Disclaimer: I don't own the matrix, it owns us.
A young woman in her early teens sat in the crowded cafeteria, mumbling to herself under her breath and sketching furiously. Lately, she had been having weird dreams- floating endlessly in a sea of pink goo, and when she tried to surface, tried to breath, she found that she was suffocating. She tried to tell her friends about it, but they didn't understand.
"Maybe you need to take a break from school," her older sister and guardian said worriedly, feeling her temperature.
She didn't understand either. And today, in math class, while she was staring at the endless rows of numbers on the blackboard, something bizarre had happened. The numbers wavered for a moment, and turned green. She blinked her eyes furiously, and they returned to normal.
What is happening to me? What is going on?
"Sydney, you're not listening to me." The girl - Sydney was her name - looked up.
"You must not have been saying anything important then," she said in her usual dry way.
"Sydney," her friend looked pathetically needy. "Please! I need you to walk me home. Those guys near my house have been acting really weird lately. I'm scared! But you know they'll never do anything with you around."
"Alright Fiona, fine!" Sydney's pale eyes met Fiona's dark brown puppy-dog ones. "Honestly. You'd fall apart without me."
Sydney dragged her fingers through her shoulder-length white-blond hair and looked around, her pale eyes constantly moving. Despite her earlier bravado, she was actually almost as frightened as Fiona. I'm just better at hiding it, she thought.
Fiona lived in a part of the town that was practically overflowing with gangs. It was especially dangerous for Fiona to go home by herself, because she was young, pretty, and a well-known wimp. No matter what someone tried to do to her, she would let them. She was weak, she couldn't help it.
Sliding her hand into the pocket of her white sweatshirt, Sydney felt the comforting small item - a switchblade. She was extremely proficient with it. Hopefully, just the sight of their target accompanied by an armed 'escort' would deter anyone following Fiona.
Sydney hustled Fiona along, one arm around the girl, the other clamped firmly on her knife. Suddenly, she noticed movement in one of the dark alleyways the two girls were passing.
"Hey, were ya goin', babe?"
"Dammit!" Sydney swore under her breath. Phoenix, an ugly, zitty gang member had his hand on Fiona's arm. "Let her go," she said in an icy voice. Fiona wimpered.
"Yah? Or you'll what?"
The switchblade was out before Phoenix could blink. "Or I'll gouge your eyes out with this, one by one."
Yes, i know it's really short... the next chapter will be longer, i promise!
-gwen