CLOUD NINE

Chapter 20

"Well, the lights went out yesterday."

"Oh no! Did you have seizures again?"

Aileana paused at the other end.

"Yes, kinda. The dark triggers those panic attacks too," she said finally.

"I wish I was there with you," Alizeh wheeled her chair closer.

"Weirdly after it passed, I was remembering how you held me close. The feeling of your soft arms and the smell of your hair..."

"You sound as if you're my boyfriend, girl. Stop it," Alizeh giggled, interrupting her. "You're making me blush."

"I'm sorry," Aileana said in a small voice.

"Oh no. Did I hurt your feelings?" Alizeh looked at her friend for signs of confirmation. Aileana didn't say anything, just sat there, fidgeting with her hands.

"Aileana, talk to me," Alizeh crooned as if to a five-year-old.

"Nothing. It's just that I lied to you about something. I'm a lesbian," she blurted.

"Uhh...huh," Alizeh was at a loss for words for a moment before she gained composure and said, "We never talked about our sexual preferences, did we?" her heart raced so wildly that she was afraid Aileana would hear it.

"Yeah we didn't," an uncomfortable silence hung around them as they both grappled for a conversation. The ticking of the clock on the wall was the only sound heard.

"So..." Aileana broke the silence," I guess you should go back to work"

"Yeah... I need to visit my boss," Alizeh chirped in unison and they both cut the call at the same time. She collapsed into her seat thinking about Aileana. It all seemed so messy and weird, what was all that about?

Her alarm rang out just then, making her jump out of her skin. Rapidly she exited her office, setting up the pass lock. All the offices in Lady A's establishment has systems to protect against unnecessary intrusion. Only the ones that knew the code could enter an office, occupied or not.

"Ma'am," Alizeh spoke over the microphone, asking permission to be let in.

"I didn't give you the password, no? Aa jao (come in)," Arya's voice spoke from the other side as the door slid open. Alizeh thankfully made her way in and it closed behind her.

Her boss nudged the laptop towards her and pressed a button. The three-dimensional representation of her dream dress appeared in front of her, the fabric gleaming. It looked almost a shade of dark pink due to the white calligraphy. Alizeh touched the stylus to specific points and lines after lines popped up on a big screen, all immortalized on the dress.

"It's a genius," Alizeh breathed. Arya's eyes were soft as she looked at her with pride, "You know. I had a sister like you. She was a writer too."

Alizeh kept quiet, not knowing how to respond.

"She was killed in the war. Her home ravaged by the nuclear attacks," Arya's eyes moved erratically away. Alizeh had never noticed them but they looked alluring, in spite of the unusual nature. Her eyes were liquid pools of hate now.

"Look Alizeh. Would you like to work with the inner circle? I mean go to our base and operate directly?" Arya suddenly asked out of the blue.

"Well. What would I need?"

Arya tossed a mask at her. It was made of red lace, its edges lined with gold braided trim. Arya had even kept enough space for her spectacles to fit in. It looked sharp and tantalizing. "Just a mask and you are ready Agent Z."

Alizeh looked up to see her beaming.

"That's cool and all but so soon..."

"I trust you," Arya confirmed.

"And that's the only thing left, on which the last dying shreds of humanity is surviving. Let's go and earn our way to freedom then," Alizeh secured her mask.

Her reflection appeared on one of the glass walls and she was surprised at the woman staring back at her. Gone was the innocent girl who rolled in her dad's riches. She was going to fight a war to survive with dignity.