The only chapter

With my last breath

The date is 2107 BC( Before Calton). The world is in a state of depression.

A machine was recently found that gave the world a reason to be concerned.

Scientists found it laying in the deep regions of South America.

Curious on what was on it, they decided to connect it to a power source and switch it on.

Without hesitation the machine started to process old data and implement an old forgotten strategy to test the human limit.

Scientists later in found out that the machine was created by the government to control the actions of people and their will to survive.

The machine was created to test you on your favourite repetitive action and see how long you could abstain but the consequences of not following through with the orders stated meant death would befall the person chosen.

The government had to shut the project done due to a lot of people dying from testing, including the researchers.

In horror the scientists tried to shut the machine off but it was too late. After processing all it's data, it continued it's function but with a few alterations.

On everyone's 16th birthday, they had a choice, to live a life of misery or to simply die. The world was in danger and we had our curious scientists to blame.

My name is Rose. I am currently 15 and my 16th birthday is tomorrow.

To continue the story. Since the scientists believed that the machine( Calton) was too old and unused, it would not work.

So they dismantled it and put it away.

Later on they went on with their lives and forgot about the existence of the machine and the curse it had put on the world.

Years later strange things started to happen. Kids that recently turned 16 started to die off mysteriously and no one knew why. Everyone thought it was a child serial Killer but the deaths where too wide spread to be just from one person or a group of people.

Then one day, a child came forward to the police station stating that he was scared. He said he saw a notification floating above his head. it said that if he whistles, he would die.

He paid no attention to it until his friends told him they saw the exact same notification.

One was told not to shout, the other not to swear and the last was told not to cry.

So as curious kids they decided to test the notifications out. The bravest one decided to disregard to notification and started to shout and within seconds, he fall on the floor motionless. They thought he was joking at first but after a few moments he still did not move. They checked his body to find out he was not breathing. The dude was dead.

The other forgot about his notification and started to swear and he too was fall to the ground motionless.

The other started to sob uncontrollably and soon also fall.

He was the only one to survive.

The scientists remembered the machine and decided to go public with it.

They warned people not to allow their children to disobey the machine.

And later on the world grew more and more unstable and more and more people started to suffer from depression.

So thus the world became depressed.

My mother was given the task never to smile.

And since that day, she has never smiled since.

She told me a s a young girl she loved to smile, even growing up and the machine took that away from her.

My childhood was not all that great. My mother taught me not to like anything. If she found me enjoying something, she would beat it out of me. it was her own cruel version of love.

So growing up I found a lot of things disinteresting.

Except for one task.

I loved counting the stars.

The night was the only time my mother left me alone and I was not allowed to keep the lights on after 9 pm.

So I found peace in the start night alone in my room.

So the moment she finds out. I am doomed.

I look up at the sky one last time and count the stars. I reach a hundred before going to sleep.

The next day I am waken up by a floating notification. So it is real. It states that if I count even a single star I am going to die.

As expected. I make my was downstairs. My mother is making me my birthday breakfast. I am not excited as it will get me into trouble and I don't even worry about the emotion anymore. She is just going to make the food I hate anyway.

Just one of her ways of loving me.

Unexpectedly, She makes my favorite breakfast. I looked at her shocked.

She matters that since it is my 16th birthday she wanted to .ake it special.

I kept quiet the whole breakfast and finished it without mentioning my notification.

Once I was done, she asked me with a expressionless face if I had gotten my notification.

I told her no and proceeded to make my way to school. Some people get their notification later in during the day. My mother got it at night.

I quickly leave the house without saying goodbye. Lying to my mother was the hardest thing to do but I had to, if she had found out then I would have been in big trouble.

The machine the scientists rebuilt could tell us when a person got their notification and what it was but could never be cancelled. And they are still trying to figure this out, till today.

I make it to school. To my mother's instruction, I have no friends and pass all my subjects with A+s, so my life is pretty miserable.

Everybody is busy taking about the notification they got but I know they are all laying. No one would tell anyone what notification they got, if anyone knew they would try to use it against you and get you killed. It was the only way they could entertain themselves.

Such a sick game. I pass by the astrology club room and divert my eyes. if I see even one star, on a picture or on the sky I will count it.

I quickly make my way to class and rest on my sit. Another lonely day in my life.

School took way too long to end and I make my way to the park I am avoiding my mother and waiting until sunset when she would leave me alone.

I play for a while before noticing a cute looking guy.

Of course my mother made sure I had no interest in other people, of the same or opposite gender but I was still curious.

He had short wavy black hair, clear skin, a defined face and a noticable smile.

He court my attention is all.

He makes his way towards me and says hi.

I am too shy to say anything so I just stare.

He is too goodlooking for me to stop.

He seems nervous but still pushes on.

He starts a conversation but he is the only person constantly talking, I only give small responses here and there.

Although despite that, we seem to have fun.

He was 17 and already had his notification.

He told me the machine asked him not to fall in love with anyone.

I don't know if he was lying or telling the truth.

I just stared at him again. I could not laugh nor smile. I think he court on because he started to smile a bit.

I made a decision to tell him since he looked trust worthy. He seemed shocked and a bit bad for me.

it was alright I had already accepted my fate.

the sun started to set and I had to go home. I waved goodbye to him and he said the strangest thing. His last words to me were,"See you soon, love." And then disappeared.

I made it home to find my mother sitting calmly in the living room, seemingly waiting for me. She was drinking a cup of tea.

My instincts told me to run and hide.

She seeming saw right through me and into my soul by the way she was starring at me.

She put down her up and started to speak.

" Why did you not tell me your notification in the morning? Why did you lie to me? Have I not done enough for you? Is this the thanks I get? Don't you love me?"

I just stood there is frozen shock. She continued to stare and said, " I know what your notification is, If you count a single star you are dead. And do you know how I knew? i got a notification from the scientists. The TD me themselves."

At this point she started raise from the sofa.

And at that moment I chose to free myself from my statue like state and run to my room.

My mother started for me as well but it was too late. I had already made it into my room and had locked the door.

She was banging on the door, threatening to enter and beat me senseless.

I took a deep breath and looked to outside of my bedroom window to the stars outside.

I walked to the window frame and starred at it. it was so beautiful. And at that moment I realized, I did not want to live the life my mother was living and I did not want this life.

So with one more deep breath a looked up at the sky and started to count, this time with a smile on my face. My mother was breaking through the door but it was too late.

"...9, 10" and before I knew it everything went black.

I found myself in a bright room, floating without any ground to step on

And right in front of me was the good-looking stranger.

"Coincidence seeing you here, and before you ask why am I here, you are a smart girl, you can figure it out."

Without me even saying a word, he grabbed said," Well shall we, we can't keep God waiting. Oh and My name is Hunter by the way, what is yours?"

I interlocked our hands and said with a smile," Rose and it's nice to meet you too Hunter".

He gave me the brightest smile and pulled me closer to the light.

In the end I really did have a happy ending, inspite of it all.