Remember the Brother’s Grimm story about sleeping beauty? How she was cursed at birth to fall asleep on her 16th birthday along with the rest of the kingdom she was born into? And how true love’s kiss was to break the curse? Well if only it were true love’s kiss that woke me on my 4,000th birthday.

Back before i was put to sleep, the earth was on track to implode and we has humans needed a way to survive. Without actually knowing when the earth would go boom, we rushed the Relocating Project. Building space ships and docking stations all the while drones went to scan for planets that were habitable for us to basically redo what we’ve done here.

Do you think we will learn how not to drain a planet of its resources and just use it to survive? I dont think so. Every intergalactic movie made showed us just what to expect and how to “prevent it” per se. (If you ask me, i knew we were doomed to begin with.) MOving forward, our scientists created this hive of pods where we the people would be assigned one and sleep for a designated period of time.

At least that was the idea. And needless to say, it did not go as planned. By the time that we had found a habitable planet, it should have taken us to only 200 years to reach in cryo-sleep. When the first group of us woke, they never said anything. Then the next group, and the next. Until it was the third to last group that finally did something and prevented the last two groups from waking up.

How i know this is simple. My mother left me a message explaining the entire situation and horror she and the rest of her group saw. Death and carnage, blood spatter and half eaten limbs. It painted a gruesome picture of humans in a time of need and choosing to survive rather than figure out why they woke and not be at our intended destination. And that was the only question that remained.

Why had we not arrived yet?

Now, 4,000 years after we took off, it was my group that woke up and we were still floating through space. My mother made the desicion to save fuel and only traveled away from the field of debits we were sent to and set a clear course for the new planet. But we still haven’t arrived. What was happening?

“Are we at the new planet?” My little sitster asked, and all i did was look at her, squeezing her hand and trying hard not to tell her the truth. “Where’s mom and dad?” She asks while trying to look for them. But she would never find them, they’ve long been dead, along with the rest of the adults. We were the second to last group to wake, it was our turn to find out the truth.

“Triston.” One of my friends called for me, drawing my attention to him as his lanky body moved through the crowd with ease. Daniel was extremely tall for a teenager, standing around 7 feet when he straightens his back, but through the years he made it a habit to bend down to move through doorways and talk to people. You could spot him just about any where in any crowd.

“Daniel!” We connect in an awkaward platonic hug, though it only feels like we haven’t seen each other for a few hours, we knew it was 4 millenium since we’ve last spoke. “Has anyone told you what’s going on?”

“No, are we not at the new place yet?” The concern and confusion were deep seated in his voice. “Where are all the adults?”

I move my hands to cover my sister’s ears, not wanting to break the news, and try to keep her in a mildly good mood. “They’re…gone, Daniel. They have been for a while.”

“Tris, what are you talking about?” Leigh Anne moves to try and hear, removing my hands I turn to her, dropping to my knees to be at eye level.

“Big kid stuff that you can’t hear just yet.”

“But I am a bid kid! I didn’t wet my bed this time, see?” She was so adamant in wanting to know, all i could was shake my head.

“I’ll tell you when youre older, ok?” Now she’s visibly upset with me, her face gets all red and puffy; beyond unsatisfied with my response, she decides to throw a temper tantrum that really backs me into a corner.

“I am a big kid! I am a big kid!” She screams while kicking her feet, completely and utterly acting her age of 5.

“Big kids dont throw temper tantrums, Leigh Anne. Big kids know better than to do that.” Daniel speaks up for me just before i went and opened a can of worms i was never going to be able to close again.

Just when things couldn’t have gotten any worse, there was a loud crash that moved the entire ship. It felt as though we hit something. But what could we have hit out in the middle of space?

“Daniel, watch Leigh Anne for a sec please?” I left before he had a chance to agree. My curiosity making my body move urgently to see what happened. I wasnt more than few feet from a window when the security alarm sounds. An explosion came from the main entrance followed by large plumes of smoke.

