A Raven's Plight, page 3
Outside, her best friend Belle stood waiting, her face quirked in an expectant half-smile. Ayla didn’t know whether to feel relieved or groan. Belle would only have come down from the city this early for one reason: To police Ayla’s fashion. However, Ayla must have looked piteous indeed because Belle’s expression quickly changed to concern.
“What’s going on?” The other girl whispered to her.
“Dad’s making waffles,” Ayla murmured, unsure how to explain it.
Belle was clearly baffled but didn’t press for any more information. Instead, she pulled a box from her backpack and handed it to Ayla. “A back-to-school gift. Maybe it will help with the… uh… waffle problem?”
“Thanks,” Ayla replied in resignation. She stepped out of the way as Belle entered and shut the door, taking the lid off of the simple striped box. Within were a pair of brand-new black cargo pants with delicate rhinestones at the corner of each of the back pockets. “Belle!” Ayla exclaimed, “Where did you find these?”
Belle tried to suppress a smile while slipping off her jacket, revealing an airy blouse tucked beneath a tight checkered vest that emphasized her petite waist and mature figure. “Go change, I want to see how they fit!” She insisted.
For a few brief minutes, Ayla forgot about the debacle with her father as she changed. But even the delight of new clothes couldn’t subdue her increasingly potent headache. It didn’t improve when she returned to the kitchen.
The fresh aroma of spiced-cinnamon waffles, coffee, and cold orange juice seemed starkly contrasted by the various emotions floating around the table. Ayla was weighted down by a heavy despondency, her earlier joy at new pants tempered by Gaige’s disapproving appraisal. “Those pants are too tight,” he growled as she entered the kitchen.
“They look great,” Belle had assured her.
Ayla’s temples throbbed as the scent of waffles wound its way through her sinuses, exacerbating an already profound misery. Her dad stank of guilt, while Gaige seemed to be looking everywhere except Belle, who not-coincidentally, seemed very intent upon staring at Gaige. Richard had retreated to the corner between the kitchen counter and the stairs, nonchalantly reading something on his holo-chip while drinking his second cup of coffee, and occasionally grinning up at the spectacle.
“You know,” Ayla said after picking at her breakfast for a few tense minutes, “I’m not really feeling that hungry anyway. I’m just going to head out.” She stood to leave.
Belle stood beside her, grabbing two extra waffles, and waving to Ayla’s dad, “Thanks for breakfast Mister T. It was great!”
“That girl eats more than Gaige,” Richard murmured into his cup as she bounced from the room.
Gaige stared longingly at the plate still stacked high with waffles, before chugging the remainder of his orange juice and standing up. “Hope it’s a good business trip for you two. See you next week.” He clapped his father on the shoulder before following the girls.
Richard chuckled as he looked over to the other man. “That could have gone worse, right?”
Tony sighed irritably as he stood up and began to put dishes into the sink. “Come on, let’s clean up. We need to leave in twenty minutes if we want to arrive at the convention on time. It’s nearly an eight-hour flight.”
The cool rush of morning air quickly doused the lingering smell of breakfast as the trio pushed out into the street. Relieved to be free of her father’s constant scrutiny, Ayla glanced down the road to the left where it abruptly ended in the forest. A shabby fence was all that stood between the dead-end street, and hundreds, maybe thousands of miles of untamed wilderness.
The tall brick apartments on either side made the contrast all the more prominent. She turned away, following after Gaige as he made his way brusquely toward the city lift. It felt like walking into a giant birdcage.
Belle had followed Ayla’s gaze and sighed. “There will still be weekend retreats to look forward to,” she said encouragingly. “Besides, Jacob will be able to come with us now.” Her eyes glimmered knowingly as she said that last part.
Ayla glanced over at Belle, wondering what she was hinting at. They’d all missed Jacob that summer, and Ayla was no exception. Of course, with the way Belle had been making moves on Gaige, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Belle tried to orchestrate a similar relationship between her two other friends. She liked that kind of symmetry. Ayla motioned at the shining city before them and shook her head. “But this is what I have to look forward to five days a week. An overglamourized prison.”
