Chapter 1
Today is the day that I finally turned sixteen, the date is November 28th, 2075. I am not exactly sure what I should feel, for I feel so many different emotions at once, nervous, excited, confused, and hopeful. All of these feelings make me even more anxious. As I got out of my now messy bed, with now unfluffed pillows, blanket, and sheets wrinkled, I got up. As I went to my private all-royal blue and gold marble bathroom, located in my room I looked in the mirror.
At that moment my heart dropped to the bottomless pit of my stomach. I had the goldfish symbol on my neck. I was a Bait, not a Stalker like the rest of my family but a Bait. My family will kill me if they find out, literally kill me! I then had a bazaar idea hit me off top of my head, it actually hit me. My foundation fell from the top shelf on the six-shelf stand, as I bent down to pick it up someone knocked on my bedroom door.
‘Talk about bad timing’ I thought to myself as I picked the makeup off the floor and placed the tiny glass bottle on the counter of the sink.
I walked out of the bathroom and closed the white door with the silver door handle behind me. Now in my bedroom, I looked in my vanity mirror and adjusted my hair so you couldn’t see the bright orange goldfish with so many little scales and details. The knocking came again, ‘ Oh no what am I going to do what if I get caught? What do I do?!’ I thought to myself as I started to panic with my anxiety rising by the minute.
“Sissy?” At the sound of that, I sighed a long sigh in relief because it wasn’t one of my parents, or elder siblings, but my little brother Jonna.
“ What is it, Jonna?” I ask in an irritated, snippy tone.
“ Can I come in please?” he begged in a whiny voice.
“ No, you can’t, maybe later, depending on how nice you are to me,” I replied.
“ But why!?” Jonna whined yet again stomping his feet in frustration.
“ Because Jonna, I just got up, and I’m getting ready for the day,” I stated and looked back in the mirror at the now permanent mark on my neck. He then stomped off, probably to go tell either mom or dad like the little snitch he is. As I heard Jonna as far away from my room as possible, I went back to my bathroom. I moved my brunette-colored hair to my right shoulder because the goldfish is on the left side of my neck. I then proceeded to pick up the foundation that I had left on the sink and applied some to my neck, it took about six layers to fully cover the markup.
“ Aria,” I heard my mom call.
“ What!” I called back.
“ Breakfast is ready!”
“Coming give me a second,” I replied as I turned around and went to my closet glass mirror closet doors to get my outfit. I put on a neon orange t-shirt with a pair of my blue jean shorts, I picked up my black wide hard bristle hair brush that has a rose gold three-hundred-sixty degree stripe that’s towards the top of the handle. I brushed my just past the shoulders and put it in a messy bun. I walked out of my room and closed the door behind me, as I made my way down the hallway, took a left past my older sister’s door, and then stood in the kitchen by one of the white and black marble countertops. As soon as I took one step in the kitchen I could smell bacon, homemade hash browns, scrambled eggs, fresh-out-of-the-oven biscuits, and freshly squeezed orange juice, this is all my sisters doing. Tanya loves to cook, she used to own her restaurant, before the whole world went chaotic, so she stays with our parents until she can afford her place.
I honestly don’t know why she can’t because like the rest of my family she is a Stalker which means she kills the Baits for money, and Tanya is the best one in the family, besides my dad of course. He is one of the most active Stalkers out there, he will be gone all day and sometimes even night to kill the Baits.
This plan to have Stalkers and Baits was all the government and President’s idea to slow down the population so the President can control the world easier if there’s less population, which is nonsense if you ask me. And get this, Baits are supposed to be the weak links or ones who won’t “ be good for the population” in my opinion President Nikers makes the strongest people out there Baits because he’s scared that they might turn against him. Warren Nikers has been the President for the last ten years! We have been having Stalkers and Baits for the last ten years. I have never seen a Bait in my life probably because they are all out hiding, too scared to come out, too scared to be killed. But I have heard about them, this is what we learned about in school for the most part so we were prepared when we became of age to get our mark.
“Hey little sis,” Tanya says, snapping me out of my trance.
“ Hey Tanya,” I replied.
“ Did you get your mark yet?” she questioned.
“ No, not yet,” I said the lie slipping off my tongue with ease.
“ You’ll get it soon, don’t worry,” she said while smiling sympathetically.
“ If you ask me, she’s probably a Bait and covered her mark with makeup,” My older brother Niel said walking into the kitchen, I turned and gave him a surprised but also confused look.
“ Yeah like that would ever happen,” Tanya giggled.
Everyone then started laughing, I even did my best fake laugh not to look suspicious. After a few seconds of more laughter, everyone turned back to what they were doing like nothing ever happened. Niel turned and grabbed a plate, and that is when I saw the mark that I’ve seen ever since I was six years old the Stalker mark. The Stalker mark is the head of a wolf because wolves are supposed to be strong and stay with their pack.
“ Okay, breakfast is fully done,” I heard my mom sigh and put her hands on her hips, she also took down her long light brown hair out of the sloppy bun she was in.
We all grabbed plates and went to the stove to get the food while it was hot. I was after Niel and when I leaned towards the back to get the eggs, I felt a wield dripping sensation on my neck. I held my plate in my right hand and felt my neck with my left. I took my hand from my neck and was in shock when I looked at it. The still very hot stove had melted my makeup!
“ What’s wrong Aria?” my mother asked me.
“ Nothing,” I said, replying much faster than I would have liked to.
“ Don’t lie to your mother sweetie,” my father said sternly, giving me a look and crossing his arms in front of his chest.
Everyone put their plates down on the counter and came back rushing over to me, I just kept looking down at the stove in shock. As everyone looked at me and down to make sure I was not hurt or anything.
“ Is that makeup on her neck?” Neil asked in curiosity.
Tanya looked to where Neil was looking, “Yes it is,” Tanya replied sadly, tears filling her eyes.
Everyone gasped at Tanya’s answer and took a few steps backward away from me.
