My Long Journey to Sincerity. Elana Mayne — Jason Ellis

Another shift in the dream occurs before I receive an answer. I'm now standing at the front door. "Goodbye, Mother, Father. I'm so sorry about everything. I will come back to you, even if it takes me the rest of my life, I will find my way back to you." My mother wipes a tear off of her cheek. "Be safe, Elana. You know we will always love you ... we'll always trust and believe you." My father stands just behind her, emotional himself yet keeping his silent, stern exterior. "I love you too, Mother ... and you, Father." I hold out my hand. I want to feel the touch of my parents one last time ... know their comfort ... The hallway darkens. I see my parents standing hundreds of feet away, unreachable ... then the darkness swallows everything like an insatiable beast. A future not so far away ... the world changed after the virus. It spread across the globe at a cruel speed, cutting through the population with no remorse. Every aspect of life transformed: the balance of power, law, education ... the very core of society itself became moulded by the new global power. They control everything. They are Central Government. Sixteen year old Elana Mayne overhears a secret conversation and witnesses a terrible crime. Her world crumbles afterwards and she is lost, surrounded by lies ... changed forever. Can she learn to trust again? Can she fight the regime that betrayed and so easily abandoned her? Is she capable of revenge?