woke. | II

alex

I lay in bed, collecting my thoughts. I didn't know what to feel. Hell, I didn't even know what to think. The only thing betraying my prone figure were my eyes. Wide open, from the moment I awoken.

Everlore is real.
Everlings are bad.
Everlings are good.
Some want to kill us.
The rest wants to use us.

I bit down on my lip till I tasted the tang of blood and I relished the pain. I always wanted to think there was more to life, and now that it's been presented to me, I find it hard to believe. Maybe I'm in shock. Maybe.

I reach for my phone and glance at the time, it's past 9. I'm late for school, but what does that matter? It was laughable, almost. There were creatures out there thirsting for us, wanting to recruit us... And we're wasting time trying to figure out algebra and fractions?

In a fit of worry, I dial Hady's number.

She doesn't answer.

I leap out of bed and find a sharp tip pressed against my waist. I draw the knife out and let it fall on my dresser before leaping into the shower. A force of habit. I hurry myself along, rushing through human motions while calling for a car. It's going to cost me, but my friend's life is priceless. In between moments, I try for Cam but neither does he pick up.

had n cam not pickin up
headin ovr
u? awake?

I send a flurry of texts to Daniel, hoping that he got away safe last night. Hoping I'm not the only one left awake.

The car arrives at the exact moment it was estimated to, with a notification running through the house alerting me of its arrival. I rush out and get into the automated cab, tapping my phone against the sensor.

"Safety harness must be worn for all passengers." A pleasant voice rang out and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. First of all, it was a one-seater so there is no plural. Just one passenger. Secondly, they have sensors for basically everything and this lump of junk can't even figure out I've got my butt sat down and it's safe to belt me in? So much for technology.

I pushed a button on the side of the door and waited as the harness fastened me to the seat.

"The estimated time of arrival is 9:35AM." It said before taking off. I suppose some people find the thrill of jetting off with virtually no traffic. The cab lines were built individually, apart from the actual roads for vehicles. But what I hate the most about them is how jarring it can be.

Cabs use maglev, so since there's nothing holding them in place aside from magnetic force, cabs can and do cross paths. This means that, paired with their anti-collision radar, the cabs practically jump over each other to avoid hitting other cabs. Thankfully, it doesn't happen very often as the speeds are pretty constant, but when it does: jarring. It is freaking annoying because one second you're level with the ground and suddenly you're playing leapfrog at 80 miles an hour.