Citizen

Chapter two

Morning classes were quiet that day. It was their last day, after all. James coerced Kyra into spending the middle period in the library. If it was anyone else she wouldn't have done it, but his eyes were still downcast after revealing his sister was missing, his shoulders too tense to be okay. Every wall had a bookshelf built into it, while tables littered the centre of the narrow, long room. Surrounded by the scratching of pens against paper, the sweet smell of old books – of which there were few left – almost made her forget she was breaking the law.

Return to class, Citizen.

Kyra's fingers shook as she turned the page of her book. She stared down at the words, trying to register what they meant but saw a blur of black instead. Sighing, she snapped it shut and got to her feet, returning it to the nearest shelf. She was too fidgety to do nothing.

Kyra sat back down and glanced over at James. He was scrolling through a Tab. Like most of the things Arabel had invented, the Tab was a modified version of something that had existed before their society. In this case, a slim touch screen machine with a wiring board in the back was adapted to resemble a thin sheet of glass.

"Why are you watching me?" he asked. The smile in his voice was clear.

She rubbed the back of her neck as her eyes flickered to the grey sky out the window. "I'm not."

James elbowed Kyra gently in the side and angled the Tab towards her. 'Where were you last night?' was scrawled across the page. The message was too short compared to his rapid typing. She pulled it towards her and scrolled upwards. A doodle of their previous teacher describing a diagram of farmers' getting animals to mate took up the whole page, a funny caption running under it.

Kyra's fingers zoomed across the screen as she laughed lightly. A lock of curly dark hair fell into her eyes as she wrote, but she hurriedly pushed it away. I just stayed home. You know I don't like date night. Besides, it isn't really a date - that would be breaking a law. Although I'm sure you don't have any problems with that.

Kyra smirked as James shook his head. The son of two city council members was notoriously known for not following the law; there was a certain type of irony in it that never escaped her. His mother was the head of Informers, while his father was the head of Manufacturers. They could wipe his record clean and hold him up as a sparkly example of what a citizen should look like, but there were somethings they couldn't change – other peoples' experiences. James left an impression. Whether it was negative or positive was another question. Anyone who saw the marks on his wrists from punishments knew the answer.

Return to class, Citizen.

Kyra shook her head to clear it, wishing she was somewhere else learning useful things. Unfortunately, the last few years of her schooling had been a repeat of regurgitated information she'd known since she was six years old. It was less useful to her than a paint brush. She'd wanted to be a nurse for as long as she could remember; maybe it came from seeing her mother working in the hospital, or maybe it came from her father and his need to help people, no matter who they were. Either way, something about saving lives and helping people, even by cleaning up their vomit, appealed to Kyra in a way she couldn't explain.

James jabbed Kyra in the side. She picked up the Tab and read his response.

Because date night is date night. It's better to go and tough it out alone than stay at home with no sister and no parents around to keep you company. Oh, and there's free food.

"Food's always free," Kyra whispered, punching James on the arm. He laughed lightly, sending fine strands of gold cascading down his forehead.

"That doesn't mean you can't take more," James murmured, winking at Kyra as he leaned back in his chair.

Kyra opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by a fizzing sound, quickly followed by a sharp, lingering zap. It was a pain she would never get used to, like an electric shock ran through your veins, filling them with splinters as the air was ripped from your lungs.

This is against the law, Citizen. Return to class.

Her lungs were full of air that didn't seem to be enough, no matter how quickly she inhaled it.

James fell forward quicker than the smile dropped from his face.

She swallowed, hands clenched on the edge of the desk, unable to risk a glance around her. Her stomach twisted itself into knots. And then it started again. The inner monologue telling her she isn't good enough, that all the people in the room are watching her and know what she's done. The voice wasn't robotic, it's her own - but that only made it worse.

James interrupted her thoughts with a hand on her cheek. It was only then she realised her eyes were clenched shut. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "I'm fine." She wasn't. The beating of her heart was far too fast.

Obey. You are good, Arabel is good, everything is good. Remember that, Citizen.

Kyra stood with a tight-lipped smile, pulling James to his feet. "Better late to class than never, right?"

I am good. Arabel is good. Everything is good.

— — author's note — —

Hey guys! Thank you so much for reading this story.

What do you think about Kyra and James? What are your thoughts about their relationship and personalities?

Please consider commenting and voting if you enjoyed this chapter - your feedback means a lot to me!

- Brianna