Golden rays filter through her long lashes, bringing the thin layer between reality and dreamworld to life. Darkness turned into a rather bronze-colored veil, cut across by a bright golden halo. The bigger the shimmering aureole is growing, the more absorbed her entity becomes into the present realm. Every single muscle and bone in her body twitches lightly as it lands where it belongs, until she's completely awake.
Her cheeks feel warm and she's ready now to let the morning light invade her whole body. As she slowly opens her eyes, the memories of last night start rolling one after another. Suddenly, the soft pillow becomes more rigid, moving slightly up and down to match her breathing. Then, his steady heartbeat cancels out all the bird songs and the leaves fluttering noisily in the wind, leaving her frozen and trapped in the chaos of her mind. Has she really fallen asleep on Nathan's chest? Remorseful, she gently raises on her elbows, her movements lighter than a feather. Unfortunately, she will have to step over his sleeping body to get up and move away from the bed. Already raised on her hands, Nerissa flips one leg over him until her toes touch the floor. Then, she slowly crosses her arm over, holding her breath and wishing the throbbing sound of her heart would stop pounding. Please be asleep, please be asleep. She keeps her thoughts busy as she is pulling herself up, her chest still a music box. While her left leg got lifted from the mattress, Nathan's tensed body starts stretching, taking up all the space.
'Good morning.' He murmurs, his eyes half open and asleep.
She straightens her posture, waving back her hair before taming it in a bun.
'Morning!' She replies a little too cheery, her cheeks on fire.
Then, without saying another word, she spins on her heels and gets out of the bus.
'Did she really think I was sleeping all this time?' He grins at her clumsy effort as he steps outside after her.
They walk silently for the first part of their journey. If they were to be caught together so early in the morning, they would both face harsh consequences. Still, with the risk of losing everything, Nathan's heart is smiling from the inside out. Last night was proof that he and Nerissa have so much in common and they are meant for each other. A flush starts creeping across his cheeks, giving away his jubilation. He walks patiently behind her, following the waving path deep into the forest, the only witness that will hold their secret for eternity. Nerissa, on the other hand, is caught in a witty battle inside her head. Her subconscious decided to intervene, complicating things even more. Roone might have stolen her heart, but Nathan has always been there for her. Will she ever be able to see him as more than a friend?
By the time they reach civilization the curfew has already been lifted. The more people on the streets, the more embarrassed she becomes. Afraid someone might read her thoughts, her eyes are busily fixing everyone, all except Nathan's. He tries in vain to hide his amused look, but does nothing to make her feel more uncomfortable. Instead, he's faithfully following her all the way to the Institute, replying in between snickers to her constant blabber.
'See you later, Ner!' He exclaims when the Navion stadium comes into view.
He decided to give her a break. Besides, he has to make himself look presentable before showing up in front of the leaders. There is only one day left until the big upgrade and he cannot afford even the slightest mistake.
'You bet!' She yells after him, wishing, a second later, she shouldn't have done that. Who in his right mind says that?
She gently pats her flushed cheeks telling herself she's imagining things, and rushes into the building. To her luck, Ilya's curly hair comes into view, lessening the awkwardness from before.
'I'm so glad to see you!' Nerissa says matter-of-factly leaning on the locker next to hers.
With everything that's been happening, now she has one more problem to deal with - she has to figure out what Nathan truly means to her. Last night she saw a different side of him, a caring, nurturing one, that almost felt like home to her.
'Did something happen?' Ilya's husky voice suddenly brings her back. Then, after she made sure no one could hear them, she continues. 'Did IG made a move?'
Nerissa nods affirmatively, then adds.
'They came after me. Last night, while I was in my lab. I heard someone in the hallway, but I managed to get out of there before they could grab me.'
A shiver travels down her spine. She didn't have time to really think about it properly.
'Did you see their face?' Ilya asks impatiently, her words coming out louder than she hoped for.
Her question pulls Nerissa up short.
'Not exactly. It was too dark.' She utters, rubbing the back of her neck.
Seeing her become downhearted all of a sudden, Ilya shoves one arm around her neck in an attempt to make her feel better. While an innocent gesture, it has a rather opposite effect. Nerissa flinches away from her touch, only to feel bad a second later.
'Gosh Ner, what's up with you? You are so tense you're like a cat on hot bricks!'
Nerissa hesitates for a tick, them frowns at her.
'Okay, okay.' Ilya surrenders holding both her hands in the air. 'What I try to say is that maybe there is a chance you've imagined things? I am not judging you, but as you said, it was dark and you've been through a lot lately.'
'I don't know. You may be right, I guess.' Nerissa finally replies, shrugging her shoulders and breathing out all her problems.
'Don't worry, it happens to the best of us. It's in our blood to overreact sometimes.'
