Did it really have to take this long? Malissa rubbed her lower back and stretched, waking up from a long ride.

“We’ll be arriving at our destination in 1 minute and 38 secs. Please collect all of your belongings and clean your area. Thank you for being a model citizen and using Metro Light Rail.”

A beep soon sounded as the train came to a stop. Malissa got up from her passenger seat and pulled out her backpack and exited onto the platform of her new hometown. She stopped to look around the rail station of Alten city. It was an impressive and large dome design filled with white beams, glass ceilings, and greenery.

Did the columns have to sparkle? Malissa awed while looking for the local public transit pickup stop. 

She couldn’t help but be distracted by all the new and very different styles of fashion, accents, and languages. A sense of warmth bubbled inside her. Coming from a much smaller city, this felt like an adventure in a whole new world, and brightened her mood from at first feeling down about a new place and starting a new school year.

I think it’ll be fun to try new things here.

She was looking at the shops and things to do around town while waiting at the pick-up stop when a flicker of blue passed the corner of her eye. She looked up suddenly to get a better look. Her uneasiness came back again.

Oh, it's just dyed…

Malissa saw a young guy getting on the bus at another stop. His hair was dyed a cotton candy blue but she can see he left his dark roots to grow out. She breathed slowly trying to calm her nerves and steady her hands as she stepped onto her bus and took her seat in the back. She watched the people around her.

Actually, I haven’t seen one since I got here? I thought this was one of their-

Her thought was cut off at the sight of the big and shining floating object. She started agape out the window at the city in the sky.

“Wha.. what the..” lost for words, she kept her eyes focused on the island during the ride.

“Guess you haven’t seen one of those?”

Malissa turned to an older teen snacking on a burrito.

“Ah no.. it's…”

“haha, well that’s where most of them live. We’re in Downcity Althen, that’s Upcity. There’s not many that live on the ground like us. They have a separate boarding station, for security reasons obviously”

Malissa didn’t miss the obvious sarcasm in the teen’s voice. That explains why I haven’t seen any since I got here.

It may not be right, but she was glad and guilty at the same time for not having to run into one of those people. She didn’t have to worry about having to live near them.

It’s a thought she wouldn’t share with her dad who had moved before her to give her more time with her old friends. She loosens the grip on her bag as she relaxed on the ride to her new apartment.

I don’t want to meet another newtype, a designer human.