A Dystopians Story: Book one The Jump

How I got here isn't important, why isn't either, only the people I hurt on my way do. My name is Eve and I'm the reason the king is dead, I'm the reason my sister is dead, and I'm the reason my country is dying.

Everything started with a letter.

It was an acceptance letter to the head learning center for 13s-19s. I had applied the fall before when my public 6-16’s learning center passed the applications out hoping one of us would pass the exam and win a 1000 coin prize for the center. So imagine my surprise when the town mail came, and i got a letter.

Running home with it I passed my sister and her friends who were only in their second year. They giggled as I passed and my sister Annabelle ruffling her hair in a caring way.

"What's the rush?" She said as I ran past, waving the letter I puffed out

"It came!"

Understanding flashes in her eyes and she sprinted to catch up "wait, I want to know what it says to"

Yelling a mumbled good by at her friends she tried to keep up but I beat her to the house in no time pushing our old oak door open with my shoulder.

"Mum!" I yelled  trying to find her

"In here" her voice floated to me from the kitchen and I kicked off my shoes and walked to the kitchen just as my sister pushed through the door huffing and puffing worse than myself.

Smiling at Annabelle I walked past the living room and into our kitchen.

By no means are we rich but were not poor either when my father left us he gave us a small fortune and we have payed our taxes with it for most of my life. 

"Eve?" She asked curiously "how was your day hun?"

I was about to speak when Annabella came running in and grabbed my letter holding it above her head "it's here it's here it really came!" She squealed with delight, glaring at her I looked up to see what my mothers reaction was. 

Her eyes were lit up with a type of curiosity that I had only ever seen in my sisters eyes.

"Mom?" I asked holding the letter with both hands in front of me.

"Open it", "please" she added almost as an after thought.

Looking down at the envvelope I carefully flipped it over and pushed at the deep red seal that marked it as a royal letter a little confused I read.

"Dear, Ms.Everlyn Crystal 
Your have shown an aptitude for swordsmanship, nursing, speaking, history and many others. Due to your unusual results you will be send to the royal learning Center and be given the title of noble."

Choking on the last part I paused looking up at the faces of my family. Annabelle had only just started to learn titles so she ruffled through her bag finally finding her page of titles. 

When she found noble she gasped "Eve" she whispered straightening the page in front of me with both hands, looking up at me she started to speak again "your way up here" she gasped again.

In our world you have the lowest who we just refer to as scum, you have the lower class who we call the underlings, you have the middle who are called the peasants, an then you have the nobles who were the wealthiest and only one step below the King, Queen, and their children. The nobles were a very controlled population, but on occasion a new one was made... I was that occasion.

Clearing my throat I continued for the sake of my mother and sister.

"In one years time you will be matched to a noble and given the choice of staying in the residency on campus or living with the family."

I already knew I would be matched but this upset me still because I had always hoped to be matched to Will my best friend and first kiss. But because of this it would never happen, I sighed and kept going.

"Lastly you will be retrieved in one rotation of days so you may finish you schooling and graduate from your local Center, please only pack what you wish to keep, you clothing will not be kept there will be things waiting for you.
Sincerely, The Center Of Learning"

The last part was a whisper and everything was getting a little blurry and I realized I was crying. Annabelle came over to hug me and I held onto her as tight as I could realizing to soon this would be gone...

That night I skipped dinner heading straight for bed waiting until the moon was high in the night sky to slip out my window.

I walked into town past my friends houses, past the closed up street vendors all the way to the cliff that over looked the sea.
When I was 10 the boys came here at midnight and jumped from this cliff to prove how brave they were... A boy named Danny didn't make it. After that the rail went up and no one under 12 was allowed here without parents but every year me and my friends would come here and jump, if not for the rush but to remember. Danny had only been 7 he had tagged along with his older brothers and had wanted to jump so bad. We all said no but just as we were drying off he jumped, no one saw it coming and it threw the world out of whack for almost a whole year. One of his brothers was Will and it ruined him.

Leaning over the rail I felt the familiar spray of mist that people claimed could be copied by the best technology simulation, not that I believed it. Closing my eyes I leaned further trying to catch that weightless feeling without jumping. Sighing I opened my eyes, not good enough. 

Taking off my socks, t-shirt, and raggedy sweatpants I climbed over the rail. The wind was no longer snapped at my clothing and everything was so much more intense, looking down at the waves I wondered again how Danny had ever gotten past us all.

Edging forward I felt the loose rocks slippery with allege and ocean spray move slightly beneath me. Keeping going until I had both feet half on half off the edge and my back was no longer touching the rail.

Closing my eyes I decided that this was enough, moving one arm to grab the rail behind me I opened my eyes. Wrong choice, with out me noticing rain had started to fall and the first streak of lightning flashed just as I turned, thunder roared high in the sky and in that moment I slipped, just for one second I got what I had been trying to feel all night, alive.

My mom once told me that the hardest part of life was the jump, and after that there was nothing to do but fall.

Now I understood.

Even if it only lasts seconds it feels like your whole world is on fire.