In the Defense Zone(Katie) I smooth my gray skirt down around my knees. My palms are sweating like crazy, but I can’t show the crowd that I am scared as hell. There are only three people ahead of me in the test. The test that finally chooses which Zone I was supposed to be in. Which Zone will become my family.
All of the teenagers that are up here with me are all orphans as they call us. People that didn’t have a family. Everyone in this world goes through it. If a baby is born to a family, no matter which Zone they’re born in, they have to give it up to the government to go through school and training like all of us up here did. If the parents withheld their child, the parents would be killed and child taken anyways. They had to go through training for fifteen years and then, like us, they have to face this test in front of a worldwide crowd to decide which Zone we are put into.

There are precisely four Zones that we are put in: Survival, Work, Defense, or Training. There is no in between. If you score inconclusive, you die immediately from probes that they put in your brain before you go into the test. Only one boy in our class has died and it was horrible to watch. He writhed on the ground for at least five minutes before dying. Blood had dribbled out of his mouth like grotesque spit and I had nearly screamed. I hope I don’t have to go through that.

The four Zones are fairly simple. The Survival Zone is for people who hunt, garden, and find water for the other Zones. They get to keep only a small portion of their findings. I was told it is a horrible life, though hunting for food and killing animals, if you liked that kind of stuff is pretty fun. I also heard that the training for the Survival Zone is painstakingly hard and the final test is you have to go out and find a deer and bring it down with just a knife. You can’t go back to the Zone until you did. The Survival Zone is out in the wilderness to the left of the city a ways away.

The Work Zone is for people who build things like different cars or technology and it is also a part of our government. That’s where most of the government lives anyways. And that is where the Training Facility for young children is. The Work Zone and Training Zone are in the same spot in the city because the Work Zone needs the Trainers for the children. The Work Zone is in the center, between the Defense Zone and Survival Zone. Most of the city is Workers or Trainers, but there are sometimes Defense Zone people acting as police in the city. That’s really the only time that the Defense Zone people go into the city. Survivalists only go in there to drop off food and other supplies they have found in the forest.

The Defense Zone trains the new incomers to fight and be able to protect the city from outside invaders. Everyone in the Defense Zone is male. There has never been a woman to actually go into the Defense Zone. And why would they want to? Normally, unless they’re in Survival, women don’t have a violent bone in their body. I, unfortunately, do though, so that might make my chances of going into Survival bigger.

The Training Zone is for people who start teaching and training the new children that have been sent to the government. Trainers, as they are called, run everything. Including the test the teens with me are taking today. Most of the time, Trainers are very patient and kind to the younger children, but I have heard that there are some mean ones scattered about. I am hoping to get either in the Work Zone or in the Training Zone.

“William Arthur Travitz,” a mechanical voice says. The boy next to me stands up and I feel my hands start to shake as he heads toward the front of the stage. They inject him with a needle and we watch as the clear liquid goes into to his bloodstream. I wince, hopefully unnoticeably. Then, they turn him around and lead him into a glass elevator. He disappears from sight after that and all of us turn our heads to the giant screen that’s at the top of the stage.

And there is William again. He is shaking uncontrollably, looking into the forest that surrounds him. My hands shake some more. Where will they put me? Each area is different for each person because it is designed for each individual person. I am praying that it isn’t an ocean or water. I’m deathly afraid of drowning and of sharks. Not to mention I can’t technically swim. I will figure out a way to kill a shark if I was ever attacked.

There are four things in front of William, lying on the ground. A gun, a knife, a piece of meat, and a bow, with no arrows. William calms himself down long enough to look over all of the objects and scan each one individual. There is a sudden roar on the screen and William jumps. I think half the audience does too. He reaches down and picks up a knife. All of the other objects disappear and while he’s trying to figure out where they’ve gone, golden eyes light up a few feet away from him. All of us hear the low growling again and a lion, which is very common in our city, prowls out of the forest that surrounds him.

