Chapter 4: The Taste of Air
886 Words
Chapter 4: The Taste of Air
She inhaled like she had been drowning all her life and only now remembered that air was supposed to be breathed in. It tasted —raw, cold, and endless.
Numerous cars passed by, strangers walked… birds chirped… She closed her eyes for a moment, completely blending in, forgetting her existence…
The thing that mattered was she was tasting the freedom for the first time… No eyes watching. No orders. No restrictions… at least for that while… No one reminding her that she's breathing too much.
She stood motionless on the pavement, eyes still closed, not caring about anything but the taste of one thing…
Freedom.
Not even about the hot blazing sun above her.
She opened her eyes, looked around. Suddenly the thought that she had just lied to her teacher and escaped the school struck her again. That would at least be breaching 50 of his protocols…
What would happen if he came to know? He'd not let her out of the house for at least a year… Or blow up her entire school for letting her do this… Or worse, start homeschooling her.
As she began contemplating the freedom and the consequences, every if possible, suddenly a man passed by.
He wore a black suit, black polished boots and sunglasses. For intance, he appeared as Aaron. The way his black coat swayed behind him, the way he walked with hands in his pockets… it was as if Aaron was in front of her…
She gasped. It came out unexpected… Because this was her… imagination?
He obviously wasn't Aaron. Aaron doesn't walk alone.
Another man walked by. He carried the same black suitcase he carried. The brown leather one with no design on it. She squinted her eyes, it was similar!
Then she turned around. A man scolded his kid… Just the way he does to her.
Then, another man with the same hairstyle down the lane.
And another with an expressionless face standing a few inches away.
As she turned around, every second person appeared like him.
She blinked her eyes to see if it was true. Her legs no longer felt like they'd be able to carry her weight. Her hands began shaking. Her body began shivering. A cold drop found its way down her temple… Is this what tasting freedom felt like?
For a moment she thought if it was really worth a trip to the park… She then quickly shook her head as if doing that would dismantle her thoughts. Yes, it was worth a trip to the park. This would be her first time in a park without guards around. With kids around her. Kids of her age. Kids that do things she's supposed to do…
It was decided that Kira and Dasha would take her to a park, play on slides and drop her at school just before the driver comes to pick her up. 12 is just the age to do these things.
But they were being late. And with her condition, every second felt like an hour… stretching like a hot toffee. To the extent that she began doubting the functioning of her watch.
Another cold drop of sweat ran down her temple. Only then she realised that she'd been under the mid-day sun all this while. But was the sweat really because of it? Her hands were shivering, legs felt like slime, body twitched like facing a storm… It was nothing compared to standing in a hot sun.
A man at a distance noticed her. He was probably in his 40s. Wearing a blue T-shirt and a black jeans, he was standing in the shade, long before Elena had stepped out. She looked at him very carefully. His blue t-shirt… the jeans, that casual outfit made her think the last time she saw Aaron or someone working for him wear that. Something casual, daily wear, anything other than black suits and jackets. His golden watch sparkled in the bright sun.
She blinked. To her it was something exceptionally rare. A man wearing that cloth, a watch, standing in the shade. No suits, no guns… just a man…
Suddenly, slow and heavy steps gradually began moving towards her.
They were precise and careful. But to her, it appeared dangerous and predatory, like a lion approaching a vulnerable prey.
She instantly took a step back. He was a stranger and strangers are dangerous, right? At least because Aaron had said this.
He came closer, hesitated for a brief moment, then asked “Hey, are you alright?"
She stepped further away, trying her best to avoid him.
He noticed the change. The way she took a step back, the way her shoulders trembled, the way she stood with her hands clasped. He looked at her and tried again, gentler this time.
“You've been standing here for a while… Are you waiting for someone?"
She simply nodded, not meeting his eyes.
The man bent his head to meet her gaze. Gentlest this time, he approached again.
“You don't look well… Are you alright? Need anything?”
She shook her head.
“If you want a ride, I can offer you a lift… That black Mercedes is mine.”
He said pointing at a car parked on the other side of the road.
- Writer
