Crush The Crown.
Resist The Throne.
Destroy The Ceremony.
This is Pax Americana, a Utopian society in which no crimes nor rebellions have occurred for the past forty years. The secret to their success? Control the children.
Under the R.Y.E. - Rebell...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Angethena squinted against the harsh, white light that reflected off the four white walls composing the square room. She sat on the edge of her seat, spine straighter than the dark strands of hair on the woman's head, a stark contrast in the bright room. Two officers, face masked and still dressed in their combat uniforms, strapped her to the chair, one on each side. Large sandpaper hands gripped her thin wrists, holding her arms down as the ends of bonds clicked together around her hands. The more she struggled, the tighter the restraints became.
Then, The Crown descended upon her head, sending terror signals to each and every one of her nerve cells. Stay calm. Stay calm.
All the while, the woman on the opposite side of the table wore an easy smile and lounged in her seat. After the two Officers departed, they were the only people in the room, but she knew dozens of guards stood outside.
"Allow me to introduce myself," the woman began, "I'm Special Agent Pallasia Le."
Angethena refused to greet her, and Le's eye twitched visibly from the rejection but maintained her facetious smile nonetheless.
"Don't look so tense, Ms. Yang. If you cooperate willingly, you will be out of here in a few moments." Hearing no rejections, Le continued, "I just want to ask you some questions." They locked eyes, and Angethena clenched her jaws, sensing the succeeding question. "Where were you this morning?"
Images of her run, the park, and him flickered in her mind, but she shrugged. "Depends on the time. I could've been in bed, in the kitchen, at school-"
The first pain wave stroke. The excruciating agony crashed down on her, like the ocean waves, drenching her in unnecessary memories, things she never wanted to remember.
She re-lived the moment she heard of Drystan's death. The sadness, the pain, the good memories they shared came rushing back. Her lungs threatened to burst. Tears stung the corners of her eyes, blurring her vision. It's not real. Pull yourself together.
"Let me rephrase the question for you, Ms. Yang: Where were you at precisely," Le skimmed through the contents on her paper thin tablet, "six forty-eight this morning?"
Her fingers gripped the arms of the chair. "Sorry." She grimaced. "I don't wear watches, so I wouldn't know."
The tablet slammed onto the table with a bang and the sound bounced off the empty walls. Angethena flinched, scared of what Le would do to her.
The second wave of pain was of her parents. The high expectations and the unrelenting strive for perfection suffocated her as her trachea restricted. Her head felt as if Le had personally bashed it into one of the white walls.
"No worries," the woman grunted through gritted teeth, "Let me remind you."
A keypad extended from the Agent's side of the table, and within seconds the four white walls disappeared behind the images projected onto them. They were no longer sitting in the white-washed room, but instead at the park where she met Drystan that morning. It was as if she was reliving the incident over again and that they would collide once more at any moment now.
