L.O.V.E.

Chapter 3 - Nerissa

The night seems endless, a never-ending waterfall of darkness and despair. How can she fall asleep when the guards could break down the front door at any moment? Tapping her foot nervously on the footboard, Nerissa kills the time by looking for all the black spots on the ceiling. She starts counting them and by the time she reaches a few thousands, the sun has risen high enough to paint the plain walls of her bedroom in bright morning colors.

'This should do it. It's time to get up and face the day. Maybe they are waiting for me at the Institute. At least, Susan won't be there to make things worse.' Her voice comes out, horse and tired, almost defeated.

Avoiding her reflection as she passes the mirror on the dressing door, Nerissa can almost feel the deep dark circles engraved under her eyes. She squints one of them, trying to get rid of the sand-like feeling that is preventing her to keep it open. Then, she ungracefully tries to put on her uniform, a bronze thermal jumpsuit - which feels like a second skin, and on top the long-sleeved charcoal dress that buttons up to her neck. The hem is winding only a few inches away from the black lace knee-high leather boots. After she gets dressed, she takes a peek of herself in the mirror, proudly straightening the emblem pinned to the left side of her chest. She looks decent, except her morning hair which she wrestles to tame in a small bun on top of her head. A quick splash of cold water on her face and she's good to go.

The Institute lays in the North, stretching from the river all the way to the walls. It is said that the very first building the founders have created after the war rests in the campus. Today it is known as the National Bank of Genes, a vault where genetic diversity is preserved, from the human genome to as little as crop seeds. Humanity has barely survived one doomsday, therefore such a bank became a priority. From the sky, the ground looks more like a city within a city, heavily guarded and divided into different sectors. This is where the future is shaped, by molding the minds of tomorrow to excel in distinctive career paths.

Nerissa breathes relieved when she realizes no masked guards are there to snatch her as she climbs the stairs of the Biological Science building. Still, on the edge, she cautiously opens her locker, taking out the thick Biome book, and, then walks to class avoiding unnecessary contact... She feels like being under a microscope, with thousands of judging eyes watching her and conducing her to lying.

Halfway through the lecture, a sudden movement outside the window catches her attention. The professor is completely unaware of the two black SUVs passing the front gates of the campus. He continues his speech about the iced bioregions, but Nerissa has long stopped paying attention. She has seen those cars before. She remembers it like it was yesterday, how the bald man had lowered the tinted window letting her and Susan know her parents got infected. These cars are the messengers of death.

She watches as five people get out of the car, two girls and three boys. These are not government officials, she tells herself after having a closer look at the unusual group. They wear strange clothes, so different from their uniforms. They cannot be from here, the dialogue in her head continues. Her eyes widen in surprise when the blond girl leans on one of the boys, her tight t-shirt raising just enough to reveal her flat stomach. In return, he slings his hand around her shoulders, pulling her close to him, his golden curls bouncing on his head. They all laugh noisily and are oddly familiar with each other, except for one. His edgy look is more on the dark side, the black hoodie layered underneath the leather jacket. He says something to them and they all stop smiling at once, returning to a more decent attitude.

The blood vanishes from her face when he takes off his cover, and she instantly recognizes those unusual eyes. It's the stranger from last night, the one that knows her secret. Out of breath, she stares outside the window long after they had entered the building, too afraid to move her body. Her life is going to be over soon because he is surely going to report her. The voice of the professor announcing the attendance of three new students awakens her from her thoughts. He rumbles something about them being from another city and how important it is to make them feel welcome. Nonetheless, if her own life weren't at stake, she would be the first one to welcome the newcomers. However, things are different and she's indeed about to face the ultimate trial. Diplomacy is the least of her concerns, especially now, when he walks past her, and takes his seat a few desks behind. Her heart starts racing, and she winces as her nails are piercing her skin. She has been clenching her fists so tightly, that her knuckles turned white as chalk. Bile starts rising in her throat, burning her insides and making her choke.

'Miss White, is there something wrong?' The professor asks her flatly.

Nerissa sits up, shaking all over, but she does her best to keep her stance upright.

'My apologies for the inconvenience, professor. I am not feeling well. 'She lies, then on the same neutral tone, she asks. 'May I ask for your permission to visit the Medical Centre and have a check-up?'

Her stare is fixed on the immaculate floor, careful not to make eye contact. Regardless of her guilty conscience, she is terrified of the thought that someone will catch her lying. She's always been bad at hiding the truth, yet she must grab whatever excuse she can find now and leave the classroom immediately. As if that can save you! Her subconscious barges in, disturbing her line of thoughts, and forcing her heart to skip a beat.

Once the professor gives her a pass, she bolts out of the door, eager to get rid of the foreigner's stare, burning the back of her neck. Instead of taking the elevator to the ground floor, and head to the medical wing, she takes the fire exit towards her lab, and decides to hide in there. That was her sanctuary. Her heart is beating so fast it feels like it's ripping up her chest. Good thing her laboratory is only a couple of floors above, otherwise she wouldn't have made it. As soon as she presses the button and the glass door closes behind her, she starts panting. She props both her hands on the septic table and tries to steady her breathing.

'What's happening to me?' She asks out loud, her words echoing in the research facility.

Unsteady on her legs, and with her vision starting to get fuzzy, she makes her way to the Aid Kit Unit across the room. She presses a few buttons and the robotic arm comes to life. After she has her retina scanned, a metallic voice welcomes her to choose one of the options on the display above her. She quickly selects Self-Check-up, not wanting her results to alert the medical team. Her heart rate is indeed too high, as expected from the pain in her chest, but her low blood sugar is what's making her feel like she's about to collapse. She takes a small syringe from the freezer, and injects the purplish liquid in her arm.

A couple of minutes later, and her pulse comes back to normal. That's what you get after a sleepless night and for skipping breakfast, her subconscious intervenes, mocking her poor choices. She takes a few deep breaths, waiting for the medicine to do its magic, but her thoughts fly to the boy who caught her crying last night, making her pulse to skyrocket again.

'He should have reported me by now. What is he waiting for?' Her words echo in the room, leaving her breathless once again.

Harboring knowledge of a felony and not reporting it, is as bad as committing the crime itself. Holding the last night's events a secret makes him as guilty as her, a traitor against the whole nation.

The dreading anticipation is killing her. However, she can't hide in her lab forever. Besides, the rest of the hour has already passed and she must return to the next lecture. Her stomach starts aching at the thought of seeing him again.

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