Overview: This is an excerpt from chapter 1 of a novel I have written.  In a dystopian society taking place in the future, 15 year old Luna finds herself dissociated from the world she has grown up in. In a society where everyone's life is determined by their eye color, Luna faces the ultimate challenge when her unusual case sets her apart from every other face on the planet. 

My mother was the one who tucked me in that day. She waited for my dad to say his birthday wishes to me before I headed off to bed. I smiled as I climbed under my rosy colored sheets, the butterflies of excitement already released inside of me in anticipation for the upcoming day. My mother sat beside my stretched legs and pulled the covers over my body, tucking them under my sides.

"It's almost twelve darling, you need to sleep," she said with her bright smile, and I couldn't help but giggle. I could sense the excitement in her own crystal blue eyes. There was no doubt in my mind I wouldn't get the same eyes as both my parents. Blue. I closed my brown eyes at the same moment she kissed my head before I lay on my side.

"Goodnight, my special girl," my mother said in a soft tone and stood up to exit my room. I scrunched up my nose at her words, unable to let this new question go, and lifted my head off the pillow to look at her.

"What makes me so special?" I asked while furrowing my eyebrows at her. I hadn't received my gift yet, so what was special about me? I was still normal. Didn't my brown eyes prove that to her? My mother was speaking gibberish. It took a few moments of silence for a smile to reach her lips again and another moment for her to actually answer me.

"Everything," she simply answered and with that I laid back down on my side and waited for my mother to shut off the lights before I finally shut my ordinary eyes, my heart beating with anticipation for what would be happening the next day. Pondering, my mind filled up with different possibilities of how everything would work out while I slept. Did it hurt? I never bothered to ask my parents before. Would I feel it? It felt like something that would be noticeable to detect in my sleep. It only took a few minutes for my thoughts to die down and be swallowed by darkness. My breathing slowed, small breaths leaving my lips. Minutes after, I was asleep with my blanket fisted in my small hand. Just as fast as I fell asleep, I awoke. It wasn't my transformation that startled me back into consciousness, but rather the small barks belonging to Caleb.

Caleb wasn't one to disturb anyone during the unholy hours of the night, so it was surprising to hear, to say the least. A small huff left my lips; I slept for maybe a half hour, and that was it. Once the barking quieted, I noticed the background sound was accompanied by the sound of banging at the front door. I immediately sat up in curiosity, my eyes blinking to adjust to the darkness engulfing my room. The lights in the hallway and foyer outside my bedroom door were switched on. I knew this because I could see the light seeping in through the space underneath my bedroom door, with a shadow invading the light. It was my father's, as I heard his voice beckon for Caleb to stop, but he only barked louder, and the banging only became more frequent.

I slowly got out of my bed and rubbed my squinted eyes before taking small steps toward my bedroom door. It wasn't normal for us to be awoken in the middle of the night by people knocking viciously on our door. Nobody stopped by our house ever before. Our house was yards away from our neighbors, let alone the crowded village where these strangers were from. I stood frozen in my tracks at the sound of the front door being unlocked; the fear in me kept me waiting for more. Seconds after, the abrupt noise of hurried footsteps traveled across the hallway to make their way to my bedroom, causing me to take a few of my own hurried steps back. I jumped in terror when my mother stormed into my room, immediately kneeling down in front of me. She brought her finger to my mouth before I even had a chance to speak. Her eyes were widened with fear and her breathing was ragged. Her eyes seemed to be glued to mine because they never left my gaze.

Her eyes searched mine for what seemed like minutes, but I knew were only passing seconds. She finally stood up after a few more seconds of staring into my eyes and led me into my closet that was at the other side of my room. She shoved me into the closet and grabbed the door knob, but didn't close the door on me yet.

"Mommy," I mumbled before sharply turning my head at the sudden multiple footsteps entering the foyer. The voices I heard did not belong to my father, but what seemed to be from another man. Multiple men. My mother grabbed my shoulder, which swiftly brought my back to her attention.

"Luna, can you promise to be quiet for me, just for a few minutes?" She asked in a shaky voice that tended to crack every so often. It took me a moment before I actually nodded; I didn't understand her current anxiety. She gave me a weak smile and placed a quick kiss on my forehead. Suddenly shouting started to boom throughout the house, along with Caleb's barking. My heart picked up pace to match the havoc unleashed outside.

"Honey–sweetheart," my mother beckoned my attention again when she noticed my fear. She turned my head to force me to look at her, with my heart beating faster with every syllable she spoke to me. I blocked out the background noise as best as I could to listen to my mother, but also to keep myself from falling apart. "Stay in here and be quiet, okay? Everything will be okay," she promised as she began backing out of the closet again.

"Mommy, no!" I whined, and she hastily put her hand over my mouth once more to silence me in the presence of danger before withdrawing her hand.

"I need to go help your father," she explained with another attempt to close the door, but my heart ached at the sound of Caleb's current whining.

"But Caleb!" I harshly whispered. The shake of her head indicated there was no time, and without a final breath from my trembling lips she shut the door. I stood there in the darkness, trying my best to comprehend what exactly was happening. My body was shaky with the wariness circling my limbs like heavy weights. My ragged breathing, along with my parent's voices frantically speaking outside, was the only thing keeping me undisturbed. But even the sound of the unfamiliar voices in my house put a bad taste in my mouth. What were they doing in my house? They didn't belong here, why were they here? I wanted them out. I wanted my family left alone and for them to leave.