“Everyone get on the ground now!” Loud pops of gun fire pushed everyone to the ground, screaming and crying out for their mom or dad. I stayed standing, along with a few others, frozen by the turn of events. We had just woken a few moments ago, and now we were getting raided. Without even thinking, my body moved on its own, to be by my sister and Daniel. But a gun shot rang out, a riquochet right at my feet. “Where do you think youre going sleeping beauty!? I SAID ON THE GROUND NOW!!” All I could do was stare at the man wielding the gun. His dark eyes held a great deal of hatred and pain, the way he speaks with a commanding tone shoots straight through my body, i was fighting to follow his command. He barged into my make shift home and demands that i listen to him?

“Triston, listen to him and get down…” turning my head to the gentle cautious tone from Daniel, i turned back as a wave of rage washed through me, and there i stared at the barrel of a gun. The man had made the distance between us in only a few seconds. My heart almost beat out of my chest and away from this exact situation.

“I didn’t stutter, bitch. Be a good girl and get on the ground.” He cocked the hammer back on the gun, deepening the unspoken threat. My body slowly moved to the floor. And without missing a beat, he follows me down, crouching before sitting on his knees.

“What…do you want?” MY voice meek in asking, whiskey and cedar waft from the man. The scent drowned the fear he invoked, replacing it with intrigue. But something deep within me said other wise. He held me at gun point, he was raiding our ship, he threatened the lives of everyone here. This was not the time or place to even remotely be thinking like that.

“You’re mine now. Along with this ship and everyone in it.” A chill ran down my spine at his words. His voice dripped with charisma and lies. “I hear by commandere this vessel and the inhabitants. Anyone who wants to object, you see yourself out.”

“I’m sorry…what?” I wasnt confused on what he said, more like cant believe he put that out there. Does he expect a bunch of kids to just jump ship and into the vastness of space?

“Again…I didn’t stutter.” The barrel of the gun that still smelled of gunpowder was pressed against my forehead. “and anyone who speaks out of term, will be punished accordingly. Do i make myslef clear, sleeping beauty?” It was then that i felt my fear turn to anger, my disdain growing for our captures who’s eyes glared deep into mine. And there in the darkness something flickered. Something new, pure, and unwanted. Seeing the flicker sent a different chill down my spine.

“You feel good about taking the only home that some kids have known for the first ten minuets of waking up?” Defiance ran off my lips. “Daniel, cover Leigh Anne’s ears please.” Once he does that, I continue my questioning. “All the adults are gone! They’ve been gone for 4,000 years, and we just woke up to a mess of shit!”

A smirk dances over his lips, a slight glint of silver popping out. “I really dont care for your little sob story! I am in need of a ship, and this one is occupied by a bunch of brats!” His tone brutally honest. It only takes a blink and his hand is wrapped up in my hair, dragging me along as he moves toward the brig, “mouthy little brats like yourself, need to be corrected. And I know just how to do that.” My fingers and nails claw at his hand, fighting to rip my hair from his iron like grip, but only feel the strands snap from my scalp.

“WHy are you doing this?! Just leave us be!” Screaming at the man, desperate to escape. The man ignored me, and continued moving on, taking me from my sister and Daniel.

“Triston! Don’t leave me!” Leigh Anne starts for me, but Daniel pulls her back to him. Clear fear and sadness stuck in her throat.

“Leigh Anne! Dont leave Daniel’s side! I mean it!” Daniel shielded her from what was happening, Leigh Anne holds tight to him.

“I’ll keep her close, Triston!” There was slight relief deep within me, but thanks to the brute that pulled me by my hair kept reminding me of what was going to come.

“Fucking kids, why did we have to stumble up this ship!?” The man mumbled under his breath, complaining about the situation.

“You should be glad that its just a bunch of kids. All you have to put up with is our back talking and not trying to fight you guys.” He stops at the realization that i heard him. His grip tightened as he pulled me to meet his gaze. Firery hatred burned beneath the blackness of his eyes.

“You just don’t know when to stop talking, do you!?” He throws me to the floor. Once i hit the floor, immediately checking to see if I was bleeding from my scalp. A sigh runs off my tongue, but something bad was coming. I looked at the last second when is fist meets my cheek. “What dont you get about all of this?! This ship has been abandoned and we are taking it, you kids werent supposed to be here!”

“What?”