Mercury's Voice

When the Earth collapsed, a few of us decided that dying was out of the question for us. We partnered up with one of the scientists at Clover Hill Science Provision and tried to find a way out of deaths' path and into a new life. After months of fighting the disease, losing and remedying some, we finally found our solution. The scientist, Dr. Raymons, created a portal. As soon as it was working, they sent the children first. The mothers next. Before the first man could step in, the diseased broke their way through our barricaded doors and Raymons' closed the portal. I lost my father that day. Now, here we are. We don't exactly know where we are or what it was called. We just call it "Sanctuary". Sanctuary is nearly always warm and sunny, but not too bad. But, instead of being a modern era like we used to be, now we're more of a village. Sort of like something you would find in an old movie. Villagers, a village leader, butcher, baker, and blacksmith. No modern technology. No technology at all for that matter. Well, let me explain. Not exactly our life here, but how our life here almost ended too.

I'm Rea and I'm 17. I can be really weird and sarcastic. I have 2 sisters. Kara is 21 and Lilac is 9. My mother, Constance, is currently 43. Like I explained earlier, my dad died a few years ago. Even though he's dead, he still lives inside us. At least that's what my mom says. We never told any of the other villagers where we came from or any of the things we knew. The only people we mingle with are the other people who came through the portal with us. I made friends with other girls in the group. Girls such as Taylor and Jess. Us three hang out in the quarry every day, considering it never rains, freezes or all of the above.

"I have a crush on someone." Jess squealed. Taylor and I oohed and awwed as Jess flicked our heads. We both rubbed our heads and giggled.

"OK, spill. Who is it? Is it Luca? No, it's Michael. It has to be." Taylor ranted on and on and Jess whispered the name to me.

"Maxwell. The blacksmith's son." I opened my mouth in awe and smiled.

"Wait, what? What'd I miss?!" Taylor screamed.

"Well, I said the name but you were too loud to hear it." Jess and I snickered and Taylor got steamed.

"That's it! You guys hate me! I knew it! Fine, I'll leave you two to be best friends in peace!" Taylor screamed and stomped away. I groaned as she did this. She was so annoying when she was like this. She was always taking sarcastic jokes to heart and honestly, it pissed me off. I didn't want to be friends with her at all but was forced to because she and Jess were best friends before the portal. And, as usual, Jess gave into Taylors shit.

"Taylor, it was a joke! Come back!" Jess yelled. As she was standing up, I pulled her back down and laid my feelings on her.

"Listen, Jess, I know you guys were best friends back home but you've got to stop putting up with her! She only says these things to drag you down and you're letting her! Let her go be pissy alone and then she'll be crawling back to you, I know it." I didn't give Jess a chance to argue and we went back to my house. My mom was an architect before we left home so she helped us build a lot of the houses we lived in. She built our house rather large and traded our house with the village leaders'. His name is Jerick and believe me when I say he isn't a good guy like most leaders are. He decides everything and thinks if anything isn't perfect, it's somebody else's fault. His lovely step-daughter is, you guessed it, Taylor. She used to be a sweet girl until he rubbed off on her and her mom. Now, she uses her power as his daughter to use others. Others such as Jess.

"Do you think Jerick's going to kick us out now?" She said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"To be honest, I'm surprised he hasn't already." She grabbed my arm and shoved me off the bed. I tumbled down and looked under the bed. I saw my memory box from home. I always carried it with me when we went somewhere before the portal. I made sure to grab it before my neighborhood evacuated. Thing is, the end of my fathers' bracelet was sticking out of the end of the box. I reached under the bed to grab it and I heard a slam down the stairs.

"REA! JESS! WHERE ARE YOU?!" we heard someone scream as doors slammed open and closed. We looked downstairs and saw Taylor. Great, she's back.

"Taylor, what the hell are you doing?!" I yelled as I rushed down the stairs.

"Why didn't you guys come chasing after me? I thought you were my friends?!" She slammed another book on the ground.

"OK, that is it, Taylor! I have had it with your petty fits and you using Jess as your pity slave. Get out of my house before I through you out!" I screamed. Jess and she stared at me. Both different looks. Jess looked proud and surprised while Taylor looked like she wanted to stab me in the neck with a pitchfork.

"You think you can control me? I dare you, try! My dad can kick you out of here faster than you can think about it." She sneered and reached for Jess's arm.

"Have you forgotten that your dad is on the other side of the portal? That's where all our fathers are! You can't just use a substitute to bend to your will." I said, pulling Jess back my way. Taylor reached for my hand and grabbed my fathers bracelet, which I was still clutching in my hand. She dangled it in front of her face and snickered. "Taylor! Give that back! That was my dads!" I screamed. She made me jump high for it and teased me by pretending to drop it on the ground. Until at one point, she actually did. When she dropped the bracelet, the pendant shattered into pieces. I stared at the pieces and looked up to Taylor. Her face was proud and soulless. "Get out," I said, pointing to the door.

"No, I don't have to leave anywhere if I don't want to. I'm a princess now." She said, flipping her hair behind her.

"Not a princess, just a pathetic bitch who lives off their dad's power. We don't accept pieces of shit in this house. So, again, get the hell out before I through you out." I pointed to the door again. She sneered and sat down on the chair in the living room.

"I'm not going anywhere. Now, clean up the mess. I don't want to step in it." I grabbed her hair and dragged her to the door. I through it open and pushed her out. I slammed the door behind me and knelt down in front of the pieces, which Jess was collecting and placing on the counter. I heard Taylor banging and hitting the door and screaming through it. I ignored her screaming and held the pieces to my chest.

"I'm so sorry, Rea. Maybe we can fix it?" Jess said as she tried to piece them all together like a broken puzzle.

"No, Jess. It's broken. There's no fixing it." I said, grabbing the pieces and the string and throwing them into my memory box. As I was sulking as I walked up the steps, I heard a banging on the door. "What now, Taylor?" I swung open the door to find a bloody soldier.

"Rea, listen, they're coming! You and Jess, you must hide!" Before I or Jess could respond, or even pull him inside the door, a large arm swung around the soldier's waist and pulled him away. Jess and I jumped back in a panic and rushed into a closet in the hallway.

"Oh my god, Rea. What's happening?" Jess whispered into my back as she stood behind me. I shuffled backward as I heard the booming sound of loud footsteps running up the stairs, down again, and stopping in front of the closet door.