The story so far: 

---- Aija is a Volunteer at the Pristine School at Innermost. She works along with Zuri and Ze, who are her friends. Aija has a crush on Ze. Aija catches a man – a possible kidnapper looking at her from the Apartments opposite her school. Luka, the man who caught Aija through the Apartment, has a tough life. He works for Thieron of H'eon. He goes to keep track of their next target and then visits the Market to meet his informant about another target. He wonders if humans have changed for the better now.

---- Zuri forces Aija to complain to the Principal, and so Aija does, but the Principal isn't there. Aija runs into the possible kidnapper and tells Zuri of it.

---- Aija, Zuri, and Ze run into the possible kidnapper on the rooftop, where they had gathered to watch the rain.

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****3.1 - ZURI****

The Terra Turbo train gulped large distances as it moved across the magnetic tracks. It was older and slower than the Sub-TerraTurbo trains, but it went across the land, not below it.

And Zuri loved to watch the scenery as she traveled. The first time she took the Terra Turbo she was sad that she couldn't afford the Sub-Terra Turbo. Now that she was a volunteer at Innermostshe could travel for free. But then she was glad she had traveled by it. Now she took the Terra Turbo every time she traveled. She had loved the sceneries– the fields of grass, trees, spread intermittently between towns, the blue sky, the clouds...

But she had also been able to make out the differences between the many towns. Innermost was the most densely enriched by greenery. As she moved further from Innermost to her town she noticed that the towns were more densely covered with buildings and houses. Innermost had very less population and it increased with each town further away from it. The infrastructure decreased too.

Zuri was also positive that she could see the cleaner air of Innermost. The sun shined just a little differently in Innermost and if one concentrated enough they could make out the sun sparkle at places making it look like Innermost had a barrier. A barrier created by clean air and temperature control. Zuri was sure she couldn't see this air-barrier as she called it, as she moved out towards her town.

One day she had made Aija strain her eyes and look for this air-barrier. She wasn't sure if Aija would see it, as she'd never been out of Innermost and had nothing as a comparison, but surprisingly, Aija had told her that she could see the sun glisten at some points making it look like there was a barrier. It had infuriated Zuri. She had never believed it when she still lived at home in Apper town. She didn't want to believe it. If she did, it would make her believe she wasn't as important as those who lived at Innermost. For the longest time, she had denied it and believed her town was the same as Innermost, just a bit more crowded. She wanted to believe the air was just as clean, the temperature just as good. She refused to believe it when neighbors told her Innermost was more beautiful and better maintained.

But, when Zuri had gone to Innermost to give her Eligibility Assessment and receive her last medicine administration, she had seen it for herself. And all her confidence had crumbled.

Her Scroll vibrated. A message from Aija telling her she missed her. Aija had stayed back at Zuri's apartment. She hadn't wanted to go back to her own room. 

Aija had run after the boy, but he had been too fast. Aija went after him for two floors, but the pain in her ankle had stopped her from going further and he had escaped.

"Follow him, best catch him." Zuri had told Ze who had followed her and Aija.

"Why?" he had asked puzzled and remained with them.

Aija's leg hurt, so Ze had carried her to Zuri'sapartment and helped her put another pain patch and left after Zuri had explained to him that that man may have been a kidnapper.

Aija had already decided to stay at Zuri's place because of the boy. But, now she had given up the idea of informing the school's Principal about the spy/kidnapper. Aija was convinced he didn't mean her harm. She'd said he always avoided her and so he couldn't mean her harm. Zuri wasn't convinced but decided to let it go, for a while.

Zuri walked through a DigiScreen while going from one compartment to the next as her stop neared. It buzzed out of existence as she walked through it and came back into existence once she was gone. It was showing the images of the list of people reported missing recently along with their photos. After the list, Mike Wiet's image popped up as he requested people to get back home before dark as a precaution since the number of kidnappings had increased, most of them happening late at night. Mike Wiet was the representative of the Leadership. He was in his mid-forties and had replaced Ewani Drom ten years ago. Ewani Drom had been in his late sixties when Mike Wiet had taken over.

Zuri got down at Apper Town. She wondered how the Open was. Was it really as terrible as some claimed? People avoided going to the Open, which was the land outside the borders of the Pristine Cities. And, people who lived at the Open didn't come into the Cities as they couldn't afford to live there. They lived in the Open because they couldn't afford the Cities in the first place, else they wouldn't have. Maybe, the Open was indeed bad; she had seen huge differences between Innermost and her own town.

Her brother was waiting for her as he always did when she visited home. Alex smiled with pure joy as he spotted her in the crowd.

"Zuri!" he ran to her.

Zuri loved Alex. She had been the first to hold him when had been born. For the longest time she'd believed she'd be the only child, but then she'd found out she was going to be a sister. She hadn't liked it at first, but the moment she'd held Alex she knew she loved him. She was seven and hadn't loved anything more than her brother.

She hugged him and lifted him off the ground for a moment.

