Le Liberté

After watching her own parents fade in and out of death, Hartley heard car tires screech from behind her, the doors to a large van sliding open. Groups of children and babies were in their car seats or huddled together in small masses. Three other teens jumped out of the van and urged the children in the street into the van, cooing gently to the babies as they whined and whimpered.

"You're new." Somebody said from behind Hartley, tapping her shoulder gently. Hartley spun around to find herself staring at two teens she hadn't seen only a few seconds ago. One had hair dyed a deep purple color and the other had black and greasy hair. They both had their arms crossed over their puffed out chests, wonderfully inked tattoos spreading across the skin on their bodies.

"Yeah. What is this?" She asked quickly. "What's going on?"

"The rebellion." The purple haired one said. "The rebellion led by Him. Screw adults! We're making our own rules for our own generation." He looked over at the other one and nodded. "This world is ours to have, not to get told what we need and don't need for the first 18 years of life!"

"You wanna learn more about Him?" The greasy-haired one asked. Hartley nodded again, her feet shuffling with excitement and anxiety. She always had a dream of a perfect teenage utopia, but she never thought it would every come true. Nothing she ever wished for came true! "Go to the rally we're holding in the park tonight. We hear rumor that He will be there."

"Who's 'He'? Who are you two? Your names?"

The purple haired one put a finger up to her mouth and shushed her.

"Go to the rally. No more questions."

Hartley simply pushed her hands together behind her back and smiled. "No more questions."

After a hard while of thinking, Hartley realized how brutal she had seemed while watching her parents die. They had raised her for 13 years of her life and now she sort of spit in their faces, a great thank you for a long time of dedication.

Hartley's guilt dissolved later that night at the rally.