Alright. Here is my fanfiction. It's set four years after the end of the first season of The New Tomorrow. If you've heard of it, you'll know what's going on. If you haven't heard of it, you'll still know what's gonig on, but not what went on during the New Tomorrow episodes. Anyways, here it is and enjoy! Crit and suggestions are welcome. And sorry about the length.
Chapter 1: Privileged.
The place looked deserted but the camp of Discards and Warps below the tall, hulking metal palace of the Privileged was full of life.
The warp guards in their red leather still walked the perimeter as the Discards went about farming the ground. It had been like this all day and I still didn’t know how I had ended up in the trees outside the camp.
I shifted slightly to my left to get a better view just as one of the Warps looked towards the forest. I saw his eyes widen in shock and then he was yelling as he ran for my hiding place at the edge of the trees.
I ran a one hand over my jacket, looking for my necklace and bunched up my skirt in other hand as I ducked back out of sight. The Warp stopped and scanned the forest. I’d confused him—for the moment anyway.
I found my necklace-a large, flat metal disc on a chain-and backed away from the tree line. The warp would see me soon-and the two white lines under my left eye-and come after me again.
I was right. As soon as I felt sunlight hit my face, the white lines flashing in the shadowed forest, the warp found me again and the chase was back on.
I turned and ran, dodging trees and vines. I heard him following me, along with two others. Why had I been watching them in the first place?
I dodged a tree and crossed a shallow river before a vine tripped me up just inside the trees on the other side. The air left my lungs as I hit the ground. I could hear the Warps splashing across the river.
“Damn,” I muttered scrambling back onto my feet and ducking behind a tree. I flatten myself against the tree and waited.
“Halt,” The first Warp said. It was the one who had first seen me.
All sound stopped. I tried to slow my breathing as the three Warps shifted uncomfortably, splashing again.
“She can’t be far,” one of the others said.
There was a loud crack. “Fool,” the third said sourly. I risked a peek at them.
The first one stood facing my way on the shore but had his head down. The second was just behind him, kneeling on the rough stones with a hand pressed against his face. The third was in ankle deep water, pointing towards my side of the river.
“The forbidden zone is that way,” the third snapped.
“Shut up!” The first one said spinning towards them. I ducked back behind the tree. “Let her go,” He said in a calm voice. “We’ll get her later.”
They splashed back across the river and then crashed back into the trees. I sighed in relief and pushed away from the tree. They were headed back to camp. I turned to look back across the river. No Warps were waiting for me on the other side of the rippling water.
I smiled for a moment until I remembered that I didn’t know where I was. I slapped a hand over my eyes and groaned. Come on Zia! You knew that!
I shook my head and dropped my hand. I couldn’t go back across the river—the Warps would probably be waiting for me... And I couldn’t go deeper into the forest either—there was a tribe that often killed people on sight. I knew they wouldn’t welcome me.
I jerked my head up, not realising that I had been staring at my feet. Wait. How did I know about the tribes?
I turned my back on the river and started walking, not paying any attention at all to my surroundings. It wasn’t like I knew the forest in the first place anyway.
I walked for hours, sometimes it felt like I was going around in circles but when I finally looked up, it was to see this huge metal machine, a dull yellow in colour and full of rust, towering over me. How did I know what that brown coloured flaking stuff was?
The thing creaked and blew fire. I jumped and backed away slowly. When I was far enough away, I turned to run for it and smacked into somebody, landing hard on my backside in the entrance of a small cave I hadn’t noticed before. The cave opening was too small for the stupid machine to get through.
I rubbed my forehead, which stung a little then grabbed for my necklace. It was still on its chain around my neck.
“Who are you?” It was a boy who spoke.
I looked up, startled. A boy with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes stared down at me. He wore black leather armour over dark grey clothes and had one thick black stripe across his right eyelid, and one down his right cheek. The other cheek was marred by a scar.
I opened my mouth then closed it again. He narrowed his gaze at me.
“I said who are you?” He snapped and crouched down in front of me. I was about to answer him when he added, “By the way, I’m Shadow.” He said this in a much kinder tone while frowning at me.
I gasped and got my feet under me, slowly untying my dark grey skirt as we watched each other.
He suddenly smirked and sat back on his heels. “Fine,” he said and rubbed at the scar on his left cheek. “Don’t tell me.” He shrugged and dropped his hand. “What tribe are you from anyway?” he asked squinting at the white lines under my left eye. “Or do you have no tribe?”
