A/N : Been writing this story off and all for the past six or so months. If it's decent enough, I'll release the rest of what I have and continue with it. Enjoy! :)
…...
She couldn't stop running. She shouldn't stop running. They were looking for her! There's nothing she can do but run.
The hallway was cold and scarce, the smell of stale medical supplies and sweat stung in her nose. The paint on the walls were peeling off and the rooms she passed were empty. Well, most of them were empty.
All the rooms had huge, rectangular windows so whoever was assigned to that room could be observed. She recognized some of the individuals. Well, how could she not? She was assigned to the same area.
Her eyes darted up towards an entryway. 'Section E', it read, glowing in a red-LED. She looked down at her wrist and saw her branded mark that read "E-11".
She runs through a short hall that T's off to another hallway. She desperately looks either way, before turning around to see how close her captures were. The left, if she remembered correctly, lead to the Playroom, which was a dead end. She turned and ran to the right with reckless abandon.
The only sounds that could be heard were her little footsteps and her haggard breathing. She was getting tired. She was losing energy. Her adrenaline from escaping her room was wearing off.
"Libitina…" She heard a voice behind her call her name. It was him! How did he know where she was going?
She ran through the steel doors at the entrance of her section that some guard left open and burst through an exit door that lead to a stairwell. She grasped the rusted handrail and ran up the stairs as fast as she could to gain as much ground as she possibly can.
She must've exerted all her energy sprinting up the flight of stairs, because her limbs were exhausted. She slammed her body through a door and the cold, open air hit her in the face.
She was on the roof. The only illumination was from the moon shining above, barely able to make out where she could walk. She saw the watchtowers speckled across the fields. She saw the mounds and mounds of…something that she couldn't make out. 'That must be the Deadman's Hills that Ilia always talks about,' Libitina muttered to herself.
She made her way across the open roof, looking around for anything to help her. She was up high, like really high. She looked and saw small balconies lined up from the farthest side of the door she came from. "If I'm careful, I should be able to make it down." She muttered to herself. Her heart stopped as she saw some of the Onyx down below her on some of the balconies.
Although it was dark, she could see their black and white armored uniform. They were doing their nightly patrols around the compound, fully equipped with their 'Laser wands" that they always carry with them. She could faintly hear their conversation.
"…that's what I was saying! Listen man, this job seriously pays well but I don't know man. We are one bad experiment away from getting utterly ripped apart." She heard one say. The other spoke up while lightly smacking the first one.
"Listen man, don't sweat it. The Speaker says he has it all under control and I believe him. Besides, it's been good so far, right? We've only had five of them go full Awaken. The moment it happened, he intervened, and it was done."
The first one snorted. "Yeah but, what if the next time we aren't so lucky? If they all go Awaken…." He audibly shudders.
They both walk back into the compound, abandoning the balcony again.
'Now's my chance!'
She steadily gets up on the wall, looking down at the balcony. Her bare feel were cold on the concrete and the pebbles scraped her feet. Her white and sky-blue night gown blown around in the breeze as she righted herself and got her balance.
The balcony was about 10 feet below her. If she could just get a good grip on the walls...
Her thoughts were abruptly ended as she was yanked down from the wall. The felt the grip of someone on her neck as she was carried through the air and placed against a wall. She looked up to see two Onxy guards accompanied by…him.
"Libitina my dear, what exactly do you think you are doing at this hour? And above all outside of your assigned quarters? You do realize there are repercussions for such actions, correct?"
Libitina looked up at the man with contempt.
His head was balding from what she could assume was age. It was like a shiny cue ball with brown hair surrounding the back side of his head. His brown and white-speckled goatee was not a good look for him. She looked down at her from the brim of his small spectacles that he always kept bridged on his nose. His white doctors' gown was blowing in the breeze over his brown khakis.
She wished that the moon wasn't so bright tonight, so she didn't have to see him. So they couldn't see her.
The man cleared his throat.
"Libitina I say again…what are you doing out here?" His voice was now entering annoyance.
"Dr. Winters, I got lost on my way back from the bathro-" She was cut off as he reached down and slapped her cheek.
She placed her hand on her face, feeling the sting of the wound. Tears filled her eyes, but she tried not to show it.
"Do not lie to be Libitina! You KNOW better than to leave your quarters past curfew! And if it's any sort of emergency you are to consult with the guard of your section for approval!"
She just sat there and listened to his words, knowing her escape has failed. She softly rubbed her cheek and avoided eye contact.
"I am disappointed in you, Libitina." Dr. Winters looks to the two Onxy guards and back at Libitina. "Apprehend her and take her back to her quarters. This instant."
The last thing Libitina remembers is the crackle of electricity, and a sharp pain in her side before her consciousness fades.
