Futo – Spring – Zul - Gitta (2nd Month, 1st Day, 1st Week) Year 815 GE
Light glowed behind her eyes, grumbling she rubbed at them with the back of her hand. Rolling over she squeezed her eyes tighter, trying to sleep a little longer. A door banged open behind her "Get up!" A child''s voice filled the room, Zira thought she had heard the voice before, but could not place it in her sleepy state.
“Go away,” she grumbled, burying her face under the covers, was that my voice? She thought. She had spoken in a much higher tone than she was used to hearing. Another thought occurred to her, when did I put covers on? When she had fallen asleep so abruptly the night before, she did not have enough time to pull the covers from her pouch. Pulling the mysterious covers over her head, she turned away from where the light was coming from.
“Get out of bed, you lazy bum,” it was the same young child’s voice she had heard just moments before. Again, her memory tugged at the sound of it. The child grabbed the blanket Zira had tucked over her head and yanked it down, in a quick motion Zira had a hold of one end, grunting as she tried to pull it back up over her head, still refusing to open her eyes.
“Is she still in bed?” Another young girl with a slightly lower voice called from the same area Zira had heard the banging sound from before.
“Ugh...” Zira grumbled and let go of the bedding, the girl pulling on it crashed to the floor, the blanket grasped to her chest. “Can''t a girl get any...” She stopped; she was staring at the child holding the bedding. Now she knew she was dreaming, “Lilac,” she whispered aloud before she launched from the bed, wrapping her arms around the young Byevern from her childhood. Zira was surprised to find the girl felt solid in her arms, was she dreaming?
With a startled laugh the Byevern, Lilac, asked “What is this now?” Zira could hear the smile in her young friend’s voice.
The shock was starting to set in. Lilac, the friend Zira had not seen in over three years, patted her gently on the back. Zira’s tears were staining the child’s shirt as she buried her face in her shoulder. Her mind was reeling. Crying hysterically into her friend’s embrace, she tried to piece together what had happened. How did I get so small? And how is Lilac here? Is this really a dream? The questions kept coming as her friend thumped her hand gently on her back.
It took time for Zira to calm down, getting her hysterics under control. When she finally pushed back from the girl, her eyes were still wet from the tears. She no longer felt like she was drowning in them. Finally able to control her breathing, she whispered to her friend, “How are you alive?”
The young Byevern stared at Zira, her eyes a bright lime, her hair a light purple, her skin pale mint green, covered in the scales of her people. Each Byevern carried markings that would identify what clan they were from, Zira knew this, but Lilac’s markings were completely covered by the uniform she wore.
“What did you dream about?” Lilac asked with a laugh, “You''re creeping me out, staring at me like that.” The girl who had spoken from the door, walked into the room. Zira didn''t bother to look at her, if this was Lilac as a child, chances were the other girl was Namari, her other friend from childhood.
With a snuffle, Zira started to explain, “I was an adult and...” she looked down, breathing heavily as she tried to get her emotions under control, “and....” She paused, “and... you were gone.” As she whispered the last, Zira''s tears started to fall from her eyes again. She scrubbed the back of her hands against her eyes, trying to get the tears under control.
Suddenly there was a rubbing sound as the other girl in the room, rubbed her hands together. The tears lifted from Zira''s cheeks, hovering shakily, then started to move toward the other girl in the room. The sensation had shocked Zira enough, her tears forgotten as she turned to face her Zutu friend from childhood, Namari. Her tears flowed through the air until Namari ushered them into a small water skin she wore on her left hip.
“Now,” Namari spoke firmly, her hands on her hips. “We''ll be late, you need to get ready for classes.” Zira squirmed under her friend''s black gaze, “And you, Zira, have an appointment at the Medical Wing.” With a quick smile Namari bent down running her finger under Zira''s eye, when she showed Zira the tear she added, "We can figure this all out during free time."
Zira smiled up at Namari, her heart really not in it. She still felt confused, she was an adult caught in the body of her childhood self. “Medical Wing,” She mused aloud, before she hopped up, looking in the mirror on her desk, she wasn''t surprised to find that the scar by her 3rd Zitta was still red, irritated from the Zitta breaking.
Zira had lived with the Hollow feeling that would occasionally take her over, even now, as an adult she sometimes felt like she could slip into that void and leave it all behind. And yet she always came back from the Hollow, its pull not strong enough to hold her for more than a couple of hours at a time. When she was younger, and the loss of her Zitta was still fresh, she had forgotten how strong the pull could be. She felt it now, like a small creature sitting on her shoulder, beckoning her to follow it into the darkness beyond.
