avienna.
chapter one

It wasn't easy being apart of the Insiders. That's what they liked to call themselves. Because they were inside the gates, away from danger; safe. Insiders were a small community of people that were just surviving, trying to live in the dead world that they had learned to call home.

But there were only a few that dared to go outside, beyond the constrictive walls and into the depths of the forest.

Snap.

The sun blazed across her tanned shoulders as they stalked across the thick forest terrain. She shifted the bow between hands, using the other to press against the dampened soil- it had rained only recently, making the trails soft and hard to see. Her fingers circled the faint outline of the track, soil transferring onto her fingertips and under her already grimy nail beds. Lucas stood behind her as she knelt down, panning the area of endless sounds and greenery.

There was a profound beauty to the danger. The danger of dying at any second. That any movement could be their last. On instinct, Lucas held the dagger in his belt, the metal glinting in the movement of the afternoon sun. They had been hunting for only an hour, that hour mainly being dedicated for them to get away from the constant orders, constant training and constant confinement of the walls. They were free out here in the forest, they could do whatever the hell they wanted to. And Avienna loved that.

Avienna read the tracks, her eyes followed the path in front of her, "they are heading west, towards the mountains."

Lucas already knew that but he wanted her to find out for herself. He nodded slowly, keeping his gaze fixated on her a moment too long. She bent down beneath him, the stray hairs whirling in the soft breeze but she still managed to look put together. She glanced up at him, her ocean eyes swirling with a green tinge- not managing to tear the gazing look away. Somehow, her eyes always seemed to find his in the most amazing times. The wind around them picked up, the green moss along the fallen logs illuminating under the afternoon's sun. It was a vibrant green, nothing compared to Avienna's eyes; hers were like no other.

Lucas knew the punishment for any relationships within the camp, hence why he would never initiate the feelings he had towards her. They were strong, he was protective of her and her feelings. He wouldn't want to put her through the hardship of hiding their relationship, so they just never admitted their feelings for each other. Lucas broke the scene, snapping it as if it was the sole of his boot and the ground. He couldn't and he would never. He brushed past her, every friction of skin was heightened, leaving a burning trail along their shoulders.

It angered him that he couldn't just hold her; touch her.

He cleared his throat, his eyes leaving hers quickly, "There's no point. It's getting dark and we have been gone for well over an hour. If we stay any longer, it would cause suspicion." Lucas muttered before roughly pushing his knife back into its slot and stepping around her to go back in the direction of the floor.

Avienna heard the snapping of sticks and crushing of leaves under his heavy boots as he walked back to camp. The afternoon was not only Avienna's favourite time to hunt because the animals were easily caught, it was also because of its image. Orange painted the green leaves, the forest floor around them becoming a kaleidoscope of reds and browns amongst the once dark brown floor.

She stood up from her kneeling position, stepping into a bed of fallen leaves, her footstep heavy with the crunch of dried debris, admiring the work before her

Snap.

An unfamiliar sound rang in her ears. She hawked the surrounding forest, seeing nothing but the bark on the bases of the trees, the green on the leaves and the darkening world around them. Lucas looked back, the distance leaving him cold and anxious that he wasn't by her side to stop the danger from hurting her.

They had been too docile, forgetting about the true dangers of the forest. Don't be fooled by its beauty, it homed the devils that hunted anything that could move.

"Ave, let's go," Lucas pressed, his stomach twisting with nerves as he panned out into the forest to look for the danger. His hand hovered over his knife in atnicipation of a Stark or an Outsider to jump them.

Avienna breathed softly from the scare, trying not to show to Lucas that it had affected her in any way, "You're right. It's getting dark."

Avienna would never admit to being afraid of the dark. Then again, wasn't everyone?

They were both lights on their feet, the feeling of someone knowing their position causing them to remember all of the tactics of survival they had been taught over the ten years of training. Lucas waited for Avienna to catch up before they both headed back on the same path they followed before. They ducked under branches and stepped over fallen trees. The forest had been untouched by civilisation for hundreds of years, so its natural elements had taken a toll.

It wasn't long before they reached the gates, the large wired tops with guards scouting the top range. Avienna slowly crept forward, just until she could see the grey jackets of the guards walking back and forth on top of the three-meter-high fence. If she could see them, they could potentially see her. They both ducked down behind the bush, the green leaves creating holes in their vision but still enough to see them all on duty. If they were to just try and walk in, they would be shot before they could even explain why they were outside. They were taught to shoot on sight. No one should be outside the fence and only Outsiders travel in the forest. They wouldn't even suspect any of the Insiders to be in the forest. She eyed the heavy artillery that was bounded in the guard's hands, a wavering fear going through her system.

But, Avienna and Lucas always had a plan.

