Davie was busy watching television when Uma said she was going out. Davie didn’t care. She was far too engrossed in… whatever it was she was watching. Late night infomercials could do that to a person. It makes you not bother to think at all, let alone think straight. It makes you not wonder where exactly your sister is going at three o’clock in the morning.

Uma had been gone less than a minute when the phone wrung. “Uma! Get the phone!” It took her another minute to remember that Uma had just stepped out not even a minute ago. She sighed and shoved off of the couch, dragging herself to the phone in the small kitchen.

“Hello?” No pleasantries when Davie answers the phone. She wants to get down to business and end this conversation as fast as possible. She has a failed blonde actress turned body builder selling the world’s strongest diet pill to watch.

“Davie?”

“Yes,” she asked with more than a little suspicion in her voice. People never call for Davie. People call for Uma. Her friends from college, call or friends from work; hell, Davie wouldn’t be surprised if complete strangers passing her on the street didn’t stop her to get her number just so they could call. But no one ever called for Davie.

“The Union is sending troops out at fine o’clock, to Ridgefront Apartments. Anyone without identification authorized by The Union will be taken.” Davie was about to ask why this man would be warning her, but the person on the other line didn’t give her time. Instead, he answered her unspoken question. “Terrible things are happening out there, on the streets. And they will continue to get worse. I have chosen four to protect The Daughter, four that each have equal parts Soul and human blood, and I know will do their job in protecting The Daughter. You are one of these chosen four.”

“Things must take place in order for all of you to meet. You must make sacrifices. It will not seem fair at the time, but I promise you, if you do not do this, the world as you know it will not make it out unscathed.”

“Ummmm… Okay…”

“You must stay in your apartment, and you must allow The Union’s troops to find you.”

“What! Are you nuts? I’m not going to—“ She was preparing for the tirade of a lifetime. But the man on the other line would hear nothing of it.

“Once you get there, you will stay there. You are capable of escaping, but you cannot leave until the right time. You will know when it is time. You have a choice to make, Davie. You will know what to do. But know this: If you choose to do the right thing, you must never see your sister again.”

“Wha—“ The line went dead, and Davie was left holding the phone to her ear, listening to the choking sound of the dial tone. She felt a bit of a chill go up her spine at what she had heard. It was ridiculous. She should have been discrediting it completely and going back to her infomercials. And that is what she tried to do. But every now and then she would get that chill up her spine, and she knew it wasn’t a prank.

Now there was the decision. Did she following the orders she was given? Or did she go out the fire escape and hide somewhere until the raid was over? She decided to maul the decision over a piece of pizza. She pulled the box out of the fridge and looked at it before taking a large bite. She honestly had no idea how long that pizza had been in there. Maybe it was from Friday. Or maybe it was from last Friday. She was too deep in thought about the decision that she was still trying to doubt that she really had to take. She sat on the couch and went back to watching the television.

The clock was rather distracting, though. She kept glancing up at it, but looking quickly back to the television before she could see the time. She was not going to let this get to her. She refused. Stupid kids and their stupid prank calls. She eventually looked at the clock, anyway, and choked on her bite of pizza. Somehow an hour and a half had passed.

“Calm down, Davie. This is crazy. There is nothing. To be. Afraid of,” she whispered to herself, trying to calm her nerves. She still had to wonder how an hour and a half had passed so quickly without her even noticing it. But there was nothing to worry about. She flipped the channel a few times before settling on some black and white show that had perfect family syndrome.

Apparently, perfect families with their understanding yet firm parents and adorable little munchkins were boring things. At some point Davie had fallen asleep, and was woken up by a pounding at the door. She sat bolt upright, heart thundering in her chest, automatically knowing who was at her door, yet simultaneously trying her hardest to deny it.

Try as she might, that didn’t stop the man at her door from pounding louder and shouting through the door that she could come out quietly or he would bust the door down. She glanced back at her bedroom. It was her way out. She could go out the fire escape and be free. Or, she could stay and save the world. Save her skin. Save the world. That was a tough decision.

She stuffed the last piece of pizza into her mouth, deciding that if she was going to do this, she would at least get one last bite in before she left. After all, she had heard that The Union’s idea of prison food was three daily capsules a day that turned into mush when they were placed in water. They were only rumors, but still. While rumors were probably ninety percent fabrication or downright lies, she wanted to be prepared.

She slid open the chain and opened her door, poking her head out the door. “Can I help you,” came the most timid voice Davie had ever heard. And it was coming out of her mouth. Davie never sounded timid.

“Just a routine Chip checkup. Although I’m sure yours is properly in place.” He sounded absolutely polite now, like just her willingness to open the door proved her innocence. “Would you please turn around and put your head down?” She did as he said, swallowing hard. This was it. She saw a younger man set down a briefcase and walk up behind her out of the corner of her eye, holding a small black device. He waved it over the back of her neck once, twice, and after the third time, he grunted. Davie was trembling. And Davie never trembles. At least not in fear.

The sickeningly polite man shoved the younger man aside and Davie saw him pick up the briefcase and pull something out. It was metal, but once again she had no idea what it was. But whatever it was hurt like a bitch to the point that Davie was pretty sure she would start bawling. He pressed it o the back of her neck and there was a click. It felt like he had just taken a chunk of her neck out. And that was it. The man put the thing away and handed the briefcase back to the younger man. By this time Davie was facing him with a look that was two parts horror, two parts confusion, three parts pain, and one past nausea. Unfortunately the nausea took over in a few minutes. And if it weren’t for the room going black and Davie falling into blissful unconsciousness, she would have probably vomited on the sickeningly polite guys shiny black leather shoes.

She woke up only God knows how long after that incident. She regretted the decision to open that door now. She was lying sprawled ungracefully on a springy cot in a room made completely of steel. She tried to sit up, but the first time the room started spinning and she lay back down until it stopped. She must have been drugged. That must have been what that that pain in her neck was. Of course she had no idea why it had to hurt so damn bad. Hadn’t these Union people ever heard of syringes?

She carefully touched the back of her neck and gasped when she left the gauze over the spot. Then at the pain shooting through her neck the light contact made. She tried to sit up again, only this time much slower, propping herself up on her elbows when she started feeling dizzy. It took her a few minutes, but she was finally standing on wobbly legs and walking towards the door.

She held onto the bars in her window and looked into the hall. It was clear. Her grip tightened on the bars. She realized how simple it would be to escape. Not just anyone could escape that place, but Davie could. She just had to wait for the right moment, when ever that would be.

Then she remembered the man on the phone. He had been right about The Union coming o her apartment. Maybe he was right about everything else, too. Would something horrible happen if she left before she was supposed to? How would she know when the time was right? She wanted to get out then, not wait an eternity.

She slid down against the wall until she was sitting with her knees against her chest, and put her hands through her hair until her forehead was resting on her palms. How on earth did she let this happen to her? What was she thinking? Was she even thinking at all? No, she wasn’t. She couldn’t have possibly been thinking.