Her 3rd Zitta had been damaged the first time she used her third casting. The shadow that had been summoned with the casting went out of control. It had sliced the Zitta on her cheek and injured the medical examiner who had been watching over her at the time. Zira did not remember any of this; the moment she summoned her third casting she had lost consciousness. Not regaining it again until they installed the 4th Zitta and removed the broken shards from the 3rd. It had been three months before the next Zitta was ready to be installed. When finally, she awoke from her coma, she was informed of what had occurred. It surprised her to hear her shadow had rampaged for two weeks, injuring if not killing all who approached it, before they finally managed to subdue it.
The color drained from her face, she turned to the other two girls, “How long have I been awake?” Her hand was still rubbing the raw skin next to her broken Zitta.
“Just over two weeks,” Namari was the one who answered, looking at Zira with concern.
Lilac and Namari exchanged worried glances before Lilac pressed a cold hand to Zira’s forehead, and one to her own. “Well, you’re…” she paused before she smiled, “Still warm.”
Namari pushed Lilac aside, rolling her eyes, “She doesn’t have a fever. Besides, you’re cold blooded, you wouldn’t be able to tell if she was feverish that way.”
Lilac smiled and turned to Zira, “She has a point there.”
“Stop being a goof,” Namari put in, before she turned to Zira, her hands on her hips, looking stern, for all she was only half a hand taller than Zira. “You, into the closet, you need to get changed.”
Not wanting to argue, Zira did as she was bid. A loud bell rang out as she closed the door, startling her. Her heart rate accelerating, Zira had to exert effort a moment to calm herself down. She remembered that bell. It was the first of three that would summon the children to their classes.
Zira grabbed the familiar tan uniform from her childhood, and the accompanying black scarf she always wore. Their uniforms changed only when they advanced from trainee to blooded trainee Kander. This usually occurred after they reached the age of 14 or 15 and their 4<sup>th</sup> Zitta was installed, and they completed their first mission. Zira’s memories told her that her first mission did not occur until after her 13<sup>th</sup> birthday and she mastered her 8<sup>th</sup> Zitta.
In their current uniform, the only differences between them were the color of their scarves. Zira’s was black because she was a Bee-tan, or a Dark Caster; more specifically, she was known as a Bee-tan-Hije or a Dark-Shadow Caster, it had been her third casting that had categorized her amongst the Hije. Her friend Lilac was classified as a Pyrin-Raidoen, which put her as a Fire-Lightning Caster. Namari was still only known as a Suiden or Water Caster, having only had the one Zitta installed she had not developed into any of the special classes that could follow after the initial Zitta installation. It was likely that Namari would not be classified into one of the various additional classes until she received her 3rd Zitta, and the direction of her abilities started to manifest.
When Zira exited the closet, her friends stopped what they had been discussing quietly without her present. She could feel the heavy weight in the air as she looked from her two friends.
"We should get going," Namari was the first to break the silence. Zira grabbed a tie, pulling her hair back. Namari gasped when Zira tied a wolf’s tail at the top of her head. “We can''t wear our hair like that yet,” she whispered as Lilac walked over to her.
“Here, let me fix it,” Lilac deftly took down the wolf’s tail and tied it at the base of her neck, the ponytail was for the youth before they were warriors, whereas the wolf tail was for when they became adults and official warriors in their own right. “We''re not warriors yet, you know, so no wolf’s tail,” she tweaked Zira''s nose.
Zira thumped her head lightly and made a face, “Oops, it really was a vivid dream.”
“Let''s get going,” Namari ushered the girls to the door, clearly impatient to be on their way, “The next bell will ring any moment now.” As if mentioning the bell summoned it, a loud ringing noise rang out through the room.
Zira was ready for it this time, just a slight flinch at the sound was all she let out. This was the second of the three bells, and it was clear Namari was getting anxious to get to class before the third rang out. The first had indicated 45 minutes until classes started, the second was to tell the students they were now down to 20 minutes. The third bell was five minutes before class. If the students were not in the school building before this bell went off, it was a guarantee they would be late for classes. When a student was late, they would be punished for their indiscretions. Zira could recall being punished on more than one occasion for her tardiness, and in each case, she had ended up doing the things she disliked most.
