Semia

All in a Happenstance

As quick as a gun, Semia shot out of the house. The door tore open when she lay her palms flat on it almost flying off its' hinges into the neighbours front yard.

Easily and as quick, her mother was hot on her heels, all eighty three kilos of her. Semia pressed the kite symbol on her keys to open the driver seat, the engine revved and ready to go.

Flying into the car was an understatement. With arms outstretched and body tilted, she propelled herself into the car. But Ma was strong and she was agile, she leaped and grabbed her tank top.

Since when?!

Semia landed on her ass, absolutely grateful that she had something to land on. Ma dragged her on the floor and towards the house.

"Let go!"

"Not until you tell us how you know of this" Her father spoke from the doorway. He pulled a card with the logo from his back pocket.

Did he just have them chilling in his pockets?

"I don't know, okay?" She replied in gasps while trying to loosen her mothers death grip.

Her right side and back were in bruises. The sting from the bruises being scraped further caused her eyes to flood.

They were making such a ruckus but where was everyone? A quick scan of the streets revealed no life. No old ladies preening their gardens. No teenage cliques prancing about in their latest outfits. No space age kids fighting with light up swords and knocking down everything from fences to Y3 Community guards.

As a matter of fact, there were no community guards anywhere. Had everyone moved while she was away?

I don't like this.

She jerked back suddenly, freeing herself of her tank top. A quick roll and flip got her and her discarded car keys into the car before Ma could take a second lunge.

"Go!" Semia yelled directly into the steering wheel simultaneously closing the door shut.

Her car skid to the curb giving Ma easy access to dig her nails into the small gap between the door and the rest of the car. From the looks of things, Ma intended to rip it and pull her straight out. Something that just wasn't going to happen.

Semia's mind didn't have enough time to process what was going on or the reason for the attack. She didn't have time to feel sorry for her mother as the car turned a one eighty, and zoomed the hell out of there. It probably grazed Ma's knees a lot but she felt attacked, so instinct kicked in and training presented itself.

She'd only managed to shake of her mother for three seconds when the woman got onto her feet and started to gain on her. Still looking through the rear view mirror, Semia's right hand held the gear and shifted it to the highest.

The car not used to this speed and shooting up three gears, jerked heavily three times. So intense it was that her head bobbed then plastered to the seat. Her arms flailing in the air above her head, the exact second Ma leaped...and missed the cars' hood, hitting the tarred ground yet again.

A red icon pulsed, urging her to touch it so the pressure inside would be reduced. The steering was moving wildly having no instructions other than 'go'. Speaking a command was out of the question. Her teeth felt just about ready to give up and fly into her throat.

She managed, despite feeling like all her flesh was being pushed back against her bones, to tap the icon. Immediately, the pressure eased and she figured out where all the right turns had taken her in that split second. She swerved her car sharply to the left to avoid being crushed to smithereens by her mother.

Wrong move.

The car swivelled around. High pitch squeals from her tires slowed her mother's mad hunt. Looking through the side mirror, she saw her mother kneeling on the ground with her hands over her ears. Her mouth open in agony, and the tattered remains of her floral pink and yellow blouse flying with the wind her car generated.

Semia dared a look at her father, now on the curb she had almost crushed. A cold and guarded look in his once happy eyes.

She could waste no second wondering where her parents where. It all felt surreal. Like it came straight out of a movie.

"ChiBi" She woke up her cars' ChatterBox system.

"My name is Saij" It responded sounding irritated.

"Tell Alex to pick Lesly up" She glanced looked at the time, easing the car into a normal speed at the same time. Lesly would be out of school in ten minutes "No arguments and straight to the office"

The ChatterBox remained silent.

"I'm serious!" She yelled.

"My name is Saij" She spoke in a cool voice but equally annoyed as Semia.

Semia let out an angry sigh, lifting her hands heavenward and banging it on the steering.

"Fine, fine. Saij, please!"

A corn coloured smile formed on the pixelated radio screen.

"Calling Alex from Office" She said before leaving Semia in silence.

Using back routes sometimes so small that she thanked all that lives for her small car, she got to the main road in minutes. Traffic was already starting to build up, though it wasn't one fifths of the traffic the Lower West experienced. She cruised through red lights, making turns like a motherfucking boss and zooming straight through the amber-turning-to-green traffic lights.

She arrived at the office in just under forty-five minutes and panting hard. Alex had called earlier confirming Lesly was safe.

Only in the protected area of the parking lot did she get time to relax and breathe. She hadn't noticed it but, her arms were shaking and the bruises she sustained had drawn some blood, now dried, on her skin.

She let her arms fall to her thighs and her body slump against the seat. Someone knocked on the door and she whispered a command to roll down the window.

"Did you pass through a grater, my lovely?" Alex asked, scanning her body and simultneously sending a report back to the database. Semia could feel the invasive heat trail her body, reminding her she was topless. Alex was only half a man, she tried convincing herself to be lazy.

"Don't kid yourself" He said simply.

She thought about his question.

What

Just

Happened?

______________________

Jess xx