella knew she could be mean, but that was just plain rude.

“Alright, well, what are you talking about?” Ella breathed out.

“The Wall, Ella. The Wall.”

At the very mention of the thing that stood between the broken outside world and themselves, Ella’s eyes went wide again. The conversation she and Lodi had had the last night all came back to her, and with it came the pounding of the young girl’s heart.

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

Ella nodded before turning and watching the students once more, most of them gone now that school had ended more than twenty minutes ago. She glanced down at the old watch on her wrist. The once-silver lining around its face was now turning a darkened color from all the years she had worn it.

Where is Lodi? She said ten minutes. It’s been twenty. Blinking back into reality quickly, the young girl flashed a fake smile at Lacy. “Listen, Lacy, I have somewhere I’ve gotta be.” It wasn’t technically a lie.“So, I have to go. Bye.”

Without giving the girl a chance to stop her, Ella turned around and started down the hallway, not waiting for her friend any longer. She picked her phone from her hoodie pocket, unlocked it, and tapped on Lodi’s picture all in one swift motion. It rang in her ear for a long minute… only to go straight to the voicemail.

“Hi! It’s Lodi… and Ella! Shhhh. Now, I can’t get to the phone in time, probably because I’m goin’ on some kind of amazin’ adventure. So, if ye wanna leave a verrryyy short message, then go on ahead. I can’t promise I’ll hear it though. Okay. BYEEEE!”

Hanging the phone up, Ella let out a small chuckle, remembering the time they both had recorded that message. It was in their special spot down by the creek when they were fourteen. It was funny though. She and Lodi had gone down to the old tire swing every day after school, but after what had happened, they hadn’t stepped a toe in the forest—both from their mothers telling them not to and from the fear that rose in their chests at the very thought of the green trees and the sound of running water. It wasn’t a pleasant place anymore.

“BOO!”

“AHHHH!”

A figure yelled and jumped out in front of Ella. Instinctively, she dropped her phone, balled up her fist, and jabbed it at the person who had spooked her. Ella’s fist made contact with the person’s stomach. The girl’s third-great grandmother, the one who had first come to Nouveau Monde, had brought old movies with her. The movies had been banned since they had men in them, which had seemed like an odd restriction. Wouldn’t women want their children to know of the past? But when Ella went through some old boxes, she had found one last DVD and a DVD player as well. She didn’t hesitate to play it, and when she did, the girl found a whole new world of men shooting taser guns, kicking, and swinging their arms and legs. It amazed her. So, naturally, as Ella watched the same movie repeatedly, she picked up the karate moves from the men on the screen, mastering them. She did it all, of course, without her mother knowing. It was one of the very few things Ella hadn’t told Willa.

“Ow! Whit in the world!?” The person who had attacked Ella lay on the ground curled up in a ball, her familiar Scottish accent giving her away.

“What in the world!?” She yelled the same words that her friend had just used. “You know you can’t just sneak up on me like that!”

Lodi finally picked herself up to a sitting position, and still holding onto her stomach, she slowly lifted her brown eyes up to her friend. “How and where in the City did ye learn tae punch like that?”

Ella relaxed back into her normal stance, her finger tracing a piece of her blonde hair behind her ears. All she could do was shrug her shoulders. Even Lodi didn’t know about the old movie, and as much as Ella felt bad about not telling her, she was also a little nervous her secret might get out somehow, and her last bit of the past would be taken right from her grasp.

“I don’t know.” Ella reached down, helping the brunette up as she blew her dark bangs away from her brown eyebrows. “You know I’m skittish.”

The taller girl nodded, groaning a bit still. “Yeah. No joke.”

Ella waited for her friend to take a few deep breaths. Lodi took her time, the pain still throbbing through her side. She couldn’t help but chuckle, wondering how the petite girl had managed to knock the air out of her.

“Alrighty, where are we off tae today?” She finally managed to question Ella as the two walked off school property. Ella only snorted, which was not so lady-like.

“You’re the one who usually tells me, not the other way around.”

The Bannett girl huffed out another breath. “Nope, I’m giving ye the opportunity tae dae something great today”

That was not how she had wanted to end the day—fully responsible for finding something fun to do. But, as Ella stood there, a thought popped into her mind—and a great one at that. Reaching over, she grabbed Lodi’s hand and began to drag her along.

“Oohhh! Ladies and…” Lodi stopped, thinking her sentence through, but she went on with it, “Gentlemen! She’s got an idea! Let’s just hope it’s a good one!”

“Oh, stop it!”

