Dusk

Chapter Twenty-Two

Last night, I had a dream of Renata. We were walking together in a gorgeous garden. For once, my surroundings were clear.

"I've never seen him in person before," she said. "Does he always look at you like that?"

I'd bent to dip my fingers in a pond filled with green-blue water. I looked up, towards the man pretending to observe a waterlily, holding it up to his golden eyes, when in reality, he had been staring at me the whole time.

I smiled to myself. "Always."

"How much commitment does it take to love someone for as long as he's loved you?"

When I looked up again, he was staring at me unabashedly, eyes meeting mine. His lips curved into a smile. He'd been keeping his distance since he'd arrived, but I suspected that he'd be pulling me away soon to put his mouth on mine.

"I haven't got the slightest idea," I replied. "It might not even be commitment at all."

I didn't miss the dark look he cast Renata as I linked my arm with hers.

--

"Do you want me to walk you inside?" Anden asks, his body blocking me from sight even with the car door open.

"No. I've got it." I respond, licking my dry lips. "See you later."

Anden raises his eyebrows, silent even when I don't thank him for helping me climb out of the car, his hands supporting my quaking body. As I walk away, towards the doors of the Academy, I tuck my sheared hair behind my ears, breathing deeply of the recycled dome air. Since last night's dose of Amrita, colours are... richer, somehow. The air tastes like what it really is- stale. As Anden walks back to the driver's side of the car, readying himself to drive away, I can feel the vibrations of his footfalls in the ground.

When I reach the doors, I think over the route that Neo and I took to get to that classroom yesterday. Straight to the escalators and into that intersecting hallway-

I feel a bump on my shoulder as someone brushes past me. I see a head of flaming red hair and sashaying hips- Quinn Lancaster.

"Excuse you," I call after her. "That was pretty rude."

She ignores me as she strides into the building. I purse my lips.

"Don't entertain her," Neo says. "She's the type to back off if ignored."

I look to my left. "When did you get here?"

He shrugs. "Just now. Why didn't you contact me back last night? Were you busy?"

My mind replays the events of last night in my head. "Yeah, I was kind of occupied. Sorry about that."

"Doing what?"

"I've never known you to pry."

He scoffs. "You've only known me for a day." Then he looks sideways at me through his thick, platinum bangs. "I was just making sure you weren't sick or anything. You look under the weather today."

I smooth my hair. "Well, I do feel a bit out of sorts."

"Do you want to skip school for today, then?"

"Skip school? Don't you get a penalty for that?"

"Well, if you do it too often, yeah," Neo replies. "But for today, let's do it. Skipping once in a while doesn't hurt anybody."

"Where will we go?"

He begins pulling me off of the Academy's lot, my wrist grasped in his white hand. "That's not important for now. Let's get on the train first."