Belle’s eyes sparkled as she stared up into the gleaming metropolis. “Most people would call ‘this’ beautiful.”
Above them sat the gleaming city, suspended from on high, with beautiful white spires, thousands of interlocking bridges, and hundreds of floors. Through each of the spires ran thick braided chords of gleaming metal, all the way up into space, where elevators facilitated the suspension of cities that stretched as far as a mile high, some places even higher. “In any case, it creates a pretty small footprint,” Bella pointed out. “The old grounder cities couldn’t accomplish that.”
“I’m glad to live on the ground,” Ayla replied. “I would hate to live so high up that I’d have to worry about air pressure control and oxygen systems.” She rubbed at her forehead envisioning what it would be like to wake up one day unable to breathe. Her hand came away slicked with sweat.
“Most people don’t live that high up, and you know that. Jacob is the only person you know, and… are you okay?” She paused beside Ayla, only just noticing the perspiration glistening on her friend’s face in the early morning coolness.
“Belle… My dad has started dating our school principal,” Ayla said flatly.
“What?!” Belle gasped.
Finally, Ayla thought. Someone who can appreciate the severity of this situation. Ayla nodded in validation as Belle launched a tirade against the injustices of adults who ruin the lives of their children. Gaige plodded on ahead of them, seemingly relieved to finally step into the gleaming metal elevator that would deliver them to school.
The cloud layers danced and shifted in the sky, caressing mile-tall buildings as they passed, leaving wet drops of dew running down the bright white surfaces. The central levels of the skycity sat squarely in a particularly moist patch of clouds, so it was no surprise that those loitering outside on the giant school balcony were soaking wet. Most of the students rushed inside as they arrived, either via Hoverbus, car, elevator, or one of the adjoining sky bridges. However, one young man, in particular, waited outside near the Northbridge.
He paced anxiously as he spoke on his holo-disk, working hard to conceal his irritation. “Father, summer is over,” he stressed. “I have school until 3 pm, and homework after that. I can’t make it to the meeting tomorrow, and besides,” he took a deep breath, trying not to let his anger through. “I missed my friends.”
Jacob had been away most of the summer on business with his father, while his friends remained behind. He’d been allowed to remain home during previous summers, but after turning 18, it was time to begin more rigorous training in the family business. There had been more than a few sunny afternoons where Jacob had stared out at the beautiful blue sky and thought enviously of his friends. Memories of those warm clear days made him bitter at his circumstances, a bitterness for which he was constantly chided.
“You want for nothing,” his father reminded him. “And yet you look longingly down upon those who have less. I would encourage you to embrace your position, it awards you many luxuries. Your ‘friends’ are inconsequential to your future.”
“I still have school to finish,” Jacob retorted, not hiding his irritation this time. “Class is about to start.” He clicked his holo-disk shut and shoved it into his pocket, his fingers momentarily brushing against a small box. A flush of nervous anxiety washed through him.
The truth was, those who had little riches in material wealth seemed all the wealthier in character. Those summers he’d spent outside with his friends were filled with the magic of childhood, a real childhood, and as he grew older, he realized how poorly society had prioritized the value of wealth over things that actually mattered.
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he stared down the Northbridge and saw three approaching figures. One was obviously Gaige, his tall stature, broad shoulders, and shining golden hair immediately evident. Beside him walked Belle, her skin-tight clothes outlining her prominent, and unquestionably alluring figure. But it was the girl who walked beside Belle that drew Jacob’s full attention. Tall and lean, her white hair was almost incandescent as the light reflected off of the clouds, her green eyes shone brightly against her dark skin, and a pleasant expression crossed her face as she spotted him. His hand tightened reflexively on the small box in his pocket as a mix of emotions swirled in his chest. There’s a whole school year for her to decide.
