[[Hey...hey, wake up!->wake up]]Come on, you gotta [[get up->you gotta wake up boi]] El![[ELLIS WAKE UP!!!->you're awake now]]Your eyes snap open as you jolt awake. You whirl around, looking for the source. Ugh. It's Ames. Your roommate since age four. Partner in crime. Known pastry thief. General nuisance.
[[I heard you the first time.->gentle ignore]]
[[It's not that late, leave me alone.->irritated ignore]]
[[Throw a pillow at Ames.->throw a pillow]]"Nope, no way, no how. You stay in bed and it's both of our asses on the line with the House Mother. You really wanna be on Miss Slank's bad end?" Ames crosses his arms and glares at you obstinately.
[[I'm so tired I'm willing to risk death.->this kid dumb]]Ames rolls his eyes and replies, "Ugh, I know, but when has that ever stopped Slank the Skank?" At your smirk, Ames continues, "Do you ever wonder if that woman ever bathes? I wouldn't be surprised if her smell makes even the ashcrows sick." Ames leaves the room and goes downstairs.
[[follow him->breakfast]]You throw a pillow at Ames. It lands pathetically at his feet. Ames laughs at your attempt and runs out of the room.
[[drag yourself out of bed.->breakfast]]
[[sleep in some more.->angry house mother]]You slowly creep down the stairs, shaking off the last bits of your grogginess. You'll have to move faster than that if you want to get any breakfast before it's all eaten. You get down to the table, only to find--too late--most of the food's already eaten.
[[take what you can->not a thief]]
[[swipe another boy's food while he's not looking->Thief]]You lay back down into your bed, confident you can sleep for another five minutes [[without anyone noticing...->someone noticed]]At least there's a few half-pieces of toast and dry fruit to eat. Not exactly a filling breakfast, but it's better than nothing. Goddess knows working for the Hostels is better than living out in the streets where you could get killed and no one would notice. Well, then again, no one would notice if a Hostel boy or girl disappeared either, but at least you got fed most mornings.
You sit next to Ames, who winces sympathetically at your portions and offers you some of the sausage he swiped from the adult's table.
[[take it]]
[[refuse it]]The other kids are all already eating their breakfasts, too busy to notice you. With some luck on your side, you sneakily reach while a girl is talking to someone behind her and swap her plate on the table with your empty one. You sit down next to Ames and start wolfing down sausage and dry fruit. You feel a pang of guilt for swiping a Hostel-mate's food, but there was no guarantee you'd get dinner tonight if the pickings in the ruins today were poor.
suddenly, you feel a chill go down your spine as [[a shadow looms behind you...->you're a kissass]]"I know right? who decided that they were gonna have their last name be--" Ames starts, then realizes the tangent he's falling into, and says, "Ames smirks, and says before wallking out, "Fine, it's your ass. Don't come crying to me when she bites your head off."
You roll your eyes as he leaves the room. You start to just drift back to sleep [[when...->someone noticed]]ELLIS! GET YOUR ARSE OUT OF BED [[THIS INSTANT!->you done fucked up boi]]
Someone might have noticed...You jump out of bed immediately, all thoughts of sleep for the next week immediately cancelled. You sprint down the stairs, in your work overalls and undershirt, through the hall and into the kitchen where an intimidating figure looms above you.
[[G-Good morning, Ms. Slank!->you're a kissass]]
[[S-Sorry about that, Ms. Slank!->you're a pushover]]
[[*whimpering noises*->you're a coward]]Amelia Slank gives you an unimpressed look and waves you over to the Assignment Room for the location outside of Cinis you'll be mining today. Oh joy, mining. The BEST possible job to get in the whole Hostel. Who wants to clean the house or go work in town when you can go harvest resources from old, condemned buildings all day and [[possibly die?->Perfect.]]Amelia Slank, a crusty old curmudgeon with a face that was historically known to sour milk, made a face halfway between a grimace and a scowl at you.
"Ugh, is cowering the only thing you children know? Whatever, get to the Assignment Room for your job today. [[While it still *is* today.->Perfect.]]"Amelia Slank, a crooked, angry-looking stick of an old woman who looked to be more bones than flesh, sneers down at you.
"Pathetic. You can't even muster any words to make an excuse for yourself. How have the gangs not [[picked you off->you goin to see a gang boi]] yet? At least then I wouldn't have to [[deal with you->just go to work]] anymore."
Before you have a chance to explain yourself, Slank silences you with a wave of her hand. She barks, "I don't care about your excuses. Hurry up and finish so that you can get your job for the day."
She smiles as she says, "I made this one extra difficult for you."
[[Perfect.]]You and Ames are sent to harvest old circuitry and wires from the old days. The [[factories->near the temple]] like to buy them cheap from the Hostels, and the Hostes need the money to keep their doors open. You know they've been cheating the Hostels for years, but it's not like you can stand up to them in any way. You're just a fourteen year old Hostel kid, a nobody.
Ames sees you brooding and flicks you behind the ear. He runs ahead of you so you can't do it back, cackling as he goes. Jackass. He stops when he sees the building you've been sent to though, and his laughter abruptly cuts off.You give Ames a quick smile of thanks and scarf down the food. Even though he's a pain in the ass sometimes, he's a sweet kid.
