Nothing is real to me anymore. Everything seems to hate me and I don't know why. I don't even know who to trust, not even my own mother. My father is gone, so she's all I have left as far as parental supervision goes. I don't know what's wrong with her but our lives seem disconnected. Well, we never really had any kind of an established relationship but we could put up with each other. I have one friend, Josh. Brown-blonde hair, brown eyes just like his mother, tall, strong, handsome. Just a regular 18 year old. He is the only person I trust.
We met one year in school. I never planned to meet him, we just ran into each other. He was 16 and I was 14. I never really spoke to anyone, just minded my own business. Never cared what other people thought, their minds were stuffed up anyway. I was the freak, the loner, the target. Josh had friends...lots of them. They thought it was so damn hilarious to pick on me. He'd had enough, I guess. They'd be walking and one guy would make a beeline in my direction.
"Packing on the pounds there, Kailah. Better watch it or you won't be able to fit through the door." That's my name. Kailah Fedhelm.
"Shut up, Mark, at least I can fit through them now. Sorry, not looking good, buddy." That made him, Mark, angry. REALLY angry. No one commented on his weight. No one. No one even dared to joked about it. If it weren't for Josh, I would have sustained some serious injuries. He stood up for me when no one else would. From then on he's looked out for me. We've been friends since.
Society is about as corrupt as it gets. You can't walk out your front door without being suspected of a heinous crime. No one gets asked about anything, of course, but you always have someone watching you. The government have instated a new line of police called the "Modifications and Societal Re-Structural Unit". Or "MODS" for short. They're supposed to bring order to the country but they don't have much effect. There is always one on every corner. Two on every street. If someone sneezed they'd know who wipes their nose. They don't let a thing go by or let a single conversation go un-noticed. No one stops to talk or even spares so much as a glance at anyone. I just walk normally and try to fit in. I know some faces amongst the daily crowd but I don't acknowledge that I do. The MODS would probably grab me and take me in for questioning so I prefer to lie low. It seems to work.
There is only one area in my town where people feel safe and comfortable in. Everyone except me. They call it "The Pod", because everyone who goes there knows everybody else. Even the MODS are remotely friendly towards people. Most of the town shops and stores are around The Pod so everyone stops by at some point in their day. I hate it. It's too crowded for my taste or comfort. I try to focus on what I'm her for so I feel around in the rough leather bag I have slung over my shoulder for the food packed in a hurry this morning. It's not much but he'll have some too.
"Kailah!" I recognise the voice. It's not as if I wasn't expecting him so I just casually turn, only to be met with a beaming smile and the cheerful face of Josh Lelter grinning cheesily down at me.
"Oh, Josh. Hey." I mumble. I'm not very good when I come to interacting with others in public. Father used to say I was "one of the most socially awkward kids he had ever met".
The Pod is my meeting place with Josh. We usually meet here on weekends or after school, since we both live at opposite ends of Celta, our town. We're one of the minority towns in the country. The country I live in, Mantra, is small, but powerful. We have the army force of any major country which, considering the wars these days, is the best security we have. My mind wonders to the other corners of the world. I wonder what they're like? Whether they live in such conditions as we do. Maybe they're in the same situation. I can only wonder.
"Kailah, are you even listening?" Josh's voice snaps me back to reality.
"What? Oh, no. Sorry, what did you say?" I splutter out. Josh gives me an amused look.
