Leaving the complex, the tendrils of darkness that I had tucked behind my ears slither out, orbiting the center of my being like blazing comets. Shooting stars of rage slice through the air around me, and I suddenly am choking on my own fury.
I am tired of being cast aside- disregarded, disappointed, disrespected. I am tired of watching the person I love most bleed and suffer in vain, unable to stop the flow with my two hands. I am stranded in a familiar galaxy of pain, struggling to do the impossible and take a breath.
After stopping to lean against the complex's round exterior, I regain my composure and walk out of the shadows into the open sunlight of the community. The intense animosity that had unfurled inside of me is folded back into a crevice where I can call on it later. I turn my face up to the atmosphere, which is completely blank and colorless as always.
Our paticular sector is named Chloris, and it's one of the smallest communities, on the edge of Tree Territory. The weather is always mild here, though I have heard of residencies that are known for cyle after cyle of eternal frost. I shiver at the thought and pull my cloak tighter across my shoulders.
Our complex and all the others buildings inside of Chloris are positioned in a spacious circle, making it easy to travel to any nearby dwelling without transportation. But I plan to travel to center, so I walk straight ahead to the metal platform in front of our home. When both of my feet land on it, it begins to expand, growing longer and moving me downward to the ground below.
When I glance to my left side, I see several others on their own platforms. One of them is a a kid several years younger than I am, named Linden. His olive-colored eyes meet mine, so I wave to him and call his name. "Hey!"
He mumbles a faint "hi" but doesn't say much else, turning his head of dark ringlets in the opposite direction.
"Hey! Linden! Going somewhere?" I ask him loudly, grinning.
"Um, just to the Tower. Dad's there for the day." Then he hurries away. I frown. Linden is usually one to joke around. Must be a strange day for him, too.
When I reach the center, I hop off of the platform and begin to weave through the dense crowd. People sit on smooth glass benches outside of the main buildings, engaging in animated conversation. I see the tallest building, a cylindrical Base Tower where the meetings are held.
I search for the bench in front of the Tower I usually claim, but find it occupied with two boys, who are apparently in some sort of argument. The taller of the two flashes his wrist worn infoband at the other, pointing to the display protruding from its tiny screen. "-no even on the same level! See?" He tells his friend proudly.
I let myself wander around the Tower and farther away. I could return back to our complex, but I am still exhausted from the fearful morning. My footsteps become softer, and I let my eyelids droop, hoping to fade into the nonexistent breeze. A river of calm flows through my veins, circulating and soothing the raw scrapes of the day.
For a moment, I imagine that I am rooted- mute and paralyzed, but alive without turmoil or worry.
I am everlasting, branching out in all directions to catch the sunlight's eye. Ancient, all-knowing and radiating amity in its purest form. My branches twist gracefully to grasp the sky, and my leaves dance in stunning harmony.
Then I am hacked to the ground with an unfamiliar axe as my hood is yanked off, dragging me backwards into the shadows.
YOU ARE READING
Leif
Science Fiction"They didn't want to be nothing- because of them, we are everything." Hundreds of years spiraling into the future, the word "Legacy" blazed in the heart of all that was human. Fate was already groping for their souls, ready to pull them out of the w...
