The hover-car’s design was very impressive; the model was higher than anything I’d ever walked with but I was sure I could figure out the mechanism if given enough time with it. Erik was sitting on the driver’s seat, while Yasmin was at the passenger’s seat beside him, I sat at the back and strapped in my seat belt.
The hover-car was clearly designed for speed, yet the ride was remarkably stable; the velocity was completely imperceptible from inside the cabin. I couldn't help but admire the meticulous interior design. Having never been in a hover-car before, simply getting a look inside was an entirely new experience. This vehicle was every mechanic’s ultimate dream, and here I was, getting the full, up-close tour.
“Something wrong with my hover-car?” Erik said, bringing me out of my thoughts.
“Oh no, it’s great! I’ve never actually been in a hover-car before. The engineering is really remarkable.”
“I see. Were you able to leave without raising suspicions? Mrs. Vishtaspa said you fainted.”
“Uh yes, she helped me leave.”
That explained a lot. I mentally put the puzzle pieces together: she knew my name and rescued me from the interrogation.
“That was my idea,” Yasmin said, turning to me smiling, “I told Erik to call the building manager, he’s allowed to talk to Tholens so it was a piece of cake. I’m thinking of making you work for me. I have the whole thing figured…”
“But it’s not possible,” Erik immediately cut her off.
She turned to him clearly upset.
“I want to see her again.”
“That’s not possible.”
“I’ll make it possible.”
“You’re only going to put her in trouble.”
He stopped in front of the forest I used to get into the city.
“Nothing’s impossible,” I said, feeling the need to join the conversation.
He looked at me surprised and I understood why. Under normal circumstances I was never supposed to talk to them, I was supposed to know my place in society. But I was never a person to follow the laid down rules, and they were soon about to find out. Although I did have something else to deal, they weren’t going to see me for a while.
“Of course I’d need to deal with the problem I’m already in, it’s only a matter of time before you see me again.”
I winked then got out of the hover-car leaving them stunned. Yasmin ran after me as I headed for the forest.
“You promise to see me again, right?”
“I’ll do everything to see you again” I said, holding her hands. They were tender and delicate.
Erik stood by his hover-car, slightly resting on it. He looked like he was trying to understand everything I’d said. He was a few feet away but I could feel him watching my every move. I gave Yasmin a hug and went into the forest and swam to the other side. It was going to be a long journey home.
I climbed up the hill and used the train to arrive home, I arrived quite late. The streets were bustling with people some coming back from work, others doing trade, kids running up and down the street. I couldn’t help but compare the differences in the house placement. It lacked the precision and order the Vaedrin city had; the buildings weren’t as tall and elegant. The buildings were closely knit, with a section of those who couldn’t afford houses, living in tents: a place where my mother and I used to reside.
I walk over to my apartment and struggled to open the door, of course. I had none of my things, it automatically meant I had to visit Darius. I really didn’t want him seeing me this way but that was inevitable. I walked over to his apartment which was a few doors from mine, after much hesitation I finally knocked his door. The door opened revealing his treg girlfriend, she was the last person on Reika I wanted to see.
“You better be a freaking ghost,” she said eyeing me from head to toe.
I rolled my eyes and pushed my way in, I walked a few steps in and was greeted by my reflection on the mirror in his lobby. I was still drenched from the river’s water, making my clothes cling to my body revealing my curves: small shoulders and torso, with thick thighs and a flat stomach; it was the only good thing working for me right now. My face was splotched with mud and something else I wasn’t sure of, soiling my beautiful caramel skin, there goes my skincare; and I saved so much for it. My thick dark brown curly hair was a complete mess; the curls were all over the place with things stuck to it. I pulled out a leaf from my jungle looking hair.
“Tira?”
I turned to see Darius in sweatpants and sweater coming from his bedroom with a bag of chips, that fell from his hand, now by his feet; he looked so miserable it broke my heart.
“Darius!”
He hugged me tight and we both started crying.
“I’m so sorry for leaving you there,” he said after we separated, “I should have followed you. No, I shouldn’t have even left you there. No, I should have…”
“I’m the one that’s supposed to be sorry, I shouldn’t have run away like that…”
“Isn’t this adorable! You can’t just barge in here like you own the place after disappearing for days. Darius completely broke down because of you and let’s not even get started on the amount of trouble you’re in cause…”
“Not now Vida, she just returned,” Darius said finally shutting his girlfriend up.
“What are you yelling at me for, she the one that dragged her filth…”
“Filth? Oh you’re one to talk? At least I’m not a…”
“Tira, calm down!” Darius said while holding me back from jumping on his treg girlfriend.