* * *

“No. No, no, no, no!”

“Oh, come on, Lodi!”

Looking up to the small ice cream parlor, Lodi continued to shake her head, regretting that she had given her friend the opportunity to find something interesting to do in the large city.

“This city is full of movie theaters, arcades, shopping malls, amusement parks, and way more! But what did ye decide tae bring me tae?”

“An ice cream parlor!” Ella clapped her hands together excitedly, walking a few more steps so she was standing under the shop’s hanging sign that read: Crème Glacée New Worlds. “And not just any ice cream parlor either! It’s the one we used to come to as kids!”

Lodi raised an eyebrow at her best friend, who was doing a cute little pose under the sign for the very popular ice cream place that both girls had gone to ever since they were little.

“Ella—”

“Now, I know you don’t want a job, but just think of being able to buy that nice, expensive laptop you have really been wanting.” Ella began to slowly drag Lodi, who tilted her head back and let out a very loud groan that made a few passersby shake their heads and eye the pair suspiciously.

“Please,” Lodi mumbled to them, nearly begging them, “She dragged me here, and now she’s forcing me tae get a job.”

Ella didn’t mind for one minute what her friend was saying. She was determined to get that job and work with Lodi. She had always dreamt of working alongside her best friend, just like their mothers did. If they couldn’t work in the Labs, well, this was the next best thing.

Once Ella finally coaxed Lodi inside, a little bell above them jingled just like it had when they were kids.

“Hi! Welcome to Crème Glacée New Worlds,where we make the ice cream fresh, and your dreams come true!” All four of the workers stopped what they were doing and looked up to greet their new customers, smiling brightly. Even the girl who was helping someone at the register paused to sing out the customary welcome.

Lodi protested, “No, not if I have tae do that every single time, two hundred times a day. I will not… I refuse.”

“Huh,” Ella breathed out, “I don’t remember that being so… annoying.”

Lodi nodded, taking ahold of the girl’s hand and dragging her toward the door of the parlor, but Ella escaped and turned back around, set on making her point.

“Ella.”

“Lodi, no! We are doing this, and we are going to enjoy it! Now, follow me.”

Lodi could feel her eyes roll to the back of her head, but nonetheless, she walked dutifully behind her best friend to the counter, where one of the four employees was stationed.

“Hello, welcome in!” The girl with thick black glasses beamed at the two customers.

Ella nodded back, smiling as brightly as she could. “Well, hi! We were wondering if you all are hiring.”

The girl’s smile grew ten times bigger, stretching her face into an almost pained expression.

“Oh, yes! We are always hiring here at Crème Glacée New Worlds!”

“Please, let’s go home. I would rather be tranquilized again,” Lodi whispered.

Ella simply swatted her away, focusing her attention on the girl who couldn’t be much older than the two of them. “Awesome! Where do we apply?”

The girl held a finger up before ducking behind the counter. She wore a hat with a smiling ice cream cone on, the cap bobbled around as she rustled through what sounded like a whole filing cabinet before she stood back up quickly, making both Ella and Lodi jump back a few inches in surprise.

“Here we have them!” The girl handed two pure white sheets of paper over to the best friends. “We have pens here if you wanna fill those out now… orrrr you can take them home and bring them back whenever you’d like!”

Ella nodded excitedly as she handed Lodi her own paper, which had the same smiling ice cream cone printed on the top. Lodi absentmindedly skimmed over the questions as the girl continued to chatter on about the details, “We have open interviews on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5-7 p.m., our manager will talk with you, and if you’re lucky,” the girl winked awkwardly at the two before exclaiming, “You’ll be hired on the spot!”

Ella continued to smile and hop in place excitedly while Lodi hung her head back, clearly exhausted by the whole ordeal. She knew her best friend had been wanting to get a job where the two could work together. But that? Of all jobs, why the ice cream parlor? They should have left that place in their childhood where it belonged.

Ella reached forward, shaking the girl’s hand roughly and squinting at her nametag, “Well, thank you for your help… Shaniqua!”

Shaniqua nodded, and once she got her hand back, she waved a few good times. “You two have a scoop-tacular day!”

Waving goodbye, Lodi finally forced a smile of her own and pushed her blonde friend out of the parlor. As the fresh air of Nouveau Monde washed over the two, the brunette let out a long breath. “Finally, it’s over!” she thought.

“Now, wasn’t that great?”

“Oh, the greatest.”

Ella wasn’t dumb; she knew Lodi hated the idea, but it was truly something she had always dreamt of—working every day right next to Lodi.

