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 run into the possible kidnapper. Zuri visits her family at Apper town. Zuri meets a girl – Nala – at her father's shop. Nala talks to her despite being rude at first. Zuri likes Nala.

---- Ze visits his family on the weekend. They are concerned about his safety after a man from his Apartments is reported as kidnapped.

---- Ze practices his powers in his room. His mother, Diya, catches him doing it. She isn't happy with it – she scolds him and asks him not to do it anymore. They fight, Ze is upset.

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****4.2 - Ze****

It was dark by the time Ze reached Zuri's place. He'd left early that Saturday morning, after another argument with his mother. So he had decided to take up Zuri's offer to hopefully calm his anger.

Aija opened the door and let him in. Some kind of music was playing in the background. He had never heard it before.

Aija handed him a glass of water and asked as she sat on the couch, "Everyone good at home??"

He must have grimaced for she added, "Everything fine?"

"Yes." he nodded, looking around for Zuri.

Aija caught that too. "She'll be here. She went out to get food."

He nodded with a smile.

Ze perceived Aija as docile, for a reason. Something about her was very quiet but very observant. She was attentive in a tactful sort of way. And, he found Zuri a whole lot more sanguine. He liked the cool confidence about her.

"What music is this? I've never heard it before," he said, listening to the music with people's voice singing in it.

"Of course you haven't," confirmed Aija. "It's old world music."

Ze looked at her, out of words. Aija beamed at him.

"How?" he asked. "That's impossible. Old world music is gone."

"Nope," she said. "It isn't completely lost, although the Leadership doesn't want anyone listening to it. They are safely hidden somewhere."

"Where...?"

"You needn't know," Aija said, her smile holding back a secret. "All I can say is that my brother gets them for me."

"Wow," Ze said, utterly impressed.

"What does your brother do?"

"He's at Pristine City Four studying to be a doctor."

"Wonderful."

The main door auto-unlocked and Zuri entered holding a bag filled with food.

"Hungry, anyone?" she asked.

**

Ze found himself enjoying the girls' company. He felt comfortable and relaxed as they settled into easy talk. They ate well and drank well. Zuri brought out bottles of some kind of bubbling blue drink. He'd seen them once or twice in the fields; never since he started living at Innermost. He had never known they were alcoholic.

Aija was very careful with her drink. She had only a few sips, and a kept a considerable distance from it. But, Zuri had the most, and soon she seemed drunk. It didn't bother Ze; instead, he felt himself unknot further as he gauged Zuri's comfort around him. Zuri and Ze finished two bottles each, while Aija's sat on the table untouched beyond the initial five sips.

Ze soon found he was drunk. He had never had anything alcoholic before, and he felt light-headed. He was hazy, and all he thought he was doing was laughing a lot – him and Zuri. He thought he saw Aija laughing once or twice; maybe he had imagined it. He wasn't sure. Soon, he lost track of time.

"I need water," Zuri said between giggles. "flavored water. Only."

Aija looked into the SwiftCooler and came back empty-handed. "There's no flavored water."

"I'll get some." offered Ze, standing up suddenly.

He wobbled and nearly fell to the ground.

"Are you sure?" asked Aija looking at him with concern.

"Yes," Ze said and walked out of the Apartment.

He had a smile fixed on his lips as he called for the elevator. He pushed the button to go to the basement. When the doors opened, he stumbled out into the basement. He laughed as he almost tripped and fell. He steadied himself and walked to the dispenser. He wobbled faintly as he searched for flavored water in it. He couldn't find even a single bottle. He stood there for a few minutes unable to decide what to do. He didn't want to go empty-handed. He felt fuzzy and disoriented; incapable of making a decision. Ze scratched his head, the silly smile still playing on his lips. Finally, he decided that he would go to the other buildings to see if the dispensers there had flavored water.

He walked out and stepped on to the lawn. It was a clear night. He looked up at the sliver of the moon high up in the sky.

Ze stood there for a minute before he sauntered across the lawn into another building; he went into the basement and to the dispenser. He found that it had flavored water. He smiled groggily. He tapped his left index finger at the PayScan slot and fumbled through the buttons to get the drinks, his hands unsteady.

As the bottle dropped into the collection slot, Ze felt a sharp pain at the back of his head, and he fell to the floor, unconscious.

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