Inner Value

If you where to tell anyone your true value in the world what would it be? Would you say you’re valuable from being strong like rock, clean as water, or you could say you’re value is your brain. What ever you think it is, you’re wrong. We never are who we truly think we are.

My city was cursed two years ago. Now it wasn’t on the land or anything. All of the kids where cursed, cursed to BE their true value. How and why such a thing to happen is unknown.

The people in my city knew that there was something always odd about the blue fog that rolled in for two months in the year than vanish like it was never there. Or that in our city... you could never see the moon. Never. Stars came out every once and a while but the moon never was there.

Two years ago the thick blue fog rolled in. Something was even more off about it, not to mention the moon light cut threw the fog like it was warm butter.

“Uhg, even with the sun out the stupid fog is to dark!” My mother complained as she ignored that it was already eight at night. A small smile tugged on my lips as I shake my head at the taller thinner frame that was peeking out of the shades; into the dark outside. My mother has always been beautiful. Her long blond hair had a slight hue of purple to it from a bad dye job years ago. Eyes on the smaller side but bright and blue. Not to mention the deep dimples that form as she smiled or laughed.

“You know its suppose to be dark right now, MA! It’s dinner time!” I huff out as my ocean blue colored eyes narrowed at my mother who had a light blue shine from the moon light coming in from the window.

That’s when it started to feel weird. Something wasn’t right, my heart pounded in my chest so hard it rang in my ears.

My mother’s perfectly plucked eyebrows turned together in confusion. Her lipstick dyed lips moved to form words but nothing came out before the blue lighted fog changed. It got brighter and a deep red, almost as if you looked right up at the sun. It got warm, to warm. I felt like I was burning from the inside out. Than it was gone, everything was gone; no moon, no fog, it was a normal night.

The whole thing lasted just a second but the burning tingled my body for a moment longer. “What the hell was that?” My mother squeaked out as she looked outside once again, as if to check that it did happen. By now there was some people stepping out of their houses to look out at everyone else.

We as well stepped out of the house, bare feet and no jacket like many of the other people that had wondered out keeping their house door wide open. I was shaking. The odd thing was.. I wasn’t shaking with fear or pain. I was excited.

“Ash!” A graspy voice gasped out. Hearing my name my ears perked up swinging my head around to find the person calling for me. That’s when Lance’s thin string bean body came crashing into my frame. His body was shaking as he heaved in panic breaths. “O-Oh god! WHat WAS thAT?!” Lance all but screeched out like a scared cat. His thick dark hair was sticking out in every direction as if he was frantically running his thin long fingers threw it.

“Lance, you saw it too?” I questioned as my thicker arms wrapped around my shaking best friend. His hands quivering as they groped at my sides in a soft touch. Something I have gotten use to with having Lance around. You see, he was... is.. on the spectrum; so his little things like this doesn’t bug me anymore.

“Well yeah! maybe it was a power line! or an explosion!” Lance started as he pulled away from me, his shaking hands go to his hair as he rakes his brain for logical reasons why it would happen. He was scared.

I was still excited. My heart was racing as it pumped my blood to my toes and fingertips. I could feel my lips twitching as i fought a smile to pull on my lips. I’ve gone insane, I know.

It happened again. The red flash and burning, the ringing in my ears, and the screams of fear that rattled the town’s people.

And it was gone in a blink of an eye. This time what was left was a white envelope with a blood red wax drip seal. There was two in front of me and Lance... there was one in front of every kid of the city. Our names neatly written in black ink just staring at us.

‘Ashleen Bow Glenton’ Just taunted me. I wanted to grab it, read it. But no one moved, no one spoke. Everyone looked down at the letters that had their’s or their kid’s name on it.

Before I could move my body by mind it moved all by itself picking up the envelope and ripping it open. The loud pop of the wax drip braking echoed threw the town. All eyes landed on me. And I read the swirled letters. I laughed.

I started to laugh, I couldnt hold it in anymore. It started out as soft giggles then slowly into a loud laugh. My body was feeling such bliss. I had tears of pure joy slip down my pink cheeks. I was so excited nothing could hurt. The words on the tan paper didnt even phase me.

“What does it say?” A voice spoke in the crowd that has started to form on our street. That is when my giggles stopped. Taking in a breath my eyes landed on my mother. I wanted to cry in fear, to scream along with the mothers holding their kids.

My lips where shaking as I licked them, letting my eyes fall back to the letter in my short fingers. Taking in a breath I started to read loud as everything went silent again.

“Ashleen,” I start with a sigh. “You will be going threw a big change. Your generation has been chosen as the savers.” Excited. I’m so excited. I hate it, I hate my excitement that it started to make my eyes burn harsh with tears wanting to fall. “Every child in the city of Kingsdill have been tested of their inner value. In a weeks time, the changes will be made. Either you give your inner value or you’re invaluable and face death.” With that word mothers and fathers screamed out, kids sat there silently or sobbing on the cold wet ground. As I fought back a smile as I continued on with the words written. “Everyone without a letter must leave-”

“Or else what?” Mr.Wess growled out as his shining bold head was shaking with fear and anger. His brown eyes where dark almost black as they cried for his two boys who held letters in their hands, reading along with me.

“Or else.. everyone dies, dad.” Warner Wess spoke, his deep voice cracked as his own brown eyes looked up at me as tears started to fall down his pale cheeks and get lost down his chin.

