Hagneia

Chapter One: Amelia

The day was bright, with the sun shining above our heads, and the sky clear of any clouds. We were all sitting on the ground, chatting with one another and telling stories beneath the oak tree to pass time. The stories themselves were rather boring, all filled with praise for Father and the popes. Though we all liked a dose of gossip every now and then, we dare not say a word of gossip outside of the sleeping halls, for it is impure behavior, and one would be severely punished if caught.

Busying myself by braiding grass bracelets instead of paying attention to the current story being told, my ears only perked up when I heard a harmonious splashing of water by the deck. Those sounds always called to me, so without any hesitation, I ran across the deck and peered over the edge of the ship, watching in awe as a family of dolphins swam by.

Taking a few deep breaths, I stared out to the ocean and enjoyed the breeze softly blowing against my face. I admired the ripples of water left by the dolphins and watched carefully as smaller fish pass by, when my thoughts were interrupted by a voice I recognized.

“Did you see something beautiful again?” My best friend, Jackson, appeared beside me and asked.

“Yes,” I said, smiling as I keep my eyes out to the ocean, “a family of dolphins.”

Jackson smiled and stepped closer to me, leaning over before he whispered to me, “tell me about them.”

My eyes instantly lit up when I heard his words. “Well, there was a mom, a dad, and two little babies,” I said, “and two uncles, an aunt, a grandma, and a grandpa.” My lips slowly curved into a smile. “They said they had traveled across the ocean and are now on their journey home.”

“That’s amazing. They had quite a journey and are now on their way back home,” Jackson said. “Maybe soon, we’ll reach our destination, too.”

“You mean Ouranos?” I turned to him and watched as the sun made his hair turn almost golden brown.

“Yeah, Ouranos,” he said, tilting his head up to look at the sky.

I followed Jackson’s gaze upwards, where an endless blue sky stretched out above us. “But we’ve been on Hagneia for ages, how much longer will it take?” I asked. We have traveled for eternity, and we have yet to reach our destination. I was beginning to think that living on land a

“Well, like father says. We must pray and wait for the Gods to open the pathway for us,” he replied.

I simply shook my head, shaking thoughts of our journey to Ouranos along with it.

“Isn’t it wonderful to have a family?” I dreamed, sinking my head into my arms. “Of course, I guess it’s only wonderful if you get to have a family with the one you love,” I whispered.

Jackson merely nodded and looked out towards the sea, allowing the breeze to blow through his wavy brown hair, just as it did mine.

“Don’t you just wonder what life would be like if we’re on land? Back in the Old World?” I asked, my gaze remaining fixed on the ocean. “Maybe on land, you can do what you wish for more than an hour every day.”

“We can do that once we reach Ouranos.”

Ignoring Jackson’s words, I kept my head in the clouds for a little longer before tilting my head to look at him, “you’ll come with me, right? If we get the chance to explore land, I mean.”

“Of course.” He smiled. He didn’t look convinced, but his answer managed to make me melt into an even bigger smile.

Perhaps he wanted to say something more, but I wouldn’t know, because the curfew bell interrupted the moment.

“Come on, we better get going. The curfew bell already rang,” Jackson said, taking me by the hand, and leading us both towards the sleeping hall.

There, everyone aged eighteen to twenty-five, or Youths, as Father liked to call us, all lined up in the center of the room, waiting for the Pastors to come in and lead us through our nightly prayers.

Everyone in the room looked the same, with the girls dressed in plain white dresses, hair done in a half braided updo, while the boys are dressed in a plain white shirt and khaki pants, their hair all the same matching short cut.

When the Pastors finally came, we all straightened our bodies and looked forward, putting our full attention on the Head Pastor, who greeted us with a smile, before instructing us to look down and clasp our hands to begin the nightly prayer.

“To our beloved Father, for thou have blessed us with purity, and brought us all here to the ever so blessed Hagneia,” the Head Pastor said, everyone else in the room chanting the same words after him, “and to our beloved God, for thou saved us from eternal misery, forgave our past sins, and allowed us to take this sacred journey towards Heaven.”

All the Youths repeated after him, our voices all the same monotonous tone. As we prayed, I silently stole glances at Jackson, but keeping my head down and my hands clasped to obey the Pastors.

“We, from the bottom of our hearts, give thanks and vow to continue being our purest self,” the Head Pastor said, and we all followed. “Amen.”

Upon the prayer’s end, we all unclasped our hands, kneeled on our knees, and touched our foreheads on the floor for three seconds. Once everyone stood back up, the Pastors guided us into our respective section for rest. Our beds were all in the same room, merely separated and categorized by age using screen partitions.