The lion growls again and William drops the knife, just as the lion leaps at him. He drops to his stomach as the lion sails over him and picks up the knife. He takes off running deeper into the forest. He pants hard and all of us can hear the lion’s paws pounding on the ground behind him. He gets far enough away from the lion to where he can stop and look around. There is a sturdy tree just a few feet away. He runs for it, grabs the lowest limbs and pulls himself up onto the limb.

Suddenly, the image changes and William plummets to the ground. He hits grass and coughs as some enters his mouth. He slowly stands up and looks around and we see that he is in one of the city parks. He raises his eyebrows in surprise and looks around. There is no one around him that we can see. He starts to walk forward, but a strong voice behind him stops him.

“Stay where you are.” William turns around and sees a man standing right there, holding a gun that was shaking slightly at the tip. “Hands behind your head. Now!” William’s hands go immediately behind his head. His shirt rises slightly and all of us see the well toned stomach that the training got us. The man licks his lips. “The money. Do you have it?” A lying test. This separates the Training and Work, from the Defense and Survival.

“Y-yes sir,” William says. I smile slightly. He is going to be in either Training or Work. I’ve never known William to lie and he even told me that he knew he was going to be in Work. I wouldn’t be shocked if it came true.

“Where is it?”

“Here,” William says, reaching down into his pocket. He pulls out a small bag of money that he didn’t have in there before. He tosses it to the man and the man disappears. The scenery changes again and now William is in a work shop. It is pure white and sunlight shines through the windows. There are a dozen cars everywhere and all of us look toward the one with a man under it.

“Oh good, you’re here,” the man says, sliding out from underneath the car. “I could use a little help.” The separation from Training and Work. “Could you come help me fix this car?

“Yeah, sure,” William says, looking slightly startled. He walks over to the man and slides underneath the car. He looks at the problem, and, without telling the guy anything, starts to fix it himself.

Automatically, the entire scene disappears and William jumps to his feet, stumbling more in surprise than anything else. Two Trainers walk out onto the simulation deck and take William by his arms, leading him back to the elevator. We watch as they come down the elevator quickly and the Trainers lead William out of the elevator.

“Mr. William Arthur Travitz. Zone: Work!” a mechanical voice calls through the air and everyone claps politely as William takes his seat next to the other new Workers. He smiles at them and they smile politely back. William looks up at me and gives me thumbs up and I try to slow my breathing.

“Veronica Way Terra,” the mechanical voice says and I stand up. Everyone is quiet as I walk over to the middle of the stage. Two Trainers walk over, one male and the other female. I tip my head to the side and they inject the probes into my neck. It’s almost as if I can feel them start to go up to my brain. My palms are extremely sweaty as the two Trainers take my arms and lead me to the glass elevator. We step inside and suddenly we’re going up.

“Miss Terra,” one of the Trainers says. “You will put into an environment that has been made especially for you.” We were going really far up. “You will go through three different stages and how well you do on them will decide which zone you’re in. Good luck, Miss Terra.” The doors to the glass elevator open and I am shoved out…and push over an at least a hundred foot cliff.

I scream, seeing glistening water rising up to meet me. I hold my hands out in front of my face, still shrieking, and collide in the water. Coldness rushes over me and I blink open my eyes. Luckily, I have green eyes and in our society, green eyes mean that you can see underwater. My black hair floats around my face as I look around in the ocean that I’m in. My legs and arms flail around me as I try to swim back toward the surface. I’m not alone. There’s a hammerhead shark only feet away from me. I look around, trying to find a weapon I can use again it. There’s a small shard of glass only a few feet away, floating in the water. The hammerhead gets closer and closer. My hand closes around the shard just as the hammerhead attacks. I scream, slamming the shard of glass right through its eye. It thrashes away from me, blood seeping from its eye and suddenly, the scene changes.

I’m walking down one of the city streets. I stop and look around. I can’t remember where I was before this. Did it have something to do with water? My head hurt and I look around to see if there was anyone around. There is no one else on the street. Suddenly, a young woman comes running up to me. She has tears in her eyes and says, “Have you seen my daughter?” She holds up a picture of a young girl. For some reason, the girl looks familiar, but then I look on her left cheek and there is the slight darkness of a bruise. I look down on the woman’s finger and she doesn’t have a wedding band on. I’m starting to believe that this is an abusive mother.