“You know, you could at least humor me and smile.”

Lodi pushed her playfully onto the sidewalk and flashed a lopsided smile.

“Alright, well since you hated my idea, what do you got?”

Even as she said those words, Ella regretted them. She knew Lodi would come through on her request, and her ideas were never risk-free. It usually ended in scrapes and bruises.

“Oh, I thought ye’d never ask.”

Ella grimaced as Lodi took ahold of her wrist and pulled her along the sidewalk this time.

“Please, whatever we do, let’s not get hurt!”

“No promises, young lassie!”

3

-Sweet Sixteen-

Ella’s eyes popped open with the bright sun streaming through her beige window curtains. Something felt off as she shifted a bit, scratching her tired face. She knew something was different about the day, and even herself. But… what was it?

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ELOISE!”

Her bright blue eyes darted from her little potted plant by her windowsill to her bedroom door in the direction of her mom’s yelling voice. Not long after, her old, creaky door was slammed open, and the next thing she saw was the smiling face of her mother.

Ella couldn’t contain her excitement as she slowly sat up, pulling her messy, knotted hair out of her face and into a lopsided bun. “Mom!”

Her mother pranced into her room with a small cardboard container placed neatly in her hands. On all four sides was the name of their local bakery, and on top was a clear film that allowed Ella to look inside at the yummy treat waiting to be devoured.

“This, my Dear, is for you and your special day!”

Ella moved her head as soon as her mother sat down next to her on the bed, gasping into her hands at what lay inside: a beautifully decorated tiny cake. It was frosted with pink buttercream frosting, and around the edges were white trims of cute little blue and yellow flowers on each corner. In the middle, a sweet note read: Happy 16^th Birthday, Eloise!

Ella had never seen such a cute, yet beautiful cake in all her years! She was in love with it, and the very thought of eating even a bite of the dessert saddened her heart.

“Mom,” she breathed out, barely able to say a word from how amazed she was. “It’s so beautiful!”

Willa watched her daughter with a soft smile, her heart-warming at the girl’s reaction to the cake she had designed for her weeks before.

“Awe, I’m so glad you like it! See, it’s strawberry cake because I know you don’t like vanilla, and chocolate can get boring.” Ella could only nod, smiling even wider.

“Thank you, Mom.”

A soft kiss on her forehead was the sixteen-year-old’s answer from the doctor.

“I hope today is the best day ever, Sweetie.”

Ella could only hope for the same thing. But, of course, the thought of the Walland standing on top looking down popped into her mind. It terrified her so much that her birthday wasn’t even the first thing on her mind anymore.

* * *

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAE US!” Lodi jumped up into the air, her arms outstretched and her face so bright that it could possibly light the entirety of Nouveau Monde. The brunette girl bounced a few more times before she rushed up to her best friend and wrapped her arms around the blonde’s body, squeezing Ella until she could hardly breathe. The poor girl couldn’t even move enough to pat Lodi on the back to tell her that no air was left in her lungs. She had to wait a few extra seconds before Lodi released her.

“Ah! I cannot believe we made it!”

Still trying to get her breath back, Ella could only wheeze out an answer.

“I can! And I’m glad we did!”

Lodi nodded and smiled as the two walked a bit, doing a little twirl with excitement. “I mean, yeah, but considering I got shot only six months ago by whoever was under that mask… that still confuses me.”

Ella had heard Lodi go over that same story repeatedly trying to figure out who the Masked Attacker was, why the person was trying to kidnap both girls, and how the attacker could have gotten through the gate. Ella knew her friend was persistent, and that’s why she couldn’t let it go until she knew the truth. But it did get old pretty quickly. After the first hundred times of hearing the same questions and scenarios over and over, it got old.

“I mean, I know there’s the gate, but the guards guard it, and it’s nearly impossible tae get through. So, they would have tae go over. But that’s about four hundred feet high. So, how—”

“Lodi.” Ella placed her hands on each of her shoulders, staring into her best friend’s brown irises. “No thinking of how today. Let’s just enjoy being sixteen. It’s just for today, and as soon as it’s midnight, you can call me, and we can stay up till the sun wakes up and talk all about it. How does that sound?”

The Bannett girl thought it over, and as much as she wanted to talk about it right then, she let out a breath instead, causing her bangs to fly up from her face and fall into a mess on her forehead.

“Fine. Fineeee. We’ll do it yer wey.”

Ella nodded in victory, happy that the discussion was over.

Turning back to Ella, Lodi looped arms with the blonde, dragging her onto the sidewalk, the two skipping like they had done as young girls.

