Prologue

Alexandria, Louisiana

Year 2040

Amanda Sutton didn't understand the looks that her parents were giving her. They kept glancing at the door and then back at her, with a sad and scared look in their eyes. Her eyebrows furrowed together, and she picked up her spoon and shoveled more oatmeal in her mouth, trying to drown the weird feeling she had.

"Amanda, honey, your father and I got you something." Her mother stood, straightening her shirt, and headed over to the kitchen cabinets. Amanda tried to hide her shock; she has received nothing from her parents except for clothes and things she needed. Why was she getting something now?

Her father rose from his sitting chair in the corner of the room and came around to squat down next to her. He lovingly pecked her on the left cheek and ruffled her hair. This, of course, made her giggle a bit. He smiled down at Amanda, but she stopped smiling when she noticed the tear from a man who never cries slide down his cheek. She quickly put down her spoon, turned to where her body was directly in front of him and wiped the tear from his face before gently wrapping her little arms around him.

"What's the matter?" Amanda asked and held her dad's hand, a lump forming in her throat at seeing her dad crying. He shook his head at her, squeezed her hand, then let it go.

"Nothing, sweetheart." He stood and kissed her forehead.

Her mother came around and stood next to her father, who then wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her into him and pecking her on the cheek. Amanda smiled slightly at the sight.

"Your father and I got this made just for you. That way if anything happens..." she visibly swallowed then continued. "You will always have something that will remind you of our love."

She stepped towards Amanda and handed her a small blue box wrapped with a sparkly ribbon. Amanda looked at the box, then back at her parents who were glancing at the clock. She untied the ribbon, then opened the box. Inside lay a necklace with a heart engraved as well as the words, Infinite Love. She took the necklace in her hands and felt the smooth surface of it, tracing the words with her pointer finger. She smiled up at her parents.

"Look, it opens." Her father knelt and showed her how to open the locket. It clicked open and Amanda looked to see her parents staring back at her. It was a family photo they had taken last week. Her mother had her hands on Amanda's shoulders, and her father had one hand on his wife's stomach, and the other was holding Amanda's hand in the picture. She stared at the picture a little longer, then clicked it shut and put it over her neck. She has never owned anything like this, because she knew her family never had the money to get fancy things like jewelry. Amanda was very grateful that she had something that showed her parents love for her.

"I love it, I'm gonna wear it forever," Amanda said and reached her hand up to where she squeezed the necklace within her palm.

Her mother glanced at her father, then back at the clock. She played with the bracelet around her wrist, the thing she does when she is nervous and anxious.

"We're glad you love it Amanda, but you have to hide that. Some people don't want people like us to have these kinds of things."

Amanda nodded but didn't understand what her mother was saying. She opened her mouth to ask but jumped when a scream from outside penetrated the air, stopping all words from coming out. Amanda's heart started to pound as she felt like something bad was happening. She looked at her dad who quickly went to the door and locked it.

"Momma, what's going on?"

Her mother walked towards Amanda and tugged her upright. She hugged her tight and kissed her cheek. Looking into her eyes, Amanda saw tears starting to pool and hugged her mother again, confused about what was going on. Her mother sniffled and took a loose strand of hair and tucked it behind Amanda's ear.

"Darling, never let anyone see this," her mother said, and hid the necklace beneath Amanda's shirt, and she looked at her mother confused.

More screams and yelling pierced the air, making Amanda shiver. She'd experienced this before, it happens every couple of months, but something about this time and the way her parents were acting was making Amanda's skin crawl.

"Joanna, they're coming." Her father choked out.

"Amanda, know that your father and I will always love you." Tears streamed down her mother's face.

"Momma, I'm scared." Amanda could feel her heart speeding up, and tears beginning to pool in her eyes at seeing her parents' distress.

"I know, sweetheart." Her mother hugged her tight, and her father came around and hugged her. She squeezed both of her parents, assured that whatever was happening would be over soon. Or so she hoped.

"Mr. and Mrs. Sutton, open the door!" A loud booming voice came from outside of their door, along with ear-racking pounds on the wood.

Her father went to the door and opened it. Two guards shoved their way through, making him stumble out of the way. The guards came straight for Amanda. She clenched the chair beneath her tightly and watched as the guards got closer, and her parents crying faces were all that she could focus on. What was happening? Was she one of those people who would be taken? Her thoughts spun in her head as she tried to focus on what was happening. Her breathing sped up, and she felt tears sliding down her face. She was going to lose her family; her heart hammered hard with the realization.

"Momma! Daddy! Don't let them take me." She bawled. The left guard picked her up, frightening her even more. She kicked and squirmed, trying to get out of his grasp and back to her parents' loving arms. But nothing worked because the guard squeezed her tighter, making her scream in pain as the sting shot up her arm. Her father bolted forward, while her mother yelled at him to stop.

"Don't hurt her!" Her father yelled at the guard.

The guard turned around slightly, nodded towards the other guard who then grabbed her father's arms roughly. Amanda continued to fight with the guard, but the more she fought, the tighter the hold. She wasn't strong enough to get control over the guards; she was too young and too weak.

"No!" She yelled as she watched her dad fight against the other guard's hold and overcome him. He raced towards the door and stopped dead in his tracks as a gun was pointed to the back of his head. She sobbed as she was then placed into a truck and the door shut quickly before she even got a chance to bolt out.

She saw her mother and father standing at the door of their small home with their tear-stained, heartbroken faces. Amanda clutched the necklace beneath her shirt and sobbed. She then noticed the crowd and the crying faces of parents. She saw identical huge trucks, like the one she was currently in, and saw the kids banging on the windows, their faces portraying their crying and screaming even though nothing could be heard from outside the vehicles.

The engine of the truck rumbled to life, and she felt as if her heart was being ripped in half as the truck pulled out of the clearing. She watched her parents the whole time and cried harder as she saw her dad sprinting towards the truck. She then screamed and watched in horror as a gunshot ripped through the air, and her father fell to the ground.