The days go by in a monotonous routine. The elevator remains unfunctional for me, only opening when Larissa, occasionally Camden, delivers me food. Food deliveries happen three times a day. There is always a pull for me to run past Larissa or Camden, into the elevator, and escape this building, but I resist it. There's no telling what would happen to me and I wouldn't want to get the people who feel like my only friends in trouble, or my family. The time in between my meals I spend reading the few books that I've found in my room or looking out windows at the busy life of the city.

But most of the time I am perched on the edge of my bed, holding my head in my hands, and staring at the elevator, waiting for something intresting to happen.

A week or so after the tedious routine, something different happens.

It's early morning, around 5:00 am. I wake by Larissa shaking my shoulders.
"Get up and put on something nicer," she tells me, "Hurry it up. I have people waiting in the elevator, and Conrad is expecting you". I nod and go to the closet. After slipping into a black blouse and some white pants I brush my hair and teeth and head back to Larissa. She escorts me into the elevator, while I stand, waiting in a combination of fear and excitement to see who Larissa has brought with her into the building. My contact with people has been limited over the past week, so I am craving something new. As the elevator doors slide open, reaveling a girl and boy my age. I remember them being chosen as 7s in the ceremony. The girl has brown hair, with a freckled nose and brown eyes. The boy is tall with a strong build and a smirk planted on his face. His smirk is wiped off as he sees me. My jaw drops as Larissa tells me:

"This is Liam and Abbey. I am mentoring them, so they'll be helping me guard and escort you".

All I can do is swallow hard and nod as Liam's menacing smirk returns to his face and Abbey looks down at her feet, refusing to make eye contact. I step into the elevator on Abbey's left so that she is acting as a divider between Liam and I. She takes my hand and squeezes it as the four of us ascend floors in silence.

I'm so sorry for the short chapter! It took me a while to think of it because I am struggling with a writers block, plus I wanted the kind of suspensful ending. I partially know what I want the direction of the plot to be I just don't know how to get there. So expect chapters from 350-1000 words instead of 650-1000 for a while, and sort of frequent releases. Remember to vote and comment to show you like the book and support it! Thx x3
-Shimmer