"I said Next! Or would a bullet to your foot make you move faster, you piece of garbage" said one of the guards.
There are two guards at the gate of the Processing Center, one male and one female. The guy is the one that seems to break Ari's concentration. Ari takes a deep breath and she steps out of line and up to the two guards.
The guy is average height, maybe six foot two. He is completely bald with tattoos all over his hairless head. His skin is rusty and dry and his eyes are black and cold. He has on average combat armor with his sleeves rolled up revealing cuts, bruises, and more tattoos (the tattoos on his body seemed like the only beautiful thing about him). The bottom row of his teeth are gold, his voice is loud and he tends to slur his words. His nose is pierced and so are the corner edges of his eyes. The name tag on his vest reads, Jetted.
Jetted's partner's name tag reads, Potluck. She is five foot five with an average build. Her hair is purple and cut short. She has light gray eyes, with the bridge of her nose pierced. She also is wearing average combat armor and they both are heavily armed with R4 Assault Rifles. She is also wearing purple lipstick that complements her hair.
They both are obnoxious and have annoying smiles on their faces, having more fun antagonizing slums, than they should have.
"Oh you're a pretty little trashcan. You sure you're in the right place? I think I can find a better place for you and I to have fun. Ha-Ha!" says Jetted, right before he disgustingly caresses Ari's face.
Ari ignores him and looks away, but gets caught rolling her eyes by Potluck.
Potluck laughs and playfully nudges Jetted. "Jet, I think you're irritating her or maybe she just doesn't like your face. Ha!"
Jet looks at Potluck puzzled, "I think I have a model's face." Jet then looks backs to Ari and adds, "So you don't like my face slum!"
Ari stares him straight in the eyes and doesn't reply. Jet nods and with force and quickness he punches the girl in her face. Before she can even look up and recover he hits her again.
This time Ari falls side ways to her knees with a cut on her lip. "When I ask you a question, you reply... you hear me! I'm better than you slum trash. Remember that!"
Ari is trying her best to hold back her tears. She has never been punched a day in her life. The most pain she has ever felt, physically, is falling off her bike. Now she has been punched twice, with full force and she feels like she can't even catch her breath.
She manages to make her way to her feet.
Potluck chuckles, "I think she understands now, Jet. Try again."
Jet smiles and nods before turning to Ari smiling at her, like the psycho path he is. "Now, little trashcan. Do you like my face?"
"I-I like your face." This time Ari replied with no hesitation, while her voice shook and her body trembled.
Jetted and Potluck burst into laughter and even congratulated one another with 'high-fives' and 'fist-bumps'.
"Ha, ok! Ha-Ha! Okay, Okay." began Jetted trying to control his laughter. "Look let's get back to business before the boss rips his pants and starts yelling about timelines!" Potluck smiles and agrees and the two pull out their clip boards.
"Okay slum. Why do you want to take The Journey."
- Why? Why do I want to take The Journey? I want to take The Journey to change this hopeless outcome. I want to take The Journey to stop the cycle of depression. I want to have kids to start a family not because I need more hands to help work and pay bills. I want Scums to stop hurting Slums like we aren't the same group of people and for Clean One's to understand that we are living breathing souls and not inanimate objects that can be destroyed, discarded, and replaced. Every life has purpose, whether rich, poor, big or small. I want to take The Journey... for all of us. -
- I can't say that. 'because telling them you think you'll actually win... is the biggest suicidal red flag on their list'. I can hear Gerald's voice ring in my head. I definitely can't say that. -
Ari sighs and calmly replies, "Because I'm gonna' steal meds for my dad tomorrow."
It's plain, simple, random and a flat out lie. Ari is not that good of a liar, she hates lying, but she needs to get through by any means necessary. This just happen to come to mind as quick as she could think it and she needed to be quick, she doesn't want to be hit again.
Potluck and Jetted look at one another puzzled, but amused. They laugh. Ari is nervous, but she is trying her best to keep her composure. She can swear, though, that her heart is trying to break her cover.
"Oh no! Jet put this chick on the decline list. That's the lamest excuse I have ever heard." said Potluck as she ranted on as if she is disappointed. Potluck looks at Ari, up and down, as she adds "I mean if you wanted to do that... wouldn't you have done it already! I call bull!"