The guards worked like clockwork, each one scouting out the barriers like dogs along fences; ready to attack. But, there was a blind spot. A single moment where the left wing was left unwatched. Even if it was a millisecond, it was enough to get the two teenagers through the wall. Avienna watched closely for Calum (the guard) to turn around and face the other way like they were taught. It was that moment that they would have five seconds to run to the fence and make themselves invisible once again.

Lucas looked down at her, getting ready to sprint long the slight incline of the grassland and towards the gate's baseline. As soon as they both saw the guard pass the fourth post, they bolted. Like a bullet jumping out of the barrel. The ground was damp around their boots, sinking and sloshing as they sprint across the emptied grass pasture. It was only seconds before their bodies were flattened up against the wall. They kept their bodies pressed firmly out of sight of the guards above as she shuffled their way around to the entrance that only they knew of.

If you were looking for a way to get yourself killed, this was a sufficient way. Going beyond the borders was their number one violation- and you don't want to know how many times they have made the same risk just to get some freedom. But these two best friends wanted more than just to be soldiers at the commander's disposal. They wanted more than just growing crops or watching the barrier to stare at the same leaves all day and night long. They wanted more, they craved more.

They carefully made their way along the fence line, silence suppressing them. Once they had reached their secret destination, Avienna pulled out her hand to signal that they had to stop. Her hand pushed away from the familiar branches of the overgrown bush that covered the small break in the wall. Lucas had suggested that it was an abandoned sewer pipe that hadn't been used in years. They had found it one day when they were running around the fields, searching for stones by the old dam that ran underneath the fence line. It was their only source of running water.

Their feet sunk into the shallower water as they ducked underneath the pipe. Circular concrete walls bounded them in the tunnel. Drops of moisture and overgrown weeds tugged their ankles and dampened their clothes. Their feet swam in the swamp, their boots completely soaked through to their socks .

The light at the end of the tunnel projected a bright, angelic light. But as they shuffled closer, the light turned into the artificially of the posts placed throughout the camp.

"Welcome back," Lucas muttered begrudgingly as the bottom half of his pants were soaked from the murky water, his once grey pants dampened to a black. The fabric now stuck to his legs, heavy with perils of the outside. His feet sloshed against the water as he landed on the bank.

Her eyes glared at the taunting grey buildings that had rotted over the years, becoming a mixture of brown and purple shades of mould. In the distance, she could see the watchtowers, people walking, people training. As she panned her vision she could see some of the Trainers sitting down watching the younger ones learn to punch and hit the dummies.

The kids would laugh, it was fun at the time. But once that dummy turns into a person, and your punches become the decisions if you live or die, the laugh ceases to be the harmonic sound.

Avienna could barely call it a home. Ever since she had ended up here ten years ago, it was her and Lucas against the world. Lucas was one of the best fighters in the camp, besides her of course. They were inseparable, attached at the hip. They were also very popular within their age group, having my friends that they would call their family. But, this place, is a prison. They treat them like convicts.

Avienna's eyes drifted to Lucas collarbone, which was her eye level- with Lucas being quite taller than she was. Not far from it, peaking out from the sewed collar of his grey shirt, was a large scar that ran from his collarbone to all the way down his back. It had healed over time, to be a red bump, a permanent reminder of what he had done.

What did he do to deserve such a scar? He saved Avienna's life.

She was starving, with refusing to attack another student in training, Trainers punished her with no meals for the rest of the day. But Avienna was starving, with the constant running and training, she had nothing to refuel with. That's when Lucas came in, heroic and a loyal friend. He snuck into the kitchen after hours and got her a slice of bread- more than what they usually got. The consequences of not properly checking if the kitchen was empty and there wasn't cooks still cleaning up, was three lashes to the back.

Avienna couldn't believe that he would do that for her. But then again, she would do the same. She would take a bullet for him, hell, she would die for him if that meant keeping him alive. She took his hand and intertwined it with his. Their fingers felt warm, his hands significant larger than hers but it fit perfectly.

"Dinning hall will be open. Train after dinner?" Avienna asked, her stomach rumbling on queue.

"I'll be there," He nodded, shooting her a look before they both released their grips and went in the opposite directions. Avienna smiled, even though relationships were strictly forbidden, she still enjoyed the little embraces that they shared. With food on the mind, she made her way to the dining hall, the skies darkening above her.

—

The dining hall was always loud and lively. It consisted of a canteen to the left and a set up of wooden, park benches that were filled with people of all ages.

"Avienna!" Marcus called, swinging his arms around like a madman. She let a smile slip as she angled her path towards him against the sea of people sitting on the benches, sliding and shifting her way through.

As she reached the table, she was embraced with a hug. Marcus tightly gripped her small figure before realising her. He had so many laugh lines because he smiled that big, his features all creasing to show off his perfectly white teeth.

"Look at ya, Vienna. Looks like ya haven't eaten in days!" He joked, hitting her shoulder. She had to laugh, but she hadn't. She had been giving her rations to the new children who were terrified and scared of this place. And they had a reason to be. Nobody knew how children ended up there, but that's how everyone got there.

