160 Running From Destiny

It was a complete and utter lie, but Reed couldn't speak the truth even if he wanted to. A pair of energetic, azure eyes honed in on him on his right side. It was a gaze full of warmth and kindness. 

On Reed's left side, a saint-like pair of glowing hazel eyes danced upon his stoic mien, awaiting his response. They gleamed like pure, diamonds bereft of all possible impurities, which only aggrieved further him on the inside. 

The bright studio lights above him and the positioning of his seat in the stage were a source of immense discomfort to him. Reed felt like he was being put on display, like an exotic, one-of-a-kind animal or some cutting-edge product to everyone in the studio room. 

More than a dozen stationary cameras, hovercams, and holographic recorders were pointed straight at his face, projecting their feeds across the continent everywhere. There was nowhere to run — Reed had been cornered and forced to attend the interview by both Velvend and Lu'um.