“Are you married?” I ask quietly. The woman shakes her head.
“No. Please have you seen my daughter?” Her words are grating against my eardrums and I wince slightly. She looks at me through pleading eyes and tears are starting to well up in them. The blue glistens and I clear my throat.

“No, I haven’t.”
The woman stops crying and narrows her eyes. “You’re lying.”
“I am not. I haven’t seen your daughter.”
“Stop lying! Tell me where she is!” She leaps at me, but suddenly the scene changes again. I hear the click of a gun. Something cold is pressed against my temple. A young girl stands in front of me, tied to a post and I recognize the young girl from the picture. There is a dark bruise on her cheek. Her eyes are a bright, bright blue and her dark hair falls limply around her face. She’s gagged, but she pleads at me through her eyes.
“Shoot her,” an ugly voice says. A gun lies on the table next to me. I don’t want to shoot the girl. I don’t shoot people who are innocent. I cross my arms across my chest.
“You have three seconds.”
“I’m not going to shoot an innocent girl!”
“Three—”
“You don’t scare me.”
“Two—” Now I’m slightly scared.
“She’s just a girl. She has a right to live—”
“One.” I hear his finger on the trigger and suddenly, I’m back on the simulation deck. I touch my temple where the gun had been point. There is no hole. I breathe a sigh of relief as the two Trainers walk out. They have curious expressions on their faces and I quickly start to touch my face and arms just to make sure I was still there. They still look at me with a particular expression on their faces.
“What?” I ask, trying to examine their faces for any clue of what my Zone might be. They’re supposed to keep their faces blank, but I must’ve done something that has made them look like this.
“You have just made history, Miss Terra,” the female trainer says. “Come with us.” They take my arms again and walk back over to the glass elevator. As soon as we step in, it starts to go down. I wonder what my history making was. Doing the fastest on the initiation? Being the first female in the Defense Zone crosses my mind, but I quickly brush it away. No female has ever gotten into Defense; no female ever will get into Defense.

We’re in silence for a few moments before the male Trainer says, “When they call your Zone, walk quickly over and sit down with the new incomers.” I start to see the crowd again and they watch as the elevator comes to a slow stop. “And good luck.” The door to the elevator opens and the trainers guide me out. They let go of me as soon as we’re out and then I walk over to the middle of the stage. I look down to where my best friend, Maya, is sitting with the incoming Trainers. She looks up at me and smiles and I can’t wait to be down there with her.

The announcement takes unusually long. I’m the last one, so that might be a reason why they take so long, but the Trainers also said I made history. Maybe me making history was the problem. All of the zones start to whisper among themselves, glancing up at me every once in awhile. I rub my arms from the coldness of the air and also I am feeling slightly uncomfortable. I glance to my left and notice the Trainers talking quietly together.

I hear a crackling over the loud speaker and tense up. Everyone goes quiet and look up at me. The mechanical voice says, “Miss Veronica Way Terra. Zone—” I hold my breath and I feel my heart skip a beat “—Defense.”
What? My breathing stops altogether. Everything is silent. No one claps or says anything. They all just stare up at me in awe, mostly the men from the Defense Zone. You could hear a pin drop. I made Defense?! That is impossible.

Remembering what the Trainer had said, I walk down the steps of the stage and walk over to an empty seat that’s in the front of the Defense Zone men. All of them just look at me as I walk. I don’t sit down; I just stay standing because they call for the Zones to leave and get back to their headquarters so they can talk to new recruits.

My Zone leaves first. My Zone stands up and walks out of the stage room. I’m at the very end of the line, right behind a pudgy boy that was taking a while to catch up. We get outside and the entire Zone takes off running. I am still wearing my high heels. Luckily, I learned to run in them, so I am able to keep up pretty easily.

It is only a few seconds before I see where we were running. It’s a row of trucks, each able to hold at least nine, including people in the bed of the truck. The entire Zone slides to a stop. An older man starts to walk in front of us.

