In a nightmare world ravaged by misery, the Imperium offers utopia to a select few. When Arya and Everett are recruited into this elite society, they choose to leave their homes against their families' wishes.
Naive and young, Arya and Everett are...
The walk from the tall building where we met the Foreman - which, we discovered earlier today, is called the Wellness Hub - to our pods is a long, winding journey. Everett and I cover most of it in silence. My mind is a tangle of overlapping thoughts. I attempt to calm myself by counting the iridescent tubes along the street-side, lazily losing track after a dozen.
I tip my head to the side, catching a glance of Everett. His usual sharp gaze is gone, replaced by a faraway, hazy look that leaves me nonplussed. I find myself wishing that we could know each other's thoughts as clearly as we know the contours and lines of our faces.
As we near our pods, I notice that the citizens that live in the neighboring pods are also walking towards the modest, unassuming building, apparently having completed their respective work shifts.
We emerge into our floor - my eyes straining against the stark white glint that coats every surface - and I notice that the citizens are pairing up and entering their pods together again. The citizens are wearing identical dutiful expressions, not unlike the looks on their faces as they toil at the botanical garden.
Without warning, the Foreman's blunt words return to me in bits and pieces . . . neither of you is engaged in sexual activity . . . if it's a pregnancy you're concerned about . . . daily nutrition will take care of that . . .
A brand new revelation materializes in my head, one that causes a spark of energy to trill down my limbs. All of a sudden, I'm very relieved that Everett and I can't read each other's thoughts after all.
Worried that my face has given away my feelings, I glance at him, my hands knotting together behind me. But he still looks so far away and pensive that he might as well be all the way back at the Wellness Hub. When he finally catches me peering at him inquisitively, the corners of his lips turn up in an apologetic smile that fails to reach his eyes. I watch his sharp, sky-blue gaze flit across the empty hallway, understanding dawning on him when he notices the final couple disappearing into a pod together. Much to my relief, the solemn expression on his face finally clears away as two spots of color form on his cheeks.
"So, uh," he says softly, and his new line of thought is crystal clear to me. He looks at the door marked 'F930' pointedly before turning away. "I'll get my water and see you . . . ?"
That night when Everett and I shared my room for the first time, a new, spacious bed had unfolded from the panels in the wall. But from the next day onwards, the earlier, narrower bed appeared again. Despite that, Everett and I continued to share the following nights. We'd curl up together in the tight space, exhausted, almost always falling asleep as soon as we'd settled into our familiar embrace.
Yet, at this moment, the idea of having Everett's warm body near mine - even on the big bed that unfolds only on nights like these when the citizens pair off - sends goosebumps surging up my arms underneath the fabric of my suit.
"Of course," I try to say nonchalantly, rubbing my newly healed fingers against my forearm. I inch towards my door and hold my bracelet up to unlock it, and I can hear Everett doing the same across the hallway.
Once I've wedged the bracelet between the sleek door and the frame, I discard my suit and step into the waiting glass chamber, my movements detached and mechanical. As the clean-smelling spray coats my skin, I find myself wondering about the citizens that went into the pods together. I don't think the citizens take showers in their pods separately the way Everett and I do.
This cubicle is just barely big enough to fit two people if they stood facing each other. Although a barrage of questions follows this thought, I'm too distracted to address them. As the warm spray washes away all the remnants of today from my skin, my energy drains with it. I emerge from the cubicle, clean but exhausted.
I'm stepping into a fresh charcoal-grey suit when I hear a soft knock. I let Everett in, following him into the room as it plunges into semi-darkness.
The bed looms in the middle of the room, a large, inviting silhouette that suddenly makes me nervous. One glance at Everett confirms that his shoulders are also stiff and tense. Slowly, I move towards the bed and wordlessly lower myself on one end. Everett follows after placing his water canteen on the floor, but in the vast expanse of this bed, there is an arm's length of safe distance between us.
The weak illumination of the corridor lights is almost like moonlight, bathing Everett in a dim white glow. Unable to meet his gaze, I focus on his dark, slightly damp hair. In the few weeks since we regained our memories, his hair has grown longer, almost falling over eyes when it's in a disarray.
Gradually, my frazzled thoughts settle down, a silence descending over them. I'm unaware of how much time passes before Everett calls my name, quietly and with intent.
"Yes?" I whisper back, tucking my open palm under my face.
"What are you thinking about?"
"I . . . I don't know," I say honestly, a yawn escaping from my lips.
"It's been a difficult day. You should rest."
My eyelids grow heavy as if to obey his words. I try to keep them open despite my mounting drowsiness, but when Everett gingerly slides his fingertips over my eyelids, I give in.
I feel my limbs surrendering, sinking into the soft bed when I hear him whispering something to me, something that sounds a lot like, I'm sorry. But before I can begin to wonder why Everett apologized, the rich oblivion of dreamless slumber rises like a wave and swallows me whole.
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Hey guys, sorry for the late update again. I'm uploading this chapter from my phone (I'm not able to log in from my laptop, maybe it's a problem with my browser?). Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)
As always, I'm so grateful to everyone for reading my stories, voting, and commenting. Also, thank you to everyone for reading Falling in the Dark. The story has hit 500K reads! ♡