“So, you still haven’t answered me about the whole ‘climbing the Wall’ thing.”

Ella squeezed her eyes shut, trusting her friend to continue to guide her on the sidewalk so she wouldn’t accidentally walk into the street. She had tried so hard all morning to push the thought of the Wall into the very back of her mind. The girl had hoped that Lodi would just forget about the whole thing.

How silly of her, really. Ella knew that once her best friend had an idea, she stuck to it and wouldn’t give it up.

“I know ye’re afraid of heights, but it’ll be so beautiful, especially after dark.”

At this new information, Ella’s eyes popped open. After dark!? No one said it was going to be dark out!

“Dark? After dark?”

Lodi was oblivious to her friend’s newfound fear and continued to skip slowly, her bright smile never leaving her lips.

“Yup! How beautiful, am I right?”

“Uh huh.” Ella gulped down the lump in her throat. She was not afraid of most things, but heights were among the very few things that shook her to her core. She could barely climb a ten-foot tree when she was a child, let alone a four-hundred-foot-tall wall. The Wall. What if they got caught? What if one of them leaned over a little too far, or lost her balance?

Ella wanted to shake her head. No, no I’m not doing it.

“The lights from the City will be so bright and mesmerizin’ from that high up. We’ll be able tae see the Laboratory. The Ferris Wheel. Ummmm. I don’t know what other building’ we have here, but from up there, we’ll be able to see ‘em all.”

Oh no, that high?

“So, whit de ye say, old pal?”

Ella knew what she wanted to say: I say… I would rather be on the ground, in my bed, drinking hot cocoa than standing up there. But she couldn’t do that to Lodi. She couldn’t just let her best friend go up there without her. No, Ella had to face her fears—like the sixteen-year-old she had just become.

“I mean, YOLO. Right?”

Lodi was so stunned at Ella’s answer. She stopped abruptly in the middle of the sidewalk, making a young girl who couldn’t have been older than ten bump into them from behind. She didn’t even notice how the young redhead carrying an armful of books gave them both a dirty look. Lodi Bannett was much too shocked.

“Wait, ye’re not jokin’?”

I wish I was. She shook her head, her stomach turning more with each second. “Nope, I’m doing this thing with you whether you like it or not.” I don’t like it.

Lodi stood still. Her face drooped, expressionless. She looked as if she could be a statue, making Ella wonder what she was doing until her mouth slowly began to lift back into a smile. After another second, Lodi jumped up into the air, pumping her fist. The sudden action caused Ella’s hand to fly up to her chest, her heart skipping a beat.

“Yes! Did everyone hear that!? My best friend is better than yers!”

Ella tried to contain her laughter.

“Okay, okay. Enough of that. This is supposed to be a secret. Right?”

As if she were just remembering, Lodi slammed both of her hands over her mouth and took a quick look to the left and right to see if anyone was watching them.

“Alright, that’s what I thought.”

The brunette quickly recovered from her embarrassment and locked arms with her friend once again. As they strolled right back down the sidewalk, Ella kept her face turned toward the ground. No smile etched itself onto her fair features. She couldn’t help it; the girl was more terrified than she had ever been in her whole life. But Ella made a pact with herself to, number 1: face her fears, and number 2: never let Lodi do something on her own. She would always stick by her side, even if what they were about to do was breath-taking and life-threatening. The two girls had been through so much; they would do everything else together, right by one another’s side, whether it be the best thing of their lives, or the hardest thing. Always and forever, it was Ella and Lodi.

* * *

“Well, hey, there.”

Ella opened their front door and walked in slowly, stopping as soon as she stepped on one of the creaky floorboards in their old house. Her mother’s cheerful voice rang out through the echoing hallways. The blonde knew she had to confront her; she had to make it seem like her stomach wasn’t dragging on the floor with dread.

“Hi, Mom.” Ella finally walked around the corner to where she found her mother sitting at the kitchen table, typing away at her laptop, her glasses perched on the tip of her nose. “What’s up?”

Hearing the tone of her daughter’s voice, Willa Munson moved her metal-lined frames to the top of her head and eyed the nervous-looking blonde. The girl lied very rarely, but when she did, Willa always knew immediately that something was wrong. All mothers do. She could sense that Ella was keeping something from her, just like that old action movie. Yes, she knew about that too.

“Ella.”

Slowly, she moved farther into the kitchen and nodded awkwardly, an odd smile hanging lopsidedly on her lips.

“What’s up with you?” The doctor raised her eyebrows.

