Myth

By L.A. Mango

No one wants to turn 17 years-old... not even the ones that say they aren't scared to, because they're lying.

We've all been taught to learn the same thing: To be soldiers.

We all learned about different creatures, their history, their weak points and their strong points at school, just to prepare us to face the one thing everyone dreads to face when they turn seventeen: The Unknown.

There's nowhere to hide in the Unknown, and there's nowhere to go. Just you, a dangerous obstacle in front of you, and five pairs of eyes watching to see if you're worth living and have what it takes to be the island's soldier.

• Language: English
• Publisher: eBookIt.com
• Release date: Apr 26, 2016
• ISBN: 9781456621759

Book preview

Waleed

Chapter 1

I was pacing around, back and forth, inside the bathroom. I couldn’t believe it was tomorrow, only a day away. I finally looked at my watch to check the time as I clearly saw my reflection on it. A look of disbelief glistened over my face: the same large gray eyes, the same chestnut-colored wavy hair, and the same freckles running across my nose and let’s not forget the thick eyebrows. There’s only one day away from me turning seventeen and becoming one of them: the protectors.

I was too distracted to realize how long I had been in the bathroom until my twin brother Isaac yelled at me for hogging the bathroom: Iris, hurry up! You’ve been in there forever!

Alright, alright! Just give me a second, I yelled back. I got out of the bathroom as promised. I stopped and looked at him with a smirk. Isaac looked at me with a raised eyebrow,

What’s with that look? he asked.

I shrugged,

You forgot the magic word, I said teasingly.

Isaac rolled his eyes and entered the bathroom without any sort of comeback. I ran to my room and quickly changed into my regular T-shirt, jeans and sneakers. I walked down the stairs towards the kitchen, just like any other Thursday morning. My stomach lurched as I made my way towards the kitchen, hoping my mother wouldn’t make any comments about tomorrow.

I saw my mother cooking lumpy oatmeal, again, just like every other Thursday. She turned to face me with her usual warm smile.

Other than the fact that we both share the chestnut-colored wavy hair, my mother and I don’t look alike; the rest of our features make us no less than strangers to each other. Her eyes had the most beautiful deep shade of blue. My mother always said that my brother and I look more like our father, (who we never knew). I just knew that he was dead, even though my mother would never admit it.

My mother pulled out a chair and sat down. She rested her elbow on the brown, worn out table and smiled,

So, tomorrow’s the big day for you and your brother. It’s the day you choose to become one of the protectors of the city of Purlieu! Are you up for the challenge? she asked in a questioning tone. I shrugged at my mother’s question,

I guess so, I said in a non-committal tone. You make it sound as if I have a choice in the matter... I tried to make it look like I wasn’t nervous at all. My mother raised her eyebrow with half a smile, revealing an expected look of surprise. I took a seat and grabbed a bowl of oatmeal, and so did Isaac shortly after.

I took a spoon full of oatmeal and swallowing with difficulty, I added,

I mean, it’s not like it’s going to change anything, right, Isaac? I turned to Isaac, as did my mother, hoping that he would take the ball and carry on with the conversation. But he said nothing, not even a slight nod, which was very out of character since he was never the quiet type. He just kept his eyes on the bowl of oatmeal thinking about whether to eat it or just secretly throw it away.

++++++++++

I hate buses, my best friend Lexus Keats said through gritted teeth. She always gets nauseous in a moving vehicle,

I can’t wait for the Sector Commemoration tomorrow; then we’ll be outta here!

The Sector Commemoration is a ceremony that takes place every year for the youth who turn seventeen, which coincidentally happened to be the same day as Isaac’s birthday and mine this year. I sat next to Lexus staring out of the window and trying to ignore how fast the bus was moving as I wondered which sector I would be placed in.

At the Commemoration, each Undecided enters the Unknown Courtyard in the plaza. The Unknown contains strange and mysterious obstacles with the objective of finding your way out. The way you react to every obstacle determines the sector you will be placed in: Phoenix the Noble, Dragon the Power Hungry, Mermaid the Manipulative, Sphinx the Intelligent and Pegasus the Pure. These five sectors combined to form the league of The Guardians of Purlieu.

