Dreambreaker

Dangerous Attraction

The cafeteria at City Central School was a monotonous gray like everything else in Jayde's life. Long tables stretched across the room, where students ate their identical, tasteless meals in silence. Conversations were rare. Even the smallest whisper felt dangerous, like stepping too close to a cliff's edge.
Jayde sat in her usual spot, poking at the bland lump of protein on her plate. It didn't even look like food. Just a grayish square, perfect and controlled, exactly like the students who obediently choked it down. Across the table, her classmates hunched over their trays, chewing in quiet, mechanical motions.She glanced over at them—Alyce, with her meticulously brushed hair pulled into a tight ponytail, and Maren, who never made eye contact. They all looked the same. Uniform, predictable, utterly forgettable. Even her own reflection in the cafeteria's polished metal walls was indistinguishable from the others. Sometimes, she wondered if anyone would notice if she just disappeared. Would anyone care? Probably not.Alyce shot her a look, her lips pressing into a thin line. "You're doing it again, Jayde."Jayde blinked, confused. "Doing what?""Staring off into space." Alyce's voice was sharp, accusing. "You know it's suspicious. You don't want to look like you're—" She lowered her voice to a whisper, "—dreaming."Dreaming. The word itself felt like a forbidden curse, sending a jolt of fear down Jayde's spine. "I wasn't dreaming," she muttered, quickly shoveling a piece of the protein lump into her mouth, though it tasted like cardboard."Good. You know what happens to people who start... thinking too much," Maren whispered, her eyes darting nervously around the room.Jayde nodded, swallowing the tasteless food with difficulty. She knew. They all knew. The Regime didn't tolerate daydreamers. Anyone caught being too "curious" or "imaginative" was sent away. No one ever saw them again. Most people assumed they were reprogrammed, conditioned into perfect compliance. Or worse.She tried to push the thought out of her head, but it lingered like a shadow.Her gaze drifted to the far side of the cafeteria, where Wes sat. He leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed, that infuriating smirk still playing on his lips. The others seemed to avoid him like a plague, as though they sensed he didn't belong.And he didn't.Wes stood out, not just because he was new. There was something about him that made Jayde's stomach flip every time she looked at him. His dark hair fell just the wrong side of messy, like he didn't care about the strict grooming guidelines. His uniform was slightly unbuttoned at the collar—rebellious by the Regime's standards—and he had a lean, athletic build that made her heart race. But it was his eyes that unsettled her the most. They gleamed with something she hadn't seen in anyone else in this place. Confidence. Mischief. Like he had a secret and wasn't afraid to keep it.A flutter of excitement danced in her chest despite herself."You're staring again," Alyce hissed.Jayde blinked, quickly looking down at her plate. "I wasn't.""You were staring at him. At Wes." Alyce leaned forward, her voice dropping to a low murmur. "You should stay away from him. He's trouble.""Why?" Jayde asked, feeling a little defensive despite herself."Because no one knows where he came from," Maren chimed in, her voice barely audible. "He just showed up. No records. No background. Nothing."Alyce nodded, eyes narrowing. "And have you noticed? He doesn't take the clarity capsules."Jayde's heart skipped a beat. She had noticed. The little white pills that every student was forced to swallow twice a day, the pills that blocked dreams and suppressed creativity—she hadn't seen Wes take one. Not once."That's probably why he's always smirking," Alyce added bitterly, glancing in his direction. "He thinks he's better than the rest of us."Jayde's eyes flickered back to him. Maybe he was better. He wasn't like the others, so rigid and afraid of everything. There was a spark in him, something electric that made the rest of the world feel... dull by comparison. Her cheeks flushed at the thought.Alyce's voice snapped her out of her reverie. "Anyway, you should avoid him. Trust me."Jayde forced a nod, but her mind was already drifting back to their conversation earlier that day, the way he'd whispered in her ear about meeting him at the library. She wasn't sure why she was so intrigued by him—maybe it was because he was new, maybe it was because he didn't seem afraid to break the rules. But deep down, Jayde knew it was something else.He got to her. Something about him stirred up a restlessness she hadn't felt before. A restlessness that felt like it was about to explode out of her.---The rest of the day dragged on like every other. Lessons in the same dull classrooms with the same dull teachers. Jayde forced herself to take notes, to nod along as if she cared about the endless lectures on obedience, efficiency, and compliance. The Regime's favorite words.But all she could think about was Wes. And the way his eyes had gleamed when he'd told her to meet him. By the time the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, Jayde's nerves were shot. She kept her head down as she filed out of the building with the rest of the students, her heart racing in her chest. She knew what she was about to do was dangerous—stupid, even. But the pull was too strong to ignore.Instead of heading straight home like she was supposed to, Jayde veered off course and slipped into the alley behind the school. The library was hidden away in a quiet part of the city, rarely used by anyone other than the teachers or those seeking "educational" resources approved by The Regime. Most of the books had been purged long ago, deemed too provocative or dangerous. But some still remained, locked away in the deeper sections of the building.Jayde rounded the corner and spotted the entrance. Her pulse quickened. This was it.Before she could second-guess herself, she slipped inside.The library was eerily silent, the faint hum of fluorescent lights buzzing overhead. Rows of metal bookshelves lined the walls, most of them nearly empty. A few educational texts sat on the shelves, untouched and gathering dust.Jayde's breath caught in her throat as she stepped deeper into the building, her footsteps echoing off the tiled floor. She wasn't supposed to be here. If anyone found her—"You came."She nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of his voice. Wes stepped out from the shadows between the shelves, his smirk still firmly in place. He leaned casually against the nearest bookshelf, arms crossed.Her heart raced. He looked even more unreal up close. His dark eyes held a mischievous glint, and the curve of his lips made her stomach flip. He was tall, taller than most boys in their year, and his uniform looked like he wore it only because he had to, the top buttons undone and his sleeves rolled up. There was an edge to him that sent a shiver down her spine."I didn't think you'd show," he said, pushing off the shelf and stepping closer.Jayde's mouth went dry. She forced herself to stand her ground, despite how her knees felt like jelly. "I'm not sure why I did."Wes grinned, his eyes gleaming in the dim light. "Curiosity, maybe? Or maybe you just wanted to see what it's like to be free for once."Her breath hitched. Free? What did he mean by that?"I don't understand," she whispered, glancing around nervously. "What are we doing here?"Wes shrugged, as if this was the most normal thing in the world. "I told you. I wanted to show you something."He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small vial filled with a shimmering, iridescent liquid. Jayde's eyes widened."What is that?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.Wes smiled, his expression softening. "This is what they don't want you to have, Jayde. This... is freedom."Jayde stared at the vial, her heart thudding in her chest. "Freedom? What do you mean?"Wes leaned in closer, his breath warm against her ear. "Dreams, Jayde. The Regime has stolen your dreams. But you don't have to let them."Her pulse quickened. She wanted to pull away, to run, to deny everything he was saying—but she couldn't. His words had struck something deep inside her, something she didn't even know was still there.Dreams. Freedom.Could it really be that simple?Her gaze locked onto his, and for the first time in her life, she didn't feel scared. She felt... alive.