“Okay!” he yells. “My name’s Kyle McCarter. I am the leader of the Defense Zone. All newcomers to the back trucks and then youngest to oldest, oldest in fronts and newcomers in back. We’ll explain everything when we get back to headquarters.” I jog lightly over to the very end truck. All of the newcomer boys stare at me and I don’t recognize any of the ones that are in the bed of the truck. They are already in the back of the truck. Two boys are in the front with the older driver and there’s one spot left in the bed of the truck. One of the boys, a dark skinned boy with light hair and bluish silver eyes, holds out his hand to me. I ignore it and just jump into the bed of the truck. One of the older zone members shuts the back end behind me, glancing at me as he leaves.
The truck starts up and then the rest of the trucks in front of us start up. We start to move slowly, in a line, and we start to head outward, away from the inner part of the city. We start to gain speed farther out and that’s when the boys start to talk. Mostly either about me, or to me.
“Hi,” the boy who tried to help me up says. “My name’s Xavier Harp.”
“Veronica,” I say.
“You know that you’re the first girl to make Defense?”
“Yes, I know.” I didn’t want to talk about it. I cross my arms across my chest and sit in silence. Xavier sees that I don’t want to talk, so he starts to talk to the boy next to him. I am going to have prove that I belong here, with these boys. I am going to have to prove that girls do belong in Defense.

We get outside city limits. I never realized that the Defense Zone was so far, but then I see a building coming up in the forest. It isn’t very tall, just a story high, I believe, but I had heard some of the older members saying that the rest of the facility was underground. Now that I couldn’t wait to see. The trucks starts to slow and then come to a complete stop. One of the older zone members come back over and opens up the back of the truck bed. I hop out and look up at the building. This was going to be my new home for training and then I would be patrolling the streets with men.

“Gather around, newcomers! The rest of you may go inside and prepare for dinner,” Kyle says and the older Zone members brush pass us. There are twenty newcomers, so they must’ve had another couple of trucks ahead of us that held more boys from the assessment.

Kyle starts looking us up at down. His gaze rests on me for a moment. He walks close to me and grips my chin hard. His icy blue eyes stare into my bright green ones. I try not to flinch. “Just because you’re the first woman ever to get into the Defense Zone doesn’t mean that you’ll get special treatment.” He drops his hand away from my face. “That goes for all of you!” he yells. “It doesn’t matter if you were the favorite while going through training! You start a new life here. Training begins tomorrow, seven o’clock sharp. If you aren’t there, you will be punished.” His eyes rest on me when he says this. “Severely. You will have older Zone members training you tomorrow.”

A boy, seventeen by the looks of him, walks back out of the building. His light skin and black hair did not blend in well with the surroundings of the building. His dark brown eyes scan over the crew, not even resting on me like the other members’ did. I am glad for it. I don’t want to be gawked at anymore.

“Raven will take you to your dormitory,” Kyle says. Raven scanned over us again and I couldn’t help but think that he looks very familiar. Kyle doesn’t say anything else just turns and walks away. He walks through the door and into the building, leaving Raven with us.

Raven looks at us and says, “Follow me.” His voice is quiet and sounds almost feral like. We start to follow behind him as he leads us into the building. The building is dark and I feel the dirt scuffing up around my feet. I trip of a loose rock and Raven is suddenly at my side, keeping me steady.

“Careful,” he says with a crooked smile. “As Veronica has just demonstrated, the floors here are going to be made with dirt and rock. Watch out for loose rocks.” Red creeps up on my cheeks and I look away from him. Raven lets go of me and goes back to the front of the pack.
As we walk throughout the building, on a tour, I guess, Raven starts to explain to us about the building. The dorms for incomers are on the top floor, along with the cafeteria and garage for the trucks. There is a storage room for weapons like guns and things along those lines, but he wouldn’t tell us where they were. Multiple training rooms are below, underground, along with a control room, a zip line, a parachute room (where they teach us to drop in on stuff, I guess), an underground lake (that I’m staying away from), the infirmary and multiple simulation rooms.
“You are going to be put in simulated wars,” Raven says. “We want to see how well you react in a real battle situation.”

