5:34 a.m. BTS – 8/28/341 U.M.
2:34 p.m. SWT – 8/28/341 U.M.
I stare blearily at the screen. I woke up early today, and was unable to fall back asleep. So I am scrolling through digital maps of Earth on my computer. Dylan's house was still there twelve years ago, but I have no idea if he lived there or not.
Bing! Bing! Bing!
I slide my eyes over to my nightstand. My phone is buzzing like it's going crazy. Sighing, I scoot my chair over enough to grab the phone. It's Eru.
Scrunching my eyebrows together, I stare at the picture for a moment, and then answer. "Hello?"
"Claire? Claire. Good. Oh, Great One, I wasn't sure I would reach you or not."
"What's going on?" Eru's panicked tone is making me feel more awake. I stand up. "Eru."
"Um, um, Great One. You remember when you told me to look out for you?"
"Yeah..." I say, opening my curtain wide enough to see out into the water. Few of the tunnels are lit up at this hour. Buatar doesn't officially awaken until six a.m.
"Well, I was, uh, poking around. You know."
"Hacking?" I ask.
"Sure. Hacking. Anyway, I was just poking around, like I said, but then I saw something that concerns you."
"Spit it out!" I exclaim, clutching at the hem of my shirt.
"Head Leader Mehre, he's got some sort of warrant to search your place!"
I freeze, mind automatically jumping to everything illegal about this house. First of all, all of the information on Earth burned into our computers, then there is my Earthian outfit, my candy....
Oh, Great One. My mom's bag of photos. And who knows what my other family members have squirrelled away.
"Eru," I say quietly, voice barely under control, "I need you to listen to me very carefully. And then I need you to give the answer. When are they coming?"
"THEY'RE COMING AT SIX O' CLOCK!"
Horror claiming my lungs, I turn to the clock on my computer. It is 5:36 a.m. Twenty-four minutes remain.
"Igottago," I say in a rush, hanging up the phone and tossing it on my bed. Then, I rush out of my room and start banging on doors.
"Claire?" Roland says drowsily, poking his head out into the hallway. "Why in Creation are you making so much noise?"
My mouth has gone dry, so I swallow. My parents and aunt and uncle open their doors. My aunt is tying on her robe, and my dad is yawning.
Okay, Claire, breathe, I remind myself. "A warrant..." I say shakily, "A warrant's been submitted... they're... They're coming here!"
My aunt visibly pales. "Wh–what? When?"
"How do you know?" Dad asks.
"Six," I reply, "and I have a friend."
"Who's coming?" Roland exclaims, throwing his hands up.
No one answers, and no one says anything for several seconds. Then, surprisingly, Aunt Lila takes charge. "Well, what are we standing here for?! Get moving!"
YOU ARE READING
Fractured | The Portal Series book 1
Science Fiction**COMPLETE!!!** Two warring countries, a hidden nation, and the power to control them all. 341 years into the Universal Millennium, Pangea is the newest colony world. Young and exotic, it is a planet of paradise. But all paradises have a flaw. Pange...