I flinched when he said that. Shadow laughed.
“Yeah,” he said running his eyes over my wild, unbound, dark-coloured hair and then the rest of me, covered by dark grey, black, brown and dark green clothing. “You have no tribe.”
I wet my lips and immediately regretted it when he eyes drifted back to my face and focused on my lips.
“Venezia,” I muttered and his eyes met mine. “My name is Venezia but please, call me Zia.”
“Venezia?” He question, testing it out. He smiled and leaned forward. “I like it.” He sat back again. “So, where did you come from?”
I hesitated, pulling my skirt off and bunching it up in my hands. How could I answer that? And then it hit me—I could just tell him the truth.
“I.....don’t know,” I said truthfully and lowered my gaze, picking at the black pants I wore under my skirt.
When I looked up again, Shadow looked startled—shocked even.
“You don’t know where you came from?” he asked, extremely startled. I nodded and rose into a half crouch. He copied me. “Well,” he said and smirked, “Might as well have some fun while you’re here.”
My eyes went wide when he said that. He wasn’t serious, was he? His smirk said he was.
Startled, I threw my skirt into his face, turned and ran for it.
I didn’t get far. Although the machine had vanished, a vine tripped me up—Again!
I lay still for a moment, all air forced from my lungs. How did I keep getting myself into these messes?
I felt a knee in my back—Shadow had found me.... I wasn’t even that hard to find and I didn’t know where I was going in the first place. He held me down while he caught his breathe.
“Damn, Zia,” he muttered, still gasping. He shifted his weight and stood, dragging me up with him. “You’re pretty fast.”
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t—I was gasping for breath as he marched me back to the cave.
He pushed me down against the wall of the cave and picked up my skirt.
“Flame would like you,” he said absently as he tore a strip of cloth off my skirt and dropped to his knees beside me. He sighed and pulled my hands behind my back, tying them together with the strip of cloth. “I wonder...” he murmured, trailing off thoughtfully.
I watched him as stood up and walk over to the fire I hadn’t noticed before. Beside the fire were several furs—a makeshift bed.
“What are you doing?” I asked, curious. He glanced at me over his shoulder.
“I am packing up my camp,” he said and turned his back on me. Shadow started rolling up the furs as I watched.
I leaned back against the cave wall and waited while he quickly rolled up two more furs and then put the fire out.
“Shadow,” a feminine voice called out just as Shadow finished rolling up the fourth one.
He stood and headed for the cave entrance but a dark haired, dark skinned girl beat him to it.
“Shadow! I wondered if you were still here,” she said and then she spotted the smoking, unlit fire. “Going somewhere?” She asked, tilting her side to one side.
“Faygar,” he sighed allowing the girl to wrap her arms around his neck. “I thought it was time to move on.” He gave her a small smile when she pulled back. “I hadn’t seen you in a week... The machines are lurking, they sense me...” He sighed again. “I don’t know why they’re watching me.”
“I know, I know,” she said waving away his excuses as she moved towards the unlit fire. “So, where are you going now?” Shadow didn’t appear to hear her questions—his eyes were on me. “I think the machines are just curious, as would anyone be.”
“Um,” he cleared his throat and turned his attention back to Faygar. “I’m not sure yet...” He watched Faygar as she paused by the fire, nudging the ashes with one foot. “Help yourself to those,” he said, pointing to the furs when she glanced at him. “I won’t need them—not where I’m going anyway.”
Faygar gave him a weird look. “You’re not going back to them, are you Shadow?” she questioned, genuinely concerned.
“Uh....” He was stalling, that much was clear. Shadow didn’t her to know—know what?
Faygar made to answer but then she spotted me and gasped.
“Who are you?” she asked taking a step towards me.
“Faygar,” Shadow warned. She waved him off but didn’t come any closer.
“I’m Faygar,” she said smiling at me. “Where have you come from? We don’t get many strangers around here...”
“Faygar,” Shadow warned again and went to her side. “She’s Priv,” he hissed in her ear and Faygar’s eyes went wide. Shadow softened his tone, “She got lost, I was just about to show her the way back.”
“A Priv?” she repeated questioningly and frowned at me. “She doesn’t look like a Priv, Shadow,” she chided softly.
