Malfunction

Chapter One

She groaned as the alarm clock on her nightstand blared and fumbled around the in the dark, trying to push herself up from her comfortable bed. "Shut up, Suri!"

The white, oval alarm clock glowed blue for a moment as it processed the question. "Yes ma'am. shutting up, as requested."

She smiled when there was silence and then buried her head in her pillow again. It was wet from her drool and her hair was in a crazy mess but she didn't care. Only one more minute and then I'll get up, she thought, her mind on the verge of sleep again when Suri, the alarm clock, rang again, interrupting her peace.

 "Fine," She snapped, sitting up. "Fine, Suri. I'll get up, just be quiet." There was silence and she was tempted to bury herself under the covers again but instead hung her feet over the bed and stood up, stretching tiredly. "Suri, what time is it?"

The floating oval orb on her nightstand flashed blue again. "Eight-thirty AM, ma'am. According to your notes on your IPhone one-hundred-and-fifty-eight, you are late for the Mechanical Engineering, class number four."

"What do you mean?" She yelped, starting to panic and quickly ran to her dresser where she frantically dug through it, looking for some pants. When she found them, she stuffed them on and zipped them up as she headed to the kitchen. Once there, she grabbed an apple and her backpack from off of the counter before quickly running to her apartment door.

"Miss January," Suri said through the loud speaker. "You have forgotten your daily routine. Brush your teeth, your hair, apply winged eyeliner and mascara, and then—"

"I know Suri," she interrupted. "But I have no time."

"According to my calculations, you have ninety-six years of time before you—"

"Okay, I get it," she called, closing her apartment door behind her and adjusting her bag before heading down the long, cramped hall. She didn't have enough money to get a decent flat. She had spent all of her money on the Mechanical Engineering class. Now she was late, and all of her hard work would go to waste.

Once January hurried to the Speedaway, which just stood for Speedy Subway in modern terms, she paid her fare and clung onto a pole in the crowded mode of transportation. Her tired reflection stared back at her through the window. She had always been different. She loved the gothic look. Black choker necklace, multiple piercings on her ears, the nose and lip ring, everything that depicted a goth. Even the bad attitude, but she had developed that naturally.

"Square One coming up," the speaker crackled and January looked up.

There were cities called Squares. Each city had an assigned number. She was going to Square Three, where the college was at.

The Speedaway suddenly slowed and stopped smoothly. "We have arrived on Square One. Please exit now."

A few people stepped off and then the doors closed with a slow grind before the Speedaway started moving again. It slowly gained speed until it was at its regular two hundred miles an hour. They passed over a bridge that arched over the beautiful city of Square One. Little flying machines washed windows, cleaned up trash in the street, or advertised regular everyday items. Red and golden trees dotted parks and side streets next to old buildings that sold pastries and sweets.

January sighed contentedly, letting go of the pole to move over to the window. She set her hands on the sill, smiling. This view was what she saw every single day, and she enjoyed every minute of it.

"Square Three, coming up."

She hadn't even realized they had moved passed Square Two. The cities were very close together, making it hard to tell when each Square was up.