She sat there, staring at the dark musty walls. Fourteen years--she had been there for fourteen years. She tried to push the heart-wrenching memories away.

"Aspen! Aspen!" Her parents had called out to her, as the big, muscular officials dragged her away.

"It'll be okay," they cried out. Even Aspen's four-year-old self could see the doubt in her parents' eyes. The men threw her into this dark small room. And fourteen years later, she still remained. Every day she sat there. The only light present came from a small window in the ceiling. From that, she kept track of the days and marked the wall. She lived on the measly portions of food she received every day through a slot on the wall. Every day the same tasteless meat and dry bread came through that slot. She always knew what to expect. Her proverbial prison provided no escape, no security, no light at the end of the tunnel. The only hope she held onto came from her distant memories of life in the Society. She remembered how she used to play with the other children. One of her favorite memories was when her parents would sneak her extra dessert from their monitored meals. Those were that happy times, memories she would always hold on to. Aspen craved for times like those again. However, what little memories she had of Society life were disturbed by the chaos and confusion that went on before she was taken.

She tried to push all the memories and thoughts away. She couldn't think about such things. She spent most of her eighteen years of life in this chamber. She couldn't possibly dwell on such false hopes, but it was all she had left. It was what kept her alive. The same Society that gave her her family and the life she remembered was the same Society that ripped her away from her loved ones and cut her off from all contact. She didn't even know why. But someday that would change. She could feel it. But it would have to be soon. Aspen didn't think she could last much longer.

Today was her eighteenth birthday. She knew this because every year on her birthday, she would get a small slice of cake. At least the Society had some heart left. She sat and waited for the tray to come through the slot. Right on time, the platter slid through. Much to her dismay, there was no cake. But disappointment was quickly replaced by curiosity. Instead of cake or food on the platter, there sat a crisp folded piece of paper. Hesitantly, she reached for the mysterious note. She felt thankful for the few books that she learned to read from. One of the two books taught her to read; the other book taught her to love. It was an old classic piece, forbidden in Society, called Romeo and Juliet. The book provided her light and she provided it use. Her mom had given them to her the day she was taken. Snapping back to reality, She carefully unfolded the note. She read the it in disbelief.

"There has been a turn of events, and you have been released. An official will arrive in an hour to get you. We will explain everything to you then."

She reread it again and again. She couldn't believe what she was reading. It was short and to the point, but it left so many questions unanswered. What events? She was free? Everything? They will explain everything? Finally, she might know what happened to her parents. "Hope--there really is hope!" she whispered. There were so many thoughts in her head. She gathered what little belongs she had. Then she settled into anticipation. She counted down the minutes until she heard heavy footsteps getting closer. She stood and waited, holding her breath.

"Aspen Winters?" a warm low voice inquired. It was the first voice she'd heard in her time there. She realized she didn't even know how to interact with people, let alone how to respond to the man.

"Yes?" she said in a small unsure voice. The lock clicked, and the doorknob slowly twisted open. Aspen inhaled sharply. The man looked about her age, maybe a little older. He smiled at her, and for the first time, Aspen thought about how horrid she must look. Why should she care though? She had no one to impress. She took in the deep chocolate eyes and the short dark hair of her rescuer. He reached out his hand to shake, but Aspen didn't know what to do. She smiled meekly, catching the contagiousness of this stranger's smile.

"Oh right. You haven't had outside contact. We will work on that later." He put his arm back down. She gave him a blank stare, feeling embarrassed. She felt she should apologize for her appearance.

"I-I'm sorry. I must look terrible," she stammered as she looked down and ran her hands down the tattered fabric of her dress.

"No, you look beautiful," he replied, looking right into her eyes. His comment embarrassed her and she averted her eyes. She didn't know why, but she felt butterflies take flight in her stomach. She knew her cheeks must be bright red. He spoke again, "By the way, I'm Brett. Let's head back, kay?"

Aspen paraded behind Brett through a maze of hallways. She tried to sort out these new feelings and thoughts in her head. Is this how Juliet felt about Romeo when she first met him? She tried to relate her feelings to the only thing she knew--her book. Brett was probably just being nice. He couldn't possibly be attracted to her. He led her to a large room and pointed her to an area where she could clean up and change. Standing in front of a large mirror, she stared at the stranger in front of her. She ran her fingers through her straggly dirty blonde hair and examined her deep blue eyes. She thought she might even look somewhat like her mom. Her face was dirty and her dress torn. She looked horrible and very far from beautiful as Brett described her. After getting cleaned up and fed, she was led to an office space and sat down next to Brett. In front of her was an older man with kind eyes.

