Borders

A month ago. A day after she broke out.

Whenever there's a police car passing through, Zella will hide, her fingers trembled a lot. She composed herself under a mango tree, holding onto the bark, and gasped for breaths. Zella does have a lot of things to consider if she was breaking out of prison and she's a death convict. A lot could happen. She may find herself lying down on the ground, bleeding, and a bullet stuck inside her skull.

Zella thumped her chest, crying out, and turned to the sky. The sun already rose, but she's stuck on that same old cell the police had put her through. She's transferred back to the moment where the ducts were too tight to even crawl into. Zella gripped her mask off, and let the tears roll down.

"This is too hard…" She doesn't know where to go. Where should she place herself? After a lot of happenings, it's too hard to maintain her composure, especially today, that the people of Telamur have known her face, and in a single removal of her mask, she's now caught. The people can give off tips, and it weren't that good at all.

Zella sucked in a few breaths, tucking her hair underneath the cap, and put on a mask. She slung the medical bag in her back once again, pretending to be a classy doctor walking downtown. If she's lucky, she might be able to grab a ride to a passing taxi. Good thing she found a few cents and a 100-dollar bill inside the dashboard of the ambulance.

A few biscuits will let her survive for a few days.

Zella muttered, "I can do this. I can do this…"

She should, because who else would do it?

…

Present time.

Leo lowered down his phone as he parted his lips slightly. Looking at the screen, Zella's all over the news. There's no escaping this if she became conscious of her surroundings and ask about what is her life back then. The right time will come that Leo's lies wouldn't work anymore. At an unexpected moment, Leo would finally shed the truth and Zella would know she's not Laina.

Laina doesn't exist. She doesn't.

Vincent called him several times, but he didn't answer. Leo hung up the call abruptly, turning in another direction, when he supposed to be back in Jeremy Tyran's office. Leo signed his finger to the chauffeur and let him drive home. Someone opened the door for him right outside the Calvorite Hall, and he climbed inside the sedan right away.

Leo hissed, rubbing his hands together, warming them up close to his mouth. It's too cold, yet the tension around the country was too heated to ignore. Leo uttered, "Drive me home. I need to check something before coming back."

Leo retrieved his cell phone, and sent Jeremy a message.

'Sorry. We had to do some rain check. I have something very urgent to do.'

…

Jeremy Tyran met with Sam Grobes, the head sector of Telamur, right on the elevator. Since Leo sent the message about his urgent work, Jeremy decided to call the meeting early. He went inside the elevator car, letting Sam pressed the 13th floor button, and stayed silent.

Sam's sleek, pompadour and copper hair glinted with the border lights of the elevator. Jeremy had his hair black. Besides, he shouldn't change the color at all. He's dark, and Sam's white. Jeremy buttoned his long coat together, looking at the digital screen displayed with the red numbers, and initiated the conversation.

"Do you know the exact number of fugitives in your homeland, Mr. Grobes?" Jeremy placed his hands behind his back as Sam turned to him with raised eyebrows. He's still very confident, even though Jeremy knew he's in a tight position. Sam tut his tongue, and stared back at the buttons.

"I don't think it will be over 50 persons the Calvorite needed to catch," Sam revealed. Jeremy chuckled. The list was over 50, and the one he assigned to it was the Cassanos. They're the best, especially Leo Luciano. Sam smirked.

"Good thing I'm keeping the Calvorite on a healthy environment. I don't think we need those time chips in the near future, too." Sam rolled his eyes. It's not entirely his fault the former head sector implemented the time chips to Telamur citizens. The Gelcius might have been obliterated, but the time chips were still ongoing. Nevertheless, Tina Yunis wouldn't allow the Idris without time chips. Sam and Jeremy stayed silent on the way to the president's office.

As Jeremy was the first one to come out, both of them walk towards the president's office with ease. Nothing ever changed in the hallways, it's still the same. Jeremy stopped at the wide doors, staring at the gold plate with her full name in it, and knocked gently. The two of them waited.

"Come in," a middle-aged woman in her 40s answered back softly. Jeremy opened one of the doors, and Sam on the other one. They closed it hastily, and bow down their heads to the president. Tina Yunis, with her hair split in the middle, jet black, too straight to even braid at. She wore off her glasses, threw it on the lamp beside her paper work, and stopped signing something.

Jeremy Tyran and Sam Grobes mewled like cats. Whenever they have to report to the president about what's happening in Telamur and Calvorite, their knees have gone to jelly. Jeremy swallowed, waiting for Sam to give his summary and weekly report. Tina retrieved the USB device Sam gave at the table.

Jeremy did the same thing, too.

Tina Yunis dropped them at the box, muttering, "You know, I don't really care about the weekly reports now. What happened with the death convict, Mr. Sam Grobes?"

She found it annoying. They're placed at the right position to deal with things, and not pile up stress upon her. Sam didn't know what to say, and that's when Jeremy gave him a ghost look. Sam fiddled with his fingers, answering, "We are still investigating how she came out of the---"

"Do you think we need a f*cking investigation right now, Mr. Sam Grobes?!"

Jeremy and Sam hitched their breaths. When Tina Yunis got angry, it's close to beating. They never wanted to expose her different side, because their families' lives are at stake. Sam have a mother on an ICU, Jeremy is a father of four. The two of them have loved ones to take care of.

Jeremy gripped his hands together as Tina Yunis stood up from her swiveling chair, and approached Sam. "Do you think I'll call Jeremy right here to deal with your mess, Mr. Grobes?"