✓ apprehension - anxiety or fear that something bad or unpleasant will happen:

WYLAN COOPER FELT SMART. Well, his teachers did mention once or twice that he was the smartest ten-year-old they had ever come across. Otherwise, he wouldn't be presenting his new invention in front of the entirety of Harmony Academy on a fine Helmisajour—he'd much rather not attract this much attention, but he didn't have much of a choice. His secret invention had somehow piqued the Headmaster's attention, and here he was, in the midst of his classmates and teachers.

"Uhm, this is Jessie. A bot designed to assist with everyday tasks," Wylan began, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke into the microphone. This level of attention was new to him, and realizing that everyone was staring at him and Jessie, whose mechanical eyes glinted green as she stared at the crowd, and back at Wylan.

The physics master spoke into his microphone, his eyes glinting with excitement as he took in the very responsive Jessie. "Why Jessie? Seems like a bit of a random choice..."

Wylan nodded, his fear slowly subsiding. "Jessie stands for Junior Essential Support System with Integrated Engineering. She can help with homework, household chores, and even basic repairs."

The assembly hall was filled with murmurs, and he caught the eye of his parents—they'd both made it to his presentation. Jackson Cooper was a busy scientist, so it was a miracle he made it out of the lab on time, and his mother was not well enough to come outside. But she was there, somehow. Wylan didn't understand the extent of his mother's illness—all he knew was that there was a small baby growing inside her, and that made her sick often.

At the sight of his parents, he calmed down. Taking a deep breath, he continued, "For example, if you need help with your science homework, Jessie can explain the steps to solve a problem. She can also remind you of important tasks, like watering your flowers..."

Wylan stopped there, thinking that was silly. But that was one of the things Wylan used Jessie for. His mom found it quite useful. Instead of letting doubt cloud his mind, he pressed a small button on the remote in his hand, and Jessie's eyes glowed again. "Hello, everyone!" Jessie's cheerful voice echoed through the hall, making a few of Wylan's classmates giggle.

"Jessie, can you help me with a math problem?" Wylan asked, his fingers fiddling with the remote in his hand.

"Of course, Wylan," Jessie replied. "But you are going to have to tell me what to solve first!"

Wylan pulled out a piece of paper and read aloud, "What is seventy multiplied by eighty-seven?"

Jessie's eyes blinked rapidly, "Patience, grasshopper. The answer is six thousand ninety!" she announced confidently.

The audience applauded, and Wylan felt a surge of heat flood his face. "Thank you, Jessie. Can you also remind me to water the plants after school?"

"Anything for you, Wylan. Reminder set for half past three this afternoon."

Wylan glanced at the Headmaster, who was nodding appreciatively. "Jessie can also help with more complex tasks," Wylan continued, feeling more confident than ever. "She can monitor the air quality and alert us to potential hazards."

He pressed another button, and Jessie's sensors began to scan the room. "No immediate dangers detected, apart from the presence of thirteen authority figures called teachers," Jessie reported.

"As you can see," Wylan said with a smile, "Jessie is designed to make our lives easier and safer. I'll probably continue adding more features in the future to see how technology can be improved..."

He would've explained the intricacies of technological developments in the robot if he had more time, but the school bell rang—and they had to leave. Wylan's mom waved at him from behind as he left the stage after receiving a standing ovation from everyone in the hall.

"Hey, Wylan. Are you coming to Axelle's birthday party today?" Millie asked Wylan, who stared at her in confusion.

"Who's Axelle?"

Millie rolled her eyes, as the group around her started to giggle at him. Wylan wondered what was so funny. He just didn't know who this Axelle girl was. Millie sighed, exasperatedly, but not unkindly.

"Axelle. Axelle Henderson. No? Doesn't ring a bell?" Millie pressed, and Wylan was still as clueless as ever. He stared, and Millie's friend nudged her, whispering something into her ear.

"Uhh, okay. Never mind, Wylan. That was a great presentation, by the way. Jessie's so cool!"

Wylan watched as they turned their backs to him—his ten minutes of fame disappeared already. As he resigned to feeling sorry for himself, a voice rang out beside him.

"Don't worry, Wylan. Birthday parties are overrated, anyway."

Wylan gave a half-smile. If the presentation had given him more time, he could've demonstrated Jessie's ability to give motivational speeches.

"Thanks, Jessie," he murmured, patting the bot on its metal head. "But I don't feel bad. Really."

"My sensors sense that you're lying," Jessie replied, her eyes glowing an orange now.

As Wylan walked towards the exit, his mind was buzzing—it felt great to show off his invention, but what did it really do? He knew he was only eleven now, so there'd be more time to make Jessie even more powerful.

"Wylan. My sensors sense some change in the atmospheric pattern outside. I suggest we remain inside the building for a few minutes," Jessie warned, her mechanical eyes scanning the outside.

