Chapter 1: Left and Right

In a world where people could only countdown every second to their last breath, lost in hope as they watch the once green earth burn down to the ground with a crisp fog of flames. Detached from the world that spun perpetually, every life and soul struggled to hold onto the little bit of sanity that evaporated with the smoke of the burning houses that once held the happiness and joy of a happy couple and a loving family.

Years have gone by since the last creation of ancient technology, the streets that littered with glowing lights now cried in silence, the air thick and atmosphere morbid consumed the city streets that used to bloom with life and energy. The skies have turned to an icy shade of violet, gray clouds of sickening gas resonating through the air.

"In the future, the world would be a better place. Technology would overthrow humans and everyone would have longer lifespans." Someone once said.

Funny.

The so-called 'Technology' that everyone trusted, believed and depended on was unable to protect us from the rising population of humans. It was only for a few decades that the Artificial Intelligence was able to withstand medical mysteries that humans could not solve, saving more than thousands of individuals across the globe.

However, that did not last.

The new technology called the 'Mars Invasion', built to one day surpass humans, and help the earth to restore it back to its original glory had failed. It was only able to cover less than fifteen percent of the population that continued to rise by the second. Eventually, the inventors took another route with the 'Mars Invasion', and the field of technology had started to shut down one by one.

With time, people with the highest status had decided to separate themselves from the poor or middle-class, survival being the only option to the earth falling apart. Like that the cities had split into two, 'The Golden Age' and 'The Depths'.

To the left was 'The Depths'. A family fighting each and every day to find a small sheltered place to withstand the cold nights and scorching days that burned your skin from not only the piercing sunlight but the radiation that roamed freely in the air.

A young girl clutched hard at her coal-blackened doll that had turned to nothing but a torn rag, waiting silently by her mother's side. Her once sun-kissed face turned pale and hollow from starvation, of the number of nights that they couldn't quite count.

The two quivered from something that they dared not to question, as tears and sweat beaded on their face and rolled down their ash covered skin. Six days since the head of their family left for more supplies with the two sons, and six days since the two had a meal consisting of two pieces of stale bread that the youngest son managed to steal from a nearby convenience store, that had broken down from a sudden explosion.

With every minute, the young girl's throat dried in anticipation, eyes swollen and shut as she nuzzled in closer to her mother's warmth. The very last spark of hope had been long gone as they dreamt to live for just,-- just one more minute.

The sun had started to set, hiding behind the clouds of artificial gas that felt like sizzling poison to their lungs and constant fumes from burning buildings, the mother whispered to the young girl as she hugged her tight in her thin arms that barely made up to survival. Her boney pale fingers tangled in the young girl's hair, each finger dancing as she felt each strand between the nerves of her fingertips.

The girl was still so young, violated and corrupted since her early childhood by a fairy tale wrapped by a horrendous tragedy that consumed the little sparks that gleamed the child to live. Each night the woman would cradle her little princess in her arms, singing sweet melodic lullabies in hopes that it would make up at least a small portion of the suffering that she had to go through the day. It had always pained the mother to see her young girl growing up with no future, yet she smiled at her child who would push herself to the boundaries to not let anybody down.

Kissing her girl goodnight, the mother laying her child down that once were pressed securely on her body, warmth spread through her palms as she ever so lightly like a feather, massaged the girl's back as she slept. Sitting by her daughter, she watched the sunset as another day passed, a hooded figure, a shadow limped its way towards the two. The figure was slow, it's left leg dragging on the rough grounds of concrete and cement, the sound of his breath wheezing echoed with every step.

The other tilted its head towards one side and the mother's eye flashed, taking a solid minute sink in who she thought that was. A habit that the other hand when they walked caught the mother's eyes and instantly she recognized who he was. She dashed out towards the small figure, arms wide open to hug the other in a tight embrace. Her voice dry as she cried out towards the younger that lifted his head perplexed, his emotions rising as his brown orbs connected with the mother's, her voice distant yet so close. Without a second of hesitation, she embraced the younger in a tight hold, afraid that he would fly away in an instant.

The boy melted into the mother's embrace as tears traced down, he let out an unsettling breath of air as he fought hard to find it in his strength to talk, his voice muffled by sobs of guilt and regret. He wanted to be strong, he can't cry yet he felt her reassuring scent absorb into him as he left out a hitched breath.

The mother cooed in response trying hard to reassure the other, yet she herself did not know the reason why the other was crying. Her boy, her sweet boy that never gave up, strong and fearless, crying as he whimpered in his mother's embrace. He looked so young, like a child who had lost something so dear to him, he reminded her of when he had just turned five years old. She shushed him as her hands drew circles on his back, he had always been so small, but now he had grown up so big.

Wanting nothing but to know why her dear boy had shown up alone, tears brimming his eyes and injured body without proper care, she wiped her hands clean on one side of her overstretched dress, before cupping his face to meet his eyes. She gazed at him, her mind perplexed as she watched his lips quiver and open and close to stay something, only to find that his vocals were blocked by a sudden wave of sadness.