Shadow sighed and went back to the furs. “Well, maybe not anymore,” he muttered binding together about three of the furs.
“Oh,” Faygar murmured, “A Discard then.” She stood watching me as Shadow finished packing up his camp.
“Faygar,” He insisted rejoining the dark-haired girl. “Forget it—she’s not interested. She just wants to get home.”
Faygar sighed and went over to the furs. “Alright, Shadow,” she said and picked up three of them. “I won’t press.” She smiled and made for the cave entrance. “I’ll be seeing you later then, Shadow,” she called and vanished out the cave entrance.
I stared after her, aware of Shadow’s prying eyes. What was that all about?
“That was Faygar,” Shadow said dragging me to my feet. I hadn’t heard him move. “She’s the leader of the Ants.” He smirked. “You’re lucky she doesn’t pry too much.”
I rolled my eyes as he went back to the furs and hoisted the three tied together onto his back. He came back to me and pulled my hood back over my head then tied my skirt back around my waist.
“Let’s go,” he muttered and marched me out of the cave, pulling up his own hood as he walked.
The clearing outside the cave was empty. It left a hollow feeling in me—a feeling I couldn’t explain. I glanced towards Shadow. His face was empty, void of any and all emotion.
I pursed my lips and went back to the staring at the ground. He would talk if he wanted to.
A short walk later and we were back at the river. Shadow brought us up short and stared at the bank of the river then the water for a moment. I could see the footprints the Warps had left and I was sure he could too.
“Wonderful,” he muttered under his breath and pushed me forwards.
We splashed across the river and paused on the bank while Shadow scanned the trees. He scrunched up his noise then sighed and marched us into the trees.
I looked up and saw a young boy with a five-pointed fan on his forehead and a band of bronze across his eyes, like a mask. He had feathers in his short brown-blonde hair. He was watching us, his forehead creased in confusion.
“Keep your head down,” Shadow hissed and forced my head down. I frowned. What was he going on about?
We started walking again, the ground flashing past my eyes. I kept my head down but I knew that the boy had seen us and that he would probably tell someone about us. Shadow paused again and I flicked my eyes up to see what was going on. We were back at the Privs’ camp and a Warp stood in front of us. He was between us and the entrance to the Discards’ camp.
“Halt,” he said and approached us slowly. His had brown hair and dark eyes. He wore no helmet.
Shadow shrugged the furs off his shoulder and dropped them on the ground in front of him. The Warp frowned and waved over another Warp... I watched him, frowning. I’d seen this one before.
I gasped and Shadow forced me onto my knees. I didn’t look up again—if I did I knew the Warp would recognise me.
“Who are you and why are you here?” the Warp demanded as the second Warp picked up the furs.
I raised my head but only high enough to see Shadow’s face. Shadow sighed and raised his hands, pushing back his hood. The Warp gasped.
“Shadow?” he said, his face falling into a frown. “Everyone thought you were dead. I thought you were dead.”
“Igra,” Shadow said and jerked my hood back. Igra’s attention moved from Shadow to me.
“You!” he hissed and stepped forward menacingly.
“You were looking for her?” Shadow asked and Igra glanced towards him. Igra backed off and looked from me to Shadow and back again.
“Yes,” He said and stood up straight. “I was. She was lurking near the camp.”
Shadow nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. I stared up at the two of them. Shadow was taller than Igra, he towered over the Warp.
“Bring her in,” Igra muttered and turned towards the camp. “Flame and Harmony would like to see the girl who escaped me.”
“Flame?” Shadow asked and uncrossed his arms, “And Harmony?”
Igra didn’t turn back. “Yes,” he snapped. “Now get a move on!”
Shadow pulled me to my feet and followed the Warp, dragging me with him. We entered the camp and made our way over to the hulking metal palace that was the home of the Privileged.
The discards were staring at us and whispering. I heard Shadow’s name whispered too loudly a couple of times before someone hushed the person who had spoken too loud. It seemed that they knew of Shadow and had thought him gone for good.
The crowd grew thin the closer we got the metal entrance of the Privs’ palace until only the Warp guards were waiting for us, watching as we passed them by and entered the building.
The hall we were now in was narrow and dimly lit by torches. Igra ignored the other Warps in the hall as he guided us down it and then turned left into a much wider passage.
Shadow gripped my right upper arm hard painfully and dragged me forwards, making me stumble. I hissed at him and fought his grip.
