by Lucy Adler
“Think of it like greasing the gears on a big machine. The boost helps Sendrax move more freely in your body, and get to the places that need it most.”
“Oh. Why do I need it? I feel great.”
“Exactly,” the doctor said, clapping his hands together, “and we want you to keep feeling great! Based on our scans, we think this’ll keep you at peak levels. Don’t you want more of those medals on the track?”
“I guess so,” she said with a faint smile.
“That’s a good girl!” Then he nodded to the nurse again and she administered the shot in Daria’s arm. It didn’t hurt, just a little pinching sensation.
“And don’t worry, Daria,” he said as she was now allowed to get up and leave, “it’s nothing out of the ordinary. You’re perfectly normal!”
_______________________
“A 98? Really?”
“I - I don’t know what happened. I’m sorry.”
“I mean, I’m sure some parents would be happy, but you’re better than this.”
“I know.”
“Well, maybe you need some extra tutoring.”
“No, really, it won’t happen again. I don’t know why but during the test, I just sort of felt... tired.”
Her dad squinted in disbelief. “Tired? That doesn’t make any sense, Daria. If you didn’t study enough, just be honest.”
“I did study. As much as I always do. I just kind of got this strange, drowsy sensation. It was like I couldn’t fight it. It passed after a minute but I must have messed up a question just then.”
Her dad made a crooked face, his mouth pulled up to the side, his eyebrow lifted in skepticism.
“I’ll try harder, don’t worry,” she said, hoping to get past his disapproval.
“I know you will,” he said, his face relaxing again. He leaned over and kissed her on the top of the head. “That’s my girl.”
_______________________
Daria and Brix were sitting in the cafeteria, trying to enjoy their plates of white stuff and gravy.
“I think this stuff gets worse every year. Seriously.”
Daria didn’t answer.
“Helloooo?” Brix said, waving her hand in front of her friend’s face.
“Yeah, it sucks,” Daria replied flatly.
“What’s up?”
“I got a 98 on my Math test yesterday.”
“What?!” Brix started to crack up with laughter. “Oh no,” she teased her, “I bet that was the end of the world in the Grayson house! Did they disown you?”
“Very funny.”
“Relax, Dash. My parents would buy me my own car if I got a 98 on anything!”
“You know how my dad is,” Daria replied, “98 might as well be 0.”
Brix stopped laughing and changed the subject.
“So where’s this guy you messaged me about? What was it... Jimmy?”
“Jake, Brix. His name is Jake.”
“I know, I’m just kidding. So where is he? Or did you make him up?”
“He’s over there,” Daria said, pointing with her fork.
“The guy trying to fit his entire lunch in his mouth in one bite?”
“You’re so funny, you know that? If this were the Former Days, you’d have your own TV show.”
“So which one is he?”
“The table behind the gross guy.”
“Oh, with the brown hair?”
“Yeah,” Daria said with a sigh and a smile, “the brown hair.”
As her eyes remained fixed on Jake, she suddenly realised that Brix had gotten up and was walking over to him.
“What are you --!” she started to say, but her friend was on a mission.
She watched as Brix went right up to Jake and started talking to him. Then she watched in absolute horror as Brix pointed across the room at her! Jake looked over in her direction and Daria had no idea what to do. She wanted to pretend she was eating and hadn’t even noticed them but it was too late. They had already made eye-contact. So she just smiled and casually rolled her eyes, as if the whole thing were no big deal. Of course, she didn’t even know what was no big deal, since she had no idea what Brix was saying to him.
And as if all of it hadn’t been awkward enough for her already, she then watched as Jake proceeded to get up from his table and follow Brix back to where she and Daria were sitting.
“Hey, Dash,” her friend said as they got closer, “you know Jake here, don’t you?”
“Uh, yeah, yes I do. Yup. Hey, what’s up?”
“Nothing much. Your friend said you needed some help with Math, or something?”
Daria gave Brix a look so sharp, the kids at the next table probably felt it in the backs of their heads. Brix just responded with a smile and a face that said, ‘What? I have no idea what you’re talking about.’
“My friend here,” Daria said a little forcefully, “is wrong. I’m totally fine, thanks. I got a 98 on the last test, sooo...”
“Wow,” Jake said, raising his eyebrows, “maybe you should tutor me, then?”
“Oh,” Daria replied, hesitating for a second. “Well, I mean, if you need it, I guess I could help out.”
“Cool. Wanna meet in the library after school? Just for like an hour or something?”
“Sure. Sounds good.”
“Awesome. Well, I’ll be looking forward to it,” he said with another big smile, like the one he gave her the first time they had met. Then he left and the two girls were alone again.
“What the heck, Brix?!”
“What do you mean?”
“What was that?”
“What was that? You mean, you’re upset with how that went?”
“Yes. I mean, no, not really. But still...”
“Relax, Dash. You’re gonna tutor him, he’s gonna fall in love with you, and you’ll both live happily ever after. Easy peasy. Oh, and you can name your first daughter ‘Brix’ in my honour.”