The overall job of each sector entails protecting the city from the forces of evil from the Shadow Lands, which are home to such creatures as hydras, sirens, chimera and lots more. However, the ultimate responsibility is protecting the city from the most dangerous person ever known to man: Cygnus.

The Guardians of Purlieu are trained to fight, and each sector has its own particular weapon: Phoenix has the sword; Dragon has the fists; Mermaid the spear; Sphinx the battle theory and Pegasus the bow and arrow.

Two Dragon affiliates entered the bus talking about their training at the Dragon tower, where all Dragon affiliates train and live. One of them bragged about how his battle was won with a single punch. I recognized their deep sense of pride, since it’s one of their famous characteristics. Lexus hates their recklessness. She thinks it’s a waste of brain cells. A Mermaid affiliate got on the bus at the next stop. In typical Mermaid fashion, she looked down at me at the end of her nose like she was not pleased with what she saw. Typical Mermaids: they always show off with their beauty.

No affiliate is allowed to be in this part of the city unless on a special quest, so there must be something going on. The leaders must have sent some of the Mermaid and Dragon affiliates to check it out. It’s important that no affiliate comes here unless on a special task, because before that rule was even applied, affiliates would sometimes come and secretly take their young relatives or loved ones away to their sector to save them from their undetermined destiny in The Unknown. It never even worked anyway and it could have dangerous consequences. I once knew a girl whose brother, a Pegasus affiliate, had taken her away to his sector. We later heard that the leaders of the sectors executed her and her brother because her brother illegally took an Undecided, his sister, to a sector she probably didn’t belong to yet.

The bus stopped at our school: The Purlieu School for the Gifted. As Lexus and I stepped down from the bus, I saw Isaac walking along with Mason.

My mother was technically Mason’s godmother. Mason’s mother was my mother’s closest friend. She told my mother to be his godmother after she found out that she wasn’t going to be able to live after his birth since she was physically too weak to handle the delivery and died right after she gave birth to him. My mother has been taking care of Mason ever since he was just a few days old. Mason lives with his uncle who insisted on keeping him when Mason turned around eight years of age since he instantly loved Mason when he was first born. Mason was a lot like a brother to me than anything, but he always hung out with Isaac the most.

What’s wrong with your brother? He’s not himself today, Lexus exclaimed in a wry tone. Is it because of tomorrow?

I glanced at my brother,

I think he’s just nervous, but who isn’t, really? I mean, the Unknown isn’t something easy. Some people die in there...

I let the words echo in my head: Some people die in there, and in that instant, I hoped that I would not be one of those who didn’t make it out.

Isaac and Mason walked into the school first. Lexus and I walked in right behind them. I kept my eyes on my brother, trying to analyze why he was acting a bit off. Was it because of the ‘Gum accident’ during The History of Sectors class? He got really angry yesterday, when he found out that there was a piece of gum on the back of his head during the whole class. But I knew my twin brother and he usually ignored these kinds of situations. It wasn’t my fault that he decided to be nice enough to give someone else his seat and he had to sit on the ground right in front of me. I don’t even know how the gum fell on his head to begin with.

Lexus looked at Isaac and then at me,

Iris, are you sure it’s only because of the Unknown? I mean, sure, a lot of candidates die in there, but there are a lot who survive it too.

I know, Lexus, but think about it, there’s only a 25% chance of getting out of there alive, I said as I take my Legendary Revolutions of the Century book out of my locker. I mean, you remember what happened two years ago? Twenty 17 year- olds like us took part in the Sector Commemoration, and only five came out alive and the rest were all- I paused and looked at Lexus. She seemed unfazed, but I could see pain in her eyes. I knew I should have held my tongue about this subject.

Her brother, Landon, was one of the Undecideds who died in the Unknown. Some witnesses say that they saw his arm inside the mouth of an unusual creature, while others say that he just couldn’t make it out of the Unknown in time.

