After Earth's Fall | ✔ UNDERGOING CONSTRUCTION

Chapter 2

Skye's words, relentlessly rake at her brain. It feels, impure. It feels, amoral to be even contemplating such secret, blasphemous things but then again, there's another feeling lurking deep underneath all the rest. One that she cannot quite point out. Skye made her swear a code of secrecy and that if she ever confided in anyone about it without her stamp of approval, they would think she's nuts as well. So for the time being, all Nila can do is dull the thoughts into a dreadful silence. If she doesn't think about it, she's sure to eventually forget and not have to feel sick to her stomach anymore.

At least, that is what she thought until last night after that awful nightmare she had. She had won the Draw and was on a ship headed to Earth; accompanied with three other shadowy and unidentifiable figures. Suddenly all of them had their tiny white cups filled with those tiny, white, mysterious pills. They all took them for one last time before horrifyingly distorting into mutated humanoids. Nila passed out from the 'pain' and awoke to this morning – obviously not a terrifying alien thing. Regardless, it still shook her so she has decided to do something about this conspiracy. She'll tell her friends about it at dinner first though.

"Nila! We need to talk," Nila's mother calls from the kitchen in an intimidatingly stern voice.

With that tone, Nila knows that she's no doubt in trouble, but for what? Did she oversleep again? Or worse, has her mother somehow discovered her conversation with the conspiracy theorist? She had just gotten back from training with Dylan and Anna once again.

"Yes, mother?" Nila sighs and drags herself off her comfy, inviting bed and walks into the kitchen where her mother and father are both sitting expectantly, hands tied formally in knots at the kitchen table. This calls for only one thing- a lecture. Reluctantly, Nila pulls out a white stool from under the table and takes a seat.

"How have you been performing lately at training?" her father asks.

"Miss Megalla said I'm working at an exemplary standard-" Nila trails off mid-sentence, pushing out her chair behind her to reach for her own Holo she's left to gather dust on the kitchen bench. "I can show you my analytics if you want."

Jared clears his throat. "No, that's fine. You can sit back down honey," and that is what she does.

"What your father and I are getting at is that we can see everything you do at training and we spotted something recently that we would like to talk to you about."

Nila struggles to stay focused on one singular train of thought in her panicking mind. Like a ticking clock, her heartbeat can be heard from within, faster than usual. She wonders if her parents can spot her sudden nervousness.

Her mother's Holo box emits a harsh, blue-lighted hologram. She didn't even notice Janice place it on the table, but here it is right in her face. The view pans from the right side of the centre, displaying the dojang until slowly panning to the left. There, Nila can be seen eavesdropping Skye and her so-called friends chitter-chatter a few meters away.

"Surely, you know who that shorter girl is. Skye Haillin. There's been some talk about her in the office and apparently, rumour says that this young impressionable girl is spreading invalid information from a Dissident. We don't want you to panic-"

"We most certainly want you to panic young lady." Nila's mother cuts him off short. Janice casts her eyes down to the Holo, drawing Nila back to the recording. "Look at you, infatuated with their gossip. When what you should be doing is watching the other students and sizing up your techniques. You haven't been listening to what she has been saying have you?"

Nila clenches her hands into a fist in her lap. "Of course not."

Despite this being awfully close to what could've been a much worse lecture, Nila feels a considerate amount of relief. Just in time, before it shows herself walking towards Skye, the camera pans back to the left.