I walked up onto the stage, the colorful vials of feelings awaiting my approach. There were pink ones, and blue ones, green, and yellow. I snatched up as vial with all the colors, and handed it to the announcer.
“The feeling is freedom.” She said, before I was handed the bottle back.
I downed the small battle and returned to the seating area as the remaining vials were removed for the next ceremony of feelings. Soon after people were being called to stage to be assigned there life partners. Angel, Zacharia, and Maria were all assigned. Demitri was called to stage, and my heart skipped a beat. I waited, no, longed, for my name to be called next. The announcer looked over the list, and went to call the females name.
“Ashley.” My heart broke, and I felt like weeping.
The announcer called me up, before the male, and checked the list for the name of the male.
“Andrew.” She called, and my despair depleted some.
Andrew has been my friend for a long time; at least I was assigned to a friend. We left the stage, and waited to be dismissed for evening. I walked with Demitri, Ashley, Maria, Zacharia, Angel, Charley, and Andrews to the feat hall. They all looked a little sad.
“I don’t like our town.” Maria said



“We can’t leave.” Angel replied

“We live under water.” I responded.
“We could leave, but we would need to steal diving suits from the food finder’s warehouse.” Zacharia said helpfully.
“What do you say Scarlet?” Maria asked me.
“I say we meet at the ware house in five minutes.” I said.
“It’s a date.” Charley said, and we all burst out into laughter.
We ate the evening meal in the feasting hall and ate with everyone else. We took a total of ten minutes, and then our group was excused to the commons. We went to the ware house, with high risks of being caught, with no alibi. We walked in the shadows, and dove under bushes at the site of a little shadow. The ware house was close to the feasting hall, and it took twice as long as I should, because of our precautions. The metal door to the ware house creped open, casting a shadow over us, though the light was already dimmed. We tiptoed into the warehouse, being as quiet as can be, and yet we heard, a seventh breath. It was quicker than ours, so we knew to dive for the shadows. We hid behind some boxes, and next to the manhole made to fish. I slipped over my clothing a diving suit, and heard an eight breath, more relaxed breath.
“Six! Six vials of freedom were distributed today! I want them extracted by dawn!” was that the announcer’s voice?
“B-bu-but we haven’t perfected, the, uh extraction process.” I think it was the head scientist.
“Oh, you are a liar! You extract feelings of young children every day!” I peered over the boxes, it was the announcer, and the head scientist.
“ Th-they are babies, we would need a new, um, machine to extract from larger beings,
o-or it may result I-in death of the children.” He said.
I felt a tap on my shoulder, and silently I spun around. It was Andrew, the others were ready, and all was left is for me to put on my air tank. Maria strapped my air tank on me, and the boys lifted the porthole. The adults babbled on, and we slipped, one by one, into the cold waters below.
“ What was that!” I heard the announcer’s infuriated voice.
Uh, oh. My friends hovered in the waters below, motioning for me to come. I heard footsteps coming hard and fast. I hesitated not, and plummeted into the clear waters. Each breath I took, each stroke I made, I came closer to the surface. Closer, to the freedom that I desperately desired, and desperately needed. The light was coming up clearer, but my oxygen was depleting. Each breath I took was now my exhales, and my throat was burning. My lungs felt as if they were caving in on me, and this new use of my limbs left my muscles cramped, and tight. I felt the water ruffle around me, and when I turned to look, I saw the eyes of a horrid beast. It had a weird tail, and an – arm? - On its back. There were endless teeth, and it was very large. A scream rose in my throat but it was choked away by my lack of air. I started to swim, the others had seen similar beasts and were swimming rapidly as I was. My air was depleting faster and faster, each breath seeming like the last. The beast was keeping me going, but I had to small courage to turn to see if they were fallowing us. The dazzlingly bright light was getting closer, and closer. My limbs fought themselves to keep moving on. Left arm, right arm, I swam harder and harder. The light was drawing closer, as I went further up. I fought the current, and I felt as I had failed. My breaths were shorter, my strokes were weaker. I was at a braking point, I couldn’t find my friends, as I fled weakly from the beasts that I wasn’t sure were still here. My vision blurred, and my limbs were getting slower, and slower. I’m dying, and I wish I had let this crazy plan be just a myth. I was ready to call a quits, but my hand was grasped, and I was pulled out into a very strange area. Someone removed my helmet, and my lungs took a breath greedily, gratefully. I lay in a soft yet damp area, and my muscles felt relief. After I was breathing steadily, I looked around, for my savior. The first thing I saw was my friends, my comrades laying down, breathing with greed as I had. Then, I noticed how bright it was. The landscape was marvelous, and delightful. Then, I saw, the single person, who had saved my, and probably my friends lives as well. It was a man, long dark hair, and scuba suit like I was wearing.
“Who are you?” I croaked out.
“I, am Pablo.” He replied.