"It's probably going to rain, isn't it?" Wylan sighed, staring at the sky. It didn't particularly look like it was going to rain—but weather was unpredictable. If Jessie said something was up, she was probably right.

"Rain is only a minor possibility," Jessie responded. "The changes are indicative of some sort of anomaly. Please stay inside."

The color drained out of Wylan's face as he glanced out the window. Everything appeared normal at first, but as he watched, he noticed it change slowly. The lush greenery surrounding Harmony Academy began to lose its vibrant color, fading to a sickly yellow.

The Academy was almost empty by now—everyone had left since the bell rang. Terror overtook his face as he ran to the nearest door. There was huge commotion outside and Jessie trailed behind him, watching the scene in front of her. He didn't dare step outside but everything that happened said enough. Children who had been playing on the grounds were now collapsing, clutching their throats and gasping for air. Their faces turned pale, and their movements slowed, much like a tree's leaves during autumn.

Wylan's jaw clenched as he tried to go outside to help them but Jessie's voice screeched at him.

"Wylan. You can't go outside. You'll die. The air quality has deteriorated significantly. There is a high concentration of an unknown toxin, and based on the database, it's happening around the entire country. Except the West." Jessie's sensors were now working overtime, her eyes blinking rapidly as she scanned every database in the entire country.

Wylan's heart raced. He spotted Millie among the dying children, her eyes wide with fear as she struggled to breathe. Without thinking, he tried to sprint over to her but Jessie stopped him. "Wylan. It's not safe. The scene outside is at a Level Ten Danger. You need to close the windows of the Academy, first."

Wylan shook his head. "They'll die, Jessie."

"You'll die with them, Wylan."

Wylan's heart wrenched, but he knew Jessie was right. He rushed to the windows, slamming them shut. He could hear the desperate cries and gasps from outside, each sound slicing his soul. The school's emergency alarm blared and as it did, Wylan felt helpless. How could he stand by while everyone out there was dying? He turned to Jessie, his voice trembling. "Jessie, is there anything we can do?"

"Wylan, this is a new type of toxin, and a high dose of it too. Their maximum survival time is three minutes."

Tears welled up in his eyes as he saw the stillness outside—no one was convulsing anymore. The coughs stopped, and beside them lay a pool of blood that spread around their small bodies.

"Organ failure." Jessie's eyes narrowed. "They're setting up barricades around the West to preserve the remaining safe zone from getting contaminated too."

The authorities were blocking people's access to the one safe place in the entire country? That didn't make a lot of sense—considering that people's safety should be the first priority? But Wylan understood the reasoning behind it, there had to be at least some place in Veridonia where the air was safe, and maybe the Dominion Council could help everyone afterward.

Jessie's sensors beeped—the battery level was almost zero. The excessive use of the sensors, probably. A hologram pulled up in front of him and it was the Dominion Council building.

Wylan watched in awe as a holographic image of the Dominion Council materalized before him. The building was encircled by an almost invisible halo, and the bushes within its confines were as lush as ever.

"Jessie, what is that?" Wylan asked, pointing at the hologram.

"The Dominion Council building," Jessie replied. "It's the one other place apart from the West where the air quality is stable. The shield around it is likely a protective measure."

As Wylan studied the hologram, he saw a man approaching the building. The man raised his hand to touch the barrier, but the moment his fingers made contact, a burst of energy pushed him back, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Access to the Council building is restricted," Jessie noted. "Only authorized personnel can enter."

Wylan's thoughts drifted to his parents. The adults seemed to be fine, but his mother was sick. What if something happened to her? "Jessie, can you try to contact my parents?" Wylan asked.

"Initiating contact protocol," Jessie replied. "Attempting to establish a connection..."

Minutes felt like hours as Wylan waited. Finally, Jessie's eyes blinked green. "Connection established. Your father is on the line."

A holographic image of Jackson Cooper appeared before Wylan. His father's face was etched with worry, his eyes more tired than usual. "Wylan! Are you alright? You are inside the Academy, thank goodness. I've been trying to contact Jessie but it said she was busy."

A surge of guilt coursed through Wylan as he realized his parents were worrying about him this entire time while he was overworking Jessie. His father's worried expression said enough, but this was not the time.

"Dad, I'll wait for a little while and come home," Wylan said, "The Council will fix everything by then and right now, I don't think it's safe to go...outside. Kids are dying."

His father paused, his face lost in thought. But before he could answer or tell Wylan anything, Jessie's eyes stopped glinting.

Wylan made it home that night, but since then, he stopped leaving the house for years. He resigned himself to feeling lucky—and angry—that the West was still locked by barricades. The Council had put a new law in order. Demand and supply policy, after all.

'Any person wishing to live inside the West must obtain a monetary sum of one million units.'

And Wylan Cooper made that his life goal.