Project 27

The gleaming light from the outside illuminated the darkness in Andrew's old, cheap car. Clothes were tossed under the seats and over the headrests, and paperwork seemed to overflow everywhere else. There was hardly any room to put our feet. Even with the thin air freshener dangling from the rearview mirror, it was stuffy and I coughed from the dirty atmosphere.

"We're going to have to take the train, as I'm sure I mentioned before," Andrew said after moments of silence. I stared out the window, a million things going on in my head. But only one thing seemed to be direct in my mind: what were the chances of this ever happening? Me even escaping to the refuge of Violet's cavern seemed like a miracle enough - until it wasn't such a great miracle anymore. This whole journey to find the supposed Project 27 was ridiculous, but there was nowhere else for me to go. I couldn't live like this.

I thought back to my opinions in the beginning as I gazed ahead at the open roads, dead grass blanketing the ground and the unproportioned amount of trees bending over in the wind, as if they were about to snap. All I ever wanted was to leave the strict captivity of Connors and the rest of the terrorizing government, but I wasn't so sure now. It was nothing like I expected it to be. I was sure I would die - be murdered from the elite guards as soon as I escaped from the school. But, instead, I made it all the way to this point - running and hiding from everyone to go on some wild goose chase to find a way to shut down the ECP.

"So, what is your master plan for making sure nobody recognizes me?" I said, sarcasm dripping like venom from my mouth. I had such low toleration for what was going on, and I was confused. It was as if I was just now realizing that the past has caught up with me, and that it wouldn't be as good as I pictured it.

"I was hoping we could figure it out along the way," Andrew replied, stealing a glance in the rearview mirror. I rolled my eyes, and I ran my fingers through my hair. It seemed to have thinned out and changed to a more faded blonde - something that happened whenever I was stressed or worried.

"Wow, how heroic of you - figuring out things all by yourself," Violet said, and I couldn't stifle my laugh.

"Well, what's your big idea?"

I turned my stare to the window again, and thought about how we could conceal my identity. Anybody would know that it was the runaway girl in an instant. The more time passed, the larger the rewards would get. When you're out of school, and the ECP has taken full control of your life, there's no way out and those people have nothing to gain for themselves by letting me go.

"Some of the elderly still own makeup. Maybe we can smother you in it," said Violet.

I shook my head. "It's better for me to blend in than stand out. If we did that, people will just look at me more and they could really figure out that I'm Juliet Hastings."

Violet nodded, and I sighed. There needed to be something that could make me blend in.
"What if you just pretended that you were turning me in or something? That could work for both Violet and I," I said, nodding to Andrew.

He frowned. "It would be a great idea, but people would do anything to get their hands on you for the money. Violet is worth more than you think, too, because they'll know she's a runaway."

I bit my lip. "What if you just threatened them with a gun or something? The government doesn't care as long as you don't kill them."

Violet shook her head. "No, no, no. This is barely a plan. The odds are against us here, and you guys know that."

"Do you have a better idea?" Andrew said, raising his eyebrows. I kept my head down as cars flashed by on the interstate. Violet didn't respond.

"This isn't a top-notch plan, for sure, but it's the only thing we have. Trying to do something bizarre to hide me would just be too complicated," I said. "The same goes for you, Violet. You don't see kids like us at all out of school."

She swallowed and nodded. I sighed, leaning back and rubbing the back of my neck. It was too unbelievable. This whole "expedition" to find a computer program stronger than ECP seemed odd and fake. In my school, I couldn't even imagine a scenario like this happening, let alone living through it.

The rest of the ride to the train station was silent for me. Andrew and Violet quietly talked, but I took no interest in their conversation and stared out the window. Besides the few cars that passed by, I didn't have to lean down. Seeing the rest of the outside world was different for me. I knew I would see it someday, if overpopulation didn't happen, when I would start my chosen career and live in my house.

All I could ever imagine before this was the horrors of my life being chosen for me. Being forced to be with a spouse, to create a family, and to struggle through work every day knowing you never had your own choices was all that was kept in my thoughts. Every now and then, I would think about my parents and what had happened with them, but I always pushed it away because I knew that I would never know.

Now, that particular life wasn't possible for me. But the one I had now wasn't any better. It was one dangerous journey to find something that had barely any chance of existing, and it was a miracle that I wasn't caught and killed by now. I would never go back to my old life - the government would kill me on the spot once they found me.

