January 2nd, Monday
The Lone
15:56
She slowly turns her head to look out the window and at the small town they had to pass through to get to the outskirts of the city. She notices a few homeless people tucked between trees and under bridges. It was a sad reality that should have been resolved but a country with so little money could only do so much for their people. The reality was that it was up to the rich to give their endless supply of money to these people not the government but in their eyes that money was their own profits, hard earned sacrifices were made for it and she knew they wouldn't give it up so easily.
Ansidara was a prime example of that, even though he could have a hundred holo-tabs even a thousand he wanted the one he had before. Humans were like that, selfish at times and unreasonably mad, Solaforma just could never comprehend why.
She swivels her head to the left to observe the neglected buildings that were slowly but surely decaying away to nothing. Restoration was needed but could do such a thing when the people living in these houses couldn't even earn enough for food. Across the lousy excuse for apartment complexes and duplex houses was a graffiti covered playground full of energetic children. She could immediately tell they were all fresh out of elementary school in long jackets, high boots, scarves, and beanies that kept their rosy faces warm. Perfect for the chilly winter air.
She leans against the window as she asks the questions millions must ask, 'Just what were the Pinters doing?' Of course she tried to stay up to date with all the politics but it was a bit hard without owning a phone, a computer or cable. She at least knew the Pinters had done a few monumental things such as creating self sustaining cities and eliminate all gas powered machines but that was fifteen years ago and air quality hadn't improved much since then. So what was distracting them from at least doing restoration.
Just another reason she had to become one and pave the way for a new generation of political power.
She turns away from the window to look at the half empty bus.
How long did she stare out the window? To her it couldn't have been more than five minutes, so why was her stop coming so soon? She glances at Ansidara who is sitting about four rows ahead of her. He's preoccupied himself by chatting with a pretty blonde haired girl who consciously pushed her long curly hair behind her ear. She lets out a honey sweet giggle before placing an elegant manicured hand to her mouth.
She obviously wasn't someone who really needed to ride the bus so that must have meant she was part of Ansidara's clique. This was the group of students that rode the bus for essentially no reason besides the fact that he was there.
Ansidara flutters his lashes as he raises his eyes up then his smile fades and he turns to look at her. His dark eye eyes shimmer in the afternoon light like black pebbles on a beach but then to ruin the innocent look his eyes portray he throws a cruel grin. That makes her nose wrinkle just a bit in disgust.
She looks back out the window as the bus comes to a slow stop less than a block away from the Gracious Girls Home of Evergreen District.
"Acorn Grove." The bus driver calls from the front.
Solaforma instinctively slings her leather satchel over shoulder as she glances to the front of the bus where the worn out seat Ansidara had been sitting on was now (thankfully) empty. That was at least one unnecessary burden off her shoulder. She didn't have to waste precious energy considering what to do about anyone for the rest of the day. As for the next day she will have to devise a plan that will help her to avoid as many of Ansidara's cliques as possible.
She glides down the gray aisle. Just then she hears the sound of shuffling and the smallest grunt as something is thrown. Unfazed she moves her head just slightly to the left as a shoe goes right past her shoulder, barley missing her head. There was no hesitation, as she steps over the shoe and ignores the event as a whole. She continues down the final blue steps and onto the stone pavement.
"Have a nice day!” The bus driver calls out.
The comment feels a bit sarcastic but out of formality she returns his comment with a small nod. As the glass doors of the bus close she can hear the cliques snickering to themselves at the silly shoe incident.
She ignores it and strolls down the barren pavement listening to the bus driver scold the students before it drives away.
She didn't have time to care. She didn't have money to care. She didn't have energy to spare. There was just no reason for her to care that the bus driver only stepped in when it was a student with less wealth. She didn't care that other students wanted to bully her just because she the King accused her. She couldn't care that Ansidara may or may not be after her blood now, and all this was because so many more valuable things required her undivided attention. She knows her worth, she knows her power, she knows the promise within her and no being in this whole universe could change her mind about what she was.
She passes by the well kept lawns of huge white mansions that few could claim as their own. She takes into account cat number thirteen out of fifty that lived in the neighborhood lazily lying on the rough tiled roof of a house. She would name the cats but she left that job to the younger girls at the house. She looks away to the tall oak trees that had been on the streets far longer than the houses. She looks at the houses' younger trees that entwined with the old branches creating a beautiful canopy of green that remained even in winter. She enjoyed taking in her surroundings even the small crack in a sidewalk, that had formed from a rising tree root was a nice reminder of just how imperfect yet perfect the human and environment were. Taking in the details around her gave her a sense of security knowing she could distinctly memorize and understand the world around her like an elaborate painting you couldn't look away from nor did you want to forget.
She passes by the sixth large house on the street that is decorated in hybrid hydrangeas that bloom deep violet and royal blue flowers all year long. There is only one more house left until she reaches the brick and white shuttered house she called home. Though the house had the white shutters inside and out they were rarely closed. Instead the shutters were encouraged to be kept open to let in the light during the day and to search for the moon at night. The moon hidden behind the smog of the sky. The older girls knew it was just a means to conserve energy but the younger girls liked to believe maybe one night they could see the man in the moon that so many talked about.
Solaforma carefully walks up the driveway that lead to the side of the house where a steel black gate is overshadowed by a canopy of dead vines. A silver van rests on the other side of the onyx bars, it's roof gleaming white in the sunlight that travels through the smog. She slows her pace as she lets out a soft sigh and turns her attention to the end of the gate where a small silver combination is attached and rusting away. She walks toward it, her hand grabbing the cold grime covered metal as she runs her thumb an forefinger over the rough dial. turn right, land, turn left past the number and then land on the second number and then right to land on the third number. With a strong pull the lock opens and the fence rattles the fence. She meticulously rolls it open the wheels crying out as she opens it just enough for her to fit through. She closes it while listening to it cry out again. She makes a mental note that the wheels needed oiling as soon as possible. She stuck her arm through the bars as she locks the lock back on with more ease then it took to pull it off. She never understood why they locked the gate from the front but her only assumption was to keep the girls in, leaving only the front door as their exit.
She slicks the few baby hairs that escape her long red ponytail back before turning to the houses side door.
She takes only one step before she was stopped by a hand whizzing past her vision slamming against the side of the brick house with a force that sent her on edge. She nearly throws a punch out of instinct but instead she forces herself to clutch her bag strap.
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