Free Minds

Chapter 21.

   I awoke this morning well-ridden with anxiety. Camila, Aarav and Dorian were coming over today. The food in my mouth right now might as well have been sandpaper with each bite.

   But that could also be because this cereal was a little too close to its expiry date.

   Why couldn't I just wake up from this nightmare already?

"I know I've been coming in later than usual," Mum said from her seat in our kitchen. "Final year in Med School has just been really hectic and the hospital cannot seem to find a stable substitute for me yet."

"Yeah, you have." Like I'm one to talk. "But I get it, don't worry."

"So how are you? Is everything good in sch—Oh my God! Are you okay?" she had to yell over the coughing fit from me that interrupted her and rushed to pat my back.

"I'm okay." I swallowed another emerging cough down my battered chest.

   At least my almost fatal choking on my breakfast had diverted her attention from her first question. Not that I orchestrated this near death experience or anything, but now I wasn't going to feel sick to my stomach for lying yet again.

"I'll be at the hospital." She stepped away to place her cup in the sink. "The study group's meeting again so I'll be home late. I filled up the pantry and you can heat up dinner in the fridge when you come from school."

"Okay." I smiled. "Bye, Mum."

"Bye!"

   After she walked out the door, I took a few minutes to survey my environment. I sighed, deserting the bowl of food before me and rising from my seat.

   It was time to get to work.

***

"I mean, it looks fine... right?"

   Great, now my anxiety has driven me to pose paranoid questions to absolutely no one. This was after the same emotion had driven me to clean every part of my home. Except the terrifying attic, of course. I was not going in there.

   But I had cleaned the garage/laundry room. Sort of, anyway.

   My arms were letting me have it for working them so hard. I collapsed out of breath on my couch, probably looking as ridiculous as I felt.

   Eventually going up to the bathroom for the second time today, the echoing droplets from the shower nozzle was not enough to drown out the snarky voice roasting me for being such a people pleaser.

   In my defence, I was not that type of person. Not usually, anyway. But it was not like I was wrong for thinking about, or rather predicting, the comments I was going to be subtly attacked with for having a different lifestyle.

   I returned to my room after finishing with my shower to find that my phone had lit up from a text from Dorian.

   They were here.

***

"Hey." I approached Dorian after spotting his familiar sweater and jeans clad figure from afar.

   His texts read that he was standing near one of the bus stops in a usually busy street in Ridgeton. I found him waiting in front of a large, brick-walled music store, one of the famous landmarks in the district. And the oldest.

   My brows furrowed when I realised he was there alone, without Rav and Camila.

"Hi." Dorian gave me a curt response, his stare never breaking away from the store facing us.

   I looked around for the remaining two just to be sure, before asking, "Are we going to wait a while for the rest?"

"No. They're still at the bunker."