We arrived at the train station an hour later. The sleek black covers and the tinted windows of the trains reminded me of something inescapable, something that could trap you in a second. I shuddered, and I stepped out of the car with an uneasy feeling in my stomach.

Andrew suddenly grabbed my arm, tightening his grip as he pulled me towards the station. He did the same with Violet, and I stared at him. "What are you doing?" I said to him, a look of horror in my eyes. Was he turning us in?

"Isn't it obvious? I'm supposed to be turning you in. Not for real, of course, but as part of concealing your guys' identity."

I breathed a sigh of relief, stealing a glance at Violet. She must've felt the same way as I did. I still couldn't fully trust either of them, despite the circumstances.

I remember very faintly of the first and the only other time I was on one of these trains. It was when I was nearly a toddler, and I was getting shipped to the school in Massachusetts. All I could remember was sitting inside the plastic carts, feeling nothing as the train sped along, but hearing and seeing everything.

I closed my eyes and opened them again, pushing the memory away. We started to see people walking across the train stations, and as we got closer, I saw pairs and spouses together. They didn't even look at each other - there was no affection, no acknowledgement. The world as we know it had become savage.

Everything was silent. The only thing I could hear was the sound of my own heart beating. I tried to focus on anything but the people around me, and I just saw the rising and falling of Andrew's chest in my peripheral vision.

We approached the first stopped train that we saw, and I inhaled sharply. People were starting to notice Violet and me. I tried not to look at my surroundings, and just focused on boarding the train. It wouldn't help if it appeared as if I was curious of what was going on.

Just as we started to step on the train, a low voice called out to us.

"Hey! Stop!"

Andrew turned around, his eyebrows furrowed. There, standing in front of us, was a man in a business suit with a typical briefcase clasped in his hand. When I turned to face him, his eyes widened, and his gaze flickered to Violet and he stepped back in surprise.

"You're that girl," he said, squinting and pointing at me. "They offered a big reward for you."

I didn't say anything, and when I looked to the side, I could see Andrew's hand creeping to his belt, where the gun lay.

"You must be a runaway, hiding with her," the man said, now pointing his finger at Violet. She just stared at him, not saying a word.

"Sorry, but I already have them," Andrew said, his voice low and slightly threatening. He didn't make a move to step into the train, though. I swallowed as I watched the man, with his icy glare, stare into Andrew's eyes without moving them.

"I guess I'll have to take them from you, then. I need that reward. That other runaway girl will be worth a fortune, too."

In what seemed like a half-second, Andrew's gun was out of the belt holder and pointed at the man's head. My eyes widened slightly, and Violet's did too.

The man took a few steps back, but didn't walk away. He looked frightened for a few seconds, but then his lips curved into a smirk and he dropped his hands.

"You wouldn't kill me. It's against the law."

I was expecting Andrew to just keep a straight face, but in my surprise, he smirked, too. What was so funny about it? The man was right - Andrew couldn't kill him, and I knew he wouldn't.

Suddenly, I felt the cold barrel of the pistol press against my temples. I let out a small, pathetic whimper, and I watched as Violet stared at me with shock and fear in her eyes.

"What if I kill her? And then the other girl? They'll be worth nothing to you, then. The government wouldn't do anything about it because they want them dead anyway."

I swallowed again, a lump in my throat. The man's smirk faded, and his expression was blank. I could tell, as I distracted myself from the chilled metal against my skin, that the man was trying to hide his surprise and fear.

"You'd best back away now," Andrew said, his voice still keeping an even tone. When the man stayed rooted to the spot, I could fear and feel Andrew cocking the gun and wrapping his finger around the trigger.

The main put his hands up, backing away, and walked towards the trains down the aisles with a sideways glance at us. As Andrew lower the gun, I could feel all the tension releasing and I breathed a sigh of relief. Something about it felt dangerous, though. Like Andrew was actually about to pull the trigger if the man hadn't walked away.

As we boarded the train, I closed my eyes for just a second. These thoughts, these little voices prying inside my brain just wouldn't go away. It seemed too surreal. No matter how many times I tried to convince myself that this was the current reality, I couldn't merely shake the thoughts away. I looked back again, just as the train doors were about to close, and blinked slowly. Things would truly never be the same.