The girls rushed out of the room; the Wall Walk was busy with the other trainees heading toward their first class. Zira took hold of Lilac’s sleeve as they walked, wanting to keep some contact with this friend she had not seen in so long. Even if this was a dream, in the very least, she would memorize everything she could about her Byevern friend.
The Wall Walk split in two directions ahead of them, the school buildings were straight down the path, the Medical Wing and official’s offices were to the Left. Namari stopped suddenly, turning to face Zira and Lilac, “We’ll see you when you’re done,” she smiled. It was clear that Zira had forgotten again.
“Oh, right,” she thumped herself on the head with her free hand. “I forgot.” Reluctantly she released Lilac’s sleeve.
“See you when you’re done,” Lilac called out as she waved.
Zira waved in return at the two girls as they turned to head toward the school building. When she couldn’t see them anymore Zira turned toward the path that would lead her to the Medical Wing.
The door creaked as she stepped into the medical room. A young woman, not one of the Kander, greeted her when she walked up to the check in counter. “Who are you here to see?”
Zira stared at her blankly, not sure what she should say. What doctor had she seen in her dream? Her eyes must have glazed over, because the lady behind the desk asked a little annoyed, “Name?”
“Zira.”
“Zira.... Zira... Oh, here you are, you''re with Master Aldean, he was expecting you some time ago though.” The look in the woman''s eyes made Zira feel uncomfortable, how had she irritated this woman so quickly. “You know, you were supposed to report here by the first bell, not after.”
“Right,” Zira mumbled, not even remembering she was supposed to go to the Medical Wing in the first place.
The woman flicked her pen toward a line of benches, “Have a seat, Master Aldean will be with you when he can.”
Taking a seat she examined the room, it was a cold space, no more furnishing than the desk for reception, and the seats along the wall for those waiting to be seen. She remembered this Medical Wing well; she had received five out of her twelve Zitta in this building. It was Master Aldean’s assistant who had lost his arm when her casting had gone out of control. After her 5th Zitta was installed, she… confused, Zira realized she could not remember what happened after her 5th Zitta was implanted. With a quick panic she looked inside herself, the memories she could swear she had as an adult were starting to fracture and lose focus.
“...Zira...” a woman’s voice cut through her thoughts just as she was starting to panic. Zira looked up into the yellow and green eyes, closely resembling a cat. “I’m guessing you didn''t hear us calling,” she mused when Zira failed to do more than turn her eyes toward her. Zira was fascinated by the Katovian woman who smiled inches from her face, she was dark skinned with orange tabby ears, tail, and fur on her shoulders and down her arms. The contrast caught Zira’s attention; she had not realized the woman was still talking to her.
A sudden grip on her arm brought her thoughts back to the woman in front of her, with a smile she said,“The doctor will see you shortly.” With a pull the Katovian woman had Zira on her feet and was leading her to the rooms behind the reception area. “You know we were calling you for quite some time.” She spoke over her shoulder at Zira.
“I was lost in thought,” Zira looked at the woman, “Sorry for the trouble.”The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
“It’s no trouble,” the Katovian smiled, “You’ll be in here,” she directed Zira into a small room that felt just as cold as the reception area. “Will you be alright on your own?”
Zira smiled, had something happened that she missed, “I’ll be fine,” was all she said.
Alone in the room Zira took a deep breath, slapped herself on both cheeks, to clear her mind, then looked around the room. With a quick glance at her shoulder to see if her hypothetical creature was sitting there laughing at her, she thought, did I fall into The Hollow? Is that why she was looking at me like that? If there had been a creature on her shoulder, she was sure it would have been grinning at her, a smug look of satisfaction for its success.
Pacing around the room, she considered her predicament. The Hollow was a side effect that all who had their Zitta removed would suffer from. It was not unheard of for a trainee or even a full Kander to lose their minds when a new Zitta was implanted, their bodies rejecting the implant. Zira could remember two years previous a trainee got their first Zitta installed. He had lost his mind, casting what water he could use indiscriminately, until finally one of the higher ranked Kander stepped forward and encased him in the ground beneath his feet. In those cases, all the Zitta installed were removed from the Kander or trainee, causing them to go into The Hollow state, and in time, lose their lives.
In Zira’s case she had only had a part of one of her Zitta removed, and it was her casting that took control, she had not lost her mind. This, and the fact that something had managed to damage a Zitta, had caused an uproar amongst the Goren’s people. Zira had been labeled a valuable test subject and would be kept alive as long as possible to study the effects of her situation.