I was still boiling but I backed away frowning. He turned to his girlfriend.
“Can you just leave.”
“Me? She’s the…”
“Please Vida, I need to talk to her.”
She stormed out angry, slamming the door on her way out. He placed a hand on his temple, massaging it lightly.
“Love of your life indeed,” I said, while settling on the floor not wanting to stain his furniture.
“You can use the chair.”
“And clean it later? No thanks. The floor is my comfort zone right now.”
He occupied the chair next to the spot I sat.
“You should have called. Oh right, I had your phone. I can’t imagine what you could’ve gone through. It’s all my fault.”
“Why? You’re not the one who ran and got hit down when you were supposed to leave.”
“But I know you never listen. I should have stopped you,”
“You couldn’t have known. Besides, it wasn’t entirely bad. I met nice people.”
He gave me his you can’t be serious look.
“Vaedrins aren’t nice,”
“Don’t judge. You’ve never met one. I did and I can confidently say they aren’t all mean.”
“I can’t wait to hear all about it, but first, you need to shower and change and most especially rest. I’m guessing you came for your keys because I know you’d rather shave your head clean than come here looking like the forest queen,” he said laughing.
I rolled my eyes while smiling.
“I was hoping my absence would save me from your teasing.”
“Ha. What a fantasy.”
“Hey, I’m staying for the night.”
“Okay no problem,”
“I wasn’t asking; I was simply informing you. I hope you have my favorite shampoo”
“I think so,” he stood up and headed to the kitchen smiling, “hey, welcome back.”
I smiled back, “thanks.”
I’ve always enjoyed hanging out in his apartment, I was almost always there, well that was until he started dating and I had to give him and his ladies some space. It wasn’t because I hated my place: I did; I simply loved his. It was much bigger for one, builders are usually settled well and as a mechanic that always causes trouble, hence always get punished, meaning always paying fine or not getting chance to work; I can only make so much.
I showered, got dressed in clothes I leave at his place and enjoyed his welcome meal. Even though I wanted to talk all night, he forced me to sleep. I slept on his couch, mostly because I was convinced it was more comfortable than a bed and partly because I was scared of what I might find in his room, never enter the room of the guy with a girlfriend, it was an unspoken rule, that I ensured I followed.
Morning came fast, I gave him details of everything that happened while I was gone and he did same: The Arazins were pissed I didn’t show up and so were the Nimvars; the allocation board kept looking for me, and I was nowhere to be found, no surprise there. In general, I had a lot on my plate, it looked like my promise would have to wait. We decided to look for a reason for my absence before going there. We sat at his kitchen counter with books and research papers scattered all over it and a mug of coffee that was probably lukewarm by now.
“Ugh, there has to be something,” I yelled in frustration.
“Keep your voice down would you? We’ll figure out something, we just have to think harder.”
“My brain could melt at this point.”
“Luckily you have a lot of it so I’m sure you’ll survi…okay, I think I got something.”
“Go on,” I said dropping the paper I was holding, “what is it?”
“We could use the fault of sickness.”
“And what sickness could that possibly be?”
“Gazhum. One can never completely heal from it,”
“Well that’s a long shot, what am I supposed to say? It returned on my way to the Nimvar residence and caused me to faint on my way there?”
“It’s our only shot and that isn’t a bad idea.”
I rolled my eyes, Gazhum: poison breath. It was a terrible disease gotten from breathing Reika’s air, I had gotten it after my father’s death and only survived by luck which my mother unfortunately didn’t have. I would have different breathing attacks because of it, it could leave you unconscious for days, it was a dreaded disease; yet was the reason I was able to meet Darius.
“Hey,” Darius said putting a hand on my shoulder which dragged me straight out of my thought, he knew I was having flashbacks of my past. Simply having flashbacks used to make me have the attacks all over again but I had better control of it now; I still couldn’t hide it from him though.
“It’s fine, I’m alright,” I said placing my hand on his.
“We don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.”
“No, no. I want to, it’s a brilliant idea and the only one we’ve got right now, we just need to arrange the story properly,” I said, picking up some papers from the table.
“We’ll have to start from when we got down from the train since they have record of that.”
“Okay. I could simply say we got down to do whatever when I decided to stay longer and that was when the Gazhum hit but you were already gone and I couldn’t get any help.”
“That leaves us with two questions: what did we leave to do and what triggered it.”
“Hmm, what triggered it is a piece of cake, I could simply say I ran out of cartridge which is a very likely event. The only prickle is what did we go there to do and it has to be something that’ll keep me and then there’s what caused you to leave.”
