She shivered as she opened her eyes, but not from cold. A dark red sky soared infinitely above her, heat drying out her skin as it surged from beneath the earth from the rips and gashes in the ground. Explosions shook the ground beneath her feet, and all around her, all around the small hill she stood on top of, strange creatures and humans battled each other. The crash of metal on metal, and the inhuman growls of animals added to the noise. Screams echoed over the plains, and smoke made the air acrid. She coughed as she breathed it in, tasting metal and blood.

She brought her hand in front of her face, seeing dirt and blood on her fingers. Her skin was dark as night, and her white hair blew in the wind around her face, blocking her vision.

A man stepped into her vision, his hands raised in surrender. His eyes were golden, and his face was contorted, tears in his eyes.

"Please, El," he whispered.

She could hear him, even through the roar of battle. She stepped back, waving her hand at him. "Stand back."

"It's me," he said, holding out his hands to her. "You are stronger than you know. You can stop this. Trust me, El. Come back to me."

Aella shook her head, her heart rate racing. "Stop, stop it!"

"El," he said, stepping closer to her.

"No," she yelled, jerking away from him.

She jumped as her eyes opened to the leaves of the tree, the sweet smell of the greenhouse filling her nose. She gasped for breaths and turned over. Chloe had gone. She blinked in the bright sun that was pouring in from above.

It was only a dream. She sighed and tapped her fingers on the wood platform. The dreams were getting worse. Each one was of death and destruction, sometimes the same dream of the bloody plain and the man encouraging her, sometimes of different battlefields where he fought alongside her. And a few were when she was alone and facing a monster she had never seen before. And in all, she woke before she saw the conclusion.

She snapped her fingers and glanced at her notifications. Her eyes grew wide and her body tensed as she saw an alert in her score section. She sat up, her breaths rapid as her palms started to sweat. She reached forward to touch the alert and closed her eyes.

She waited several seconds, taking a deep breath that hitched in her throat as she tried to calm herself. Her future had been decided. "No matter the service, all citizens serve the Founder and United Earth in order to maintain a peaceful society," she whispered. She sighed and opened her eyes.

A giant, scarlet Congratulations, Aella Rynnex filled her vision. Aella frowned. Where was her score? There should be a section showing her what score she had achieved, what field she had been placed in, and what positions it had qualified her for. Then she would make a selection, and she would be alerted to the sponsor in that position.

She tapped the air and the message vanished, leaving only a black screen. To the right woman in a long, flowing white dress stood, a smile on her face. To the left, a shield with the number 1 rotated in a circle.

"Welcome, Aella," the woman said. Her voice was low and musical. Aella looked her over, frowning as she tried to remember where she had seen the woman before. "I am Yan, security advisor to his Excellency, Founder Aexander Diederik. You are about to embark upon a journey to help keep United Earth safe from any attacks, and help the Founder guard our citizens against the evils that await us beyond our borders. Your travel plans have been set, and your Facility will begin the process of transferring you to the Capitol immediately. Congratulations on your achievement, and I will meet you soon."

The video ended and the screen turned to black.

Aella let out a breath, a smile creeping across her face and she laughed. She shook her head. She had to tell Chloe.

She tapped on the message icon and watched as the keyboard and message center appeared. She saw an official message from the Council Board, and an alert on the chat she and Chloe shared. She tapped on the message and read the lengthy letter.

She was to depart on the first train out at 10:00 A.M. she glanced at her time and nodded. It was almost 6:00 A.M. She would have time to say goodbye. She was to stop by the Armory and return her weapons, armor, and issued uniforms and be given a new suit of clothes. She was to sign out of all Facility accounts in the Secretarial Office, and appear before the Council Board at 8:30 A.M. for a final briefing and breakfast. Once her duties were concluded, she would be allowed time to say goodbye to her friends and family.

"Set alerts for each item," she said to the screen. The message disappeared and an entry in her calendar appeared. She agreed to it after glancing over each of the times and returned to the message center.

"I'm heading out on the 12:00 train," the message said. "I had Brody look up your schedule and he said you were leaving on the 10:00 train. Congratulations! I can't wait to see you and hear all about your sponsor. Love, Chloe."

Aella smiled and quickly typed in a response.

***

Aella leaned against the station wall, a small satchel hanging at her side. She watched as small groups of Graduates talked with their adopted siblings. They acted similarly even if they were not biologically related. The Facility, no, the Computer, truly was impressive to pair a young child with another child who shared a similar personality.

She checked the clock at the end of the station and frowned. She would have to board the train in five minutes and Chloe still had not arrived. Her Board meeting should have ended by now. She could still make it if--

"El," a female shouted.

Aella straightened and turned toward the shout, seeing Chloe's bobbed hair flying behind her as she ran down the station.

Aella smiled and moved from the wall, opening her arms as Chloe hugged her.

"I got your message," Chloe said, her chest rising with her rapid breathing. "I knew you would go to the Capitol." She frowned slightly as she looked down at Aella. "You still don't know who your sponsor is?"

Aella shifted as she crossed her arms over her chest. "No, she didn't say."

"It must be a top-secret position, then," Chloe said, her eyes crinkling up as she smiled.

Aella smiled and nodded. "I'm glad for the opportunity. Even if the whole situation is strange."

"I'm going to miss you," Chloe said, tears filling her deep brown eyes.

Aella reached forward, pulling the taller woman into a hug. "You will have to come and visit me," she said, pulling away.

"General Leonos travels to and from the Capitol regularly," Chloe said, her cheeks rising with her smile. "I'll try to travel with him as many times as I can."

Aella nodded, turning away as the bell above the station began to ring. She picked up her bag and slung the strap over her shoulder. She turned back to Chloe. "Keep in touch?"

Chloe paused for a moment, then nodded. "I will. Remember something, Aella. I gave you that necklace for a reason. It was from my parents, and I've always been safe when I wore it. It will keep you safe, now that I can't be with you."

The crowd around them started to move, and the hum of voices grew louder as the train moved from its protective covering and into the tube. The side of the tube slid over the top, revealing the open train doors. The loudspeaker began to call out car numbers.

Aella glanced toward the train and the groups of Graduates who were boarding. She turned back to Chloe, who enveloped her in a quick hug. "I will," she said, smiling.

Chloe waved her hands at her, gently pushing her towards the train. "Now shoo, you've got a train to catch."

Aella waved, and took one last look at her sister. The woman's hair moved slightly in the air currents, and her eyes sparkled in the morning sunlight. She waved and joined the crowd as they entered the train.

She shuffled along the center aisle, checking the holographic information displayed on her arm from the chip buried under her skin. She kept moving until she reached row seven, and moved to the seat closest to the side of the train. The curved train wall on the opposite side from her had a long line of endless windows. She shifted the bag to her lap and turned to look at the people who stood outside, waving. Chloe was already moving to the end of the train yard, a determined look on her face.

Aella turned back to the train as Chloe rounded the corner and disappeared from sight. She took a deep breath and paused as her brain started to register the bright light.

The air trembled, pulling away from the inside of the train, compressing through the growing cracks in the wall. A light crashed into the seats, billowing upwards in a wall of heat, blinding the eyes of those who were watching it. The front of the cabin blew inward, slamming into the students who were nearest, wires and metal pieces glittering like melting needles as they shot through the air. A roar followed the billowing cloud as it climbed upward.

Aella screamed as she slammed into the chair behind her, and everything turned black.