Um, Lexus. I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have-

Lexus cut me off. It’s okay, Iris. So, what do you have first class? Lexus changed the subject, and I was glad she did. I, too, did not want to hear anything about the Unknown and its consequences.

Legendary Revolutions of the Century I reply. You?

Constellations and Astronomy, Lexus said tiredly, Honestly, why does this school teach us anything anyway? she said frustratingly.

Lexus, you know why they teach all these things. We need to be prepared, I told her as we walked around the corner of the hallway, towards my class.

Lexus put on a smug face, Yeah right! I’m already prepared. Ever since I was born I was destined to go through the Unknown untouched! Lexus said with a dramatic tone. I laughed a bit. You can count on Lexus to ease the tension when you’re being pessimistic about something. Lexus was probably the only person I have ever met that has taken The Unknown lightly. Some people even tried to run away before the day they enter, but the leaders assign guards to patrol this part of the city. I saw guards on every street corner; some are even guarding the school, there’s a guard in the hallway every minute.

I stopped near the door to my class. See you later, Lexus... She smiled at me and walked away to hers.

I walked in and saw Isaac sitting in front at a desk with some other students. I saw an empty seat behind him, checked if there was gum in my cheek, and walked towards it.

The professor entered the class right after me. She looked a little tired and worn in her grey suit and brown hair tied in a bun.

Good morning, she said sternly.

No one replied. No one ever replies.

Alessandria Wright. I will be teaching you the Legendary Revolutions of the Century.

Everyone in the class started to sigh except me. They all seemed irritated. I sat through this class before and the other students barely complained when the professor began explaining the subject.

Every course has a different professor. Some teach multiple classes and stay till the completion of the course, while many others teach just one class and never come back. I once had a professor named Felix Everwood who was probably the best professor out there. He gave me four classes on the same subject and then never came back. Some people say that most professors who come to Purlieu try to earn the trust of one of the guards so they can later escape. But they eventually fail. Everyone in this city, young or old, wants to get out of this part.

Isaac rested his back on the metal part of the desk, looking as irritated as most of the people around here. I bent down and asked in a hushed whisper Hey, Isaac? Why are you all so irritated?

Isaac huffed Do you know Professor Wright? She’s the cruelest teacher around. She teaches multiple subjects, but she mostly teaches this course.

I look up to check that she isn’t looking. What makes her so cruel? Is it the way she teaches the class or-

Does her last name ring a bell? Wright? Isaac looked up at me waiting for an answer.

Something tickled my memory, but I just couldn’t seem to put my finger on it. Um, no, I replied to him with a bit of hesitation.

Isaac bobbed his head and turned around facing the opposite direction. Anyway, her last name’s mostly the reason why everyone hates her; she’s-

I suddenly heard a loud thump on my desk. I jolted upright my seat and sat back straight, avoiding her eyes.

I don’t accept any Undecided talking inside my... Her voice trailed off and her eyes suddenly turned wide. She quickly backed away from me and walked to the front of the class.

Isaac looked back at me looking confused. I shared his confusion. What was that about?

I slumped in my seat chin in hand. The professor kept glancing at me during the whole session, like I was about to attack her or something. I forced myself to stop looking at her while she explained the lesson and looked down at my desk hoping that the lesson would end without any further confrontations.

Forty-five minutes seemed like hours. I couldn’t wait to get out of the class. I gathered my stuff and headed towards the door. I walked towards Lexus’s class when I noticed Professor Wright walking next to me. She walked faster when she realized that it was me. What’s with her?

I tried to ignore her unusual act in the class while in the cafeteria. Meanwhile, Lexus started to show off her readiness to enter the Unknown. I tried to think about something other than my professor, but I really wanted to know why she was acting so strangely. I looked around the cafeteria and saw some girls my age crying and being comforted by their younger siblings, some by professors. The boys were acting strange, too, and most of them were wearing grim faces, including Isaac. The school has always been a gloomy place, nothing happy about it. But today, it exceeded it limits on making it feel more like a prison.