He got up, looking at the ceiling like the whole thing was written there.
“I’m known for my adventure side, right?” he closed his eyes, moving up and down like he didn’t want to forget whatever he read from the ceiling, “we went there because I wanted to observe the slope in the hill. We were documenting the design that I was very interested in when I got an emergency call on a project design I was working for, yep the call is accounted for; I missed it. After getting the call you insisted I attend to my work promising you’ll bring me the design, so I left,” he opened his eyes and made a loud clap, which was his way of letting out a eureka, “I am a genius, I tell you.”
“That is actually really brilliant, what did you tell them when they asked about my whereabouts.”
“That we separated in the hills, short simple and open to interpretation. Oh my, how could I forget; someone was really worried about you being missing, well except from me of course.”
“What’s with the smile, why do I feel like I’m not going to like this? Ugh, who?”
“S-v-e-n, yes my ever attentive audience you heard me right. Sven missed you and kept asking about you. If I wasn’t also worried I would have enjoyed watching it.”
“What? why?” I said, disgust printed on my face, “he probably kept asking because I bailed on him. We were supposed to work together.”
“Yeah sure, say it till you believe it.”
I was ready to scream at him when the alarm rang, we had to leave. It was time for me to make an appearance and I wasn’t at all ready.
The meeting went surprisingly well; all the executives were touched when they heard how I struggled for air; I almost felt guilty for lying. I came out and all seemed well, I still had to pay a fine but it wasn’t anything heavy, when I thought things were all good, I saw Sven, just perfect.
“Hi, I heard what happened. It must have been terrible.”
“Yeah. But I’m totally fine now.”
An awkward silence fell between us. This was the first conversation we’ve had that didn’t end in a competitive spur, even if he was the only one competing.
“Anyway I’m glad you’re back,” he said breaking the silence, “it was difficult covering up for you though, you owe me.”
He smiled and walked away. Was that supposed to be cool? I walked into the allocation hall to get my schedule, and noticed people looking at me, some were whispering to themselves while others just stared. I guess a dying tyrant was worth gossiping about. I tried getting to the allocation counter for mechanics when Hildir blocked my way, perfect.
“Oh hey, it’s been so long,” I faked a smile, hopefully she’ll let things be.
“You knocked me out.”
“What, are you sure?”
“Don’t talk to me like I’m stupid I know you did it. But. When I heard what happened I felt terrible. The sickness should have finished the job.”
“Hmm,” I smiled, she was the last person to do a pity party, it was very much expected, “I guess some of us are stronger than somethings or some people. How long were you out for?” I could see her eye twitch, the satisfaction I felt was priceless, “I feel better though, thanks for your concern.”
I hit her shoulder as I walked to the counter, unfortunately, it wasn’t Gulraaz today, yay me.
“Back from the dead and eager to cause a fight already,” the lady at the counter said, she was new, I’d normally be shocked she knew about me but judging by my current circumstance, I wasn’t surprised.
“Morning to you too,” I smiled politely not ready to argue with some newbie.
I reached out to collect my schedule when I noticed she was staring at something behind me with mouth agape. I turned, it was the Dasta society, they were a special group of Tholens that worked only for the higher ups in the Vaedrin society, they were not people to be messed with; they also never showed up unless they came to recruit new people.
I saw them and gasped, but I was in a hurry to work since my air quota was really low and I barely had enough cartridge for the day. I turned back to the lady in the counter and requested for my schedule again, she fumbled with the system and kept raising her head to look at the Dasta’s. It was annoying to wait but I didn’t have much of a choice. I finally collected my schedule and walked away from the counter to the reception area. Darius later caught up with me all excited.
“Did you see them? They haven’t been here for like what? six, seven years?”
“You’re wasting your excitement,” I said, scanning my schedule.
“You’re such a joy kill.”
“I’m just really desperate to have air today, therefore, wasting time gossiping is really expensive. Although, I have to admit I’m glad I’m no longer the topic of gossip. The truth is they only come for Tholens, don’t stress.”
“Yeah but there’s a chance they’re here for a Nafren, these are the little windows that change lives.”
“Ugh,” I looked up from my schedule, “yes, this is the only time Nafrens are exalted from their low status in society with the opportunity to work for the Vaedrins. But let’s be realistic. That has only happened once in history and that was long before even our parents were born. Am I excited they’re here? Yes. But there’s no reason to get your hopes high.”
“Umm Tira.”
“Yes!”
“They seem to be coming towards us.”