“Good night,” I mumbled and smiled at Jackson, who was lining up to his bed, 3 sections above mine, before feeling one of the Pastor’s canes hit my back, pushing me towards my bed.

When everyone laid down, the Pastors left, and when the Pastors left, the lights turned off. When the lights turned off, the sleeping hall’s radio began to play a recording of Hagneia’s favorite sermon from Father.

“Purity of the mind is as important as purity of the body,” Father’s voice echoed through the room as I attempted to fall asleep. “In today’s sermon, our topic is: The Sinful Acts of the Mind and Body. One of the biggest sins one can commit is lust. Sexual thoughts are sins of the mind, but when one acts upon those thoughts, it also becomes a sin of the body. Those who find themselves having sinful thoughts, those who act upon them, and those who are unable to resist, are those who are impure.”

Father’s words made their way into my right ear and exited out the left. Having heard the same sermon before bed for who knows how long, I now found its contents to be rather irritating. One can only listen to wisdom for so long before things get too repetitive.

Unable to sleep, I turned my head to the left and saw my only section buddy, Maria, peacefully sleeping on her bed. Though I found the sermons irritating, Maria was one of many who took his words to heart.

Feeling restless, I stood up and silently tip-toed up three sections to reach the section for twenty-three-year-olds, making sure to blend in with the dark and not trigger surveillance before stopping beside my best friend’s bed.

“Jackson,” I whispered, nudging him lightly on the shoulder.

I watched him stir and turn his body around, whispering to me, “Amelia? What are you doing here?”

“I can’t sleep,” I said, grabbing one of his hands and pulled him to stand. “This sermon is awful.”

“I know, I’m not a fan of it either, but Amelia, you can’t be here,” he said, placing both his hands on my shoulders. “What if someone wakes up and catches us?”

“It’s fine.” I said, holding onto his hands. “Everyone is asleep, and we can stay quiet.”

“The surveillance can still see you.”

“It’s dark, don’t worry about it.”

“Amelia--”

I shut him up by pulling him into a big, tight hug. It didn’t take long until I felt his arms wrap around my body to hug me back.

“I’m bored. I’m tired of living here. I just want to turn into a bird, and fly off to wherever I want,” I whisper into his chest.

“That’s not--”

“I know, but…” I paused, tilting my head up to look at him, “just hold me and let me dream a little longer.”

---

Title: Hagneia

Genre: New Adult Speculative/Romance

Target age range: 18-25

Target audience: Adults aged 18-25

Author: Alaina Strauss (pseudonym) **Please email author for full name and identity**

Excerpt Word Count: 1445

Total Word Count: Still a Work in Progress

Hook: I want to live life how I wish to live, and have the choice to love who I choose to love. However, with Hagneia so far from land, all I can do is hope and dream.

Synopsis: Best friends Amelia and Jackson lives aboard Hagneia, a ship that supports an entire colony of people, with an oppressive government that promises them protection from Eschaton (doomsday) and a guaranteed admission to Ouranos (Heaven).

Amelia, a dreamer by nature, years to experience life on land despite the tales of endless sin and the impending Eschaton. On the other hand, while Jackson also yearns for a life beyond Hagneia, he is determined to stay obedient and on their leader's good side, for he knows more than anyone about the horrors of what happens when you disobey and break the rules.

Amelia disregarding Jackson's pleas, plots an escape and plans to bring him along with her. But the closer she gets to escaping, the more she questions whether or not it's worth the risks.

Author Bio: I began writing stories at the ripe age of 4 years old, with a series I presented to friends and family as "Sisu the Worm." Ever since then, I never stopped writing. My imagination runs wild, and sometimes, I would get lost in my thoughts for hours on end, simply visualizing scenes from a story I'm working on.

Age: 20

Platform: N/A

Why My Project is a Good Fit: Amelia and Jackson's story can resonate with a many people in one way or another. Though their circumstances are unique, the emotions, conflicts, and the romantic experiences they have are that of every human's.

Target Audience: Targeted towards new adults trying to find their footing in life, Hagneia brings forth the voices of those who have been silenced, oppressed, and punished by speaking up or simply being themselves. It is also for those who wishes to move forward, but feels stuck and tied down by their circumstances.

Personality/Writing Style: My writings tend to be based on raw, human emotions, and the experiences of those who might have been silenced.

Education: High School Graduate

Experiences: Several children's books (one-off prints), Cerivitas Writing Competition Editor's Choice recipient.

Hobbies: When I am not writing, I tend to indulge in two of my lifelong hobbies, dancing and playing the violin. When I have extra free time, I enjoy creating crochet patterns or reading a good book.

Hometown: Jakarta, Indonesia