They were all preparing for the worst day of their lives.

++++++++++

I went back home walking, something I liked to do when I was in deep thoughts. As I walked down the sidewalk, I noticed a woman sitting on a bench, its rusted metal frame made it look like it might crumple down any minute. The woman was reading a newspaper. She looked up from her newspaper and goggled at me as I walked past her. It was Professor Wright.

My stomach made a sudden jolt. I walked faster, trying to get away from her as far as possible. Professor Wright quickly stood up and marched up to me to catch up. I was about to run when she grabbed my wrist. I quickly froze with a sudden gasp. I felt my heart racing with fear of what might happen. I turned away, fearing what I might see in her eyes.

Iris Abernorth... she said in awe. I slowly turned my head and opened my eyes, trying to show no fear. My stomach tightened, I didn’t remember mentioning my name to her. I never mentioned my name to any of the professors except for my professor Mr. Everwood.

I tried to ignore her awe and walk away but I was roughly trapped in her grip. The look of terror that I had seen wash over her face in class had turned to one of glee as she griped me tightly, smirking. Her cold dark eyes suddenly hardened. She started to slowly shake her head in disbelief as the smirk she wore a second ago melted away, You really don’t know do you?

I had no choice but to say something Uh, I really think I should go. I tried to walk away, but she still had my arm locked in her vice.

Better be careful, Undecided. The worst is yet to come. And it’s after you, she said in a low, strict tone.

I angrily yanked my hand away and she quickly let go of me. I kept walking, daring not to look back. I finally took up the courage and slowly turned back to check if she was following me or not. I could see her from a distance, still standing there, staring back at me.

Be careful.... A voice erupted in my head.

I blinked. What the?! I turned around to try and locate the source of the whispered words. But it wasn’t like it was near my ear. I felt it, in my head. The voice was in my head

I didn’t know any affiliate or man in the city that knew my name let alone professors who left about every week to go do something crazy like try to runaway. After all, I was still an Undecided. I was technically a ‘nobody’. I tried my best to ignore what she said and kept walking. She must have been one of those crazy drunks. Most people in this part of the city were out of touch with reality.

I returned home and tried to forget that tomorrow was the Sector Commemoration. My stomach flipped just thinking about it. My mother and Isaac were already eating dinner, and my mother was even more quiet than usual, not her regular bubbly self; it must be Isaac. I told them I didn’t feel like eating; it made me more nervous about tomorrow. My mother looked at me frowning.

Why not? I made your favorite-vegetable stew. Isaac, tell your sister how delicious the stew is. My mother looked at Isaac, smiling warmly at him. Isaac nodded at her and gave her a weak smile. She smiled at him appreciatively. I’m telling you, Iris. You’re missing out on a delicious meal. She stood up to heat the pot of stew on the stove. Isaac looked at me and shook his head slowly, warning me that it didn’t taste good at all. Typical.

Uh, I’m pretty sure I don’t want to eat, mom.

You’re sure?

Trust me. I’m a hundred percent sure. I told her reassuringly.

Okay, but if you get hungry, I’m sure there will still be more left over in the fridge. Unless Isaac eats it all! She looked at him frowning. Isaac gave her a good, fake smile. We didn’t like to upset our mother. She had this passion for cooking and, obviously, she really couldn’t cook no matter how passionate she was

I climbed upstairs to my room at the end of the hallway, right next to my brother’s room. I examined my wrist where the woman grabbed me. It’s a little bruised, but not a serious injury.

At night, I was pacing around my room thinking whether I should tell my mother about Professor Wright or not. The thought made me nervous since my mother never told me anything and that always led to arguments, but what she might tell me what I was mostly worried about. I fidget with my hands trying to sort things out in my head,

Come on! She’ll answer this time... I muttered to myself. I decided to go downstairs and tell my mother about what had happened today with my professor. Without any second thoughts I hurried towards the stairs feeling nervous about what she might tell me if she did.