_______________________
“Oh, right, I get it. X here, then Y up there,” Jake said, tapping his tablet and shifting the equation around. “Why does it make so much more sense when you explain it?”
Daria laughed. And blushed.
“It’s not me. You would’ve gotten it.”
“Hey, do you want a drink?” he asked.
“Sure.”
Jake jumped up from the table and made his way over to the machine at the front of the library. He waved his wristband in front of it a couple of times, waited for a minute, then came back carrying two silver cups.
“Here. Some coffee.”
“Ugh. You like that stuff?”
“Oh, I just assumed...”
Daria had spoken without thinking. She quickly tried to cover her tracks.
“Wait, oh, coffee! I thought you said cold... tea.”
“What?” Jake laughed, “You mean iced tea?”
“No. Cold tea. Trust me, it’s a thing. I’ve heard of it.”
He slid one of the cups over to her and she grabbed it quickly but carefully, hoping that taking a sip would keep her from saying anything stupid. Anything else stupid, that is.
“Mmm, that’s the stuff,” she said as she fought off her desire to gag.
“Yeah, I love it,” Jake said, looking down at his work as he took a sip.
“So, where were we?”
“Number 11, I think.”
“Right.”
They were sitting across from each other at the table. Both of them started working quietly on the next problem, staring at their screens, deep in thought. After a few minutes, Jake let out a long ‘hmm’.
“Yeah?” Daria asked.
“I’m not sure I get this graph. There are just too many lines, all swirling back and forth.”
Then he got up and came around to her side of the table, sitting down right next her. Daria felt a little nervous and her palms suddenly got warm.
“Here, see what I mean,” he said, pointing to the tablet.
Daria tried to focu
s. She really did. But the harder she looked at the math problem, the more her mind was utterly and completely preoccupied with Jake’s presence beside her. She was enjoying every brush of their arms against each other and the smell of his hair as she leaned in closer to share his screen.
But then she started to feel strange. And not a good strange, like butterflies in the stomach.
She started to feel... drowsy.
She had no idea why but suddenly, more than anything else, she just wanted to lie down. Her head felt heavy on her neck. Her eyes blinked slowly. Her thoughts felt like they were moving through wet cement.
“So, these two are equal?”
She was trying to catch what Jake was saying but she had missed the first part of the question.
“Um, wait, what are you asking?” she said, fluttering her eyelids to try to wake them up.
“Are you ok, Daria?” Jake turned a little to face her.
“Yeah, yeah, totally. I’m good.”
Then she yawned.
She couldn’t hold it back. It was like it just welled up in her chest and then consumed her from the inside out. Her cheeks turned bright red with embarrassment.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!”
“Don’t be, it’s ok.”
“No, no it’s not. I - I don’t know what’s wrong with me. That never happens, trust me.”
“I believe you,” Jake said, placing his hand on her back and rubbing it gently.
His touch helped her wake up almost instantly. Not because of any magical power, either. It was pure, unfiltered adrenaline. And she enjoyed every second of it.
“Thanks, that helps,” she said shamelessly, hoping to keep him at it a little longer.
“Have you been getting tired recently?” he asked.
“No. Well, maybe once. That was why I got that 98. I kinda got drowsy in Math. I have no idea why.”
“You get 98’s when you’re drowsy? Wow, you’re something else, Daria!” Jake laughed.
“I guess so,” she laughed along with him.
Daria wasn’t sure why she was being so open. She probably would have felt dumb for sharing it if it weren’t for his hand on her back. But in that moment, she felt perfectly comfortable with anything and everything.
Eventually, he stopped and they went back to their homework. But they stayed side-by-side for the rest of the afternoon.
_______________________
Jake had offered to take the bus home with her that evening, just in case she felt strange again. It probably wasn’t necessary but Daria didn’t try to stop him.
“So, do you miss where you’re from?” she asked.
“Maybe, a little. But Progress is pretty cool.”
“Where are you from, actually? I don’t think I asked you.”
“South Metropolis.”
“Oh, ok. I know a little about it.”
South Metropolis was one of the Advanced Cities, of which Progress was the leader. They were the beacons of hope to the rest of the world. They demonstrated the glorious results of a society living up to its fullest potential in the age of Sendrax.
Daria wished she could slow the bus down, even just a little bit. But, unfortunately, her stop had come.
“Well, this is where I get off.”
“Do you want me to walk with you?”
“I’m literally just over there,” she said, pointing a few houses down the street. “You really don’t have to.”
“I’ve come this far,” he replied, raising his hand and shrugging his shoulders.
“Ok, then,” she said with a smile.
They stepped off the bus together and both walked as slowly as they could down the sidewalk. They didn’t say much but somehow it felt like they were still talking.
“This is it,” Daria said as she stopped in front of her house. “You really don’t have to walk me to the door!”
“Ok, I guess not,” Jake laughed.
“Well, thanks,” Daria said, giving him a wave.
“Oh, wait, there was something I meant to ask you.”
“Yeah?”
