Athena's Court

Chapter 4

Ram paced around his room, rubbing his chin. The events of the previous day still spun in his head. His dad, the company, Capo...

He threw himself on his chair, adjusting its position so he was facing the wire-filled ceiling.

"What a life," he whispered to no one in particular.

He closed his eyes, slowly breathing in and out. The only sounds that broke the silence were the wiring of his computer's fans and the low hum of the LEDs above.

It felt like the walls were closing in on him, slowly but surely, every day a little closer.

His phone buzzed. Ram opened one eye, staring at the silver device on his desk.

Rolling his eyes, he extended his arm towards the phone.

He scraped his fingers on top of it, trying to inch it a fraction closer.

Having almost pulled one of his deltoids, he finally managed to grab the phone.

The phone lit up.

A message.

Capo.

wyd?

Ram squinted. What was he supposed to answer to that? What did that even mean?

He locked the phone, placing it on his chest as he sighed explosively.

He needed to get out from between these four walls. He needed to get out of the house for a bit.

But where should he go?

He pocketed his phone, stood up, and walked toward the window.

The city of Antwerp stood proud in the distance, towers breaking through the smoke like a sunken city in an ocean of white. Darkness had fallen across the landscape, and specks of light broke through the all-consuming smog. It was idyllic and flawed, bundled in one megalopolitan area.

He stared at the distant city for what felt like hours.

He could take his dad's car. He didn't even have to drive himself.

He needed this.

And it would only take an hour, tops.

Making up his mind, he quickly darted toward the door.

It looked like his dad wasn't home, as the whole building was coated in darkness.

Good, his dad wouldn't even know he was gone.

Ram snuck outside his room. Broad beams of light from the floodlights outside seeped through the windows, lighting up part of the corridor.

He didn't like the dark. He never had. His room was filled with light - from large screens to the LEDs that hung around the room like a spiderweb, to the different types of machinery blinking. It felt safe in a way.

His eyes panned the wide corridor. No movement.

He went right, sneaking through the hall slowly but deliberately. His pulse surged, even though he was still inside his home and hadn't done anything out of bounds. And still, it felt freeing, to mere thought of going against the grain of what his dad wanted, of what the world expected from him.

A rustle.

Ram looked behind him as he walked further, peering into the vast darkness that enveloped the other side of the corridor, but he couldn't see anything. The dominant light breaking through the darkness from outside only revealed an immaculately clean floor.

He turned around and bumped into someone, falling on his rear.

A marble-white, rugged bust rose before him, balancing on a waist-length pedestal. It depicted his dad before he became more machine than man. It felt like the statue was looking down at him, accusing Ram of his inner turmoil, its eyes hidden in the shadows.