I decided that sitting down would help my nerves. But in hindsight, it actually made my predicament worse when my legs failed to do their job while crouching down, and served as a reminder of how scared I actually was. It was then that I realized the unknown was a scary thing. I just could not hide that in my voice, or actions, or my body. Not even my mind. I brought my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around my legs to provide myself comfort and a sense of security. I regretted not bringing my blanket with me into the closet. I missed its fuzziness and warmth. I clenched my small hand into a fist, imaging the feeling of the fabric in my grip. That calmed me for only a moment.

I shut my eyes tight at the new sound of the unknown voices yelling at my parents. All I could think in my fogged up mind was why? Why my parents? Why my family? Little did I know I would get the answers to that very soon.

"This is a mistake! There is no little girl here," my dad clarified falsely and a moment of silence was followed by that lie. I struggled to keep my cries constrained, but I couldn't stop myself from listening to the event happening outside my bedroom. No matter how terrified it made me.

"I apologize then," one man spoke out before I heard a pair of footsteps exit my house. My exhale was rather loud, but there was no doubt in my mind that they couldn't hear it. Another set of defined footsteps left seconds after; another man. I should have felt a wave of relief wash over me, but I could still feel the tension in the atmosphere, leading me to believe there was still someone inside the house. I stiffly shifted in my closet, moving my ear up against the door. Everything was absolutely quiet, except for the sound of Caleb's nails clanking against the hardwood floorboards. The sound became more evident as he entered my bedroom. A small pound of fear was lifted from my chest when I heard his breathing. Finally, something recognizable to me.

"Very well," the last man said after those intense minutes of silence between him and my father were over. I diverted my attention from what was happening out of my reach onto Caleb, who seemed a couple of inches away from the closet. I then heard his breathing embracing the door I was pressed against, and a quiet whine followed. He lowered his head and brought his nose to the small opening underneath the door. I smiled at the sight of his wet nose peeking out in the complete darkness and brought my hand to it, smiling at how cold his nose was.

Caleb let out his most confident bark at my touch and brought both his paws to the wood of the door and began scratching at it. Besides the sound Caleb was creating, there was absolute silence throughout the house, and I could almost hear the sighs of defeat and disappointment from my parents. I had definitely let them down.

My whole body tensed in fear, but it was no use when Caleb was outside the closet. I needed to silence him and tried with my voice, but I knew that would only make it worse. So I moved to the far end of the closet in hopes he would lose my scent. But who was I kidding? My body froze when I heard footsteps slowly making their way into my bedroom. Then, I no longer heard Caleb's barking. Never did I think I would miss the sound of his nagging barks greatly until this day.

I heard the stranger's footsteps come closer towards the door, and all I could think of was to close my eyes and hold my breath to protect myself. I assumed the man was about to reach for the doorknob when Caleb's barking emitted again, but it sadly was followed by submissive whines. My heart was practically beating out of my chest when the door opened so agonizingly slow. I didn't dare open my eyes, even when I felt two firm hands grip my sides and lift me up and out of the closet.

"Put her down right now!" I heard my dad shout and his footsteps stomped into my bedroom. He was scared, I could hear it in his voice. It could have been mistaken for anger by the stranger, but I recognized it as my father's fear talking. My lower lip started to quiver and my body was so stiff it hurt to breathe.

"Sweetie, I'm right here," I heard my mother's surprisingly soothing voice in the middle of the chaos, and of course Caleb had his part in it with his useless growls and barks at the man holding me. I tried to take comfort in my mother's voice, like always, but I knew I was in the arms of a stranger instead of her secure ones, and that made me cringe.

"Open your eyes!" The man demanded sternly while he shook me violently. I felt myself facing him, but didn't dare open my eyes to him.

"Don't touch her like that or so help me god!" My dad threatened, and I knew he was close to me because my ears were ringing from his shouting.

"OPEN YOUR EYES FOR ME RIGHT NOW, LITTLE GIRL!" He screamed while digging his fingernails into my skin. I cried out in pain. In my moment of surrender I felt undeniably vulnerable. I never experienced the feeling before, but with my eyes opened to the world, the feeling was demeaning and utmost unkind. I never wished to feel that again.

The next events were a blur to me, but somewhere in between this mess the man managed to push through my parents and exit my bedroom. He wasted no time making his way out of my house–my sanctuary. As I was carried out, I heard a sound of bullets erupt inside my house. The first bullet struck fear into my bones, making me as stiff as a twig. The second shoved me back into reality, and it all came crashing at once, quick and traumatizing. I began screaming at the top of my lungs for my parents back. Don't be dead, don't be dead. A bullet for each of them, I thought. I shouldn't have been thinking of my parents as corpses, but the image was sent straight into my mind without a second thought, or a second to spare. My chest was heaving, each breath hurting more than the last. No more tears were coming out, just dry cries of desperation. I fought the best I could, I promise I did. But my best wasn't good enough. In fact, it brought me down with my hopes. God, if I had just fought a little bit harder, I knew I could've gotten away. Just one last kick, or scratch, or yell.