Zira walked around the room, looking at any, and everything she could to keep her mind engaged. When finally, the door opened, Master Aldean sauntered into the room, a 9<sup>th</sup> Zitta Kander and in his later years of life. He supported a full face of hair as well as the scant hair on his head, all black spattered with white. He wore his spectacles low on his nose, making his small eyes look that much smaller.
“Zira, child,” Master Aldean spoke, looking over at Zira, she had been tracing her hand along the plain white walls as she thought. “I see you''re back with us,” giving her a small smile. Master Aldean was the overseer of most of the children at Home Base, seeming as much like a grandfather figure to the children as they had ever had. “You do know you were late this morning, don''t you?”
“I was informed when I got here,” Zira moved to the tall bed in the middle of the room, the only thing in the space besides the desk and chair in the corner.
“Is that so,” he pushed up his glasses and took a seat at the desk in the room, “I could swear I told you about it yesterday.”
“You might have, I just don''t remember,” a thought came to mind, she could vaguely remember from her dream, she had her friends with her at all times, helping her keep her schedule and keeping her mind present. “Maybe if Lilac or Namari could help me, I just seem to lose chunks of the day right now.”
Master Aldean thought for a time, pursing his lips before he finally spoke, “That might just work,” and he scribbled a note on the tablet he brought in with him. Zira could just see an image of her standing with her hands out at her side. This file in the tablet carried notes about her Zitta, her condition, her abilities, as well as any information the medical team might deem appropriate. “Now tell me, how often do you find yourself going into The Hollow state?"
Zira shrugged, not sure if she had gone into one in the reception room or not. She could see her little creature out the corner of her eye, winking at her, before it cackled and slipped from her mind. “I’m not sure,” she added when she realized she was required to have a verbal answer.
“Didn’t you just wake up from one?” He asked, looking her over.
“Did I?” Was all she asked as she looked down into her hands. So, I had gone into The Hollow she thought, her imaginary creature laughing behind her.
“You don’t recall?”
“No Sir,” he scribbled something on the tablet, then set it aside.
“Well then, let''s see what we can do about this scar,” He placed his hands on either side of Zira’s cheeks, pulling her face closer, then turning her this way and that. “Yes, let’s do that.” Master Aldean shifted her visit to healing the skin where the Zitta had been removed.
Zira gritted her teeth as he started the healing. She had never been sure if it was better to heal naturally or let a healer help you heal faster. The Healers used the patient’s own ability to heal, just accelerating the process. To Zira, it felt like her cheek was on fire, with thousands of little bees dancing just under her skin, stinging her near constantly. The pain was tolerable, but relentless. She clenched her teeth to keep from crying out, her hands gripping the sides of the bed as the Master Healer worked on her scar.
When Master Aldean pulled back, the bees dance finally stopped, Zira had to fight to stay upright. Healers could only push the patient’s body so far each day, making repeat visits a requirement.
“Now, tomorrow I want you here just after the second bell, understand?” He spoke slowly, making Zira feel as though he questioned her intelligence as well as her memory.
“Yes sir,” she did not correct him.
“Good, now off with you,” he shooed her from the room.
Zira was surprised to find the day was over, it being night already. Confused, she looked around, had she really been in there all day? Was she in The Hollow longer than she realized? Her mind''s eye caught sight of her little creature, he was grinning ear to ear as he pointed off in the direction toward the dorms. Zira swallowed hard, as the imaginary creature faded, could she be going crazy too?
Back in her quarters, she made her bed, and curled under the covers, “Maybe I''ll wake up from this,” she quietly told herself before she closed her eyes and thought of nothing, falling into a deep sleep.
Zira woke up the moment her shoulders were grabbed, her eyes shot open as Lilac started shaking her, “Wake-up, Wake-up, Wake-up,” She chanted. Zira looked into her smiling face not sure if she should hug this friend of hers or kick her for waking her up so unceremoniously.
“I''m up,” she grumbled.
“You don''t look up,” she was still grinning, holding onto Zira’s shoulders.
When she tensed to start shaking Zira again, Zira said, “You shake me again, and so help me... I''ll throttle you.” Lilac laughed out loud as she released her friend''s shoulders.
“Guess what?”
“Yeah, nope, don''t feel like it,” Zira grumbled as she sat up in bed, indulging in an upper body stretch.
“You''re no fun,” Zira wondered if she always smiled like this when they were children, or maybe this really was a dream, and she was just imagining that Lilac smiled this much. “So, I get to be your escort today.”