“Zia,” he hissed and jerked me to a stop. Igra turn back to see what was up. “Do not struggle. You will only get yourself hurt.” I scrunched up my nose at him and made to pull away. He pulled me back and shook me. “Do you understand me, Venezia? Do. Not. Make. Flame. Mad.”
“What is her problem?” Igra asked from halfway down the hall.
Shadow turned and marched me off down the hall to Igra’s side. “She is not happy about being a prisoner,” he told Igra, who laughed.
“No one ever is, Shadow,” the Warp said and started walking again.
We followed him down the hall and turned into another hall even wider than the last until we reached a large circular door. The Warp who stood outside it pushed the door open and waved us through.
Igra stepped through it and stopped just inside the door. Shadow dragged me through and then stopped dead at the sight of a black-haired boy wearing black and red clothes and a blonde-haired girl in pink.
“Shadow?” the black-haired boy said in disbelief. I could tell that he was older than the others.
“Flame,” Shadow said and nodded to the boy who spoke before turning his attention to the girl, “Harmony.”
The girl didn’t answer. She just stared at him with watery eyes. Shadow sighed and pushed me forward.
“The girl who escaped Igra,” he said and crossed his arms over his chest again.
I turned on him in anger. “I have a name!” I yelled. Shadow just smirked and waited.
“Of course you do,” Flame said and I turned back to him. “Please,” he added, “Tell me what it is.”
“Untie her first,” Harmony interjected and stepped forwards as she studied me. Flame stared at the girl beside him and Harmony looked back at him. “What?” she asked. “We can’t treat a guest badly, Flame. They might not come back.”
Flame sighed and nodded to Igra. He moved to untie my bonds but Shadow beat him to it. I felt the cloth rope give and pulled my hands free, rubbing my wrists as I checked them for wounds but the cloth hadn’t been as harsh as rope would have been, had Shadow used rope instead.
When I looked up, Flame was watching me. He looked expectant. I sighed. He probably wanted to hear my name.
“My name is Venezia,” I said and shot Shadow a glare. Boys! “But please, call me Zia.”
Flame smiled and exchanged a glance with Harmony. “Pretty name,” he commented. Harmony nodded and then returned her attention to Shadow.
“I think Shadow should be rewarded,” she said and turned to smile at Flame. “Don’t you think?”
Flame nodded and smiled at her but his eyes were on me. “Yes, he should.”
“And Zia,” Harmony said turning back to us. “What do you want to do about her?”
Flame smiled. “Both shall become one of us,” He announced. Harmony turned back to him and stared at the dark haired boy, as did Igra.
“Oh, Flame,” Harmony sighed, “You’re so generous!”She turned and stared at us. “Let’s get you settled then.” Flame sighed and rolled his eyes. Harmony clapped once and everyone fell silent.
About twenty minutes later, a young girl dress in grey clothes came and led me away.
She took so many twists and turns in the dimly lit corridors that I got dizzy and confused. I was sure that I wouldn’t be able to find my way back to that room or even out of the damn place.
Suddenly she stopped and opened a large, circular door at the end of a short, narrow hall, and ushered me inside before closing the door behind her, leaving me alone in the brightly lit room—quite a sudden change from the dim corridor on the other side of the door.
I stood staring at the door for a few minutes before turning to examine the room.
A low platform heaped with furs served as a bed while a large, grime covered mirror sat opposite me with a low bench and a stool beneath it. I stared at my reflection for a moment before looking away from the eyes staring back at me. It had been a long time since I last saw those vibrant green eyes of mine.
I scrunched up my face at the dirty girl in the mirror. She was beautiful, yes but she was covered in grime. Two white lines stood out against the dirt, just like that white pony I had seen in the forest a long time ago.
I scowled back at my reflection when my eyes caught my attention again before shrugging off my dark brown jacket and ripping off my skirt—it was already ruined anyway. I tugged my dark blue dress out of my pants and shook it out. It flared out then fell to just below my knees and settled there.
Sighing, I pulled off my pants and threw them away. I was angry, yes—but not at Shadow. It was my own stupidity that had me upset.
I growled and climbed into the bed, ignoring the mirror and the door. Resigned, I stared up at the ceiling and, amazingly enough, I was soon fast asleep.
* * *
A/N: So, what do you think?
~Scarlett.
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