I walked downstairs, thinking about how I should tell her, my stomach hopping down the stairs with me. As I reached the end of the stairs, I saw Isaac sitting on the couch, looking at one of his text books. My mother sat across from him on another couch, reading her book. She looked at me and smiled faintly.

Hello, Sweetheart. Are you okay? She looked at me as she formed a cynical smile with her rosy lips. I suddenly noticed how cold I was despite the hot weather.

I walked over and sat on the couch next to her. Mom? I have to tell you something. She put her book down and looked at me. Tell me anything.

I swallowed hard, Today, someone acted strange around me. Like they were afraid of me. I don’t know the person, but the person seemed to know me. I was hoping that you would at least know what’s going on?

My mother’s face slowly darkened and she looked away. She changed the subject,

Are you sure you’re not hungry?

Do you?

She hesitated, You must be imagining things. Besides, it’s a tough day for both of you tomorrow, she said in a straight forward manner. She took her book off the table and began reading it again.

My mother never answered me regarding anything. I was used to it by now and went along with it. Resisting the urge to huff in frustration, I walked back upstairs to my room. I changed into my pajamas and lay down on my bed thinking about nothing else but the Unknown.

I felt even more scared than nervous about the Unknown. What if I die in this maze? What if I get put in a sector I never wanted to be in? Such thoughts swirled in my mind, but before I fell asleep, I started thinking that this is it, I will become one of them-if I’m destined or even come out of there alive- I, Iris Abernorth, will become one of the Myths.

The Guardians of Purlieu.

Chapter 2

I heard a muffled voice near my bed. I tried to open my eyes but they were almost glued shut.

IRIS!

I woke up with a start; my brother’s sudden shout startled me. I opened my eyes quickly; my rapid movement caused me to fall off my narrow bed and onto the floor, landing at my brother’s feet. I gave him a bitter look while rubbing my head from the impact. Would it kill you to give me a more appropriate wakeup call? I exclaimed angrily.

The train will stop at the station soon; you’d better hurry up! he told me urgently.

I stared at him. For a second, I’d almost forgotten about the Sector Commemoration. It was today. He flashed me an exasperated look, then said, What’re you waiting for, Iris, an invitation? Come on!

He quickly left the room before I could say anything else. I slowly picked myself up.

Today was the day.

I changed into my shirt and pants and put on my running shoes. I needed them. I took a look around my room. I knew I was not allowed to bring anything with me to the Sector Commemoration. I walked towards the door and stopped. I took another look back at my room and it was messy and untidy. That was probably going to be the last time I would see this place. I breathed in heavily and walked down the hallway towards the stairs.

I slowly walked downstairs and saw my mother in the living room, still reading her book about horses. She was in the same position as last night as if she had never even moved. She noticed me from the corner of her eye and frowned. She remembered the question I had asked her yesterday because she still wore the same worried expression as when I had asked it.

Breakfast is on the table. You and your brother better hurry up. We’ll be lucky if we get there on time. She punctuated her sentence with a cough, and phlegm shot out of her mouth. She looked paler than the pages in her book. Her eyes were also slightly puffed. I was puzzled by her state. She looked up and smiled when she saw my shoes, I see that you’re wearing the running shoes I got you for your sixteenth birthday. I gave her half a smile in return. A new rule had been issued by the leaders that it was obligatory to buy running shoes on your sixteenth birthday, a very stupid rule in my opinion.

I walked into the kitchen to see that Isaac was already eating his cereal.

How’d you manage to get here so fast? I asked, baffled.

Unlike you, I actually set an alarm when I have something important to wake up for, he said grimly. I ignored him, mumbling Whatever…

I grabbed a bowl of leftover oatmeal - which was even lumpier than yesterday - and ate silently. Isaac sat across from me, looking at my bowl of oatmeal, surprised that I even had the stomach to eat it.