"You are probably wondering about everything," he said. Aspen nodded her head, and the man continued, "Then I won't waste time. Let's start about fourteen years ago. Your parents were special people, Aspen. They had some sort of special ability. They knew more and could do more than the average person. The Society leaders didn't like that. So when you were young, they kept a close eye on you. The Society didn't want you to have the same powers because it was threatening to them. When you started showing signs of having this ability, they took you away, and that's why you've been here. They locked you up and observed you. You showed an incredible understanding throughout the years."

"Wh-what do you mean? Special ability?" Aspen questioned hesitantly.

"They were spectacular people. I don't know how much you remember, but the Society leaders put many restrictions on those with additional talents. Your parents though, always seemed to rise above the restrictions. They were fighters. We saw it in you too, in the way you never gave up on counting the days. You were also intelligent. The way you used the small amount of light to your benefit and the way you taught yourself to read was phenomenal."

Aspen nodded.

"Anyway, they feared you would become even greater than you parents. So, they never released you like they first intended to. Within the last year, a lot has changed. Your parents never stopped fighting for you. This past year, they saw an opportunity to overtake the Society, so they did. They gathered the rebels together and they succeeded. But right when they had everything settled, and the battles stopped, something happened."

The man paused and took a deep breath, the pain in his eyes shone. "Your parents were killed. Somehow we messed up and let a man on the inside who we thought we knew. He acted as if he supported us and the new government your parents put in place, but he deceived us all. One day, he was with your parents, no security around, and he shot them. We did the only thing we could. We got rid of the traitor and mourned the loss of our wonderful leaders. Everyone loved them, and I want you to know that. You were a well-kept secret. They used to go and watch you. They were so proud of the way you taught yourself and everything you learned to do all by yourself. They couldn't bring themselves to release you quite yet, because of the danger, but they were planning to soon. Of course, we didn't know any of this. We found out about you through their journals that they kept. So we immediately found your secret chamber and had to release you. You are probably wondering what we want with you. Well...now we have no leader. There is no one capable to lead the way your parents did. At least until we heard about you. To see your potential was a blessing. This is what your parents wanted. We don't really have any other options. Will you be our new leader?" The man looked at her with hopeful eyes.

The man noticed the blank look in her eyes. "Of course, we would train you in all you needed to know. We would..." He stopped when he saw that he was getting nowhere.

She didn't notice that Brett had put his arm around her to comfort her. She felt numb. Her parents died? They never came to see her. Anger rippled through her veins. How could her parents not even take her out of that prison!? Did they even love her? She yanked herself away from Brett and ran out of the room. Silent tears streamed down her face. She ran, not knowing her destination. She had to get away from all of this. It couldn't be true. She had her parents journal in her hand. She didn't even remember accepting it, through all the numbness. She reached the room where she had gotten ready. She threw the journal against the wall and sank down to the floor. Sobs ripped through her until she fell asleep. She slept for what seemed to be an eternity. She couldn't stand the pain of being awake, but she couldn't sleep any longer. When she finally gathered her surroundings, she noticed Brett sitting in the corner. She spat out a nasty remark, but he seemed unaffected by it. Aspen immediately felt bad, and gently whispered an apology. Walking over to her, he picked up the journal.

"I think you should read this," he said as he handed it to her and walked out. Aspen scrutinized the foreign handwriting, but she decided she probably should read her parents words.

"Every day is a struggle for us. It is devastating to us that we can't be a part of Aspen's childhood. So many years lost. It kills us to be apart from her. It kills me even more to see her father broken down without her. Even at a small age, they had a special bond. She has her father's fighting spirit, that's for sure. I miss her eager smile and intelligent young eyes. I have faith that one day, she will be free again. And when she is, she will be great..".

Hours later, Aspen was in tears again. Almost every journal entry was about how her parents were fighting for the country just so they could find a way to Aspen. Her parents really did love her. They even believed in her. Aspen started smoothing out the bent pages, now wanting to take care of the treasured journal.

Just then, Brett stalked in. She ran to him and clung to him for support. She wasn't sure why she was seeking comfort in this stranger, but he didn't seem to mind. After what seemed like forever, Brett pulled back.

" So does this mean you will be our leader?" Brett said, a knowing pride and confidence showing in his eyes.

"Yes," Aspen whispered. She didn't know what the future might hold, but she had a feeling that Brett wasn't going to let her face it alone. For once, she had hope in the future, instead of clinging to the past. She had a hope worth holding onto.