"Please tell me you are staying longer this time!"Alex laughed as she set him down.

"I took tomorrow off," Zuri confirmed.

"Yes!" Alex smiled. "Chet, Amyas, Omar, and Anne are waiting for you."

"We'll meet them tonight."

Alex loved hanging out with her friends. And, it worried Zuri. She wanted Alex at Innermost studying well and not stuck behind at home. It was not that she didn't like her friends. They were her friends because she liked them. But, when it came to Alex she found herself being very protective of him. Also, if Alex could get into Innermost, it meant they had a chance to bring their parents there as well.

****

'I'm missing you, Zu.' read Aija's message.

Zuri smiled.

"Zuri, you know no tech allowed at the table."Her father reprimanded her.

"You're here for such a short time, Zu, talk to us." said her mother.

"How's everything at Innermost?" Alex asked while he stuffed himself with food.

"Same as always... If you do well on your Assessment you could come live with me." Zuri said pushing her Scroll into a small square and putting her Scroll into her pocket.

"That would be wonderful." her father said with a smile.

"Nancy tells us it's absolutely possible," Her mother informed, talking about their neighbor. "She says since you've done well, he'll do well too. Maybe one day we'll be allowed to visit you both there."

Zuri grasped the hope in her mother's voice. Imani and Noah King had done so much for her and Alex. She loved them with all her heart.

"Not just visit," Alex said. "Omar says if both of us are there, you'll be allowed to live with either of us."

"True." agreed Zuri.

Her parents only smiled, but she saw the faint hope in their eyes - the hope of getting into Innermost. The same hope all of those living outside it had - the hope of something better for their families.

After dinner, Zuri sifted through her clothes in the room she shared with Alex.

"Don't stay up too late," Imani said bringing in two pieces of cake. "What are you doing Zuri?"

"Seeing what I can take back with me."

"Do you need more clothes?" her mother's voice was laced with worry. "Why didn't you say so? I would have sent you some money."

"Mama....don't worry. I just miss some of my old ones. And I get paid for volunteering."

Imani smiled at her, though Zuri could see the sadness in her eyes. "Well, you and your brother finish eating soon and get to bed. Don't forget to brush your teeth."

"Goodnight Mama," Zuri said.

"Goodnight Mama," Alex repeated.

"Goodnight, you two," Imani said and left.

Alex smiled at his sister conspiratorially. They wouldn't be sleeping much that night.

Zuri had already sent messages to her friends. They would meet at the neighborhood playground.

Zuri hadn't always taken her brother with her on these late-night escapades. She had snuck out by herself for a long time without anyone knowing. But, one night unbeknownst to her, Alex had followed her. And since then, Alex had always accompanied her whenever she visited them. She didn't mind him and her friends took good care of him too.

"Look who's here!" announced Omar, his lively voice welcoming her.

"Zuri King!" Anne called out and ran to her to give her a hug.

"I missed you guys!" Zuri exclaimed.

Amyas and Chet waved to her from the swings.

"Aren't you too old for swings?" Zuri asked.

"No." Amyas and Chet said in unison, grinning.

The six of them went to sit on a small elevated stage at one end of the playground – their usual spot.

"How's our Innermost girl doing?" asked Amyas.

"You guys really need to stop calling me that,"Zuri said, her voice cradling a nuance of annoyance.

"Why ever would we do that?" Chet irritated her."You're the second one from our neighborhood who's been allowed to volunteer at Innermost and only the fifth person from all of Apper town. We're proud of you."

Zuri smiled. "Where's Ahi?"

"He couldn't come. He has exams." Anne said, feeling sad.

Ahi Kumar Jones lived at Innermost too. He was studying to be a Scientist. Zuri had visited him only once at Innermost. Ahi was busy with his studies most of the time. The group missed him a lot, especially Anne. Everyone knew Anne's feelings for Ahi. Everyone also knew how Ahi felt – for Zuri.

They shared their stories and teased each other.No matter how many days they spent away from each other, they found themselves at ease with each other when they met.

Alex was on the swing and out of earshot. 

"We were able to get more of these this time," Chet said lifting his backpack.

Amyas opened his too and removed ten bottles of the fizzing blue alcohol.

"Awesome!"

Omar high-fived Chet who removed fifteen bottles from his bag.

"How did you get these many?" Zuri asked glancing at Alex. He had his back to them still.

"The group had excess this time," Chet answered."The people in Nava apparently didn't show up for the sale."

"More for us!" smiled Anne.

"Did you know that alcohol wasn't illegal before the Wars?" Zuri asked her friends.

"That's why it's sold now in secret silly," said Amyas.

"Too much of anything is bad." Omar declared.

"Yeah, yeah....." said Chet. "You're starting to sound like Ahi."

"Each of us gets five, Zuri said putting five bottles into her bag after making sure Alex was still turned away from them. "I miss Ahi."

"All of us do," Omar said, looking at her with an expression she couldn't discern.

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