"Ava," I hear a voice that is too familiar in my ear as if I have heard it my whole entire life.
"Ava, wake up!" is he angry with me?
"Open your eyes!" is he shaking my body?
Aiden's voice echoes inside my head.
I try to open my eyes, but a prickling light stabs them. So I put my hand above my eyes and try to open them again slowly. My bedroom light is on, but it's still too dark outside as my sight catches the uncovered window across my bed.
I scan through my room and find the clock just struck at 3.15 a.m. A pair of grey eyes are staring at me from the edge of my bed.
"Geez," I gasp in shock. "Wanda, you almost gave me a heart attack!" My chest hurts as my heart thumps frantically inside because I thought I've just seen a ghost.
"Get up, Miss Ava!" Wanda pulls the blanket off of my body as if staring at someone sleeping is something normal. "You need to get out of here quickly!"
She hustles around my room, pacing from one corner to the other. Snatching my backpack, putting clothes inside, and walking back to me who's still lying half-asleep. "What's going on?"
"Put these on," she tosses a black turtle neck top and a pair of my black jeans from the hanger before handing me my black winter coat. "You need to hurry, Miss Ava!"
Still in a daze, I try to sit up and take the coat from her hand. "Who died?"
"The Monarch is going to be here in five hours," Wanda continues, ignoring me. "You need to get away as far as possible before they get here!"
"Why?" I finally muster enough consciousness to get up from my bed, and put on the clothes Wanda gave me. I take my backpack and shove the rest of the things I can find on my bedside table inside it.
"They're going to take you away," Wanda ushers me outside once I'm done. We tiptoe carefully downstairs as she leads us to the kitchen where the back door is. She wants me to take the path that leads to Liam's house. So she knows my secret getaway track all these years... how great! I thought I was good at rendezvousing up until now. When I was little, I used to sneak outside at midnight to stargaze with Liam.
"What if I refuse to go with them?" what if Wanda is lying to me right now?
She takes four apples, a half loaf of bread, and a bottle of water before putting all of the in a smaller bag. She hands it to me, "they will take you away by force if they have to."
Her eyes shine even under the dim light of the kitchen. The fear that reflects on them is my answer to the question I just asked in my head. Wanda would never lie to me, she cares for me like a mother to her daughter. She probably loves me more than my mother ever did.
"I have friends waiting for you at the end of the road. You'll find a bus stop there and get in the vehicle once you're there! Don't say anything or ask any questions, and do not talk to anybody! They know who you are, and they will tell you when you've reached your destination." Wanda explains to me all the details I need for my journey, only leaving out the information of where I'm going and the people I'll be on the road with. "Do you understand?"
I nod my head as I take the bag from her hand, "Wanda, What will happen to everyone when the Monarch can't find me here?"
Wanda's face softens as tears roll down my face, "your family is going to be alright, Miss Ava!"
"But what about you? What will happen to you?" I know my parents and my brother are going to be okay because they're important to the Monarch, but Wanda does not have the same privilege as them.
"You don't have to worry about me," she pulls me into an embrace one last time. "You should take care of yourself and live your life freely, Miss! You're young with a bright future ahead of you. It's going to be a waste to see you locked up in the Lab for the rest of your life," there's a warm smile on her face when I pull away, I almost offer her to come with me. "Now, go!"
At least if I go missing, the Council will never be able to take the rest of my family to court because I'm the puzzle they have to resolve. They will probably hold up the research, and I probably will never be able to see my family again. Maybe I will send them letters one day and ask them to join me after I can find a safe place to live. We will build another house from scratch, and we can become a family once again. I hope I'm not dead yet by then.
***
I remember I was walking for so long in the dark until I finally found a bus stop at the end of the road as Wanda instructed. There are only 3 other passengers inside excluding me. The bus drives off the moment I sit down and an announcement of where I'll be going is broadcasted from the invisible speaker.
Next stop, Borderland.
Next stop, Borderland.
This journey is going to take approximately twelve hours with one stop at Saint Marry road.
Thank you for choosing our services. Have a pleasant trip!
Why am I going to Borderland? What's in there? Nobody ever goes there unless you're going to cross to get to Faubourgh. There's a strict checking point at the crossing border anyway, and I'm sure I don't have the documents to be able to pass the security.
After the checkpoint, there's a long tunnel that will take two hours to drive through. After that, there's nothing but the forest around you. Nobody lives in Borderland. Nobody is brave enough to do so because it's too close to Faubourgh where all the Demits are.
Demit, a zombie-like creature, was once a living Anaral. Those who choose not to be cremated after they die will be thrown into this island 28 hours away (by boat, it takes only 12 hours by a special plane where they drop off Anaral corpses) from Borderland.
These creatures are dangerous, they will eat you. The difference between them and the real zombie is that they don't infect you if you get bitten. You're just going to be... well, wounded with several missing body parts if not dead.
It also takes up to 7 days before Anaral's corpse fully transforms into a Demit.
Borderland is a spacious, extensive land with nothing but deep forest and wildlife. It's almost bigger than Suburbia itself.
I'm starting to panic, and I almost asked the old woman who's sitting behind me. But I remember Wanda warned me not to talk to anybody, so I choose to remain silent in my seat. Well, I have never been outside my homeland, so I get these mixed-up emotions of curiosity, fear, and excitement to see what exists in this strange land I've only seen on TV and in books.