Potluck is preparing to mark Ari down as a decline, until Jetted stops her saying "Nah, Nah Potluck. She's cute and she's my favorite. Let's let her through, she'll be eye candy for the show and I kinda' wanna' see what that pretty body will look like... all chopped up. Ha!"
Potluck is reluctant, but she agrees because she really doesn't care at this point. Jetted tugs on Ari and pushes her pass. Ari let's out a deep breath, but Jetted stops her and whispers in her ear.
"The Wild World is gonna' eat you alive little trashcan. You couldn't even take my punches. What are you gonna' do when you have to kill other slums and then forced to eat their flesh just because you're hungry? What will you do when you have to take a whiz in your water jug, because you haven't had water in days? I don't even give you half a day... but if you come with me..." Jetted ends eyeing the girl up and down and then ends starring her straight into the eyes.
Ari remains calm and still as she replies, "I'll take my half a day in the Wild World. Thank you."
Jetted snarls and nods his head and points toward the huge doors of the Processing Center. Ari takes her directions and starts to head toward the doors, taking a breath of relief that she actually made it through.
Before she gets far, she is stopped by a familiar voice yelling behind her.
Potluck and Jetted are having to deal with a difficult slum. "Woah buddy, you need to answer our question first before you can go through!" yells Potluck.
Ari turns around and her eyes widen and her heart drops. Her body feels like dead weight and she can't believe what she is seeing.
"Every slum has to tell why he or she wants to take The Journey." begins Jetted, "You're no exception you giant baboon!"
"To stop her from getting herself killed!"
- What! Why is 'he' here? He would have been the hardest to tell. I didn't want him to know that I was doing this tonight. I didn't want him to know that I was making this choice! I knew how'd he react and I knew that he would chase me down to stop me. I thought that if I just made it inside the doors of the center that he would give up after not seeing me in line. Why did you follow me here! I love you so much... why didn't 'you' just stay home where it's safe. Please don't let him through!" -
Potluck looks back at Ari and then back to the young man standing in front of her. She laughs as she points between them, "Oh I get it, she is your girlfriend!"
Ari locks eyes with her boyfriend and his eyes are pleading just as equally as they are fueling. He is steaming and everyone can tell. Jetted is jealous and Potluck is obviously distracted by the young man's looks, she's licking her lips.
Jetted looks up at him, "Name?"
"Will." he replies.
"So you're the trash bag?"
Potluck chuckles and rubs her hand seductively across the young man's arm whispering, "You are gorgeous, aren't you?"
Will quickly pulls his arm away and glares at Potluck, "I am not as weak as my girlfriend might have been. I am not afraid of any Scums on a power high. Don't touch me."
Potluck smiles and bites her nails, seeming to like the aggressiveness and boldness of Will. Jetted snarls and scoffs at the boy saying, "But we have guns."
"Then use it or get out my way."
Will is either six foot four or six foot six. He has sandy brown hair, cut low and clean. His facial hair is light and straight edged. His eyes are big and brown, intense and even while talking his eyebrows do not seem to move from their farrowed position. He is big and muscular, with deep definition. His chest is high(he wears a small silver cross necklace around his neck) , shoulders broad, with arms that look like clubs. His voice is low and heavy. Though, he lives in the more hotter climate of the slums, his skin is pale like winter.
"You've got guts kid, but you must be crazy if you think I'm gonna' let you through." started Jetted. "You're definitely suicidal!"
Will is furious and steps into Jetted's face, all while Potluck's 'thirst grips her harder. Will simple stares the man down.
Potluck playfully fans herself with her hand and pulls Jetted away as she says, "Look Jet you have the girl to look at, her boyfriend is my treat. Deal?"
"I don't like this guy Potluck. He's in the wrong mindset, challenging us."
"It's romantic and will probably make for one heck of an episode. I know personally, I won't be missing any." Potluck directed her words to Jetted, but her eyes and attention stayed completely on Will.
Will is not phased, all he cares about at the moment is getting to Ari as soon as possible. Jetted agrees with Potluck and they let Will through. As soon as the two move out the way, Will brushes pass them and runs to Ari.
Ari is shaking, but she is doing a good job hiding it. Will looks like he is boiling hot and turns his brisk walk into a jog when he sees he has a clear path to his girlfriend.
"Will I am so..." Ari began, but she didn't get to finish.