Gulping I nod, looking around at the people I go to school with, the people I’ve served at work, even the old drunks where here and alert. So... I continue to speak over the crying people.

“Everyone without a letter, do not fret. Yo-” I stop and look down at the words. Everyone without a letter, do not fret. Once you leave the city you will have no memory of what you have left behind. If my mother heard that.. she would never leave. Many people wouldn’t leave. So I lied. “Your kids will be fine.” I said, though the kids that where strong enough to follow along with me didn’t say anything. Many looked up at their family with sad smiles as tears fell from their eyes. “Non letters must leave the city by sun up.” My lips I’ve been trying so hard to keep from smiling finally fell.

“That’s it... that’s all it says.” I mumble as my eyes look over at Lance as he held his unopened letter in his shaking hands. Lance’s sister Jill inched closer to the two of us. She had just celebrated her ninteenth birthday just a couple of days ago. She had no letter in hand.

“Where is your letter JJ?” Lance questioned as his brown eyes grew with more panic. “J..J...J...” Lance started as more tears started to fall off his cheeks and crash down on the concrete under him. JJ’s naturally tan skin looked pale as she moved her thick curled hair out of her swollen face. “Oh L, You’ll have Ash with you this trip.” She said trying so hard to keep a smile on her lips. Even though everyone can see her heart broken on the floor like many of the people of Kingsdill.

That night, everyone without a letter left. They left everything they could for us. Than we grouped yourself’s up by age. We range from five years old to eighteen. There was three hundred of us. But we all went to a home of our choosing that night that be to sleep or to lay in bed and cry.

The week of the change.. It was a hard week. The first night we only lost two kids. They vanished in their sleep with a burst of blue light. It continued, for two days we just kept loosing people. They dropped left and right.

Day three, people started to change. Thea Jone’s a younger girl about twelve, her thick blond hair started to slip out. Her pale skin that was once like a dolls swirled to a dull blue color. Her fingers developing webbing. Hair growing out as streams of water.

Even Lance started to change, claws growing from his fingertips, fangs hugging his lips as his eyes even turned into gold orbs that he could easily see in the dark with.

Day four, more people died.. more people changed. The cycle went on for the seven days. We lost a little more than half of the people that had gotten a letter. Each and every one of the people lost had a small grave site. Something Samantha started doing as she realized she could cut the flowers that started to grow inside her.

By the time Monday rolled around and no one vanished. We partied. The little ones got candy and their own movie theater section. Popcorn and juice for everyone as they tried to be normal for the first time in a long week.

The older kids got their own movie just a theater away from the kids. A smile was on my lips as I looked at the empty movie theater, my friends starting to come in.

“Ash?” Danny Wess asked, he was one of the eldest people here being the second only eighteen year old left. He once looked like Mikle Kelso from That ’70s Show with his dark brown floofy hair and perfect smile. Now his skin was cold and shining from the car wax he stole from Mr.Dick’s car shop. He was now known as Tin Man. He can peal off slips of metal skin to build things with. In a way it is disgusting but pretty cool.

“Yeah? what’s wrong Tin?” I ask as my green eyes look over at the small group of people that stood behind him. My dark eyebrow tugged up with confusion.

“We want you to be the leader.” Kimberly gasped out as she squeaked smacking her rough hands over her mouth. Sand slipping from her skin as she moves. Her once green eyes now a light brown that swirls with white flecks from the sand that engulfed her frame.

Tin rolled his metal eyes as he shook his head. “That was my line Sandy.” He huffed but turned back to me with a slight smile. “But what do you say Ash?” He asked.

I just huff. “We all know I’m not a good choice. I’m only fourteen, You do it Tin your the oldest.” I say with a raised eyebrow. That just made the metal man smile happily.

“Then we celebrate for me tonight” He said winking at me before brushing past me to find his spot in the theater.

That night we celebrated. We laughed like we use to. Acted as if it was a school trip and the fact that we where all taking on the world way to soon in life was not on our mind.

But, that was all two years ago.

It now looks like a post apocalyptic world. Our world is just this city, we cant leave. No mater how hard we try it just wont work. Though it is as if every couple of days the local grocery store gets restocked with food, so it wasnt all that bad. Some of the older houses started to rot and cave in, or Spark sneezed again and the house erupted in flames.. again.

That... With the fact that eight months ago we finally got our fist letter from the red fog... I was getting excited again. The letter told us to start training, to use our value. Witch is nice and all but for the people that don't have that high of a value it is a little lame. I was excited non the less.

"Tin!" I growled out as soon as his shining body came to view, my thick black covered glove slapped the tall male making a loud clinking sound and my fingers to burn in pain. "You didnt make the targets for the kids!" I huff holding my hand close to my chest with a frown.

TinMan let out a soft chuckle, turning to look down at me. His shining eyes ranking my body as he let out a sigh. "I told you Ash, have Woods do it." He said as he started to pick at his metal skin, it sounded like someone scraped a chock board. He has been working in one of the houses that was close to where we try to keep everybody. No matter how much he wants or any of the people want when they took material from their bodys they can only take so much a day.

My pink lips twitch into a frown as I look up at him. "Come on.." I speak as I step closer to him gently placing my hand onto his cold cheek. "You and I both know that there is kids that will brake a wood target. We need something stronger." I say as my hand slips from his chin.

"And!" I continue with a small smile. "I asked you." With that I patted his shoulder and walked off. I do have to watch over some kids with super powers, you know. Normal life.