ReAwaken: A New Earth Novel (Book #1)

By Autumn Seigel

Arianna Montgomery has no recollection of her past life when she discovers she has a part to play in the new human race. As much as she tries to fight the cause, it may turn out she has a much bigger role to play than she realized. But can Arianna handle the responsibility that’s been thrust upon her when she regains those lost memories?

The end is coming...will they be ready?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Autumn Seigel
• Release date: Aug 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310993367

Autumn Seigel

Autumn Seigel resides in the small town of Wapakoneta, Ohio with her friends and family. When she is not writing her original work, she is either practicing her craft by writing fanfiction or drawing Manga. "ReAwaken" is her first published work and it won the 2012 NaNoWriMo. She hopes you enjoy this fantastic ride she has planned out for you!

Book preview

Prologue

A shudder coursed through my body. The white tiled floor and grey walls closed in on me, stifling the air. My heart thudded. I was in a clinic. The black quartz countertops piled high with medical equipment told me that. A shelf full of syringes and latex gloves lined the closest counter to me. The one next to it held empty vials.

I rolled my head and came face to face with the blinking lights of a vital signs monitor. There was no sound, but each blink matched the thud pounding against my ribcage. I followed the wires with my eyes. They disappeared under the white sheet draped across my body. Somebody was monitoring me. The question was… why?

Panic rose inside me. I closed my eyes. Nothing came. Not a name, not a color—not the slightest glimmer of a memory. It was as if I had just… arrived.

I grasped the edge of the bed and rolled to one side, easing myself onto an elbow. A sharp pain shot through my spine. I fell back. Mouth wide open, I could manage little more than a whimper. I lay still, hardly daring to breathe. The fluorescent ceiling light intensified. I turned my head away, focusing on the green pulse of my heartbeat instead.

My eyes lowered to a series of dots at the bottom of the monitor. I bit my lip and reached towards them, hesitating. Deciding I had nothing to lose, I tapped one. The vital signs disappeared and a block of new data appeared. Forgetting about the pain, I leaned forward, narrowing my eyes to bring the writing into focus.

Experiment Number: 16

Biological Name: Arianna Rose Montgomery

Date of Birth: May 2, 1995

Place of Birth: Wapakoneta, Ohio

Biological Parents: –

Biological Siblings: –

Progress: Successful memory extraction

A door opened behind me. My head dropped to the pillow and I relaxed my arm, pretending to sleep. Footsteps approached. A strong hand lifted my arm and laid it on my chest.

She must have knocked it…" a man’s voice said.

The second man cleared his throat. I didn’t need to turn around to know he was staring. I could feel his eyes boring into me.

You’ve resolved the abnormality?

We need to run more tests.

So what are you waiting for?

Sir—...

Are we going to have a repeat of the first one?

A long pause preceded the answer.

I don’t believe so, sir, no.

You don’t sound too sure.

We’re still analyzing her blood and biometric—

"I want her functioning the way she’s meant to function. If you can’t fix it, terminate her. I will not have a repeat of Number One."

Yes, sir, of course.

I hoped neither of them was paying attention to my vital signs. If the pounding in my heart were anything to go by they would know I had heard every word.

One set of footsteps faded away, but the man closest to me brushed a lock of hair from my face and placed a soothing hand on my shoulder.

Chapter 1

No emotion crossed my face as I stared at the white, tiled wall before me. I closed my eyes and relished the hot spray of water over my body, embracing its soothing caress. I imagined I was alone, not in the co-ed shower I was forced to share with the other students.

A guy and girl stood on either side of me, scrubbing their bodies without shame or embarrassment. It was one of the few times I regretted the return of my emotions. What would I say to the Superiors if they noticed my face flushing? Or that I wasn't as relaxed as the other students during bathing? They watched me—they watched all of us. There were cameras everywhere, except the bedrooms; it was the only place I could relax and be myself.

