AMIYAH ST. JOHN
Blood-Bound Witness In Training
"The first lesson for us, blood-bound candidates, is clear: 'Be brave—Don't look away. You cannot witness what you don't see, and you cannot see what you are too afraid to look at.' But how do you handle things when you look at something and end up seeing into it instead?” ~ Amiyah St. John
In the post-apocalyptic landscape of Humanity City, Blood-bound witnesses play a critical role. Their recorded, synthesized, and archived nano accounts provide the Prime Matriarch and her High Council, essential insights that shape the decisions necessary to ensure the survival of the city’s citizens.
12-year-old prodigy Amiyah St. John’s, journey to becoming a Blood-bound witness at Ember Academy has been a relentless pursuit since the age of 4. Amiyah, daughter of the esteemed Celeste St. John, the Matriarch of Communications, and Kirby St. John, lead detective of the Humanity Anti-Infractions Bureau (HAIB), carries the weight of her family's prestige. Yet, her aspirations are not always met with support.
Danielle Gellar, a jealous classmate, repeatedly attempts to sabotage Amiyah due to resentment over her familial advantage. Tensions between the two girls escalate despite Amiyah’s desperate maneuvers to avoid conflict. In an irritating twist of fate, Amiyah is paired up alongside Danielle to complete the final Rites of Passage instead of with her best friend, Ziyah Patel, as she’d planned. These rites, a 2-day field recon in Humanity City's unforgiving wilderness, become a formidable test of candidates' resilience and accuracy.
Determined to overcome Danielle's attempts to derail her chances, Amiyah confronts the bully amid a growing rebellion sparked by the Prime Matriarch's contentious decision to break a 70-year water treaty with the scavenger population of Nations United. Alone in the challenging terrain, Amiyah's encounter with two scavenger boys throws her into the fray, leading to a Miraculous event that changes everything.
The incident, captured on Amiyah's Hemo-band—a student-level Hemo-crypt storing synthesized nano accounts—reveals a miraculous event with far-reaching implications. Amiyah's once-crucial attention to detail transforms as this event challenges her perspective, forcing her to confront a menacing bigger picture unfolding before her eyes. In the face of unexpected revelations, will Amiyah look away, or will the deeper truths discovered along her journey compel her to confront the destiny that awaits as a Blood-bound witness for Humanity City?…