My mother came in,

Alright, today’s a very important day for both of you so you kids better eat properly… she eyed me as I ate away, Remember, I’ll still love both of you no matter what sector you’re chosen to be in. The leaders know better… she said as she looked away and started to rearrange the mugs on the shelf.

Isaac, who stopped eating and started to fidget with his hands, looked indisposed as his hard eyes shifted up to my mother as she was running around the whole place,

Does it even make a difference if we were in the Mermaid sector rather than in the Dragon sector…? he asked sternly,

The only difference between the sectors is that they have different weapons. The personality stuff about every sector never even applied; people just made that stuff up… he said irritably. My mother didn’t answer. She was a bubbly type of person, always happy about anything and everything. Sometimes her happiness even feels fake and unrealistic. But even she knew that there was nothing happy about the day of the Sector Commemoration.

Isaac shook his head. I looked at him, waiting for a bit of a reassurance about the Unknown. He had passed more subjects than I did this year since it was the year we all had to be evaluated by our skills and knowledge.

Isaac. Are you nervous? I asked him. He looked at me, still looking slightly grim.

He sighed,

Don’t worry; people like us go through this every year. Don’t let the Unknown get to you, he answered me in a flat tone. I nodded. I wanted to believe my brother, but the Unknown maze got harder and tougher every year.

I suddenly felt like I never wanted to leave this place, but at the same time I also didn’t want to stay here forever. This is the day I needed to show my courage the most.

I felt tension in the room and wished I knew a way to ease it.

++++++++++

We filed out of the house and trudged towards the car, which was parked right in front. The yellow, dusty atmosphere made the car look dirty. There were no green patches of grass, not even a small area. It was all just a field of unhealthy, yellow grass or mostly weed. The leaders didn’t take good care of this part of the city. As long as it’s keeping the Undecided alive, they’re okay with it. But there was a very private area an hour away from here called the ‘Private Compounds’ area where the leaders and other people with high ranks reside. It definitely has a lot more greenery than this part of the island.

I wish we could have just walked towards the train station instead. The only reason that would probably make me want to ride the car was-

I suddenly heard a loud scream coming from across the street. Two guards pulled a boy from behind one of the buildings. He looked like he was my age. He tried to resist the guard’s strength and yanked his arms away.

That…

I- I -I wasn’t trying to run away! the boy stammered.

Lying won’t do you any good, kid!! The guard threatened the boy with a gun, How dare you think you can try to run away from the Unknown! he yelled out menacingly.

A woman rushed out of the door, begging the guards to let go of her son. She started screaming curses at the guards as she tried to pull her son away from them.

I looked behind me to see my mother backing away towards the house door, looking cautiously at the guards. Isaac looked down at the ground. I knew Isaac, and I knew that he didn’t like to see this sort of stuff happen. It happened every year, and I was used to it by now. But that didn’t mean I liked it.

The boy’s reaction was so sudden. He elbowed the guard’s ribs and ran towards our house. My mother quickly pulled Isaac into the shadows near our house. I stepped forward, my mother missing me by an inch. I looked back to see that rage had replaced the love in my mother’s eyes,

Iris, get back here! she said in a harsh whisper.

Before I could even reply, the boy slammed into me and grabbed my wrist,

Come on! Let’s make a run for it! he pulled me, but I couldn’t budge. I gave him a perplexed, panicked look. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow,

Do you have a death wish? Run! Save yourself from the freakin’ maze! he said, pulling me forward. I yanked his hand away and took a step back,

I… I started, but I didn’t know what to say before it was too late.

The guard hooked the boy’s neck with one arm and pointed the pistol at the boy’s temple with the other. The boy struggled, screaming insults at the leaders. A loud bang erupted from the guard’s gun and the boy slumped on to the ground. The woman ran towards her son, sobbing. Blood trickled down his cheek and soon surrounded his head.

I looked away as the guards dragged the boy’s corpse from under his arms while the woman stood there sobbing in front of our house. I walked towards the car and so did my mother and Isaac shortly after me. My mother quickly placed her hand on