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.
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.
We walked through the dense trees, each step taking us further from the prying eyes of the patrol. He led me to a small cottage hidden among the shadows, its warm light spilling out like a beacon in the night. Inside, his family greeted me warmly, their kindness wrapping around me like a soft blanket. "We will take care of you," his mother assured me, as she carefully tended to my injured knee. I felt a sense of belonging I had never known before, and it filled my heart with a glow brighter than the stars above.
Over the next few days, I learned that his name was Leo, and he began to share secrets of the UR with me. "We patrols are not just guards," he explained, "we want to help build a world where everyone can walk freely." Together, we dreamed of a place where the shadows held no fear, only the promise of a new dawn. Our friendship blossomed into something magical, strong enough to light even the darkest corners of our world. Under the watchful eyes of the stars, our bond grew, binding our fates with invisible threads of hope.
Finally, the day came when I was strong enough to stand on my own. As I prepared to leave, Leo took my hand and said, "You have your home with us now, whenever you need it." I smiled, squeezing his hand, knowing I’d return. With a heart full of courage and dreams, I stepped back into the world, not as a lone shadow, but as part of a bright new story we had begun together. In the cold, dark world of the UR, love had found a way to bloom, casting its light far and wide.
