14th Mar 2025
In the cold, dark world of the UR, women had to be inside when night fell. "You have to be home before the sun goes down!" Momma would remind me. I often sneaked out to meet my brother, Max. "Look! The patrol is by the park again," I whispered, watching the shadowy figures patrol the streets. They thought they could guard the city, but little did they know about the secret world that lived right under their noses. One night, I snuck further than usual, and there stood a boy from the patrol, tall with dark hair and bright eyes. "You shouldn’t be out here," he said softly, his voice sending a shiver down my spine. I felt excited and terrified all at once.
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Days went by, and I would secretly meet him in the woods, where the patrol's eyes couldn't reach. But one evening, he called out, making me blush, "Why do you keep running?" My heart raced as I dashed deeper into the trees. Suddenly, I tripped and tumbled down a hill, landing hard on the ground. My knee shrieked in pain as I tried to get up. He hurried to my side, worry etched on his face. "I have to take you to my home; the other patrols shouldn’t find you like this," he said urgently. To my shock, he mentioned, "We need to marry so you can get help for your ACL." I looked into his eyes and found something unexpected—hope, and perhaps, love. In the strange, post-war world we lived in, we found our light in each other, transforming fear into something beautiful.
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