Chapter 1

A young girl raced through the fields of heather, her long jet black hair flapping happily behind her. She made her way over to a small cluster of cottages, carrying a basket of flowers and her white dress streaked with grass stains at the bottom. She neared a particular small cottage, stuccoed white and covered with beautiful forest green and royal purple vines. Hopping up the steps, she seemed to move with a grace that would catch anyone's eyes. The young girl knocked on a rich mahogany door and awaited her host graciously. The door opened to reveal another young girl, about the same age as the one standing in front of her. Long golden curls cascaded down her back and hazel eyes gleamed with happiness at the sight of her friend.

"Daisy!" she cried.

"Hello, Sunflower! I have brought some flowers from the fields for you," Daisy said, holding the weaved basket up for Sunflower. Sunflower gently lifted the lid and squealed in delight. "Oh, how lovely they are!"

Daisy was invited in by Sunflower for dinner. Oh, how shocking would it have been to see two young girls, not much older than fourteen, to be preparing dinner, much rather taking care of a house! Daisy and Sunflower had grown up in the same Meadow as all the other girls had in their small unit. Meadows encompassed fifteen units, each named after brilliant authors who had been lost to the males for quite some time. Daisy's Meadow was named the Barrett Browning Meadow.

As the females remembered the wonderful writings of the ancient writers, the males held strong to mathematics and sport. Neither invested their time in science because there was no real need. The Laboratories were in charge of research and engineering. The males and females did not need to worry about the population because it was regulated by the laboratories. How did they have more people? Again, nobody knew. It was another mystery.

Daisy finished dinner with Sunflower and waved goodbye. Daisy trotted along the cobbled road towards her own small cottage. On the corner stood a similar white cottage to Sunflower's, but instead of vines, vibrant red, orange, yellow, and gold flora surrounded the house, giving it an elegant aura.

Daisy entered her home and prepared for bed. The female's society was very, well, feminine. Pretty things decorated their half and elegance and grace were a must. They dubbed their half, Alstroemeria, after the flower. Daisy and Sunflower and their fellow females were learning how to be the ideal woman. They attended their classes and read the books. They were told all the horrible things about males.

Filthy,

Rude,

Boisterous.

Violent,

And unsophisticated were all traits that were spit out by the teachers like bile. Daisy often contemplated whether males were really like the teachers said. What would their names be? They said their names were just numbers. What would they look like? They said that their vile creatures with unruly hair and a fearsome face. But, were they really?

Of course, these thoughts were dangerous and Sunflower constantly worried about her dear friend. Sunflower was Daisy's confidant, and she was told everything. Daisy had similar thoughts that night as she drifted off to sleep.

The next day, Daisy got up before the crack of dawn to watch the sunrise, as did all the girls. One by one, they came out of their little cottages and stood at the front of their doors, facing the rising sun. None of them knew why they did this. None of them really wondered except for Daisy. Daisy seemed to ponder everything. The girls made their way over to the schoolhouse after the sun had risen enough to see the whole circle.

Daisy settled into her usual seat, next to Sunflower. Immediately, another girl approached Daisy. Upon seeing her, Daisy flashed a bright smile, her eyes curling up into crescent moons.

"Hello Azami!" Daisy called. The girl named Azami smiled back. She had straight dirty blond hair and light blue eyes. Like all the other girls, she was wearing a pure white dress.

"Hi Daisy!" Azami called back. "Did you complete your reading assignment?

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?" Daisy giggled. "I would never miss a chance to read for anything in the world!"

Sunflower walked in as the two were conversing and sat down next to Daisy. Before Sunflower could say anything, the instructor waltzed in, her billowing white robes floating around her. Immediately, the schoolday had started and Daisy, Sunflower, and Azami were too busy with other work to continue talking to each other. As the schoolday ended, the three girls met under a big oak tree. They conversed about the books and authors they had learned that day. After a little while, they sat down and grabbed out their books from their bags. After getting in a comfortable spot, they started to read.

Every day, the girls learned about authors and the books they wrote. Every day, they were told about the horrors of men. Rarely did the girls learn about male authors, one of which was the poet, Wordsworth. The females were obsessed with beauty in nature and Wordsworth wrote so much on nature. Therefore, he was dubbed to be alright. That day, Daisy, Sunflower, and Azami had learned about Slyvia Plath. The girls were currently reading The Bell Jar under the big oak tree.

Soon both Sunflower and Azami had to go as they both had errands they needed to do. Waving goodbye, Daisy tucked her own book back into her bag and set off to a nearby field. Upon reaching this particular field, Daisy saw a slight shimmer. She paused and quickly slugged off her backpack. She dashed towards the tiny shimmer that she saw. Upon reaching where she thought that she saw the little flash of light, there was nothing. Gently, she waved her hand around, wondering if there really was something there.

Suddenly, her hand smacked against something cool, smooth, and hard. It gave off a vibrating thunk. All around her, the barrier glistened and sent vibration waves throughout the whole thing. Daisy froze, realizing what she had just done. Again, ever so gently, Daisy reached forward and delicately touched the surface of the glass barrier. She let out a small gasp as ripples emerged from where her fingertip rested. Immediately, Daisy retracted her finger, grabbed her bag, and raced back home.

It just so happened that Daisy's unit had been close to the barrier. Of course, no other Meadow had ever been this close to the glass wall. But, what could the females do? If the Laboratories had built it there, on what authority did they have to destroy it? So, the unit stayed. It seemed like sheer coincidence that it was built there. But, was it really? As the world watched from a distance, it practically leaped for joy at the sight of the little girl touching the barrier. It finally had a reason to hope.