Align Ourselves Adrianna Schuh Copyright © 2021 Adrianna Schuh All rights reserved The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. Cover design by: Marilia Marino Printed in the United States of America Contents Title Page Copyright Dedication Epigraph Align Ourselves Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 About The Author Books By This Author To all the romance authors. You inspire me. “One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love.” - Sophocles Align Ourselves Chapter 1 Aria blinked into the bright light of day and stared into the face of a man she assumed was the leader of these people. His face was harsh, his eyes dark and cold. She knew she would find no sympathy with him. “Are you the leader?" he asked. His face had a hard look to it. Like he had seen one too many difficult things in life. Aria nodded, almost afraid to admit it. At only 18 years old, so much responsibility had been placed on her shoulders. Twenty-five of them came up together. Up from their home underground, where their people had lived for 100 years. War, devastation, and radiation. This is why they’d fled. This is what they had prepared for, a safe home underground. With all the technology, they could manage to save. But now, they were running out of food, no longer able to sustain their life underground. So her people sent them. A group of young adults, kids really Because they were “non-essential.” In an area of what used to be the Midwestern United States, they ventured out to see what was left of the Earth. And they found people. They found people that had somehow survived and were not receptive to strangers showing up on their land. The Terra they called themselves, people of the Earth. And they did not want to listen. They didn’t let Aria explain the history of her people, that they had survived below the ground, and that she and the 24 others were forced to go up, explore, and report back. There was little time to marvel over being above the ground for the first time. Little time to admire the clear blue sky and the beautiful trees. Little time to relish the sun on their faces and the wind in their hair. Instead, the Terra captured them, holding them prisoner for what seemed like an endless amount of time. All 25 of them were forced into a small dirty room. They were given only bread and water to subsist on while the Terra decided what to do with them. Aria tried to keep track of the days by marking the walls; by the time the Terra had decided, 14 days had come and gone. She wasn’t sure how it happened, but over time the other 24 people began looking to her when trying to figure out what to do. Maybe because she was always trying to make sure everyone else was OK. Perhaps it was because of who she used to be below the ground. She’d been a teacher’s assistant, so many people knew her face. They trusted her. "And what is your name,” the man asked, sounding bored. “Aria.” The man nodded in acknowledgment. "What will you do with us," she asked. If they were going to kill them, she’d rather they just get it over with. “I, along with my people, have made a deal with the leader of another group far from here. You are part of that deal.” Relief washed over Aria. And she could sense some of the tension, leaving her friends. But she noted that the Terra looked smug. As if they were playing some cruel joke. And perhaps they were, But Aria had no way of knowing for sure. "Do not look so relieved, Aria," the man said, narrowing his eyes. "The way you have been treated here will seem like paradise compared to where you are going." Aria felt her stomach drop. Her friends murmured in confusion. "You and your people are going to wish that we had killed you, here and now. That we had taken pity on you. You and your friends are being taken to Pembera." With that, the man signaled some of his people to grab Aria and her friends. Their hands are bound in front of their bodies, but they are otherwise unrestricted. That is when they begin to walk. They walk and walk until their bodies ache and their feet bleed. But at least they are given food and water, allowed to rest. But Aria and her friends weren't used to this much physical exertion. That, combined with the small amount of food and water they had received on a daily basis, wore them down—even the strongest among them. They had spent their life underground, with no natural light and minimal physical activity. They weren't hardened criminals, just petty thieves and rule breakers, young kids wanting to have a little fun. Nothing could have prepared them for this. They'd sleep outside, no matter the weather. Some nights were even peaceful. But that peace would be washed away at daybreak when they started walking again. As they walked, the forest became sparse, the heat unbearable. And the Terra, they became less forgiving the slower Aria and her people moved. The food
