Divided by Eloise Dyson

community. People who put others over themselves! A bond forged by time, a force stronger than any physical power! In a mere fifteen years, we have progressed farther than anyone could have dreamed. We have discovered the true power of our title, and become united as one!’
         The applause explodes, becoming almost deafening. Thorne yet again calms the crowd, though this time it takes him longer.
         ‘But!’ he cries. ‘We must never forget the horrors that we escaped.’
         The crowd suddenly becomes silent, and Thorne no longer shouts, but talks in almost a whisper; the years of agony and compassion pouring out in his words.
         ‘The people who we could not save. The people who died in the terror around us. We must never forget. I propose now, a minute long silence in memory of those we loved. Of the family we lost.’
         Thorne drops his head, his eyes staring somewhere off-screen. As I close my eyes, the flashbacks begin again. I see the black car, my sister, and sense all the fear around me. Opening my eyes with a start, I see everyone else around me still in silence, and force my eyes closed again. Then a memory returns, one that I have never known. It could be a memory, or just an absurd thought in this time of memorial. But in this moment, I feel my mother’s warmth as she’s holding me to her. And very briefly, the face of a much older man who I recognise as the man who holds my sister in my nightmare. But the memory vanishes as quickly as it came, and I’m left with only the distorted memory of a memory.
         ‘They shall be remembered,’ Thorne says quietly, causing a brief murmur in the crowd. ‘Now we must get down to business.’
         His tone quickly changes from one of gentle mourning, to that of leadership.
         ‘This year’s inspection is going to be very different to the ones you’re used to. As always, you will be inspected individually on each of the core skills you’ve learnt and then ranked out of the number of people in your Unit. The change this year being that the skills you excel in will, as of today, be your primary focus. No longer will you train in your general situations over a broad spectrum. You will retain the broad array of skills you have learnt, but instead, you shall receive expert, specialised training in your greatest qualities. You will train under the guidance of professionals of your skill. But we are moving into a new era of your training! A new day for Unity! I wish the best of luck to you all.’
         There is no applause as the screens turn off, and the buildings return to their usual appearance. Confused muttering starts, slowly getting louder as everyone begins discussing what this new training involves.
         ‘What do you think?’ Nina asks me wearily. ‘I get the feeling life is going to be a little bit different now.’
         ‘You don’t say?!’ I laugh, also quite wearily.
         Many officials step out in unison from the buildings surrounding us. One speaks loudly over everyone.
         ‘When your watch vibrates, proceed to the building number it instructs you.’
         As he says this, large red numbers, ranging from one to twenty, are projected on the buildings the Unity soldiers stand in front of. I look down at my watch, which currently only shows the time. Straight away, people start disbanding and heading towards the buildings.
         I stand for several minutes before Nina shows me her watch, glowing green with a large number six.
         ‘Good luck!’ I say encouragingly, smiling at her.
         She returns the smile confidently, before winking and walking to building six. I watch her as the Unity soldier directs her inside and I lose sight of her.
         Less than a minute passes before my watch vibrates. My heart beating faster than usual, I look to see the number nineteen glowing, covering up the time. I step out of the thinning crowd and walk up to the