We walk down a narrow hallway and Raven kicks open a door. Inside are five bunk beds. I would have to partner up with somebody. I groaned on the inside.
“Partner up,” Raven says. “We have two extra rooms, because we were expecting a few more. We can fill up two of these rooms, but one will be empty. We might make good use of it for punishment.”
“Maybe you should give the girl the extra room,” one of the other boys says nastily. I lower my eyes away from the speaker, who is a fair skinned boy with blond hair. I recognize him as Tryell Wallace, a jerk from training. Raven moves so quickly that I can’t even see him move. Suddenly, Tryell is slammed up against a wall. Raven’s hand is around his neck and Raven’s eyes were icy.
“Everyone is even here,” Raven says, his eyes narrowed. “Even the girl. You don’t want to piss me off, boy. I’m one of your trainers.” I glower at the ground, but I smile slightly because Raven is going to be one of our trainers. “Get ready for dinner. Partner up, choose a bunk, and head down to the cafeteria. You might meet your other instructor there.” I look up at him and find his dark eyes on me. I try to beg him with my eyes not to leave, but he nods at me and walks out the door with ten boys, heading to the other room.

As soon as he’s gone, the boys partner up with each other and Xavier partners up with me. He gives me a slight grin, but I don’t return it. I choose the bunk that is closest to the door. On each other bunks there is a pair of clothing and a pair of tennis shoes. They are fighting gear. I hold mine up as Xavier climbs up onto the top bunk and realize it’s made out of a thin leather material that’s flexible. It’s a jacket/shirt and hard pants. The shoes, unfortunately, were boots with high heels. They are going to teach me to fight in high heels.

All the boys snicker when they see my shoes. I growl in frustration and walk into the bathroom. I quickly pull off the dress I was wearing, pull on the fighting set and then I shove my feet in the boots. I look in the mirror and this fighting set hugs my curves. It makes me look like I actually have curves. The boots have small knives on them that I hadn’t noticed before, right in the crook of the heel, between the heel and the main shoe. I also realize that between the heel and the main part of the boot is big enough to fit a neck. The leather jacket/shirt exposed part of my shoulders and neck. It also exposes just a bit below my collarbone.
I open the door and walk out into the room. The boys just stare at me as I pull my loose curls back into a ponytail. I’m still shorter than all of them, even with the heels on. I smile at Xavier, who’s staring at my shoulders, and stride pass the boys and out into the hallway. I turn to my left, which was the way Raven hadn’t taken us, and head down that way. I can hear men chatting in the cafeteria, so I know I’m heading the right way. I walk out into the cafeteria and almost immediately, all the talking stops. Everyone is staring at me and suddenly I feel self conscious.

I walk quickly over to an empty table and sat down. I stare down at the table as the rest of the newcomers walk in. Xavier walks over to my table and sits down next to me. A few other boys walk over with him, but that’s it. The rest of the newcomers find somewhere else to sit.

Xavier introduces a dark haired, dark skinned, blue eyed boy as Drake. Another boy, this one with dark green eyes, fair skin, and lighter brown hair named James and then last boy, dark skinned with hazel eyes and dark brown hair, named Shaw. I still didn’t feel like talking, so the boys start to talk among themselves.

They start to serve dinner and I can’t help put stare down at the gigantic piece of steak they place down in front of me. I look at the boys and they’re just eating their steaks like there’s no tomorrow. I raise my eyebrows, my expression probably slightly green, because Xavier asks, “Do you want your steak?” He pulls off another piece and shoves it in his mouth and I nearly gag.
“No, I’m a vegetarian,” I say, pushing the plate away from me. I say it too loud.
Tryell overhears and laughs unnaturally loud. “You hear that? The girl’s a vegan!” Some of the younger boys laugh with him, as well as some of the older boys and men. The rest just look away, not even coming to my defense.
“Vegetarian. There’s a distinct difference,” I mutter. I frown at the ground, stand up, and walk out without eating anything. My heels click down the hallway on the strange dirt floor. I push the door open and sit down on my bed.

That’s when I start to cry. I didn’t want to be here. I just wanted to be with my friends and at least some other girls. I’m still crying as I pull off my boots and pull the blanket over me as I lie down. I’m still crying as I fall asleep.

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