…..…...
I turned down a hallway and sighed audibly while holding the straps of my backpack.
"Why the hell do exams have to be so damn stressful?" I mutter to myself.
My gaze locks to the windows that are lined up along the hall. Directly outside was the courtyard, where plenty of other students were lounging around. There wasn't as many as there usually was, but I guess that's what happens towards the end of the day.
I pause at a water fountain to fill up my personal bottle.
'Just gotta get to the club so I can relax. I heard Natsuki say something about cookies yesterday and I'm just dying for something sweet right now..' I think to myself.
I screw the cap of my bottle shut and continue onward.
It was the last week before the campus went on break, so I was especially stressed due to the exams that I had in my lectures. I have been a member of the literature club here at this university for several years now, so seeing my friends and having time to destress was what I looked forward to every day.
The classroom that we used for the club was down a more secluded hall that not a lot of people came to. It wasn't like most of the rooms in the rest of the campus, for this one was more traditional in the sense of grade schools or high schools. Great if you wanted some isolation, but not so good if you wanted people to know where you were. Part of the reason why our president, Monika, struggles so much to get new members.
I reach the door and peer in. I see Monika sitting at a larger desk on the opposite side of the classroom. She had her brunette hair up in her signature white bow that she wears every day. I swear that girl wore it as a symbol of power or something. Her green eyes seemed focus on some textbooks in front of her, no doubt dissecting every chapter in the book so she could ace her exams.
Natsuki looked like she was in the back of the room in the supply closet again. I could see her short, pink hair bobbing up and down like she was hopping with her short legs. Monika probably put her manga collection on the top shelf again or something. I mentally braced myself to hear her complain about it later.
In the corner of the room immediately to the left of the door, was Yuri. Her nose was stuck in a book like it usually was, with only her long, lavender hair being shown over the novel. Every now and then you would get a glimpse of her purple eyes scanning the pages. She was probably my closest friend in the club that I spent most of my time throughout the years with, well aside of Sayori that is.
Speaking of Sayori, where is she?
I was ripped out of my thoughts as I heard yelling from behind me, down the hall where I came from, that made me jump in place.
"Andrew! Andrew! ANDREWWW!"
I cautiously turn to see Sayori sprinting as me from down the hall. Her coral-colored hair was bobbing in rhythm to her running, her sky-blue eyes open wide with a smile spread across her face. She was waving her hand in the air to get my attention, though her loud hollering succeeded already.
She stopped when she caught up to me, breathing heavily but still brandishing her gleeful smile. I couldn't help but adopt a smile of my own, happy to see the ball of sunshine again.
"Yeah? What's up girl, why do you gotta be screaming all loud and stuff?" I chuckle and ask her, offering my water bottle.
She gladly takes the item and drinks the water with no regard to what a mess she was making. She finishes and hands me back the half-empty bottle, still slightly panting.
"I just saw you and needed to tell you something." She says in between breathes.
I raise an eyebrow and smirk.
"Yeah? What is it?"
She wipes her mouth with the sleeve of her shirt.
"Hi."
I laugh and roll my eyes, opening the classroom door.
"Wow, thanks for the suspense, dumbass. Come on, let's get inside."
We enter the classroom, where Monika breaks her focus to smile and wave to us.
"Hey, Sayori and Andrew!"
We wave back, Sayori grabbing hold of my wrist and dragging me to Monika at her desk.
"Whatchu doin?" Sayori coyly asks while positioning herself behind the president, wrapping her arms around her neck.
"Ugh, just trying to cram in some studying. I won't have as much time tonight. I'm going to my parents for dinner. Apparently, my grandparents are in town and want to see me and tonight is the only night they can make it work. Cruddy timing if you ask me."
I chuckle to her small problem.
"I don't know, sounds like the perfect time." I sarcastically tease her.
She looks up at me and gives me a pretend-angered look.
"Oh yeah, I just love to see family members that talk your ear off when you would rather be studying or sleeping."
I jokingly wince and suck in air through my teeth.
"Oof, you might be right. Don't worry, I'll do all the sleeping for ya."
Sayori giggles and Monika looks like she's about to retort when we hear a shrill voice approach us.
"Monika! Why do you keep insisting on moving my manga collection?"
Natuski storms her way to the desk to meet us. I mentally roll my eyes.
'Yup, I knew this was coming.'
Monika closes her textbook and straightens out her shirt.
"I already told you, Natsuki. The dean gets upset whenever things look cluttered. Just because we've had this club around for three years and we use this classroom that isn't used too often, doesn't mean we can clutter up the place."
Natuski lightly stomps her foot in place.
"But it's not cluttered! It's all neat and in order, I just put it on the bottom shelf!"