Will raps the girl in his arms and hugs her tight, resting his head into her neck. His anger instantly fading, while forgetting their current situation his body relaxes in relief. He doesn't say a word. Ari wants to speak again, but she just decides to give into the hug and rest in his arms.
Will finally separates himself and pulls himself up to look into the girl's eyes. He kisses her forehead and a small grin crosses his face.
"Don't ever leave me again." whispered Will.
Ari started to open her mouth to explain, but words escaped her. Her eyes, on the other hand, watered speaking volumes.
"No need to explain." He said kissing her right hand. "You're here. I'm here and we're together. We'll figure the rest out together. I love you. This Journey is ours, okay?"
Ari smiles, agrees, and caresses the young man's cheek.
Will takes a deep breath and the two of them are about to head toward the doors. When a Arian 'prisoners' drop pod lands nearby. The doors swing open on the drop vessel and nearly thirty S-soldiers, dressed in heavy armor, march from the vessel. After, one-hundred prisoners are marched to the front of The Journey sign-up line.
Jetted and Potluck straighten up and are far more serious than they were just a few minutes ago, almost like different personalities. They are greeted by the guards with salutes and everything is far more professional and strict. This is definitely a high-level situation.
- What in the world are prisoners doing being dropped off here? There are so many of them and to be honest they all scare me. Especially the one in the front. She doesn't look any older than I am. Eighteen? Seventeen, maybe? She's tall, I'm five-four, so I think she could be five-seven? She has long, black and red hair that's pulled in a high pony tail... looks like it stops in the crease of her back. Her skin is golden, so much so, it glows. Her lips are as red as the red in her hair. The out line of her eyes are dark and her eyes lashes are thick. She's gorgeous, she doesn't look like she belongs here at all. I don't think she does. -
- She walks up to talk to that jerk and his friend pot roast and I am cringing thinking of how he must be speaking to her. She is so confident, she's unaffected and looks to be a little... cocky. As she talks to them Jetted looks like he starts to lose his cool and he is yelling at her. Crazy thing is, she's laughing at him and the prisoners behind her laugh right along with her. The best part is the S-soldiers don't interfere and neither do they stop her. -
"You're nothing but a PRAT!" Jetted yelled.
- A PRAT? A prat is a derogatory term used by slums and scums to berate the clean ones. Pure Rich Arian Trash is what it means and that means she's... she's from the other side. A pure Arian? That's why she seemed so different to me, but why is a Clean One on this side of Aria? Why is she a prisoner in the first place? Who is this girl? -
- Then the unexpected happens. I feel like if I blinked one too many times, I would've missed every second of what I'm about to say next. -
- She killed them... Jetted and Potluck. -
- One minutes Jetted is raising his voice and the next she is kicking him in the stomach, pulling the knife from pocket of his vest, stabbing him in his side and slicing his throat open. Potluck begs for her life, pretending like Jetted was more of a co-worker to her than a friend. The girl doesn't hesitate or even pretends to listen to Potluck's pleas, she takes the same knife and jabs it into her neck and watches her as she bleeds out. -
- Everyone is stunned except the prisoners, who seem to be proud and excited by what she did. They all yell her name. 'July... July... July'. She turns to them smiling and bowing as if she had just performed some concert. The crazy thing is the S-soldiers did not make a move against her, even though she is among us slums, she is in no way treated like one. She orders for the S-soldiers to let 'her peeps go' and they did as she commanded. She is released and tells the prisoners that it's 'time for them to mess stuff up and have a good time'. -
- I am confused, but overpowered by curiosity. She starts to walk toward Will and I, well no, toward the Center's doors I mean. I am so distracted because when she walks by me, her eyes... her left eye is brown, but her right eye is blue and I swear it glows. She has a long scar going down the same eye, but it doesn't hinder the beauty of it, it intensifies her magnetism. -
Will and I are still frozen as she walks by us with her prisoner friends.
"Yeah, we need to make sure we stay far away from her and those prisoners." started Will. "She looks like she gonna' be lots of trouble and I want to make sure you and I have the best chance of staying alive."
I know he wants to protect me and he hasn't blamed me, yet, that I've gotten us both is the life ending situation. Any normal person would be afraid after they see a girl take out two S-guards with fully loaded guns, while still wearing handcuffs.
I'm not afraid at all. I'm drawn to her and while Will thinks that staying AWAY from her is our best chance, I don't. I think SHE is our best chance. I think she is... the key.
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