Zira looked at her surprised, so Master Aldean had not only taken her suggestion, but acted on it right away, “Is that so.”
“Oh, it gets even better,” Lilac sat on Zira''s bed.
“I''m your escort tomorrow,” Namari chimed in, Zira hadn''t even realized she was in the room. “We were told it was our job to help you keep your schedule, and keep you from falling into,” she lowered her voice, “The Hollow.”
Zira smiled at her two friends, kicking off her bedding, “Then I guess that means I better get ready.”
When Zira came out of her closet, dressed and ready for the day she looked at the two girls who had made training as a Kander fun. “So, what is on our schedule today?” She asked as Lilac and Namari guided her outside. Some part of her said that Master Aldean had talked to her about a schedule, but honestly, she could not remember any of the details. Namari would be the best with keeping schedules and details, Namari loved to keep things in order, being late for anything stressing her out, causing her to get impatient at times.
“Well, let''s see,” Namari started, “This morning you''ll go to class with the rest of us. Master Aldean said it would be better than you going to the Medical Wing first thing in the morning. Once we''re done with lunch you and Lilac will report to the Medical Wing where Master Aldean will see to...” she pointed to her own cheek instead of bringing up her missing Zitta. “Then, if time permits, you''ll return to class, but more than likely you''ll end up getting dinner and retiring for the night.”
Lilac and Zira both looked at each other and smiled, in sync they both bounced forward and put an arm around their red-haired friend, laughing out loud. When the first bell chimed; they were already on the Wall Walk headed toward their first class.
Zira was seated with Namari on her left and Lilac on her right, ready for their first class when the second bell rang, and their teacher Madden Nute walked into the room. Madden was a Yadoh, he stood on two feet as most advanced races on their planet did, but his features were that of a beast. In Madden''s case he wore the face of a red fox, his fluffy tail protruding from his tailbone, and the ears to match. Zira remembered liking this teacher in her youth, or was she still in her youth? The confusion was starting to make her head hurt, which was better than feeling the emptiness the loss of half of her Zitta had caused.
Madden started talking of their history and the change the climate had gone through over the last 800 years. Under the Goren''s rule the World of Semi had grown, the technology advancing and the climates shifting.
Zira suddenly felt a stab of pain in her right leg, she jumped to her feet with a grunt and looked for the cause. Lilac was smiling up at her, mimicking for her to turn around. She had not realized until that moment Master Madden Nute was calling her name.
“For what reason do you interrupt the class?” Madden asked when finally, he found her attention on him.
“I''m sorry Sir,” She bowed her head, her mind racing, why had Lilac pinched her?
“Right, then, Ms. Zira, please do refrain from interruptions in the future.” He waved one of his vaguely hand shaped paws in her direction, indicating she could sit down.
Zira blushed a faint pink when the rest of the class giggled quietly at her folly. “Now, as I was saying,” Madden continued, “I expect a report on my desk tomorrow on the effects technology can cause on our climate.”
Baffled, Zira stared at the instructor, wasn''t he just starting his lecture? The bell chimed overhead, startling Zira to her feet once more. Had she fallen into The Hollow, losing track of the entire class? What time was it now? Had she only missed the class, or had the whole day slipped by her again?
Lilac put an arm around her shoulder and started to guide her toward the exit. “Don''t worry, you were just out for this class.” She smiled, answering one of Zira''s thoughts. “I''m sorry I didn''t notice until class was nearly over, I really thought you were just really into his lecture.”
“Thanks,” Zira said and meant it. “I didn''t even notice I had phased out.”
Lilac smiled, “Yeah, it was my first time seeing the effects of The Hollow, it wasn''t until I realized you were barely breathing,” she paused, her smile gone. “Did you realize when The Hollow takes you, it puts you in a state where breathing seems like an afterthought?” She touched her on the shoulder, “It was the breathing that alerted me to the problem; I couldn’t hear anything from you anymore, no vibrations, no sound, nothing.” Zira patted her friend on the back as they slowed just outside the classroom. She knew about the effects of The Hollow and how breathing seemed to become more of an option than a requirement, it was a part of her memories. The most extreme form of punishment for a Kander was the removal of all their Zitta. This punishment was typically reserved for those who had betrayed the Goren or his people in some way. Feeling sympathetic toward those who survived through the removal process, Zira had watched them, assisting where she could, as they slowly fell deeper into The Hollow.
“I''m sorry,” Namari chimed in, as she stopped next to them as well, “I didn''t even notice something was off, until you were on your feet.”
