Each step was wobbly. Desirae felt like she was stepping on the surface of water, her toes sinking into the ground like wet sand that ground between her toes. Each step was heavy, her feet dragging behind each other as she followed the line. Her head felt light, and her gaze was blurred if she wasn’t looking directly at the pathway. In the back of her mind, almost like an echo, she could hear Zeke still calling out for her. And if she tried hard enough, really hard, she could feel him grabbing onto her wrist to stop her from walking. This essence of companionship was the only thing keeping her from losing it as she mindlessly walked along the path. She wasn’t sure what was happening, she only knew that she was coherent enough to understand the fact that she was screwed. Desirae reached out her hand, sticking her tongue out as her muscles relaxed and the world turned to jello. The concrete felt squishy, the air was thick, and her vision was glazed. She was in control, but in reality, she wasn’t. She was following this path, ignoring the calls of Zeke--who sounded as distant as ever--and probably approaching her death. Who knew what was at the end of this rainbow, a thief? Murderer? Worse, her freshman year teacher telling her how much she’s failed in life? Shaking her head, she stopped at the end of the illuminated path. From there, the world began to unravel. Parts of the ground detached from the soil and disappeared into the void, leaving her on a circle that began to glow a purple hue. Wherever she moved her feet, it followed. Each shift she made, it glowed brighter. In front of her read: Where to next, Desirae? Next? I don’t even know where I am now, she inwardly sighed and pinched her palms. She just wanted to get out of here and get Friday over with. Maybe then, she could get out of the augmented community once and for all. They were serving to be one of the biggest pains in the ass she had ever experienced. Taking a shaky breath, she attempted to take a step outside of the neon circle, and then the city breathed back to life. The void blew away into the wind, like a bird flying from its nest for the first and last time. Each step revealed more of the stone pathway--more of that concrete jungle that climbed into the sky and bled into the stars. She blinked, each light passing her by like a blur and the world feeling more unstable than before. Holding onto the railing, she made her way down a few steps and watched a few residents climb onto a flying taxi cab, smiling idly as it drifted over the water before soaring away. Sometimes, modern day-to-day technologies amazed her. That would be the only normal service that appeared luxurious--a flying taxicab. Everything else was as bleak as it always has been. “Markus, you have given me some fantastic info. Where’d you get your hands on this?” “Let’s just say we swept some things under the rug. Don’t worry about the how, I just want to make sure it is put in the right hands.” Desirae peered past the corner, reaching up to place her hand on the wall but gasped when it didn’t make contact. She watched as her finger went through the brick, only returning to view when she pulled back. Balling her hands into fists, she looked back towards the two people talking. The taller gentleman had his back facing her, his arms crossed, and his posture upright. Every so often, he would move his hands dramatically while talking. The person facing her way was younger, with dark hair and a coy smile. Markus and her father were talking like the best of buds. In Nathaniel’s right hand was a piece of crumpled paper, something taped to the upper righthand corner that made it go limp. She squinted and took a few steps closer, feeling eerily that she was looking straight at them, but they hardly paid mind to her. Markus at one point looked through her as if she was a ghost. “If you don’t mind me asking, Nathan, what do you plan on doing with that info?” Her father hesitated, swaying his head as he contemplated opening his big, stupid mouth. He never failed, though. He always spoke up. “Make the city safer again. That’s my goal. Now I know what to give to my backers.” Safer. She furrowed her brow and stood next to them, peering past her father's shoulder and onto the page. There were a few names scribbled down, and on top of the old-school thumb drive was the word "tags" scribbled onto a piece of masking tape. Blinking, she furrowed her brow and looked up at her father who smiled as wide as ever. “One day, Mark, we are gonna have cleaner streets. And you’ll be a part of it all.” ⟨ᴠᴀɢʀᴀɴᴛ⟩ Desirae woke shortly after that sentence, her eyes dry and her balance wobbly. Zeke held her up by her shoulders as she stepped to the side, looking around the streets outside the pizzeria. Letting out a few deep breaths, she made eye contact with Zeke as he asked her an endless amount of questions. “Zeke--shut up for a second, will you?” “I’m sorry?” “I said shut up.” Desirae sighed and reached up to feel her face, looking at the wall and desperately grabbed ahold of the brick. When the rough texture scratched against her hand, she let out a chuckle and pushed herself to stand back up straight. “What the actual fuck.” “What’s gotten into you?” Zeke asked with crossed arms. “Why did you stand there for like, ten minutes, without saying anything?” “You know? I don’t know. I really don’t know.” Desirae chuckled and looked at Zeke with wide eyes. As she ran her fingers across her palm, she could feel the small point where she had been pricked. She wasn’t sure if that was reality, or if it was a hallucination from being drugged. All she knew was she was happy she didn’t end up mugged or kidnapped. Looking past Zeke, she saw her father and Markus walking back towards the pizzeria. Carefully placing her hand on his arm, she edged him to the side with a dropped jaw. In her father’s right hand was a folded piece of paper, crumpled and limp on one of the top corners. “Zeke?” she whispered shakily. “What is it?” “Get me the fuck outta here, please.”