The shower on the right came to an end and the girl walked away. I let out a sigh of relief, turning my body towards the vacated space. It brought me a bit more privacy than I had before, at least until the door to the shower room slid open again. Twelve, a short guy with cropped blonde hair, entered. He stripped off his clothing, tossed it down the laundry chute and stepped under the shower head beside me. The scolding water cascaded over him. I turned away, hiding as much of my body from view as I could.

But he paid no attention.

A couple of minutes passed. He stepped out, grabbed a towel from the cubicle and dried off. When he left the shower room—he was naked.

Another student came in and the routine began again. They were like drones, doing what they had been commanded and nothing else.

I drew in a breath. The water above my head dwindled away, signaling the end of my prolonged bathing session. I resisted the urge to glance at the camera, knowing it would be panned on me. I imaged a faceless Superior studying every move I made, wondering why I was taking so long.

I took a deep breath and walked to the closet in a calm, robot-like manner. Hands trembling, I grabbed a towel and secured it around my body. The relief was instant. I wrapped the second towel around my head and walked out of the shower room.

Footsteps approached and I froze, fearful my behavior had attracted unwanted attention. A small group of students turned into the hallway and marched in my direction. I cast my eyes to the floor and focused on the carpet. As soon as they passed I hurried towards my room, just a few feet away.

A door opened and Nine walked out. There was no time to react as all six foot of him slammed into me. I staggered backward. The towel around my body loosened. I grabbed hold of it, securing it in place. He was lost in thought for a moment, or maybe he was playing the part. I wasn’t sure.

He blinked, gazing at me with dull eyes. His face mirrored my own—blank, devoid of emotion. Sixteen?

That's what they made us go by—numbers. Names link to personalities and emotions, and we’re not supposed to have any. But some of us remember.

Hey, Jay, I said in a hushed whisper.

The corners of his lip curled into a smile.

Hey, Ari, he said, his dark brown eyes meeting mine. What’s up?

Just getting ready for class.

Jay looked past me and his smile broadened. I turned around. Mark approached, already dressed, and punctual, as always. He had a confident stride—too confident. The camera panned in our direction and my face flushed. I gripped the towel tighter to my body and stepped back. I… I need to get changed.

He stopped beside me, running a hand through his cropped, dark brown hair. Before he could open his mouth to say anything, I turned away, taking the final few steps towards my bedroom. I fumbled with the handle and stepped inside, leaning against the door with my eyes closed. I could only imagine what he was thinking about me standing there with only a towel to hide my modesty.

My uniform—grey polo shirt, black jeans, and black tennis shoes—were lying on the dresser. Conscious of time, I crossed the room and dressed for the day ahead. We wore the same clothes, all day, every day. There were no individuals in this facility. We dressed the same, thought the same, and lived by a strict set of rules. The clothes were supposed to prevent personality advancement, individualism, memories…

Even the rooms were decorated the same: white brickwork and dull grey floors. According to the instructors, this place used to be a high school for normal, non-gifted students. What were now bedrooms were classrooms back then. With all the greys, blacks, and whites, I wondered how none of us had gone color blind.

I grabbed the brush from my dresser and combed my damp brown hair. Without a mirror for reference, I felt around my head, pulled my hair into an elastic band and used bobby pins to keep a few loose strands from straying.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen my reflection. They didn’t let us have mirrors. They didn’t want to take the risk that seeing ourselves would produce old memories.

A breeze tickled the back of my neck. I glanced at the window. It had long since been filled with brick and mortar. Putting it down to nothing of great importance, I grabbed my messenger bag, slung it over my shoulder and hurried outside.

Jay and Mark stood on the opposite side of the corridor. Behind them, deep patches seeped through the paintwork, revealing where storage units—no, lockers—used to be. A sense of familiarity tugged the edge of my mind. Had I been in a school such as this before?

