Maggie had finally returned home after a long harrowing day of working in town. Her forehead was lined with dirt and her eyes were stinging from the salty sweat dripping down her face. Working as hard as she did every day made her entire body sore, and the simplest tasks like opening her car door required more might than usual. Once she struggled out of her shanty car she made her way up to her family’s home and stopped at the door to pick up a wad of mail. Upon entering the house she threw her bag on the floor and slipped off her dirt-caked construction boots that weighed down her young legs. The mere second any teenager in Lower Clearwater or the surrounding cities became 16, they were sent to work in the Capital to build fantastic buildings …show more content…
“Y-yeah I’m from Lower Clearwater, I’ve been working for only a few months”
“I’m sure you’ve heard of me”, Alex said with a laugh.
“That’s actually what I want to talk about, I understand if it’s too hard to, but I’d like to meet after our shifts, considering, you know…” Maggie motioned to all the cameras and security guards that were around. Alex looked down with a knowing smirk and let out a sigh.
“ How about we meet at the quarry just a few minutes out of town?” She finally decided.
Maggie had no choice but to agree with a simple nod and pushed herself off the wall with her leg and made her way over to her assigned work for the day.
Later in the afternoon, Maggie took her break just outside the building on a cold metal bench. She took this time to reflect inward, to try to understand that her life could and will end either route she took; if she cooperated with the government she would die, if she defied them she could die in prison or shot on the spot. It was a risk she was ready and willing to take to save others from falling victim to this unusual and cruel law. But every detail of her plan had to be perfectly worked out. Any minor flaw could prove to be fatal for her and Alex, considering if Alex is even willing to work with
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“I appreciate it, Alex, I really do, the last 24 hours have been a complete whirlwind of confusion and existential questioning that I don’t think I’ll be able to bear.”
“Well that’s why I’m here to help, the sooner we can figure out something, the feeling of dread will subside, so let's get to it.”
Alex grabbed Maggie’s hand and led her to the other side of the quarry where a hidden, yet beautiful lake surrounded by luscious green trees resided. It was a marvelous sight and something she hadn’t seen in a long time. Clearwater was so industrial that she forgot places like this existed. It felt like a different world and a wave of peace came over her as she made her way to the edge of the lake.
“It’s beautiful here Alex, I love it”
Maggie had a growing smile on her face but the feeling of happiness was completely short lived as she remembered why she was there. They sat down on a heavily grassed area right in front of the calm lake that was most likely polluted with gross chemicals from the city.
“So give me the full story Maggie, let's break this down as best we can,” Alex said as she laid down on the grass to watch the