A/N: So, hello there! Enjoy this chapter. I wrote it just for you. *winks at you*

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01 - 15 - 2089

The next morning I wake up as usual. My eyes open to the bright lights coming on in my room at precisely six o'clock in the morning. And while fighting the normal headache I receive from those monstrous lights, I shuffle towards my bathroom where I shower and get ready for another long, suffocating day.

Once I've showered and brushed my thick hair, I turn to my drawing until the first meal arrives. I usually have at least ten minutes to get some drawing in before I have to eat and get ready for my first test.

I set to work on setting out my charcoal pencils and sticks, careful not to break the delicate pieces. I lay them out on the floor in front of me in a neat and straight line before picking up the hardest charcoal pencil I have. I stare at the swirls on the wall, almost completing the delicate pattern I'm working on. It will be a symbol of the sun once I'm done, but right now it doesn't look like much of anything. Just some random lines and dots.

I envision the golden sun, shining down on the cold Anteria lands and reflecting on the snow like millions of diamonds. It's a vivid picture that's all in my head; I've never seen the sun. I've read about it in one of the many books I've had access to, but since there are no windows in my room, I haven't been able to catch a glimpse of it.

But I hope to one day. I've asked Doctor Acosta about it before, but she always changes the subject. At least Barr is a little more honest with me. He's outright told me that I can't. But I don't hate Barr for it. He's nice, and one of the reasons that I enjoy this place.

A silver meal tray clanks onto the cement floor, startling me from my wandering thoughts. I glance back at it, then back to my drawing. I didn't even get to add one line to the drawing, thanks to my wandering, crazy mind.

Shrugging, I leave my drawing tools out and grab my tray from the floor. When I stand, my eyes lock onto the door, getting a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. Almost like someone is watching me.

"Nice..." I mumble, shaking my head at my ridiculous thoughts. Of course someone is watching me. They're always watching me. I've long learned that they monitor everything I do. And I mean everything.

I take a seat at my desk, slapping the tray onto the small surface. My eyes widen as they scan over the meal. It's different. Instead of a bowl of nutrient dense meal and milk, there's a strange yellow squishy thing on my plate and a glass of something orange and thick.

I look back at the door, half expecting someone to rush in and switch trays with my usual meal. But that can't be, because they don't make mistakes. Or, at least, that's what everyone tells me. But that discussion is for another time, and I clap those thoughts closed before they can run rampant in my mind.

I sniff the strange meal and lightly poke at it, wondering if it's safe to eat. I've never seen this stuff before, so it feels natural to be wary of it.

Static fills the room, then a crackly voice. "It's your first meal, Gis," Doctor Acosta's voice comes through the hidden speakers in my room. "It's safe to eat, I assure you. Just hurry up; you have ten minutes." Then the speaker turns off, and I'm alone again.

Well, here goes nothing... I think as I pick up the plastic cup and bring it to my lips. The liquid slides down my throat, bringing a new sensation to my mind. It's... good. Almost, tangy? It tastes similar to some fruit I've had before, and I like it. There's a salty aftertaste, which is weird, but other than that I'd say it's pretty good. I only wish I knew what it was called.

Doctor Acosta's warning to hurry up comes back to mind and I quickly finish up the drink before plowing into the strange food. It's tasty, but it also has a weird salty aftertaste. For some reason it tastes out of place in the meal, but I ignore it and chew as fast as I can. I don't want to waste half of my food for the day. Afterall, I only get two meals a day.

Just as I finish up the last bite, the door whirs and clicks open. I push the tray back a bit and stand, feeling full. I blink,  suddenly feeling something in my eyes.

"I'm ready," I say, rubbing my eyes. Whatever I got in them is making my eyes sting. I can hardly open them. It's almost as if--

My legs hit something solid and I lose my balance, breaking my train of thought. For a split second I'm flying through the air, then something grabs my arms and sets me right. I crack my eyes open, flustered and dizzy. I just make out a figure holding onto me, but whatever is in my eyes is making them hard to open. Everything's blurry.

"Wha--"

"It's time to go." The voice belongs to a guy, and he sounds younger from what I can tell. I wish I could see what he looks like, but my eyes are being stubborn and won't let me. The man holds onto my arm tightly and leads me forward.

I spread my arms out, worried I'm going to run into a wall with my eyes being funny. "Wait, I can't--"

"It's okay. I'm here to help you," the guy cuts me off. "Just hold onto me."

His steady voice and demeanor helps to calm me down. I nod, understanding that this is most likely another test. Then I realize something else. The food. It had to be because of the food they gave me. It did something to my eyes; it made them like this.

"What's your name?" I ask as an afterthought as we head down what I assume to be the hall towards the testing room. The guy, who's probably an orderly now that I think of it, keeps me steady. I keep one hand pressed against my eyes, rubbing occasionally, while the other arm is held by my helper.

The guy doesn't answer, and I start to think that he's not going to tell me. But eventually he lets out a husky breath. "Cade."

"Oh. That's a cool name. Mine doesn't really make any sense," I say, "It's Gis, but you probably already knew that." I fall silent, feeling my neck getting hot. Good grief, Gis, what's wrong with you?

"Thanks," Cade says; I can almost feel the smile on his face.

We turn to the left, which I notice right away. It's a new path. We can't be going to the usual testing room. I hesitate, pulling away from Cade. "What's going on? Where are we going?"

He takes a hold of my arm again. "What do you mean?" He asks, sounding genuinely confused.

"This isn't the way to the testing room," I hiss, yanking my arm out of his grip again when another wave of pain digs into my eyes. My eyeballs feel like they're on fire, and I can't open them at all now. I grind my teeth, trying to focus. This is wrong; they've never done anything like this to me before.

"It's a new room, Gis. It's okay. The sooner we get you to the room, the sooner you'll feel better," Cade assures me. "I promise."

I'm still hesitant to trust him, but I let him take a hold of my arm and continue leading me down the hallway. We take another turn, I think to the right, but after that it all becomes a blur. The pain in my eyes grows steadily, then it regresses. But a moment later it's back and worse than before.

I barely keep back a shout when the pain comes back in full force. Cade sucks in a breath, then lets out it out. "We're here." A door opens, then I'm ushered into a new room. Cold air hits me through my thin clothes; goosebumps rise on my skin, and I can hardly breathe.

"It's worse than we expected." Relief floods through me as I hear Barr's voice.

"Barr," I croak, pain lacing my voice. Someone helps me lie down on a freezing metal table. I feel other hands on me, some on my face, prying my fingers off from my eyes, and others on my arms. It's hard to focus; everything is a blur and moving in hurried, frenzied movements.

"I'm here, Gis. Just relax," Barr says. His voice is right over me. I reach out to find him, and smack something hard, hurting my hand. Something clanks onto the floor.

"Gis," Doctor Acosta scolds. "Calm down. It's not that bad."

A needle pokes into my skin; it's taped down. Monitors are placed on my chest, and forehead. The pain ebbs away bit by bit, and I savor it. They must be giving me some sort of drug to relieve the pain.

"What's go... going... oonnn," I slur, my mind not connecting. I can't... focus. Sleep... it's all....

The darkness is back, and it smothers me until everything else is gone.

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