Gaige was the first to greet him with a firm handshake that moved into a bone-crushing hug. “Good to see you, brother,” He said happily. “It’s been a lonely summer without another man around. I’ve heard enough talk of hair and nails to last me a lifetime.”
Jacob gave a short bark of laughter as he pulled away. “Sounds like they kept you out of trouble!”
Belle was the next one to greet him, jumping up to wrap her arms around his shoulders. “What are you doing waiting for us in the mist, you crazy boy? You could have stood inside the Northbridge and stayed dry!” She exclaimed.
He patted her back for a moment, before working to pry her off. “Like you have room to judge,” he replied as she continued to crush the air from him. “You’re still dressed for the grounder summer.”
With a gasp, Belle pulled back in mock surprise. “You know nothing of fashion, Mr. Mason. This outfit is completely in vogue for the autumn season!”
He wrinkled his nose at being addressed by his surname, something that he’d grown used to during summer, but was glad to be away from. “In vogue or not, it’s not practical.”
“I won’t let your fashion naivety influence my brilliance. Besides, school is inside. Speaking of which, it’s cold, come on!” She tugged at Gaige’s arm and pulled him toward the entrance, glancing back only for a moment with a wry grin on her face.
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Ayla watched in dismay as Belle practically carried Gaige away, an obvious move to leave her alone with Jacob. Did she expect them to come sprinting inside behind them, or was this some specially orchestrated plan of hers? Belle had a tendency to weave webs to capture her prey, but this… Ayla looked away from her friend’s bobbing curls and met Jacob’s steel-gray gaze. It had only been three months since they’d said goodbye, but the time had changed him.
The softness of boyhood that had lined his face before leaving was gone, replaced by a maturity that bordered on manhood. His shoulders seemed broader, and he had even grown several inches. His hair was cut so that it was short and uniform, but the front was gelled into spikes, likely a sort of rebellion aimed at his father. Even with a friendship that stretched back to grade school, the change in his features made Ayla feel like she was seeing him for the first time.
She opened her mouth to speak but hesitated as her chest tightened at the idea of embracing him. What if more had changed than just Jacob’s appearance?
“You look good,” Jacob said, seeming to realize she was frozen in indecision.
“Ha, thanks, so do you! I mean, not that you don’t usually, but today...” The words poured out of her mouth before she even had time to internalize them, and Ayla felt her cheeks flush. “I just mean it’s good to see you.” She sighed, ready to cut her losses and head home. Maybe he would forget the awkward interaction by the following morning.
Instead, she felt warm arms encircle her. “I missed you, too.”
The sterile air of the Northbridge was replaced by the aroma of fresh blackberry blossoms and crushed pine needles, and suddenly it seemed like the summer Jacob had missed was standing right there with him. Somewhere inside, he realized that if he didn’t let go soon, he would officially be crossing some unseen line for how long those in platonic relationships were allowed to hug, but after a summer of frigid interactions, she felt like the sun. In fact, she felt a little too much like the sun.
Jacob let go and stepped back, rubbing his hands together anxiously, and trying to find a natural train of conversation. Clearly ‘you have a fever and probably should go home’ was not the opener he was looking for. Ayla had been getting headaches since he could remember, and she hated it when others noticed. Fevers weren’t frequent with her episodes, but they did happen if it was a bad one. Yet here she stood before him, her eyes as bright as spring’s new growth, her cheeks the soft pink of cherry blossoms, and her lips… he pulled his eyes away from her lips and focused back on her eyes. “How are you?” He regretted the words almost as soon as they were out of his mouth. They had years of memories to fall back on, and he was resorting to small talk when clearly she wasn’t feeling well. For some reason, seeing her after being away for three months made his heart pound, and appeared to dull his mental capacity.
“I’m sad to be back in school, but I’m happy to have you back home,” she replied, relieving some of the nervous tension that was building.
