by Jodie Kobe
Chapter twenty
V I V I A N
Seven days have passed.
There are only three days left until the mission.
Three days.
This is the day they have decided to do that test. By test, they mean: insert a tracer into the subject’s arm.
My head starts spinning after I’m finished with the test, so I'm handed a pill. But I freak out.
I’m paranoid it's going to kill me.
I clench it in the palm of my hand and force myself to calm down. I’ve been trying to hide this strange condition for the past week. It had started after I had watched those two videos.
The day I saw the proof, I ran out of the room and hadn’t come back ever since. Because I have not come back to finish the video, my murderer’s face is still unknown. He’s probably dead by now.
I close my eyes and hold my breath, popping the pill into my mouth and trying to reassure myself that it won’t kill me.
I hate that video.
Fox and Rian are still occupied with the test as I sit here in a chair, waiting alone in this small, empty room. There are two doors here. One leads out into the large white hallway while the other one leads into the testing room where Rian, Fox, and a couple of doctors are in.
I run my index finger over the spot on my shoulder. A small red line marks the place where they had injected the tracer.
There are a total of two tracers inside me now. One tracer's signal only reaches inside the building, while this new one was specially made to track me while I’m outside on the earth's surface.
“It’s an improved version,” they had said to me.
I wonder if I can pull the tracker out of my arm. It's not very deep in my flesh. A small black sphere is visible through my skin.
I shiver and avert my eyes from my arm. That's not a good idea.
The door opens and I look up to see Fox walking out of the testing room, something between a smirk and a smile plastered on his face. Rian must have not finished yet.
Fox takes a seat in the chair next to mine. He inhales a deep breath and stretches his long legs out.
“Three days,” he says. “Can you believe it? Three days and we’ll be outside. Ah, I haven’t been able to touch air in so long. There’s—”
“You still won’t be able to touch it. It’s poisonous. You’ll be wearing a suit, don’t forget,” I say.
“I didn’t forget. I was talking about the time when the air will actually be clean. Then I’ll be able to go outside.”
“If the machine works.”
“Stop being so pessimistic,” he says.
“Stop being so optimistic.”
“At least I have hope.”
Then it’s silent until Fox starts tapping his foot on the floor.
I rub my face with my hands. Everywhere I turn, there seems to be a way I could die. Even the chair I’m sitting on. It can shatter from right under me and impale me and—
What is wrong with me?
Stupid, stupid video.
I smack my hand against my forehead, grunting. I’m not doing a very good job hiding my frustration, and I don't doubt Fox is looking at me like I'm crazy.
“Um,” Fox says. “Are you...okay?”
I turn to him to see he’s leaning away.
“I’m fine,” I say, turning back to my hands. “When is Rian coming?”
Fox looks toward the door. “He was almost done when I finished.”
Just as he says that, the door opens and Rian steps out.
Fox laughs. “Speak of the devil and he shall appear.” He jumps to his feet, following Rian as he heads toward the exit. I pull myself from my chair and trail behind them, slower than I mean to.
I hear Fox say to Rian, “Girl over there doesn’t look too good.” He turns his head slightly to me. “You don’t look so good,” he repeats.
Rian glances at me and stops by the door, his hand hovering on the doorknob. “How are you feeling?” he asks.
I don’t know how obvious the sick look on my face is, but it must be obvious enough. I answer, “I’m fine.”
Fox opens the door before Rian does and steps out into the hallway. “You don’t look fine,” he calls over his shoulder.
Rian sighs and takes a few steps toward me. “Do you need anything? Medicine? Food, maybe?”
Not medicine. But food sounds good right now.
Rian says, “You look pretty terrible, I’m not gonna lie.”
My hand goes to my forehead as the world spins for a second. The second passes and I feel fine again. I try to straighten up and move toward the door. “I’ll be fine,” I say to Rian.
Fox shrugs (if even though no one said anything to him) and continues walking into the hallway, door swinging shut behind him.
I follow him out with Rian behind me.
“Are you sure you're okay?”
I don’t think I’ll collapse. I nod.
“Hey, slow pokes,” Fox calls. “Will you pick up the pace?”
“Where would we possibly be going?” Rian calls back.
Fox turns toward us but continues to walk, only backward. He spreads his arms out. “Well, it’s lunch time right now and I figured I could talk to you guys, you know, since I’ll be working with you in a life or death mission. I don’t want you to hate me.” He slows down to let us catch up to him.
There’s nothing to talk about, so most of our way to the cafeteria is silent. Not a lot of people are heading in the same direction we are so I think most of the cafeteria is already filled. We’ll be there later than usual.