"What's on the menu today?" She joked, looking around at their plates to see the same old mash potato with a mixture of greens and some road kill.

Marcus poked the meet with his fork as if he was checking if it was still alive, "Deer, perhaps? Maybe, crocodile. I heard they all taste like chicken."

"Please, you have never tasted chicken." A new voice entered. Avienna's eyes drifted from the plate to the girl standing behind her. Scarlett swung her arms around her neck, bringing her in tightly for a hug, both giggling to themselves.

"I can only dream," he said seriously before cutting into the unknown meat.

"What did I miss?" Avienna could pick that voice out of nowhere. Lucas stood behind her, his voice deep and croaky. She gave him a toothless smile, their eyes meeting before they both slid their feet over the hard, wooden bench and sat down. Chatter ran about the small room of survivors, laughter and banter all mixing together with the food that was just to fill their stomachs, to keep them from passing out of exhaustion. Avienna played with her food, shifting through the potato that looked more and more unappealing by the second.

Silence ripped through the room as one of the Government representatives walked through with her high heels clicking heavily against the hard floor. She walked as if she had a stick up her ass, Avienna would always make a joke about her nose being crooked from the one time she whacked her in the face with the wooden pole in training, by accident of course. It cost her two nights in the quarters, but it was worth it.

She had tight pants on that were coloured brightly blue, her brown hair in a slick low ponytail with her white button-up shirt. She breathed like she was from the Government, the way she walked, you could just tell that she wasn't from around here. With her perfectly pressed nails, she walked up to the slightly higher area that was usually used for announcements from the Commander.

As she looked around, she gave us all a tight smile. Avienna placed down her cutlery beside her plate, taking the water and sipping on it as the rest of the crowd eyed the outsider. With a blink of her false eyes, she began.

"Hello, Insiders. I just would like to say what a pleasure it is to see you all again!" She laughed at the end, trying to break the silence that was echoing through the room. But they all just stared and remained quiet as mice through the night.

"Anyway," she muttered, "Its that time of year again, where we go through the trails to see who will be fit for the government officials army of men. Where you will get to train and fight alongside men, and woman, of all abilities, protecting our land against those who dare to take it..."

She made it sound like such an honour to be picked. But every year, it ends the same. They say the chosen will be brought back. But no one ever returns after they leave. Avienna spaced out of the speech, it boring her for being the same thing every year. She was going to get picked, she already knew this. She just had to accept it. She had maybe thought of pretending like she didn't know what she was doing, just so she wouldn't get picked. But those who don't get picked, are enslaved for the rest of their life in the dungeons, or even some are executed on the spot. She let out a deep breath through her nose, releasing the tension building up in her lungs.

"... it will commence in two weeks. So, agh, everybody prepare and don't forget, that it is an amazing opportunity to be accepted!" She finished, giving herself a little pep clap before hopping off the 'stage' and heading back towards the guards that had escorted her into the dining hall. The sound of her high heels exiting the building was music and relief to everyone's ears.

Avienna took a sip of her drink, her words echoing into her cup, "Honour, my ass."

"Aye, they're just trying to get more recruits because everyone is pussying out," Marcus comments, taking the food off of Avienna's plate and shoving it into his mouth. Avienna glanced over at the little children's bench, where they all sat and laugh with one another. She missed it; the easy days. The days where it didn't feel like the world was on her shoulder's.

Scarlett let out a breath, "I am dead actually, my body hurts from yesterdays circuit. Can we all skip training today and hang out near the border?"

Marcus agreed with a piece of meat hanging out of his lips, his face covered in remainders of the food.

Avienna only shook her head, "I need to get my mind off some things."

Everybody knew that it was signal for them to leave and let her be. She gave them a smile, before pushing out the bench as it scraped against the ground, and making her way out of the hall.

The group of friends watched as she did, her blonde hair flowing down as she had her back turned against them.

"She's too hard on herself sometimes," Scarlett said, pushing the plates away from herself. Lucas nodded, his eyes trailing the door way in which she exited, wishing her could just see her blonde locks again.

"Everyone's scared. The trails are not something to take lightly." Lucas muttered, his head filling with the possibilities of what they could come up with this time.

Last year they filled the entire field with mine fields, awaiting to be touched and exploded. That was only trail one. Everyone said that the last one is always the hardest and the most challenging. They get inside your mind, make you hallucinate. It was Lucas' most dreaded trial, because he was hiding so much from the Commander, Trainers and especially the government.

He decided that he was going to follow Avienna, he hated when she was alone anyway. He was quick to his feet, dashing off towards the door but not too quickly to make it obvious that he was going after her.

Scarlett and Marcus smirked towards each other as Marcus took another bite of his chicken, snickering to the once two lovers siting before them. No words needed to be exchanged to know what they were each thinking. Lucas and Avienna, both never to admit it, had already fallen for each other.