Timu's Young Adult Dystopian Fiction Novel

Chapter 14: Team Celune

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SpoilerCelune touched Timu's arm. "I know you're not really allowed to be vocal during the meeting, but... I was wondering, are you really okay with Brian taking over being in charge?"

Timu nodded, "Yeah, I welcome it. Everyone likes him better, and the most important thing is that everyone is working together."

Celune smiled, "That's good! But, surely you miss having some say in things?"

Timu chirped, "Hm! Yeah, a little bit, but everyone already says what I been meaning to say! Most of the people at the meetings don't say anything anyway! I mean, if I really need anything said, I just tell you and then you tell everyone else!"

"Yeah, that's true. Um," Celune looked a little sad, "Timu... about Brian... you still like him don't you? The way you look at him... you never looked at me that way."

Timu laughed nervously, "Well, in, in my defense, no one really looks at Brian the same way as.."

Celune let go of Timu, "Timu. You know that's not what I mean."

Timu leaned back in the chair. "Yeah. I do. But, I just... don't know how to say it."

Timu shivered. Celune took her hand, "Timu... it's okay. I understand! I really understand! But, it can't go on like this. I'll tell Brian for you."

Timu looked up at Celune, "You don't have to... .... okay, yeah, you do. But! What's the point, the team doesn't like me! So! It, doesn't matter, does it? I'd much rather still be with you. But, if you really don't want to be with me then..... that's, oh... I understand."

Celune looked confused.

Timu smiled, "Celune... I get it! You... you want to be with Brian!"

Celune shouted, "No! I didn't mean that! But! Yeah. I do too. But! Just so we're clear that wasn't why I..."

Timu squeezed Celune's hand. "It's alright. It's better this way isn't it? I'm not mad, I'm a little sad, but most of all I'm happy! I'm happy that it can work out. It's perfect."

Celune released Timu's hand. "Okay. I. Alright! This, it's good! For us! But! Like, how do you know that Brian, how... would he be okay with this too?"

Timu shrugged, "I dunno! Go find out!"

Celune sat up, "But... what if?"

Timu laughed, "Don't worry about it!"

"okayyy!!!" said Celune, skipping out of the room.

Once Celune was out of sight, Timu sighed smiling. "I'm rooting for you," she whispered.

Chapter 15: Team Timu

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SpoilerBrian stepped out of the shower, water dripping to the floor from his dark light skin, the steam conveniently covering something. Brian dried off with a towel while asking Celune, "Like what you see?"

Celune blushed furiously.

Brian put on a pair of clothes and looked quizzically at her. "Hey Celune.... Did you like what you saw?"

Celune blinked a couple of times and said, "What?"

Brian groaned, "Never mind, don't worry bout it babe."

Celune rubbed her nose. "Um..... I got distracted."

Brian sat down next to her, embracing her in his arms in an incomprehensible way. "What's up?"

Celune scratched her head, "Um. We're having a meeting."

"Yo" "Sup" "I think I saw his butt" "We're here too" were said by four of many people gathered in the shower room.

Chariny stepped forward. "Hey Brian, Celune, as you probably guessed, I reached Chamber 1024!"

Celune nodded. "Yup! I guessed that!"

Brian shouted, "WAIT! Before we go any further, uh, did ANY of you see anything you liked?"

The general consensus was "No, not really"

Brian sighed disappointed, "Alright then. Okay, uh, just to review, does everyone know what they're doing? Let's get into a line and check with each of you one by one!"

The crowd of young 20-somethings gathered into a long line. Brian and Celune went down the line, who was Chariny.

Chariny looked blankly at Brian. "Um. Do I really have to...?"

Celune shouted, "Yes! You do! That's the point of reviewing! Everyone needs to!"

"Alright! Understood!" stated Chariny, "I'm going to finish Chamber 1024!"

Brian gave a thumbs up or two, and Celune turned to the next person, a girl named Beth.

She stated proudly, "All I have to do is just kinda be here!"

Brian gave Beth a look. Beth tried to return it. "Alright! Not everyone needs to do this!" Brian announced, "Everyone whose role in the plan is to basically do nothing, go stand over there!"