It was then when it hit her.
'I have to go!' She bolts down the hallway leaving Ilya alone and gawking open-mouthed.
'What did I say?' She yells after her throwing defeated her hands in the air.
People are cracking their necks as she speeds up to her lab. A few tiny droplets of sweat start piling up at the base of her neck, while her heart is fighting to break out of her chest. Her only worry right now is to get the blood sample and destroy it as soon as possible. If someone were to find the truth about her, she would certainly be taken away, all her efforts vanishing down the drain. The Supreme Government has been hiding it for almost eighteen years. They're denying her grandmother's abduction and the threat of a delusional enemy. Their attempt and effort, to keep the image of a perfect world intact, knows no limits. Surely, they wouldn't want to have a rebellion on their hands.
A press of a button and the glass door slides open. From a quick scan, everything looks the same as the night before. Even the broken shards are still scattered on the floor, shimmering vibrantly in the bright light. She quickly grabs all the glass slides she analyzed on different microscopes, and shoves them in her pockets. Then, she walks to her desk to take the blood sample, as that is the last place, she recalls to have seen it. Much to her despair, the tube is missing and there is a note left in its place. The writing is befouled and hard to read.
A split second, and the whole world has stopped moving. The Iron Guard has finally reached her. Nerissa escapes a muted scream, chocking for air the entire time she reads the letter. She has less than 48 hours to give herself over. If she tells anyone about it, they will put a bullet in her grandma's head. Any failure to comply and Susan dies. The rest are the instructions of how to get through the walls and into the outside world. She folds the letter with trembling hands and shoves it in her pocket, along with the blood specimens.
She disappears in the stream of busy students, setting herself adrift as the bell announced the end of the lunch break. The rebels must be watching her. Panic takes over her, creating a lump in her chest, so big, that chokes her breathing. Her mind is in a frenzy. How could she think clearly when the enemies are surrounding her? This whole mess got out of hand and no matter how she looks at it, both Susan and her will end up dead. Alone on the fire ladder, she paces back and forth terrified for her life. She needs help, but obviously, she can't put her friends in danger. Roone's face suddenly appears in her mind, only for a heartbeat, enough to make her pulse rise even higher.
'One problem at a time.' She rebukes at her weak mind for lowering her guard even for a tick.
Then, out of resentment, she finds a flicker of courage, a weak push to help her make her mind. She'll head straight into the lion's den if that means seeing her grandmother for the last time.
Determined, she walks to her locker, grabs her belongings, and dashes out the front entrance. The weather outside matches her gloomy mood, a few angry clouds starting to pile up, until blue turns to grey. The campus looks desolate, with its barren trees and chilly winds. It looks like a storm is brewing and she still has to figure out where to sleep tonight. One icy droplet of water falls on her shoulder, followed by another. A few moments later, and her uniform is all drenched. She starts running, her boots splashing water everywhere, and for the first time in her life, she is wishing the Gods would turn in her favor.
'Hey! What happened? Why are you running?' Nathan grabs her hand, stopping her on the main path.
His hair is all wet and the golden curly strands are now flattened by rain. Even his light blue eyes seem to have lost their intensity, as concern, and something else, like a hint of deep sadness, are messing with their color. Nerissa looks around for any rebels who might spy on them, terrified Nathan could become one of their victims.
'Let go of me!' She yells at him, trying to retrieve her hand from his grasp. Yet, after seeing his wretched face, she adds. 'Please!'
'No!' He pulls her to him. 'Tell me what's wrong. We are both in this together whether you like it or not.' His thick voice is barely audible in the heavy rain.
'Alright!' Nerissa finally caves in.
She takes out a piece of paper and quickly scribbles something on it. They can't be seen together. It's too dangerous.
'Meet me here, at 9 pm.' Then, without saying another word she sprints towards the gate.
It's not nearly close to curfew yet, still, the dark skies have turned the day into dusk. As she passes through the exit, her eyes notice a shadowy figure watching her from across the road. His face is covered and his presence looks rather menacing standing still in the pouring rain. However, she feels drawn to him in a weird way when she should be running for her life. She quickly wipes the water from her eyes, yet when she glances again in his direction, she sees no one. The sidewalk is as empty as it has been before she started imagining things.
Was it really him? Her voice fills her mind. It can't be. He's gone. The subconscious responds. A sadness like no other is filling her heart and she instantly dreads her decision of going to his place. The attic might be empty, but the past is still there.
Once she crosses the bridge, a strange feeling that someone is following her, creeps into her head, forcing her to quicken her pace and to always look over her shoulder. Certain it must be the rebels, she makes a detour losing their tracks somewhere in the city. Only when she reaches the depot, she can finally feel relieved, but soon the memories of her and Roone together will overwhelm her tired body.
...
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