“Your friend, Brix. What was that she called you at lunch today? Dash, was it?”
“Yup, that’s right. My grandmother calls me Dasha, as like a little nickname. Brix found out a couple of years ago and started calling me Dash, or Dashy, for short.”
“I see,” Jake said, nodding and then hesitating for a second. “I really like it,” he finally said. “Would you mind... you know, if maybe I called you that, too?”
“Oh, uh, no, not at all. That would be cool.”
“Great! Well, goodbye, Dashy.”
“Bye, Jake.”
They both turned around to go in their separate directions. Daria was smiling as she unlocked the front door. Before she went inside, she glanced back over her shoulder to catch one last glimpse of Jake as he walked away down the street.
11
Month: 4 | Day: 1 | Year: 60
THE WALK
Corey wasn’t kidding. It really was a long trip. Daria couldn’t help having mixed feelings about the fact that Jake was still basically unconscious. There was no question she would rather have him awake and talking to her. But at the same time, she really wanted that second protein bar.
Was I supposed to save it for him?
Corey did say ‘for you’. You, us... or you, me?
She looked at it in her hand. Then she looked at Jake.
It’s probably ok...
She tore it open and took a bite. Her stomach rumbled as it went down.
Too bad we couldn’t have escaped through the kitchen.
Just then, Jake stirred. He let out a groan and then moved his head side to side. He had been wearing a black jacket over his grey clothes, so Daria had removed it and balled it up as a pillow to keep him comfortable.
“Jake?”
He groaned again. She was sitting next to his head, with his body stretching away from her down the cabin of the vehicle. She lifted her right arm slowly and stroked his hair with her hand.
“Dash...”
“Yes, it’s me!”
“Did they... are you...” He was trying but the words weren’t coming.
“Just rest, Jake. I’m fine. I’m totally fine.”
She kept running her fingers through his hair and lightly rubbing his head until he seemed to settle and fall back asleep.
_______________________
It was about five hours from when they left the Institute until the vehicle slowed and finally came to a stop. Daria was impressed with herself that she hadn’t dozed off at all. She was imagining taking the same journey just a month ago. She would have slept through most of it for sure. But as energetic as she felt, at the same time, a solid nap would definitely have made the trip go by faster.
The door slid open and Corey greeted them.
“Hey, how are you two?”
“Fine. He woke up for a minute about an hour ago but otherwise, he’s just been sleeping.”
“Good. That’s what he needs right now.”
Daria had never heard anyone talk like that before. He needed sleep? Pills and more pills... that was all anyone ever needed. Oh, and to try harder, of course.
“So, are we there yet?” Daria asked.
“Yes and no. The first part is over but our next destination is still pretty far away.”
Corey climbed up into the cabin and felt Jake’s forehead. Then he asked Daria to help and they lifted him out of the vehicle and set him down on the grass beside the road.
“Is he going to be ok?”
“Yeah, he’ll be fine,” Corey said, now rummaging through some things in the front part of the van. “Ah, here we go.”
He came back and handed Daria a flashlight. It was the middle of the night. That usually didn’t make any difference at all, as the Advanced Cities, and especially Progress, ensured the lights were on everywhere, 24/7. But they had travelled far enough to be just beyond the outskirts of the city. Its glow illuminat
ed the horizon to the south but around them, there was only darkness.
Daria had never been out of the city before that day. Why would she leave? She lived in the epicentre of everything good and vital for the progress of the human race - hence the name - so what else was there to see? Much like Jake’s family, people moved to Progress, not away from it.
Wow...
She looked up at the sky.
So beautiful...
She knew plenty about the universe from her science classes. In fact, space travel was an important goal of the leaders of Progress. One day, they hoped to add the colonisation of other planets to their long list of achievements.
However, despite all of her studies, Daria had never actually seen the stars for real. She had seen them on screens and in the Planetarium, but the lights of Progress had made it impossible to observe them from the city.
But now, as she stood on the side of the road with Jake at her feet and a stranger leading them who-knows-where, all she could do was look up. The little flecks of gold and silver sparkled against the dark sky. But it wasn’t just the stars that she had never seen before. This was the first time she was staring into the blackness of true night.
After everything she had been told her entire life, and especially the recent indoctrination she had undergone at the Institute, she hadn’t expected to feel the way she did. Fear and emptiness - that’s what she thought was lurking in the night. In the dark. But as the perfect stillness of it all sunk down to the very core of her being, she felt like she was drinking deeply from the purest water she had ever tasted.
“Alright, we gotta keep moving.”
Daria snapped back into the moment.
Oh yeah, we’re on the run!
“Where are we going?”
Corey pointed up into the hills that rose ahead of them to the north.
“Up there. There’s a house where we can rest for a couple of days.”
“A couple of days?”
“We’ll need it before we make our final push to the Gates.”
“The Gates? Sorry, I’m just not really sure what’s happening here.”
“I’ll explain it all to you when we get up into the hills, ok? I promise. Or, hopefully, Jake will be feeling better and he can explain it.”
