4Hello readers! This should be a fun adventure! This is called CHOOSE YOUR OWN PATH, and that means that all of you will be able to get involved with the direction of this story! This first installment shows that there has already been a vote on which path was first chosen, so if you just continue reading on after the vote, you will see a second place to case your vote. I also am part of a writers group, and am sharing this there as well, and they are also voting on the options, just to clarify that for you all.
To my fellow 2034ians- don't worry, I haven't left Lydia and Josh. I am still writing their story as well. I just decided that since I was writing this for writer's group as well, I might as well just post it.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoy, and for this story, I am looking for all the feedback I can get. Thanks a bunch, and I am looking forward to your responses!
Chapter 1
Cold sweat slithered down Halee's forehead. She reached up and used the back of her hand to wipe it away, took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to stay focused. She reached back inside the glass case and reached for the gem. She couldn't fail. Not her first time.
Her eyes narrowed on the clear, large gem in her hands, handling it gently and ever so slowly brought it towards the opening she had made in the glass case. Her heartrate sped up in pre-victory elation. She was going to do this. She believed in herself as well as many others watching from the cameras.
Halee stuck out her tongue from between closed lips unconsciously, and felt the gem become slippery from her sweaty palms as she drew closer to the opening of the glass. Just a few more seconds, and she would be home free. Halee drew a couple more deep breaths, calming her heartrate and her breathing and brought her hands to the last few centimeters of the broken glass. She slipped her hands with the gem through her small hole in the glass and sighed with relief. She'd done it.
She looked up at one of the camera's towards the ceiling, sure that everyone was watching and also breathing with relief at her accomplishment, and smiled with confidence, hamming it up for her audience. Halee dipped down to pick up her duffel bag at her feet and started to open it up when the unthinkable happened.
"SCREECH!SCREECH!" The alarm in the building sounded, making Halee jump in fright and drop her bag with the gem now tucked inside.
"No!" Halee mouthed, and she scrunched up her eyebrows as she reached down for her bag once again, fumbling around. What did she do wrong? She'd made it to the last part and got the gem through the glass without the alarm sounding, so why was it sounding now? She swore as she tried to close the zipper on her bag, and started running for the exit. She wouldn't let it end this way. She couldn't.
You decide what happens next! Here are three options for the continuation-
A- She heard the wall in the large room open and she heard her instructor start speaking through his loudspeaker. She whipped around to face him and her audience of classmates. She eyed Preston, who looked away after making eye contact. Her stomach dropped.
"Very well, Ms. Addleson, but you seem to have made a grave mistake in that last part of the break in." Mr. Brawton stepped forward and off of the podium separating the classroom from the testing room.
B- "Halt!" A male voice shouted in the distance, and Halee's pulse sped up and she whipped around a corner of the building, praying she would be able to outrun the guard now chasing her. Halee glanced back and recognized the guard following her- his name tag had read Preston. Her heart fluttered and her stomach convulsed. The hot guard from earlier. Shoot. She heard the footsteps behind her, closing in on her fast, and she wondered if this was the end. Just as she was about to reach the exit, his hands grabbed her waist and both of them tumbled to the floor. Halee hissed in pain as something popped in her ankle in the fall and instinctively grabbed it with two hands and rolled on the floor. No use escaping now.
C- "Halee!" She heard her accomplice Preston fall in line behind her as they ran for the exit. They didn't have much time.
"What happened?" Halee shouted above the blaring.
"I was going to ask you the same thing!" Preston shouted back as the two rounded a corner. Halee saw a flash in Preston's hands and knew he was at the ready with his gun, ready to protect her and get them out of there safely. Halee saw the exit up ahead and knew they would be home free soon. Shouts were heard in the distance, but they sounded like they were too far away to get to them anytime soon, and Halee gave one more burst of energy as they reached the exit and bolted out the door to the busy street outside.
Option A was chosen!
'Great.' Halee muttered on the inside, swiping her curly hair away from her face. What'd she do this time? Mr. Brawton took his time walking over to her and the exhibit case, his hands folded neatly behind his back, his nose in the ever upwards position, peering down through his spectacles at her and then over to the exhibit case. Halee shifted her weight, looking down to the floor, her hands wringing each other behind her back. She'd so thought she had this in the bag. She'd followed everything to protocol. Her stomach felt like it was tied up in knots as Mr. Brawton finally stepped in front of the case and reached to his front shirt pocket and pulled out a set of latex gloves and carefully slipped them over his beefy hands.
