Even familiar things seem bright and lovely when one is happy. At least that's how Aija felt.

The boring beige of the old building seemed brighter and the hallways looked neater. The tiny old cleaner bot wasn't making too much noise as it passed her on her way to class, steam cleaning the floors. Even the kids in class seemed happier. They were generally restless and wanted to stop reading the assigned book sooner so that they could have some free time towards the end of the class to do what they wanted.

That day they were sitting quietly and reading their DigiBooks with interest or so it looked that way to Aija anyway.

The light through the ceiling to floor windows on one side of her classroom seemed brighter. The apartments she lived at were right next to the school she volunteered at. And, she could see one block through the huge windows. She liked these days when rain was scheduled. And, it was the first rain of the year. She couldn't wait for it. Aija looked at her watch - five more hours for the rain to start.

The Leadership scheduled rain every once in a while if the year's natural rainfall hadn't been good. And, it hadn't been particularly good for a few hundred years now. The Wars had changed so much of the world. Whatever was left of the world, a few self-proclaimed leaders had taken control of it by forming what was now called the Leadership. The Leadership had total control over everything.

Aija had no experience of it, of course. Seven hundred years had passed since the Wars. She had only learned of it when she was in school and she would teach the same to her students once she finished her Teacher Training.

She was brought out of her musings when Riya came over to her and whispered, "That man's staring at our class from the apartment again."

Aija at once alerted. Without looking at the windows she asked Riya to go back to her seat. He'd been there two other times. He'd stared at her and once she'd caught him he'd left.

She looked towards the apartments. He was there, just as Riya had said. He was peeking through the curtains. And as soon as he'd caught her looking at him he left. From the distance, she'd been able to make out only his golden-brown hair. She felt that if she could see him up close she might be able to recognize him.

And she was worried because people were disappearing without a trace of late. The news was filled with such reports. People of all ages went missing and recently the numbers were higher than ever before. Aija was worried if he was spying on the kids. Would he kidnap someone? Should she report him to the school's Principal? He had been there thrice now. But, what if he was a resident at the apartment and was just curious about the school? But, who would spy, like he did, even if they were curious? It confused her.

Aija eventually decided to report him. Better take precautions now than later regretting it if a child went missing. After class, she went to the Teachers' Room to keep her DigiBook. She decided to sit for a minute before she went to report the man; her legs hurt from standing quite a long time in class. A few minutes later she opened the Swift Cooler and popped her face in. She loved to feel the cold air on her face. She'd never known what real cold felt like. No one had known for years. The temperatures were controlled in the Cities. So it was never too hot or too cold. Even when it rained the temperatures were controlled so that no one really felt cold. Aija wanted to know what it felt like; what the real cold of rain or snow felt like.

She wanted to know more of the world before the Wars and the environmental changes that came with them. Of a world before the Wars and its resulting Plagues that killed so much life that it took decades to salvage what was left and continue a semblance of life from before. Of a world in which countries existed instead of the Pristine Cities. Not many had been outside of the Cities there were born in. Very few were given the opportunity to venture out. The Leadership controlled everyone's movements. In fact, they controlled everyone's life. Aija herself had never been out of Innermost One – the Capital of Pristine City One. In all, there were eight Cities spread across the world. And the Leadership had members in Cities monitoring the people residing there.

"Hi."

Aija banged the door of the Swift Cooler closed, embarrassed.

It was Ze.

"Can't decide what to drink?" He smiled.

"Um... No." Aija replied, a small blush creeping up her cheeks. She hoped he wouldn't notice it. She hadn't been looking for something to drink.

"Well, let me see," Ze said opening the Swift Cooler. He picked two bottles of mango juice and held one out for her.

"Thanks." She said blushing; mango was her favorite.

She saw Ze several times a day at school and at the Apartments. Every teacher and Volunteer had to live in the authorized apartments next to the schools they worked at. In fact, several people lived in houses or apartments the Leadership allotted them close to their places of work.

No matter how many times in a day she met him, each time she found it hard to keep a long conversation with him. She found herself bashful in his presence.

Zuri insisted that she confess her crush to him. But, Aija was too scared. And crushes – even love – never worked out anyway. The Leadership ensured it.

"What plans for the weekend?"

It took a moment for her to realize he was still talking to her.

"The weekend?" her voice trembled with the suddenness of her response.

"It's the weekend from tomorrow, Aija," Ze explained as if he would to a child.

"Ah! Yes....the weekend." She stammered. "Nothing much, Zu and I are meeting up tonight, to see the rain."

"And you're invited to join us," Zuri said joining them. She winked at Aija as she kept her DigiBook on her table.

Ze smiled. He took a sip of the mango juice and nodded. "Sounds lovely..."

Zuri smiled widely at Aija, who only blushed.

"Alright then, I'll see you both tonight. Let me know when and where."

"Sure," Zuri said.

Once Ze left, Zuri took the unopened bottle of mango juice from Aija and snapped, "You need to talk more if you're ever going to impress him."

Aija sighed. "I just cannot seem to find my voice in front of him."

"Silly girl..." Zuri said, her voice bordering on amused and kind.

"He was there again, today," Aija informed.

"Who? Ze? Where?"

"Not Ze, the guy from the apartment across my classroom."

Zuri took a long sip of the juice considering what to do with that piece of information.

"Well?" Aija asked.

"You must report him. Do you know what he looks like?"

"Kind of..."

"Then go today and report him."

Aija nodded. It's what she'd been thinking of as well.

