Chapter 5
A long morning
Year 2095
It was a dream now, wasn't it? I wasn't sure, it had seemed, felt much more real. My memory was disintegrating into bits and pieces, it was hazy, unclear and the more I tried to recall it, the more I came up blank. But what had lasted, was that feeling, that horrible feeling of dread that still clung to the recesses of my mind like sticky cobwebs. Even the bright autumn sunshine that shone through my window wasn't cleaning it up.
"Or something," Chloe scoffed. "It sounded like you were being murdered, you know. You're lucky Mom didn't hear you."
Lucky. Very lucky indeed.
She peered at me closer, inspecting my face for signs of mental illness. She did that often.
I rolled my eyes and got out of bed, feeling self-conscious with my thunder thighs rolling beneath my long blue T-shirt that doubled as a nightgown. Chloe was as thin as a rail, thinner even, but in the most envious way possible. She got the wholesome, toothsome Swedish good looks from my mother's side of the family. Smooth skin, bright eyes, naturally blonde hair that she bleached (for some unknown reason) and a long, lean build, for which I was jealous.
As my own luck would have it, I got my dad's Italian side. Short (I'm 5'2") with thick dark hair and big gray/blue eyes that acted as a mood ring (or so I've been told). I've got a curvy build...at least that's what I say when I feel like being nice to myself (that is most of the time). In reality, I used to be about sixty pounds heavier, but despite the weight loss, it's not enough. The fact is, I'm always blaming everything on those last fifteen pounds.
I walked over to the mirror and searched my face for any blazing signs of craziness, that may have been displayed on it. I looked like crap but often did in the morning before my five cups of coffee kicked in.
BLAAARP!
My alarm went off. Chloe and I nearly jumped out of our skin.
She held her hand to her chest as I ran over and whacked the alarm off. Stupid thing! I gave her a quick look, she was still giving me a wired look, as if I was an alien. Yes, I know they look weird, and when we went to that science exploration last month, she was giving them the same look. The ones from Mars were the most scariest though, at least those from the moon were closer to looking human than them, and therefore the most tolerable!
"I'm OK, Chloe. It was just a dream. I don't even remember what it was about anymore."
She cocked her perfectly penciled brow at me. "Okaaaay. But if I get called out of school because you were in an 'accident,' again, I'll be very upset."
She turned on her heels and left the room quickly. I let out a snort. No you wouldn't, I thought. You would love any excuse to get out of school.
And frankly, I would have loved any excuse to get out of my boring work. I sighed deeply. I felt a tinge of bizarre sadness now that the excitement of the dream was over. The terror that had pumped through my veins faded quickly in the morning light.
I got ready for the day and left the house, making my way to my car (RDV-robot driven vehicle), the latest version too, that rested in the driveway. At least my mode of transportation was still more exciting than hers, which happened to be her STP (school transportation portal). I had always hated it, it made me nauseous whenever I used it for travelling. And I know, I know. A RDV. I've heard it all: It's dangerous, I'll die, I'll look like a douchebag. It's all true, but it's designed specifically for safety and performance. Aaaand it's speedy!!!
Sleek and quick as hell. I wasn't a reckless driver, though, and most of the time I stayed at the same speed as all the other vehicles on the road. Until there was a traffic jam.