Mark stepped forward, slipping his hand into mine. My stomach clenched, and I yanked my hand away. Not here. I gestured to the camera with my eyes. We had to hold on to the Superiors teachings. A smile, a touch, anything could betray our feelings for one another. Keeping our relationship from the watchful eyes of the Superiors wasn't easy, but we had managed—so far.

Mark flinched, but I didn’t mean to hurt his feelings. It was for his benefit as much as my own. I lived with the fear of what I’d become if the Superiors found out my memories were returning. I hadn’t even told Mark. As much as I hated myself for it, I was afraid he wouldn’t understand—that none of my friends would understand—and isolate themselves from me.

He didn’t know it, but Mark kind of instigated their return. I don’t know how he found out, but he returned my name to me.

He would often sneak past the cameras and slip into my room; one night, in particular, changed everything. We were lying on the bed, talking about school and he placed a hand on my face. I didn't notice at first; I closed my eyes and leaned into him—just for a moment—and then I panicked and recoiled from his touch.

Droplets of water cascaded down my cheeks and I had no idea why. Mark called them tears. He knew more of the old world terms than any of us. He was the second person to enroll in the school. He said tears held a lot of meaning, but they mostly happened when a person was upset, or when an emotion overwhelmed them.

What's wrong?

It's nothing.

I hated lying to him.

He must've known. He could read me like a book—a wide open one.

If it's what I did, I'm sorry, Mark muttered, turning his head away. I won't do it again.

Why are we doing this? I whispered, laying one side of my face on my knee. I sneaked a glance at him. We can't keep doing this if there's no hope.

There's always hope.

How do you know that? It's not like you can see the future or anything—right?

He laughed softly. No, just the emotion reading, Mark smiled and then his face grew serious. We could get out of this place, just the two of us...

That's crazy! They’ll hunt us down. They’d kill us—or worse. I shook my head. I won't risk that.

I would, Mark said. If it means being with you, I would do anything.

I’m not going anywhere without Karly.

Ivy and Chase would go, Mark said. Can't forget them.

She always gives me those death glares. We'll end up wringing each others necks…

The bell rang, pulling me from my thoughts. The smile disappeared from Mark's face. His posture straightened and he turned away. Following the route the group of students had taken earlier, he marched forward. Jay followed, and so did I, mirroring Mark's walk.

Arriving late would draw attention—something we tried to avoid at all costs.

Chapter 2

We joined the large group of students as they headed outside. Mark, Jay and I marched in step with them, so not to attract attention to our late arrival. The courtyard was the only place sunlight was allowed to filter through, although the translucent bubble covering the grounds protected us from the worst of its effects. The bubble maintained a precise temperature and would protect us when the Apocalypse came—along with the ten foot high electrified fence.

The school, Jameson Academy, according to the histories we had been allowed to read had been specially adapted. We were the created, the intended survivors of the New Earth, although the Superiors never explained what would happen after the End of Days. My guess was that they didn’t actually know, but still we prepared and trained and learned; all day, every day.

The students entered the infirmary and formed a single line outside the first door on the left. I hated this day more than any other day of the week.

I stared ahead, keeping my expression vacant as the Doctor walked past, examining us for signs of emotion.

It didn't take long before my number was called out. I entered the side room and approached the table. A young doctor pulled on a fresh pair of rubber gloves. He tapped the needle as I held my arm out to him. I turned my head away from his scrutiny, concealing the hatred bubbling inside me. The needle pierced the crevice of my arm and the memory lingering in my mind disappeared, replaced by a warm, numbing sensation, but it wouldn't last. The injections had long since stopped working for me.

He waved me away without a second glance, as emotionless as the subjects he had just injected. I stood up; ignoring the lurch my stomach gave and turned around, my mind devoid of thought.

Outside, the students waited in single file. I took my place at the rear of the line and kept my eyes on the back of number fifteen’s head. We returned to class in silence.

As we entered the Learning Center, I felt the strange sensation of someone—or something— breathing down my neck, but instead of warm air it was cold. I didn’t really have the motivation to think about it though. I took my seat and