"Report what?" Caroline asked coming into the Teachers' Room.

"A possible kidnapper..." Zuri told the junior Volunteer.

"Oh!"

****

Zuri was waiting for Aija after school near the gates. The evening sun made her copper curls glow. Zuri's skin was a rich dark shade of brown that neared to the color of the black of night. And her eyes were a brilliant mix of sea blue and green which reminded Aija of the picture of a sea she had seen once in a DigiBook as a child. Zuri's eyes made her miss a sea she had never been to. To Aija, Zuri looked like a Goddess who existed in the old world on Earth when Gods and Goddess were acknowledged, and the evening sun was making Zuri's beauty fiercer.

"The Principal wasn't in," she told her. "I'll meet him first thing tomorrow."

"Tomorrow's a Saturday, Ai."

"Then I'll go on Monday." Aija smiled.

"Your mind is elsewhere, maybe with Ze." Zuri teased.

"What? No!"

"Maybe he has a crush on you and can't stop looking at you." Zuri wondered aloud. "You know – the guy from the Apartment."

"Maybe he is planning on kidnapping me or one of the kids."

"Maybe he wants to kidnap you 'cause he likes you."

"That's a highly disturbing thought, Zu."

Zuri laughed.

They entered the gated blocks of Apartments and Zuri went off to her block promising Aija to meet her before the rain started. Aija's Apartment block was a whole lot further inside the gated place. But, she didn't mind, because Ze was in her block. And it meant seeing him every once in a while. It also gave her the chance to meet him on the way to school. And hopefully, walk together. Not that it had happened in the past year and a half. But she still had hope.

Aija picked a bottle of water from the RapidCool dispenser in the basement of her building and headed towards the staircase room. No one really used the stairs. They were there in case an emergency situation came to pass and the elevators stopped working. But, Aija had promised herself she would take the stairs at least three times a week. To keep herself healthy, she'd argued with herself to convince herself. It was Friday already and she had taken the stairs only on Tuesday. She prepared herself for the seventeen-floor climb with a deep breath and opened the door only to be pushed back by someone. She fell on the ground from the force and heard something of glass fall.

"I'm so sorry!" said a young man. "I didn't know you were at the door. Are you hurt?"

Aija rubbed her ankle which she was quite sure she'd twisted as she fell on it.

"It's okay..." she said just as something caught her attention.

Glass jars lay in front of her. None seemed broken, though it wasn't the glass jars themselves that grasped her attention. It was what was inside them.

She lifted one to get a better look. A ball of orange light glowed inside. It bobbed up and down as she picked it up. Many others lay beside her. There were different colored lights in the glass jars – purple, yellow, pink, something that looked like blue and green simultaneously. Were they hover lights? Why were they in glass jars? They were still, but as she moved her hand over them to pick another one up, the lights inside bobbed up and down. Hover lights didn't do that.

"What are these?" she asked the pain in her ankle forgotten.

"Nothing of interest, it's just a magic trick." The young man said as he started picking up all the scattered jars.

She noticed that he hadn't told her that they were hover lights. Why would someone call an obvious thing such as lights a 'magic trick' if they were lights? It meant that clearly they weren't just lights.

Aija looked at him. He seemed a few years older than her. His golden-brown hair was streaked with a color that reminded her of plums.

"Magic?" she asked fascinated.

The moment he looked at her he seemed to startle. But, he soon composed himself and started collecting the jars faster and putting them in a satchel. The satchel itself was a work of art. Aija had never seen a bag like it. It was a blue-brown in color and seemed to be made of some kind of leather that shimmered when the light fell directly on it. There were intricate designs carved onto the leather body of the satchel. It was a uniquely beautiful one.

Her eyes went from the satchel to his and she let out a breath in surprise. She had never seen eyes like his. They were pink in the center near the pupil which radiated out into blue. And where the pink met the blue, it took the words out of her. Who had two-toned eyes? Who had pink eyes?

"I'm sorry." He said again, standing up. "Did you hurt your ankle?"

He seemed tall. And, there was an accent to his words. It sounded beautiful. Maybe he was from a different Pristine City, maybe from Pristine Cities Six or Seven.

He offered his hand to her; she took it still looking up at him. As she stood she was suddenly mindful of his height. He was indeed really tall.

"A bit..." Aija spoke.

He smiled at her and said, "Put a pain patch on it. Take care..." and left.

Aija stood for a moment longer staring at him dazed. She steadied herself with a deep breath and opened the door to the staircase room. She climbed and noticed that her left ankle pained and remembered again that she'd hurt it. She decided to climb anyway. It was a promise to herself and a little pain in her ankle wouldn't stop her.

"Ow!" she yelled just as she reached the tenth floor. Her ankle hurt.

She sat on a stair rubbing her ankle. Just seven floors more... she tried to persuade herself.

Why does he look familiar? She thought, engrossed by the contents of the glass jars. What were they? 'Magic', he'd said. Was it true?

She stretched her legs in front of her. She had to make sure she was fine. For the very first time she would be spending time with Ze after school hours. And, she didn't want him to see her like this in pain.

Aija gave up on the stairs and decided to take the elevator, and just as she stood she realised why the young man had felt familiar – because he was. He was the one who spied on her class from the Apartment across the classroom. He had to be. He had the same shade of golden brown hair, although she hadn't been able to make out the plum shaded streaks from afar. He had the same lean built and if she could be sure, the same reflexes too - if it made sense.

Her breath hitched as she came to the understanding that it had truly been him. 

She just knew it.

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