He felt so weak and he hated it.

The mother thought as she pieced the puzzle of events together, her eyes gaping open as she gasped. Something hit her, like a sudden wave of discomfort and fear, the pain sharp like a sword and breathtaking like a stray of lightning. Her rosy complexion draining as her own son dared not to look her way as she stepped back, arms still attached as she met her eyes with the sky that started to close.

No that can't be. She argued and swallowed hard at her own thought, the lump in her throat not going away as fear struck her like a dagger to her heart. She watched her own son's facial features coil up in pain and exhaustion, as she confirmed her thoughts through his gaze. It was like she could replay everything inside the boy's mind like a movie.

Tears brimmed her own as she slowly pulled her son close to her body, his shaking body cold to the touch as she closed her eyes. She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry, but for now, she wanted to do nothing more than to comfort her boy. Feeling powerless that she could not protect her young son from the horrifying experience that would surely leave a gashing scar on his heart for the rest of his life, she could only squeeze his weak body that had drained from power, kissing his forehead.

That night, along with the man that she had fallen in love with, the one she had promised herself that she would never let go and her son who she felt an instant connection to herself, the one she had sung lullabies to even in the son's mature age, had fallen into a deep slumber, finally away from the tragic world.

She stares back at her son's face and his newly formed scar that positioned itself on his right cheek, she smiled. He looked just like his father, brave and full of confidence even with the frown and tear stained cheeks that made him look more like a child.

"Everything will be okay" she whispered as something sparkled in the moonlight at the corner of her eyes.

* * *

On the right was 'The Golden Age'.

There was a girl, the only daughter of the creators and founders of 'The Mars Invasion' technology. Young and loved by everyone, she was sweet, talented, and charmingly smart, and many would come to greet her with gifts and endless amounts of roses.

Her hair a peachy, rose blond and glowing like the sun, glistening like the stars of an infinite galaxy. Her complexions shined like gems in a treasure box. She was what people called 'The Perfect Little Princess', her stance always glittering with high class.

Yet, she had one flaw that kept lots of people from befriending her.

She never uttered a word.

Never a sound, or a complaint. Standing her ground, back straight, wearing nothing but the most luxurious clothing and gold accessories and smile from time to time, but no words or voice.

No one knew what she was thinking, and her expressions were always limited making it hard for even her parents to decipher what she would be thinking of most of the time.

Because she never spoke, many have misunderstood her and had started to make assumptions. It would seem as if she ignored them half of the time, or she just didn't care, or that she was deaf and couldn't understand what the people were saying entirely.

However, that was never the reason.

Quite frankly, she can talk. In fact, she can talk very well speak up to five different languages. Not talking was rather more of a conscious decision rather than an uncontrollable disability. It had benefited her more by not talking, the fewer words that came out of her mouth, the less that people started to question her. They would think of her as just a really sweet girl and compliment her for not talking back. Their focus would be more on her pretty features and beautiful smile, and she felt like she was able to cover up everything and pretend that everything was fine,-- just with a smile.

It was so peaceful with everything settled with a single facial expression or a nod and a head shake. She didn't have to lie or make up excuses or feed the people with wasteful thoughts or unnecessary assumptions.

Yet with a choice to throw away something, you receive another.

It gave her so much more time to contemplate about herself. With the more she thought, she realized how empty her life was. She was living and breathing the life that everyone could only dream of having. Yet, she always had an unsettling feeling of dissatisfaction. As if there should be more to her life than there was.

She didn't like the fact that her life could be single-handedly drawn out by anyone on the planet, and when she wanted to yell and scream in frustration…

But there was nothing.

As if the aspect of not talking had embedded itself onto her, her body refused to let her speak her mind. Like she was afraid that if she opened her mouth to speak, people around her would run away, and she would be alone.

This was what she had wanted, living the perfect world where everything would be revolving around her like the planets that orbited the sun. Away from all the issues and war that happened just outside her window. She was trapped in the riches of a perfect fairytale while, the others outside her mansion's gates screamed in agony, to fight against the harsh realities that they could only dream that it would dissipate.

Born in a family that would provide for her entire life, she lived effortlessly in class and status like royalty while drinking rose champagne in a Swarovski crystal glass. Every day her parents would discover a way to escape the trashed down earth and to another planet like Mars. They just needed a way to get there, and all their problems would be solved.

Here in the year of 2402 AD, the earth had fallen into deep malfunction. With little to no plantation, hundred of individuals are dead from starvation, infection, sickness, and radiation.

However, this young girl lived within the protection and care of her own greedy parents, without ever having to speak for herself once. She was drowning in the constant thought of what she could do with a sickening feeling of loneliness that would trail up her spine like a snake.

On the left was Helix Fenn, a boy free and unbound to do anything with no future.

On the right was Vienna D'gudar, a girl contained in a constant meaningless life with a set future.