The Nine Chosen

Prologue

One decision.I've always thought that life changes after making one important decision. That my life would be influenced by what college I choose. Who I will attend classes with. What student activities I would have. I was convinced that all of this would be deadly important. I had been preparing for this time my whole life. I had worked hard for this moment in the hope that it would change what kind of person I was, it would shape me as a woman, it would make me meet the right man, I would become a happy mother with a great family home. It would become the start of a dream engineering career at NASA. Little did I know that my life would be changed by one choice that was irrelevant to me at that moment, and it wasn't really mine yet. It was going to be a temporary experience, something to look forward to. Something I didn't pay much attention to, because I wasn't going to stay there permanently. But after that experience, I never looked at the world the same way again. I was never the same again. It was a summer morning and I received a letter from my dream university in New York. Opening the letter my heart was pounding like crazy, my hands were trembling and my breathing was rapid. My mother was leaning over me. I opened the letter in one swift movement. The letter was long, but I did not read it, I was too preoccupied. I was too anxious to read it, I was only looking for the one word that I thought would decide about my life. I found it. "You have been accepted...". Oh my God. My heart now completely stopped. And I felt my eyes produce one juicy tear. My mother couldn't stand the tension - And what - she asked. In a trembling voice I whispered, as if I still didn't believe what had happened -I got through.- My mother hugged me and a radiant smile appeared on her face and her eyes glazed over with emotion. -Father did you hear!"-she shouted-"Our baby is leaving for America.-Dad ran to me and hugged me even tighter than mum and whispered in my ear-"Egoistically I hoped it wouldn't happen. But I am happy for you daughter.-After which he hugged me and kissed my forehead. Evidently he did not want to part with his daughter as I did with him. Although we hadn't talked about it, we both knew it was time to find our own way. My little sister ran up to me -I don't want you to leave.-and hugged me next to my dad.