I step out of the shower, sopping wet but burning all the same. I use the white towel to muffle the cries. There isn't anything I can do to hide them now. I can no longer hide the marks engraved into my body in no particular pattern. The marks have been there since yesterday. They look like they've been branded into the very bottom layers of my skin with an intricately shaped wand. I know what happens now. Before, I was a ticking time bomb, endangering anyone who came close enough to breathe the air I have exhaled. Anyone close enough to reach a hand out to help, then see they can do nothing. The walls shake and I scream not caring if my family hears me. My mother will come in, looking for me. She will know what has happened and she will never see me again. I throw on the long sleeved shirt and my pants that I chose to wear before I took the shower. The engravings in my flesh emit a light so bright, I can no longer look. I shut my eyes as tight as I can but the light seeps under my heavily closed eyelids and into my darkness starved pupils. And from this, I sink into a deep unconsciousness.

 "In the dark of the Earth, each child is chosen

The second child of the Earth born is the one who decides

The decision will be made that decides the fate

Only the few remain in the world of great

A limit of population is set

All will be lost at the touch of the child if the choice to exist is     chosen over the loss of one's soul for the remnants of others

If the second child  can meet the impossible of the limits of the population, the decision does not have to be made."

The words repeated over and over until the blur of words gathered in my brain then settled in amongst my heart. It was dark in my mind for the small fragments of a second and I could then only hear the rapid beating of my heart.

Thump Thump

Thump Thump

Thump...

My eyes shot open. The beat of my heart was steady now. I'm in... in a bed. My confusion starts at my fingertips. The silken sheets and the cotton feel of the blankets placed so neatly under me stuns my thoughts for just a moment. Why has the bed been made? And a more likely question is where am I? My mother and father had not told me what would happen after I was chosen. If I was chosen. But chosen for what? So many questions and each one demanding to be answered more violently the one before it. I rose up, startling reinvigorated. My bones electrified with the encouragement to find... to find... what? My energy was determined to be focused upon finding something. People! That's what I needed to find. More humans, or whatever inhabited this strange world. I raged across the room. The door was locked, and then I realized I hadn't observed this new environment. I glanced around the room. The bed, I realize now, was four poster, and the blankets were a robin's egg blue, but had a disorderly feel since I had angrily tossed them aside. The wood that had composed the frame was a dark burgundy and the bed sheets were dark blue, lighter than navy but darker than a deep denim. I glanced down and saw that my shirt was robin's egg blue, my deep denim jeans, and burgundy patterned socks were a stunning match to the bed. I stole a look to the left and saw a window which's blinds were a chocolate brown... the exact color of my eyes. I hurriedly looked right and there was a table with a lamp that gave out only a dull light. I walked over to the table and saw a note attached. The note read "Gone shoe shopping. You're size 9 1/2 right? Yeah, I know you don't have your shoes here, and I'll hurry because you have a prophecy to fulfill, blah blah blah, right? So many questions that you have, sweet cheeks, and I can't answer squat. Sorry.

-Ian"

Who was this "Ian" guy? And how did he know so much but so little at the same time? I sprinted over to the window and peeked through the blinds. A nice paved road led through a forest and walking down the road was a boy, no older than I, I'm assuming about 25, my age. His hair had a brownish reddish tint to it, but an overall auburn color. His eyes were chocolate brown and heavy by the weight of something on the inside. His clothes matched the same color as mine. And he was carrying a lightly colored cardboard shoebox with him, tucked under his right arm. He was entering the room now as it seemed to be the only room in the house, if you could call it a house. "Heyo!" Ian said, rather profusely. He had said one word but the sass in his movements made me almost fall over. "What, cat got your tongue?" He asked me. I searched for the right words. "Um.. uh.. No. Just... Ok, hold on. So you know my shoe size, our outfits are color coordinated with this room, I have no idea where I am, and you're just magically the cutest boy I have ever seen?" "Yep, yep, same, and why thank you!" Ian glamoured in my words with a glowing positivity. "Take a seat." he said, pulling out a chair I hadn't noticed. "I have a LOT to explain to you."

“Hell yeah, you have a lot to explain.” I said, more violently than I had hoped. He handed me the shoe box and I opened it to reveal a pair of grey tennis shoes. The shoe box held a note that said ”One more. Wait for them.” I wasn’t quite sure what to do now. I handed him the note and told him “Well do you know what THIS means?” “Hey now don’t get all fussy with me.” Ian said with a glint of frustration in his voice, showing he really did have a lot to explain. “Listen. I can tell you aren’t stupid. You’re eyes tell me that. Your eyes tell me everything. So you’ve obviously realized that I’M Ian. What’s you’re name?” He reached out his hand as if this were a formal business meeting and we were about to exchange a deal. I took it gracefully and shook it firmly. “I’m C-Claira.” I said. “So C-Claira, now your eyes tell me that I’ve confused you more. Okay, let’s begin. So, I know exactly what just happened to you, how you’re feeling, because the same thing happened to me.” He took off his shirt to reveal the same discrete markings embroidered into his flesh. Only they looked more like scars now. He stared at me, as if this was totally normal. “Let me guess, since you’re a chick, you probably got all embarrassed when the transformation happened. What, were you having a slumber party with all your girlfriends when fate knocked on your door? Did you spill nail polish all over the carpet?” Ian mocked. “No, I was taking a shower.” I replied. I reached up to my hair and felt it was entirely dry. So was the rest of my body. “Lucky. I was at school. Ambulance got called and everything. They thought I was having a seizure. Disappeared right in the emergency car. I would have killed to see how the medical responders explained that!” I would have believed him. “So explain to me then. What’s happening?” I said meekly. “So you had the unfortunate chance to get selected for the prophecy. Well. I can work with that, seeing as you’re cute and all. So a long time ago, this old dude, I mean REALLY old dude, went to bed one night and his dreams created this world. This world is part of the future. As of now, if we went back to Earth, Every single living creature is dead, plant, animal, human, bacteria. He’s sleeping in a cave somewhere about to wake up and Hope is like a little three year old that needs to be taken care of, nurtured. When he wakes up, hope dies. If hope dies, it no longer exists anywhere in the universe. Gone. Poof. We have about two years this time, two days his time, to walk a whole world to his cave and kill him. That’s right, we have to walk across a planet, to kill the man by raising hope, keep hope living, and fulfill the prophecy. So far, I am the only other person in the world. And the prophecy states that you are the second of the Earth born, the most important, so you make the decision, or whatever it is. You were chosen because you have some talent, some specialty that is required for the the prophecy. I do too, I just have no idea what it is yet! So Miss Boss,  what do we do?”