Opal Waters | ✔

Chapter 23

I didn't want to get out of bed. The sheets were warm and inviting and the idea of placing my application for time off today was frightening. I pulled the covers over my head once again hoping to avoid the ringing of my alarm clock.

The muffled noise was still loud enough to drive me crazy. The ringing echoing through my ears until I couldn't take it anymore. I ripped the sheets away from myself slamming my hand down on top of the alarm clock. It trembles on the desk until it crashes to the floor.

I curse mentally at the blasted thing brushing it to the side with my food. It wouldn't be useful to me for much longer.

Now that I was up and out of bed I figured I might as well get ready for school. I was ready for the weekend, ready to spend my time hanging out on the beach dreaming of the waves. Hopefully, if everything went through properly, come Monday morning I would be on my own in the waves. Deep below the surface and so far away from here that no one would ever be able to find me.

I groaned when I opened my closet door realizing I hadn't done laundry in a while. The thought of having nothing to wear was yet just another annoyance of my morning. I mentally attacked myself yet again for spending too much time with Damien, I'd been slacking on the daily tasks that I needed to get down and I was going to have to pay for it.

I grabbed a simple tee shirt, not something I would normally wear to school but it was going to have to do. The only options I had for pants was a tattered pair that barely fit anymore or a pair of leggings. I shook my head opting for the comfort and threw the clothes on. There was nothing I could do about it, unless I had a magic time machine that would take me back to last night and make me do my laundry instead of waste my time trying to teach Damien how to do magic.

My heart fell to the bottom of my stomach at the thought of Damien. I couldn't lie to myself, I was still a little mad that he had lied to me. My heart still felt betrayed, but I couldn't hold it against him. If only he knew what I'd been putting him through the last couple of weeks. I was torturing him. Using him. Allowing him to get close to me knowing I was just going to leave and he wasn't going to be able to go with me.

I felt bad about last night. I needed to apologize to Damien, and I would the next time I saw him. I was getting better at swallowing my pride as the days went on. The longer I was at this school the more I hated myself.

But that was all going to change in due time.

As I continued to get ready I worked on my backup plan in my mind. The plan I would have to implement if they denied my travel time. The gears were turning, the thoughts ticking as I did whatever needed to do.

Once I was finally at school I went straight to the office. The second time I had done this, this week. I needed to get my application in as soon as possible though. The fears still echoed in the back of my mind, my thoughts racing through options if they realized I was lying. What if they questioned me about it and they looked deeper into why I was really trying to leave?

Was there punishment for trying to leave the pod?

Damien was running away from his and if what he says is true they were trying to kill him, would my pod do the same to me?

I tried my best to push those thoughts away from my head as I slowly opened the door to the office. A pleasant Sammy greeted me from behind the desk. I was able to let out a sigh of relief at the thought of Sammy. She was the easiest to talk to, the best to ask questions to, and the nicest when it came to time off requests. I'd hoped that since I hadn't placed one in a long time, at least a couple years, and I hadn't been sick in nearly as long, my chances would be even better.

"How are you Opal?" She beams as she looks up from the same computer Asada had sat at earlier this week. They all shared one. The administrative staff was universal, and like a united front they showed no signs of weaknesses. I smiled in response.

"I'm here for a time off sheet," I motioned towards the stack of papers on her desk, knowing they kept them close by. She nodded grabbing one off the top of the stack before handing it to me.

"Where are you trying to go?" She questions. I shrugged my shoulders. I guess it was better to tell her now, so she wouldn't be too suspicious with my paper.

"I think it's time I try and find my mother," I wondered how she would take the news. Maybe it would shock her, or maybe she would know that I wasn't old enough to do something like that. She nodded her head for a moment, the smile fading from her face as she pondered the idea.

"I think..." She paused for a moment, her fingers tapping on the table rhythmically as she does so, "that sounds like a wonderful idea," The smile returns to her face as she leans forward handing me a pen so I can fill out the paperwork. "You know the drill," She popped her lips. I nodded my head grabbing the sheet while taking the seat across from her.

And with a shaky hand, and a running mind, I filled in every last line on the paper, hoping they wouldn't notice my web of lies.