As much as you would love to just sit and enjoy eating, a shadow drapes itself over you and you get a chill up your spine. Ugh, that means it can only [[be one person...->you're a coward]]You smile but tell Ames to keep his food. No sense in dividing your resources. What if he needs that later? Ames tries to protest but you're certain. You do appreciate the offer though. Ames might be a pain in the ass sometimes, but he's a good kid.
Your breakfast, or lack of one, is interrupted by a voice that sounds vaguely similar to nails on a chalkboard. If you couldn't tell by the voice alone, Ames avoiding eye contect immediately tells you [[who's standing behind you...->you're a kissass]]Your recieve your assignment and head for the downtown part of Cinis.
You and Ames always get paired together. At this point you're not sure if that's because Slank knows you two work well together or if she knows that no one else can tolerate the two of you.
As you leave the Hostel, you see Cinis proper in the distance, its factory smokestacks already pumping fumes into the air. The clouds are thick with smog and ash. Sootcrows fly overhead, picking at the sparse clouds as they fly. They seem to be the only creatures that [[thrive->just go to work]] here.You arrive at the location; it's an old woodcutting mill, near what must have once been a large forest. Now the trees are mostly dead, but they're close enough together and enough still have leaves that it's dark deeper in the woods. Apparently, befoere the Great Disaster there were thousands of factories like this across the country, all filled with people. Nowadays, you can't even imagine leaving Cinis for longer than a day, it's [[too risky->ames found something]] in the outside world.You enter the building, it's dark and dingy. Cobwebs cover the ceiling. The place almost feels haunted.
"Hey! What's that!?" Ames barks so loudly you almost jump out of your skin. You glare at him, but then see what he was talking about. There's a flash of faint light glimmering in the trees on the other side of the building.
[[Go check it out]]
[[meh, maybe not...]]Ames squeals excitedly and tears ahead of you. You sprint to keep up with him as he exits the building and dashes into the forest, all sense of care out the window. This idiot's gonna get the both of you killed one day, you can see it already.
Ames weaves in between a few trees, then suddenly the sound of his footsteps stops abruptly. That scares you [[more->temple glyph]] than running in here.You hesitate. Usually bright things are expensive, true, but they're also usually either dangerous or will lead to things that like to eat people your size. Maybe this one isn't a good idea to go after.
You hesitate, but as you do, Ames makes a whining noise at you. You hate that face. He knows that he can get what he wants when he uses it.
Fine. You roll your eyes and agree to go check out whatever that light in the forest is [[with him.->Go check it out]]You follow where you last heard Ames running to and you find a massive slab of stone. No, four. They're gigantic, at least three times as tall as you are, and twice as wide as the spread of your arms. They don't look like the same type of construction as the woodcutting mill. This looks older.
Ash-mixed dirt and dead leaves litter the forest floor. No footprints. Ames is nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly you hear a [[voice.->voice]]*How did you come to this place?*
You look around for the voice's source, but see no one. You ask where Ames is.
*No one is here but you, child. We are alone.*
That can't be right. You [[heard him->barrier]] come this way...You thank the voice and turn to leave. As you walk away, a field of energy sparks up between the stones, barring your exit.
*My apologies, child. You cannot leave until you have chosen. You came to me, and I would have an answer.*
[[Chosen?->choice]] Chosen what?*Each of these stones is a seal for one of my children. I need someone to release them from their prisons. If you would help them, child, I am certain they would be of use to you.*
What the hell is this guy [[talking about->decision]]???
Whatever. If you have to make a choice, fine, make a choice. The sooner you get out of here, the sooner you can find Ames and go home.You agree to make a choice, and the four stones each glow. In the center of each megalith is a gemstone of some kind.
[[Choose the Ruby]]
[[Choose the Sapphire]]
[[Choose the Emerald]]
[[Choose the Citrine]]You touch the Ruby Megalith, and it immediately lights up with cherry light. The ground beneath you, the air around you hums with the same glow. You yell as [[everything->wake up again]] around you turns red.You touch the Sapphire Megalith, and it immediately lights up with aqua light. The ground beneath you, the air around you hums with the same glow. You yell as [[everything->wake up again]] around you turns blue.You touch the Emerald Megalith, and it immediately lights up with viridian light. The ground beneath you, the air around you hums with the same glow. You yell as [[everything->wake up again]] around you turns green.You touch the Citrine Megalith, and it immediately lights up with yellow light. The ground beneath you, the air around you hums with the same glow. You yell as [[everything->wake up again]] around you turns yellow.You jump up out of bed, falling out as you do. Slank is scowling at you from the bedroom's doorway. Ames is sitting worriedly next to your bed.
You ask what happened. No one can tell you, only that Ames found you unconscious in the forest and dragged you back.
You rub your eyes, feeling a faint, aching headache. As you do, you feel a faint itch on your palm. A faint bruise, the same color as that glow from the megalith, now [[sits on your hand.->end]]End of chapter 1