Skye Crying

06 ║Rayla

~ Apprehension: Noun ~

Anxiety or fear that something bad or unpleasant will happen.

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Clip Six - Rayla's POV:

"Rayla! Get your ass down here, you're going to be late!"

I groaned and rolled over in my bed, getting myself tangled up in the sheets in the process. I had already pressed snooze on my alarm clock three times, which was highly unusual for me. Normally I was a perfect model citizen of Central, but last night I had stayed up way past the normal bedtime due to what I had thought was a major breakthrough in my search for the resistance, but it had simply turned out to be a false trail that had lead me to a suspicious, shitty website that ended up giving my hacked tablet a virus that I hadn't been able to clear out of the system yet. I had fallen into a deep, albeit extremely frustrated sleep as soon as I had realized that it was just another failed attempt to find a resistance that I didn't even know existed at all.

My room was devoid of anything except for the small yet comfortable bed that I currently occupied, the small table with my alarm clock to my left and the dresser opposite me that held my clothes. I untangled myself from my sheets, but they seemed very intent on keeping me in bed for as long as possible. It tangled around my ankle and tripped me as I made my way to the dresser, making my knee slam onto the hard metal floor and pain crawl its way up my leg.

"Dammit! I'm coming mom!" She had just shouted something that I didn't care to repeat up the stairs, but I could definitely tell that she was pissed off.

Sighing through my nose I pulled some clothes out of the dresser, examining my options. Today was an extremely important day. For reasons unknown to me or my family I had been summoned to a private meeting with CAP. 

We got the message last night, and as soon as I read it fear shot through me, filling my veins with ice. At first I had thought that they had somehow figured out that I was searching for a rebellion against them, so I had immediately bolted upstairs to check my tablet. I couldn't find any evidence that they had noticed my infiltrations into their communication system via code, and my theory evolved to the idea that they could've noticed how I've been putting a noticeable amount of effort into evading their VR systems lately. 

This one seemed the most believable, though it also helped that this was the one that was the least likely to get me kicked out of Central and thrown to the nonexistent mercy of the Mendeni.

I pulled on some dark grey jeans, a tight three quarters sleeved black top, a hooded black vest and dark brown combat boots. I figured standing out was the last thing I wanted to do today, and a neutral pallet always helps. 

I meet my mom downstairs, not surprised to see that she's wearing a black wireless VR headset and holding out her arm, apparently shaking hands and talking with the air. 

"Oh its so nice to see you Matilda, I haven't been able to get out of the house much you see, tightened curfew and all that — oh Rayla? Yes, she's doing just fine, got called to a private meeting with CAP today! So exciting, simply marvelous, I — no, we don't know why, but since its CAP it can only be good can't it?" My mothers last sentence is a prime example of the extent of CAP's control over the citizens of Central. She knows as well as I do that this meeting is anything but 'good', yet lies bluntly to other peoples faces. 

I clear my throat loudly but my mom doesn't stop her flow of senseless babble to the unseen Matilda. I try again, but she still doesn't notice anything. I reach over and press the button on the back of the headset to shut it down. It gives a low whine and my mother stops speaking abruptly, and I know that she just got cut off from the digital world. She yanks the headset off roughly and throws it in a corner, glaring at me fiercely.

My mother doesn't have what you would call beautiful facial features, but her eyes make up for it. They're a gorgeous deep blue with purple surrounding the pupil and flecks of silver scattered in the iris, making it seem like she has a miniature galaxy in her head. I was fortunate enough to inherit them, but I also got my mom's thin, plain black hair that never cooperates and her paler then pale skin — which sucks because that means whenever I blush, I blush HARD. 

"Rayla, how many times have I told you not to mess with my headsets?! I was in the middle of a nice conversation and —" I quickly cut her off before she can build up a head of steam which makes her rant for hours on end.

"Look mom, I'm sorry, but we have to leave or we're going to be late!" I have to bite my tongue to stop from adding 'You even said so yourself.' 

This seems to register with her and she gasps, glancing out the window to see the sleek sedan with blacked out windows waiting for us. She mumbles something inaudible and quickly shoves me out the door into the waiting vehicle. 

I clamber in and immediately notice the four men in black suits and dark sunglasses, two of them sitting up front and two sitting on either side of me and my mother. They were completely still and said nothing as the car lurched forward and made its way through the empty streets of Central. I noticed with a chill that they all had guns in their hands with the safety off. My mother doesn't say a word, just lets out a tiny squeak when she notices the pistols.

The ride goes by quickly, the car weaving its way through the city. I gaze out the window, taking in the metal buildings and the increasing number of people as we get deeper into the heart of the city, all of the pedestrians wearing the dark headsets of CAP. We reach the towering steel wall that surrounds the innermost part of Central, the homes and headquarters of CAP. The driver rolls the dark window down and says something quietly to another man in a suit. Actually now that I look around, I notice that a large number of these men are roving around our car, eyes on the orange, cloudy sky and hands on their triggers. 

Our driver finishes his conversation and the massive gates in front of us open soundlessly, revealing impressive, towering buildings that are a lot more technologically advanced and frankly fancier then the ones on the outskirts of Central. 

My mother, who has been deadly quiet this whole ride, reaches over and gives my hand a squeeze. Her fingers are cold and clammy, and I can feel her shaking slightly. It isn't like her to impulsively show affection, but the reassuring pressure is exactly what I need to calm my nerves right now. 

The car pulls forward into the heart of Central, and the gates close ominously behind us.

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