Zira smiled at her friends, “Now you know what it looks like when The Hollow takes over, and it can happen at any time,” she looked them both in the eyes before she continued, “Poke, prod, pinch, I don''t care what you have to do. If you can keep me from falling into The Hollow, or even pull me out of it, that''s all that matters.”
They exchanged glances with each other before Namari asked, “You''re acting like you''ve been through this before.”
It took a moment to identify the look her friends were giving her, concern, fear, confusion. She had forgotten that they were only ten years of age during the time frame she had dealt with The Hollow. A child their age had barely learned of it, only learning the basics of what a Kander suffers when they lose their Zitta. Zira opened her mouth to explain but the bell chiming overhead told them they had five minutes to report to their next class.
“Oh no,” Namari grabbed Zira''s arm and started to run, “We''re going to be late.” Lilac laughed as she chased after them.
The next class went by at a crawl, Zira''s legs would be pock marked with bruises when she looked at them later. Every couple of minutes Lilac on her left would pinch her, and Namari on her right would poke her with her finger. Zira wondered how they had planned this, or perhaps it was just chance that Lilac would pinch, and not even three minutes later Namari would poke. Then another three minutes Lilac would pinch again, the cycle continued throughout the entire class.
When they left the class Zira was rubbing her sore legs, “Did you two coordinate that?” She asked as they headed toward the lunch hall.
“Coordinate what?” they both asked together and smiled.
With a groan Zira explained what had occurred during class, which got both girls giggling. To think they had both nearly come up with the same plan without actually discussing it. And only Zira''s bad luck put their idea of six-minute intervals three minutes off from each other. “I resend my, “by any means necessary,” request from before,” she was still rubbing her sore legs. “We need to set up a schedule, and only one at a time.”
The three girls headed to the serving area at the front of the lunchroom. Trays filled with veggies and a meat bun, they headed to their seats. They preferred a table by the entrance that had a view of the courtyard.
When they were all done with their lunches Zira broached the subject again, “We need a proper schedule; I couldn''t concentrate on class, the pain was too frequent.”
Namari tapped a finger on the table, “Then what about every 10 minutes?”
“Still too frequent.”
A short pause before Namari said, “20 minutes then.”
The pain in Zira''s legs told her she wanted to refuse that time as well, since classes were only two hours long. “Yes, that''ll work,” she agreed grudgingly.
They had two more classes that afternoon before the day was over. When Zira made to follow Namari to their next class Lilac grabbed her arm, “Medical Wing, remember.”
She had not remembered; the mention had completely gone from her mind. They were on time for her appointment this time, which got her in to see Master Aldean much quicker than the previous day. When her healing was done for the day, Master Aldean kept Lilac a time longer, sending Zira to wait in the reception area. She didn''t know what they talked about, or for how long, she only knew she was being shaken from her thoughts when Lilac finally appeared.
As Lilac guided her to the door, she heard Master Aldean behind her asking the same woman with the tabby coloring. “How long did it take before she slipped into The Hollow?”
“It was hard to tell, she doesn''t move much even before she falls into its hold,” the nurse responded.
“Then best guess,” Zira heard the doctor ask, it was getting harder to hear their conversation.
“Maybe... fifteen...” Was all she heard before she was guided through the door.
It was dark again, how long had they been in there? Zira had thought it had only been a few hours, but now she wondered. Was her mind closer to losing itself to The Hollow than she thought?
The next day was worse than the one before. Namari pulled her from The Hollow each time she poked her. As they had discussed the previous day, that was every 20 minutes. The smile Zira was used to seeing from Lilac was missing that day, and Namari seemed distracted.
When lunch was over, and they reported to the Medical Wing, Zira was not surprised when she was pulled from The Hollow yet again; she had been sent to wait in the reception area at the end of her visit. Zira caught the nurse saying it had only taken thirteen minutes today.
Neither Namari nor Zira talked as they headed back toward Zira''s room. Lilac waited outside. She too, seemed lost, when she tried to smile Zira could tell it was fake. Zira looked between her friends, they had both been told something she herself was not privy to. Whatever they had been told was depressing them both. Was her dream a lie, was it just teasing her? Showing her the life, she could have had if her Zitta had never been broken, if she had actually found a way out of The Hollow.
“Maybe we should change our schedule.” Namari broke the silence, “I think if we act every ten minutes, we can beat The Hollow.”
Zira could hear the false joy in her friend''s voice. “Yeah,” she agreed quietly, “Let''s do that.”