Hush sighs dwelled amid the encircling mute, denoting whatever emotion of the possessor. The clock's ticking was harbouring attention for its purpose of meaning; time. Ironically, minutes and seconds only attained its rightful respect whenever it was limited.

The blanks were filled and written neatly on the piece of paper lying on my table. History was the subject of matter. Concentration gained fully as the period in the exam neared an end.

My eyes skimmed through the question once more, revising everything just to make sure I answered it correctly. This particular question was one with the highest mark on it:

In 2220, after a subsequent 50 years of no more male born recorded due to a genetic disorder, World War V befall on earth; killing most of the remaining men. The rest die of old age, and a Chinese man name Guozhi, was the last men recorded alive who died at the age of 110 in the year 2280.

I pondered on the validity of fact. Was it even possible for a genetic disorder to wipe out males in mere years?

"Time's up!"

The invigilator's voice pulled me out of my reverie. Getting up with my exam paper in hand, I brought it upfront to be submitted. A small relief gravitated to my core that a day had passed and out of my misery. Exams made me restless.

"Are you still with us, Charis?" Amy came to me, hands curling with her girlfriend. I took it she was coming with us too.

"Yeah... Let's go," I replied, smiling shyly. I couldn't explain why my cheeks flushed each time I witnessed people in love.

After meeting up with Alatha, we were finally on our way to Amy's house. She was among the early students' owning a car, and hers was a violet Wonda 02. The design was dainty, four-seated petite and had a slightly serrated fascia.

We passed the townhouses, drove into an area with a closed property sign and met with the withering forest. Nature surrounded us for a while before we arrived at a gate. Amy stopped to unlock it so we could enter.

I was in awe once Amy's house came into view. It did occur to me she was wealthy. Her mother was an Engineer under IT, and I'd seen her once in talk shows. But, I didn't expect her life to be on another level of futuristic.

Her house was a modern monolithic dome design home, the same only recently been constructed in the city. It was chic and elegant.

My eyes kept wandering around until we reached her living room. From where we stood, a glass wall revealed the view of her backyard. A small greenhouse was built there.

"They took it yesterday..."

In an instant, I turned to the girl who had so far babbled about something I didn't understand. The word it was a great deal my attention couldn't pass.

"I'm sorry?" My query was not about the subject she was referring to, but frankly the reason for it.

"My pod," she stated.

"No, I mean, why?" I clarified. I didn't know why suddenly I felt curious to know.

"When they came to check, they told us it was dying, so they took it. Something about trying to prolong its life," Amy explained, there was a hint of sadness on her face. She took a deep breath then continued, "At least it would be of some use, I mean the girl in the news needed a new kidney."

Esther leaned into Amy, frowning. "But it really doesn't look good. It was pale and-"

"We better not talk about this. It's a sad thing," Alatha interjected. "So... Where's the stash, Amy?" she asked a second later, changing the topic in a snap.

When I looked at her, she gave me a tender smile. A momentary confusion hit me. She was repulsive towards the pods the other day, but today she seemed to act differently.

However, I was more surprised by the new information from Amy; hence the idea slid off my mind like a passing wind. I never knew that the pods were somehow 'a donor' else than their sperm. But I brushed off the feeling after thinking there wasn't anything wrong with it since they were dying as Amy claimed.

"Okay, we're done talking about the pods. Let's go to my room. I keep the stash there," Amy suggested.

Silently agreeing not to stretch the impending awkwardness, all of us nodded and followed Amy in silence. We walked through a long and narrow hall, passing a few large disclosed sections.

Amidst the somewhat long path, there were an array of rooms. I stopped by a slightly ajar door. Curiosity got the better of me and for a quick second, my eyes strayed to the inside. It looked like a storage space; there were stacks of boxes and carts. I could make out some strange things that I had never seen before, including clothes with an unusual design. Wonder filled my mind but the situation wouldn't allow any answer. I finished the unintended pause and rejoined my friends.

When we reached a door decorated with sorts of pastel colour ornaments, we stopped; it very much portrayed Amy's lively character.

"Welcome to my humble abode!" She squealed, making a welcoming gesture as the door swung open.

My eye widened as soon as I saw what was inside.

"Now Charis, since this is your first time, you need to make an oath. Anything you see in here must never leave this place. It will be our secret," she added, flashing me a serious face.

I was already gaping toward the posters stuck on the wall, it was something I'd never seen before. It made me dumbfounded beyond comprehend.

"But how-"

To be continued...

***

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