New Rain

IV.

A/N

Hey again.

What can I say about this chapter? Well, I personally quite like this one, even though nothing really happends at the start. I'm sure you'll all enjoy the action at the end, however, so stick around for that. 

Of course, I'm gonna finish off this authors note with: please vote and comment. And I really hope you do. Even something as simple as a vote really encourages me to write on, and after an update, I Iiterally keep my phone by my side 24/7 so that I can check for any recent comments. 

So let's keep the votes and reads coming and hopefully I can get this book finished.

-Astrid

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//FOUR//

Late in the afternoon, I pull myself up off the floor and finally turn to face the room they've locked me in. In my head, I'm envisioning a four walled cell with maybe a bed and a small window, but what I see surprises me and I frown. If they're just gonna kill me, why bother with all this?

The room is large, larger than both my bedroom and my mother's bedroom combined. A queen sized bed sits backed up against a cream-coloured wall to my right and the standard national emblem hangs above it. Opposite the bed, there is a large wall of mirrors which make the room seem even larger and when I stand in front of them I see double of everything: two gold chandeliers hanging from the white ceiling; two oak desks sitting in the back corner; two pairs of large sliding doors leading to two balconies beyond them; two wooden doors at the back of the room leading to bathrooms; and a duplicate short blonde-haired girl with grey eyes, dressed in an old grey shirt and worn black pants.

I stare at my reflection for a second, unused to seeing my own self staring back at me. We don't have mirrors at home and over the years I've gotten used to seeing my reflection only in windows or glass doors as a slightly blurred, dull figure that lacks detail.

Now I can see all the details I've missed since seeing my school photos last year, like all the new freckles dotting my cheeks from time spent in the sun, the two small cuts on my left collar bone and forehead (how did those get there?) and the way my grey eyes have a slight blue tint that isn't captured in photos. 

I step away from the mirror and walk to the balcony, where the beige curtains are fluttering lightly in the breeze let in by the open door. I step outside and place my hands on the metal railing. I've always seen the Government buildings on Saturdays as I've headed off to do the shopping with my mum. I think off all the times I've looked up and seen this balcony and ones like it, wishing that someday I'd get the chance to step onto it and look out over the city. I didn't think I'd be getting my wish quite so soon, nor did I think it would happen under such terrible circumstances.

I stare out at the residential section of the city, the houses all in neat rows that extend on for miles. From this side of the building, I can't see the skyscrapers that tower over the city just behind the Government building, but the view is still amazing, all the same. In the distance, I can make out the flat expanse of open land that extends for hundreds of miles, filled only with the rubble of the old cities. I've never been out there and I never intend to go. The chances of making it to the nearest city without getting caught in an acid storm are practically zero and I don’t really fancy death.

After a few minutes, I tighten my hold on the metal railing and lean forward, thinking about how easy it would be to just jump off the balcony and run for it. But my head rubs against something solid and I take a few quick steps back from the railing, surprised. A spark of faint blue light ripples in front of my eyes, pulsing momentarily in the spot where my head was, before vanishing. I take a cautious step forward and reach out my right hand. The moment my palm touches the invisible wall the light appears again, splaying outwards and creating a barrier around the balcony. I pull away and the wall of blue sinks back into invisibility.