Shoot, she’s catching on. “Um, oh, you know. I’m just changing into some more comfy clothes for the night. It’s gonna be chilly, and I need to grab my old hoodie.”

Willa put on a painful smile, cringing at her daughter’s horrible attempt to come up with a lie on the spot.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Uh huh, now, if you would please excuse me—”

Just as she started to head up the stairs leading to her room, Willa stood from her spot and stepped into the archway.

“Eloise.”

Ella cringed. Oh no, not the full name… I was so close.

“Yeah?”

“Listen,” Her mother began, leaning her body on the doorframe, “I know you’re up to something, and you know you can tell me anything. Since you are now sixteen, I won’t stop you as much as I have.”

“Does that mean I can come work at the Laboratory with you and Aunt Melissa?” Ella came off the last step and smiled a bright, hopeful smile. It soon faded when she found the look on her mother’s face.

Ella shrugged. It was a long shot. I know that. But I had to try.

“Just please, tell me what you’re doing.”

Ella let out a long sigh, running her hands over her tired face. She had to get it off her chest and tell the woman.

“Some of the girls from our Pod are going to the Wall tonight, after dark, and we’re going to um… climb to the top and look over.”

Willa’s face drained of color at the very thought. Her daughter was about to go climb the four-hundred-foot Wall? After dark? Ella was terrified of heights, and Willa surely didn’t want her to see what was on the other side of the Wall, not yet at least. No, she hated the very idea.

“But, why? Why not go ride a roller coaster or something?”

Ella let out a sigh of relief. Her mother understood her fear just as much as she did. She wasn’t mad at her this time, just skeptical of the very idea of what the young girls were up to.

“Okay, exactly!”

The woman’s head shot backwards at Ella’s response. She doesn’t want to do it? Then why—Willa stopped her thoughts before she could finish them. She’s doing it for Lodi. The mother smiled at the thought. That’s what best friends are for.

“Lodi?”

Ella nodded, her eyes dropping down to the hardwood flooring. Her heart pounded so hard in her chest that she wondered if her mother could see it through her shirt. Silence followed as Willa tried to think of something to say both to calm her daughter and to convince her not to go up there. Ella only tapped her foot quietly as the fear continued to crawl beneath her skin. Her thoughts were so loud that they seemed to knock on her mind’s door.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. I find it to be a very silly idea.” Willa breathed out, knowing the next thing she was about to say wasn’t meant to discourage her daughter from going. It would have to be her decision, not Willa’s. “But I cannot stop you from doing everything. You are sixteen now and a big girl. I know you need to go with Lodi, but I don’t like it, not one bit. Just… please, I know you want to do everything for your friend, and I love that about you. Sometimes, though, you can’t do everything with her. You have to stand your ground.”

Ella finally looked up from the floor and found her mother’s eyes. The matching blue pair were filled with the same fear and horror she knew were in her own. But for the first time in a long time, Ella found trust in them. She trusted her to do the right thing, but also, her mother trusted her to be safe. If she were to do it that night, then Ella would be safe.

“Thank you, Mom.” The girl moved over to the woman and wrapped her arms around her. “I’ll be safe and smart.”

She placed her hand on her sweet girl’s head, stroking her hair like she used to when she was a young child. Memories of all those years of watching her sweet Eloise Clairie Munson grow up filled her mind: making pancakes for her and pushing her on the swing; teaching her how to ride a bike; the late nights they spent talking, eating popcorn, and watching movies; and the first time she held her daughter in her arms and saw that sweet little face cooing up to her with those bright blue eyes. It all flashed in front of the mother’s mind in those few moments.

Willa had to let Ella grow up, but she felt like she couldn’t. It was the hardest thing for a mother to do.

The woman thoughtfully stroked her daughter’s head, tucking a loose section of blonde hair behind the girl’s ear so that it was out of Ella’s face. Willa nodded, knowing her daughter would do as she promised. “Keep an eye on your friend and all those girls for me. Alright?”

Moving back to the stairs, Ella smiled, nodding before she rushed up the carpeted flooring. All the while, the doctor stood where she was. She closed her eyes tightly and ran a hand over her face.

After all those years, she still couldn’t protect her precious baby from what she had been for sixteen years. The very reason Willa hadn’t wanted her to work in the Labs was about to be revealed to Ella’s childlike eyes, little by little. She was about to be stripped of what she thought she knew, and instead, the real truth—the raw truth would come pouring out.

The only question Willa had was this: Would Ella hate her, or would she understand?

TO BE CONTINUED.