Citizen

Chapter twenty-seven

— rough edit, please feel free to point out any mistakes! —

As the frost crept over Arabel, so to did the rain clouds. Kyra paced her room, listening as water pounded against her window in a constant beat; the sound, which usually calmed her, did nothing to dull her anxiety. Droplets blurred the bright city lights until nothing could be seen. It was heavy, so much so that Kyra couldn't even see James' house a mere five metres away. Shivering, she crossed to the window and pressed the button under the ledge; thick metal blinds came down to block out the outside world. And yet, the thunder was still audible, shaking the house as lightning struck the ground.

Kyra stopped walking and glanced at her door, sighing. "Stop procrastinating," she murmured. The words were more apprehensive than her actions as she crouched down and reached into the backpack under her bed. It was full of things she thought she might need outside: food, water, a first aid kit, a knife, a tooth brush, a book about survival from James. The bag was bursting at the seams as she slid it back under, keeping only the book in her hand. Indulgent? Yes - James thought so, anyway. But she didn't know how long she would be gone, and that scared her more than the idea of actually leaving.

She ran her finger under the stiff book cover, pulling it upwards with a jerk; where the inky black words should have been was a roughly cut hole, and inside it was a hand scrawled notebook. The pages were stained in watercolour ink and dark pen, outlining a range of plants that could be found on the outside. Most Kyra had never heard of, let alone fathomed their existence - the sheer variety of colours and textures made her jaw hang low. It was like learning the difference between food and crayons all over again.

A knock on the door made Kyra toss the notebook. She swore under her breath, scrambling to retrieve the book from where she'd thrown it on the floor. For a moment she froze. Waiting for a command. It was still odd to her that nothing came. She was almost tempted to scold herself.

"Kyra? What was that?" The voice was Danny's.

"Nothing, nothing!" She struggled to her feet, shoving the book under her pillow just as the door swung open.

Danny stood in the doorway, his hair plastered to his forehead, beads of water dripping down his chin. His eyes narrowed. "Why are you puffing?"

Kyra got to her feet, straightening her shirt. "I was doing some sit ups."

Danny raised a brow. "You're a terrible liar. I might have believed you'd just shoved a stolen book under there if I didn't know you better." He pointed at her pillow; her chest tightened.

She laughed, but it caught in her throat. "So what's up?"

He looked down and took off his glasses, clearing the fog that settled on them with his shirt. "Nothing, really. I... I just wanted to make sure you're okay, we haven't really talked since the Result ceremony. At least not about important stuff."

"Yeah, I know." Kyra pulled her knees up to her chest as she settled on the bed. "I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" Danny pressed his glasses back up to his eyes; it was only then Kyra saw they were creased in the corners. Worry.

She smiled. "I'm sure. I mean," Kyra took a deep breath, "it was strange, getting this job. I prepared myself to be a nurse most of my life, it was all I pictured myself doing. So getting this was a bit hard to swallow. On the brightside, I think this job has helped me understand everything better. I get why people are the way they are and I can help them. Or at least try."

Danny sank into the desk chair and leaned forward on his knees. "It would definitely be odd at first. But I guess as long as you're happy, that's the main thing, right?"