"Ladies and gentlemen, what was the first mistake that Ms. Addleson made?" Mr. Brawton called out, his voice echoing off the walls of the expansive room. Halee glanced up as she saw Kierra raise her hand, her fingers pointing in the air. Oh the nerve of that girl. Mr. Brawton turned around after putting on the last glove, and nodded towards the black haired girl. She stood up and pursed her lips before speaking.
"Addleson did not wear protection over her hands, thus leaving fingerprints on the case and the gem, which would end up leading to her if an investigation is performed." Kierra stated, and sat down after Mr. Brawton nodded, her high ponytail swaying behind her. Halee gripped her forefinger with her other hand, digging her nails into the skin and looked away from the other girl.
"Thank you, Ms. Dodd. Anyone else know what Ms. Addleson failed in her heist?" Mr. Brawton inspected a gloved hand, acting nonchalant, but Halee knew he was playing innocent. She wished he would just get on with it and tell her she failed and leave it at that, but no, he would make a show of it to the whole class, and humiliate her, just like he did every time.
This time no-one raised their hand, to which Halee was grateful, and Mr. Brawton finally turned around and face the case, and reached one of his gloved hands inside and pinched at something inside, then brought it out of the case.
'Dang nab it…' Halee groaned inwardly.
"It seems that when Halee went to wipe her forehead during the heist, a piece of hair got stuck to her hand and then fell in the case when she went to retrieve the gem. Even if she did have her gloves on, she still would have failed, and if this had been a real heist, Ms. Addleson would have been convicted guilty in less than twenty four hours." Mr. Brawton let the hair slip from his fingers as his eyes met Halee's.
"Class dismissed." He announced, never breaking eye contact with her. "Ms. Addleson, I would like to see you in my office in five." He stated, then turned and headed out of the classroom. Halee sighed and slumped her shoulders as the classroom buzzed with activity, and people slipped by her, whispering as they went by.
CHOOSE YOUR OWN PATH!
A- "You don't have to look so beaten." A familiar voice said behind her, and she turned around to face Preston, his strawberry blond hair sweeping in his eyes, a small smile of encouragement on his face. Halee huffed and reached down to pick up her duffle bag, pulling out the fake gem to put it back into the case.
"No?" Halee snapped, putting the gem back on its pedestal in the middle of the glass case, and then throwing her bag over her shoulder, turning to face Preston again. "Not only do you know this was my last shot at passing this class, but you also have to remember that I have to follow in my parents legacy, and I don't know what this looks like to you, but I seem to be failing quite miserably lately."
B- "Thank you so much, Addleson, for the lesson today in class. It helps the rest of us to keep our eyes out for little things like that." Halee's shoulders tightened, hearing the annoying voice behind her. She turned around to face Kierra Dodd and her two friends, Darcy and Quinn.
"What do you want, Dodd?" Halee growled. The girls gave each other exaggerated shocked looks, and Kierra met Halee's gaze.
"I only wanted to say thanks." Kierra gasped, and Halee bunched her hands into fists, ready to pound the girl standing in front of her.
"Hold it, hold it," Halee heard Preston coming up beside the group, then step in between Kierra and Halee, his hands in the time out sign.
C- Halee looked out of the corner of her eye and saw Kierra walk over to Preston and slip her hand in his, reaching up on tiptoes to give him a kiss. Halee's stomach clenched. Oh, how she wished Preston would notice her. Halee's lips formed a thin line as she reached down and picked up her duffle bag, returning the gem back to its case, then started walking from the room. She didn't care anyway about Preston. If he hung out with the likes of Kierra Dodd and her two prissy friends, then she didn't need to associate with the likes of him. Before she knew it, she found herself at the door of Mr. Brawton's office. Her hands tightened around the handle of her duffle bag as she stared up at the door, feeling smaller by the minute. She was not looking forward to this meeting.
Well, what do you think? Again, you get to choose how this story goes, so make sure to either leave me a review with your choice on it, or PM me with your vote! Let's see where this story goes!