64 diggers got out of line and gathered at the tables in the indicated part of the room. "Or sit. That's fine too. Good work guys!" Brian joked.

Someone said, "Yeah! We did it! Team Brian!"

Several of the diggers including Celune laughed. "Alright, haha, that's enough," she continued, "Okay, your turn."

The next person in line was Jerem, and he said, "I ate a shovel!"

Celune gave a look of approval and moved to the next person. One by one, the rest of the crowd explained what they did to prepare for the plan, and what they would do while it was in action.

Chariny would dig out Chamber 1024.
The shovel eaters would all gather in the shower.
The bedroom breaker task force would ensure the Sleep Rooms would be destroyed.
The oldest digger would sleep.
Diane had organized her builders.
Irene and the others have three miles of cable prepared.
Brian would do his thing.
64 diggers would sit back and take it easy.
Team Timu was in position.
They were not watching.
The shovel would break.
And then Chariny dug out Chamber 1024.

Chapter 16: The Breakthrough

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SpoilerThe chamber screen shouted a prerecorded message at Chariny.

"You did it! You achieved what no one else has done before- reach the end of your tunnel! 1024 chambers and 1024 days ago, you were drafted to dig, and you have reached the legal end of your sentence! You are now free to go! Please prepare for freedom!"

The metal wall was bare, oddly jarring to Chariny, who was used to there being another door and another door, to the next chamber and the next. But she told herself to resume focus.

"Please prepare for freedom!" the chamber screen repeated.

Chariny clawed at the metal wall. Nothing really happened

"Please prepare for freedom!" the chamber screen repeated again!

Chariny was already finding it annoying. She struck the wall again and again.

"Please prepare for freedom!"

Chariny smiled. The wall had a dent in it. Keep going, she told herself.

"Please prepare for freedom!"

A chunk of metal clanged to the floor. Chariny peered through the hole in the wall. There wasn't anything out there.

The chamber screen was probably still yelling at her, but she had completely tuned it out by now. She reached into the gap and tried to wrench it open wider.

She grunted and strained. The crack got larger and larger. The finally, she yanked hard, bringing down a rended metal panel that made up half the wall to the ground. Scraps of metal littered the floor behind her and she continued working at the wall, tearing it down to reveal the emptiness beyond her tunnel.

She stepped out of bounds. It was crowded back there and hard to move. Barely enough space. But it was good enough for now. Chariny didn't quite understand what was happening, but Diane had told her enough of what to expect. Now she just had to wait.

She looked down the tunnel. Months of work, hours and hours of digging. The whole tunnel gradually lit up. She watched others dig their piles, and move on to the next, die, and dissappear, and newbies come in, start over. She saw an enormous pile of dirt, gradually grow into a smaller pile, and then a set of piles. People who used to work together, and people who now dug alone. The system rearranging and improving. Dust vanishing, dust appearing. Chariny could see where the energy went when dirt disappeared. She watched generations of diggers punch screens, destroy screens, pull cables, and get trapped behind doors. Shovels abandoned and shovels retrieved, snapped by hand, stuck in doors. Layers and layers of tunnels lifted. Closer and closer to a plan that worked. She saw Timu leave, and she saw Timu come back. Chariny saw her successors, who reached chamber 1024 and ceased to be. She saw the newest draftee stare at their pile and cry. She saw tunnels and tunnels, rising upwards, and then finally, the door of chamber 1024 closed and its screen went dark.

Chariny stepped back out into Chamber 1024. "Hm," she wondered out loud, "I wonder if any of that blurry stuff had any significance."

There was a knocking at the door. "Hey! It worked, I think! I can't see anything though, it's very dark in here," Chariny answered.

"Step back! I'm gonna open the door!"

Timu smashed the door down. Behind her, 6 rebels cheered. Timu stepped in, her smile growing bigger and bigger.

Chariny hugged her, asking, "We did it?"

"We did it!" said Timu, hugging back.

They let go. Timu turned and looked at her team. "We did it!!!"

"Yup!"

Timu turned back to Chariny. Chariny was smiled back.

"We did it!!!!!!!!!"

Timu jumped around. "We did it, we did it! We did it!!" she repeated, "OmGGGGGGGGGGG WE DID IT"

THEY DID IT!