Monika sighs and rubs her temples.
"I don't know what to tell you, Natsuki. I tried to tell him you prefer them on the bottom but he doesn't care."
"Maybe he has a grudge against manga." I pipe in, shrugging my shoulders to her. "Maybe you should go to his office and look at him with those cute, puppy eyes and beg to have it your way."
She narrows her eyes at me and looks like she's about to pounce.
"I'm not cute! Keep that sarcastic mouth shut or you aren't getting any of my cookies I made."
I look past her and see a tray of delicious-looking chocolate chip cookies sitting on a desk near the front of the room.
"Ooh! Cookies!" I say as I push past her, ruffling up her hair in the process.
"Mmmph! Andrew, watch it!" She says with irritation.
"Love you too, Nat." I call over my shoulder while grabbing a cookie. I glance up and see Yuri still lost in her own world. I grab a second cookie and make my way over to bother her.
I turn the nearest desk around and sit on it's top, leaning over to Yuri's desk. I put my hand on the book and slowly push it down the desk, her eyes still following the pages.
"Yuri, you're making it very hard to be annoying when you keep reading." I tell her. She blinks her eyes and looks up to me. I waved the cookie in front of her and she gingerly took it.
"Geez, I think I'm going to set up a wedding for you and a damn book. You're so much more attached to that stuff than real people." I tease to her.
She lightly blushes and munches on the cookie.
"That's not it! I just….love the world of literature." She quietly mumbles.
I chuckle and ruffle up her lavender hair.
"Yeah, yeah I know. Did ya have a good day?" I ask her while chomping on my own cookie, (holy molasses, this shit is tasty as hell!)
She nods her head.
"Just starting some of my exams. Our psychology exam is tomorrow, isn't it?"
I sigh and rub my forehead, nodding my head.
"Unfortunately. I don't think I'm ready. I'm kind of a dumb-dumb."
Yuri giggles quietly and takes another bite of her cookie.
"Don't say things like that! You'll do just fine, you're smarter than you think."
I wipe some crumbs off my shirt and chuckle.
"Yeah, I know. I just like hearing you give me compliments."
I shoot her a wink and smirk, causing her to blush and cover her face in her hands.
"Andrew! W-why…" She stammers out. I laugh heartily and squeeze her shoulder.
"I love seeing you get embarrassed. That's what you signed up for when you became my friend forever ago."
She sighed in her hands but lightly giggled. I knew she was fine. She's mostly used to it by now. Mostly.
Monika calls out to us, drawing my attention to her.
"Okay, everyone! We have exams this week, and unfortunately for us, we need to set aside time for studying. That being said, you are free to stay and do whatever you decide, but I am going to seclude myself at this desk here…" She slaps the desk right next to her several times. "…and get some last-minute studying in, so don't bother me."
She finishes her statement with her lovely smile and looks around the room.
"Any questions?"
I raise my hand with great exaggeration.
She giggles and playfully rolls her eyes.
"Yes, Andrew?"
"…..I forgot my question."
She playfully groans and sits down at her desk.
The rest of the girls laugh and return to their own things. I turn my attention back to Yuri.
"You going to look at anything? Finish any work?"
She looked at her bookbag by her foot and gave it some thought.
"Well, I do have a paper that needs finishing."
I raised and eyebrow and her and crossed my arms.
"A paper? This late in the semester?"
She reaches into her bag and pulls out her small laptop.
"Yes, one of my classes is taking an essay for the final exam. I like to think it's rather efficient."
I groaned and leaned back where I sat.
"Well duh, you're like Einstein with purple hair. I tried reading one of your papers once and saw more big words than I think is actually in the dictionary. You make good grades on them because your professors can't even understand your papers."
She giggles and locks her eyes onto her screen.
"Well, I'm more of a sophisticated writer myself. We have so many complex words in our language and I feel it's useful to implement them to our best abilities."
I playfully groan out loud.
"Blah, blah. I'm going to stick to small words, thank you very much. Easier on the ol' cranium."
I sit up straight and see her typing away, no doubt already working on her paper.
"Well, you have fun writing your smarty pants paper. I'm going to go force my eyes upon a textbook and try to retain some info. Give me a holler if you need anything."
I hop off the desk and retreat to the back of the room, away from everyone. I knew that if I didn't look busy, Sayori would drag me around to whatever adventure she would come up with, so I busted out the first textbook I had in my bag.
I propped my head in the palm of my hand and flipped through the textbook. I could already feel my eyes glazing over from my lack of interest in the textbook's material.
"This is going to be a long, few days." I mutter to myself.
I try to focus the best I can before inevitably dozing off, napping through the rest of the afternoon.