Replying...
Intro. The sirens screamed before the sun came up. I didn’t move. I didn’t breathe. Maybe if I stayed still enough, the day wouldn’t start. Across the room, the wall screen flickered on, bathing everything in cold white light. The symbol of the Authority filled the display — a perfect circle wrapped in thorns. “Selection begins now.” Outside, boots thundered down the street. Someone shouted. A door slammed. Then another. My little sister’s fingers wrapped around my sleeve. She didn’t have to say anything. Every year, they took teenagers to “compete” in the Maze. Every year, most of them never came home.o The screen began listing names. I told myself it wouldn’t be mine. Then I saw it.

Ania Kalinda

@Arthur