Jacob let out a breath. “Summer was mostly sitting in meetings, and wishing I was back home. Father wanted me to witness the industry at work, so that way when I head off to college, I know which subjects to pay special attention to.” He ran a hand absentmindedly through his hair, crushing some of the rigidity from his gel.“I’m glad there’s a whole school year to make some mischief before going away.” He moved to step beside her as they began walking toward the entrance, nudging at her playfully. Ayla’s smile warmed him, but he sensed unease between the tension of her brows. The headaches… he wondered.
From up ahead, they could hear the voice of one of the school administrators drifting out of the front doors of the school. She was calling for Belle. Jacob heard Ayla stifle a laugh. “Not even inside for two whole minutes, and she’s already getting detention,” Jacob guessed.
“No,” Ayla said. “She’s got a planning period with Miss Baker this year. She’s just getting settled for the morning.”
A glance at his holo-disk, and Jacob realized they were only a few minutes out from the first bell. He wasn’t ready to part ways yet, especially since he shared no classes with Ayla. But he had to see her. “Hey,” he said softly before entering the building. “Would you be able to hang out after school today? Maybe take a walk in the woods, for old times’ sake?” His heart thundered in his ears at his own boldness.
“Yeah,” Ayla replied with a nod. “I think I’d like that. Come on now, we don’t want to be late.”
Jacob felt simultaneously elated and frustrated. It would be the longest day of school ever.
Chapter
Two
Gaige harrumphed as he paced out front of the big white building. The morning clouds had burned off, and despite the rainy start to the day, the sky was clear and blue as kids rushed out of the school like prisoners fleeing from their cells. The morning had felt painfully long, especially with the meticulous amount of work he had to go through to see anyone he actually cared about. Except for Belle. He’d been doing his best to avoid her, which had been particularly tricky given how hard she was trying to find him. Jacob’s summer away had forced him to spend more time with the girls, and it had messed with his head big time.
The thought of Belle prompted him to run his fingers through his hair and shake his head, almost like he was trying to wrestle the very thought of her away. Ever since high school, his cousin’s annoying little friend had become an annoyingly appealing woman. She knew it too and used that knowledge to its full potential. Locker room chatter that morning seemed highly fixated on Belle, and despite himself, Gaige felt like throwing more than a few of the other boys into lockers. She shouldn’t have worn that outfit, he thought angrily to himself. She’s baiting every fool that lays eyes on her. Reluctantly, he admitted that even if she wore rags, she’d likely get attention. But she didn’t have to revel in it. If only she could be a little more subdued...
For a moment, his thoughts shifted to his cousin. Ayla was far more oblivious to the attention she garnered, and those who talked about girls in the locker room were also more reluctant to talk about her in front of Gaige. Smart. An incident from several years earlier made it clear where he stood on peers seeking any sort of relationship with her.
He dry-washed his hands impatiently and looked toward the school’s broad double doors. Earlier that day he’d talked with Ayla about Jacob coming over after school, and maybe the three (four if Belle decided to tag along) of them going out to the safehouse. It wasn’t typically something they did during the week, but he could understand Jacob’s eagerness to get away from the city and decompress. Of course, there were risks each time they visited, and the larger the group, the more dangerous it could be. It was easy to forget the danger since they’d been getting away with it his entire life. Afterall, no one was truly ‘stupid’ enough (according to the government) to go outside the city, so why waste funds on heavier patrols?
Finally, Belle and Ayla emerged from the school, their heads together. He had no doubt that they were gossiping about one thing or another that had happened that day. Luckily, no one had caught wind of his Uncle Tony’s relationship with the school principal. He couldn’t help but notice Ayla’s cheeks appeared flushed, no doubt the fever was still lingering. Concern flickered at the edge of his consciousness. She’d been prone to headaches and fevers her entire life, but lately, they’d been getting worse. He was certain other instances went unnoticed as well, but Tony balked at the idea of taking her to be seen. It was as if he was afraid of what they might find.
