Mina slept badly. Nobody came to see her after that first boy with the long hair took her blood. Nobody gave her food. The room temperature remained constant – just below the comfortable level – and she spent a few hours tossing and turning on the angled bed, feeling every bump of the plastic press against her back and hips. Whenever she heard footsteps passing outside, her eyes flew open and her heart raced, expecting more evil people to give her pain, but none came. She lost track of time after drifting in and out of sleep from exhaustion and stress.

Her eyes snapped open the next time the door slid back. Mina hadn't realised she'd fallen into a slumber, after all. A girl came in, this time, about the same age as Ari. Her clothes were casual, a simple light jacket, pale t-shirt, and cropped trousers. Her hands were stuck in her pockets; she might as well be taking a stroll.

"Hi!" Even her voice was bright and sunny like the outside. She couldn't look more out of place in a stale place like this with the lady scientist and the grumpy boy.

Mina didn't say anything, eyeing her with caution. The girl giggled – genuinely – and bobbed her head at the same time. Her long brown hair was swept in a side ponytail that bobbed with her.

"I'm Vexi. What's your name?"

"M-Mina."

"Well, Mina, welcome. I'm told they're running your blood to group your ability?"

"I think so."

"So in the mean time, until your results return, do you want to take a tour with me?"

Mina was taken aback.

"I thought I was a p-prisoner."

Vexi laughed, her eyes crinkling at the corners.

"A prisoner? Never! You're one of us, now. You're joining the team. You have to know the ins and outs of this place if you're going to help out."

"I am?"

"Of course! Now, come on." Vexi took her hand. Mina slipped off, hesitant. Vexi waited until her feet were squarely on the floor and handed her a pair of thick woolly socks. "You can put these on. It's okay – the rest of the ground is like this. You don't need shoes."

Mina slipped them on with shaking hands. On cue, her stomach gave a rumble. She blushed to the roots of her dark hair. Vexi giggled again.

"I'll get you something to eat. But you'll probably want to change out of that thin thing. Put this on for now." She slipped off her jacket and handed it to Mina. She put it on. It was too long at the sleeves and baggy around the chest area, but it made her feel safer, less exposed.

Satisfied with what she was seeing, Vexi swiped her card and beckoned to Mina, who hurried after her.

The door slid shut. Vexi took her along a semi-lit corridor. Lights flickered at regular intervals overhead. The corridor stretched on and on, the walls punctuated at regular intervals with identical swipe-card-operated doors on the right. Cameras peppered the ceiling corners, covered in dust. Mina wondered if they were still working.

Vexi held her hand throughout, humming. She walked at the same pace as Mina, who was slowed because of her small stature and hunger. They didn't meet anyone for a good five to ten minutes. They turned the corner and Vexi took her one floor up. The stairs were made of a rusted metal, made of a mesh of tiny squares with hollow centres that hurt Mina's feet. Vexi swiped her card again at the top. The door slid open.

The security was definitely tight. Even if the cameras didn't work, there was no way Mina could get out by herself without a swipe card. But Vexi seemed nice. Perhaps she would look out for her until Ari arrived.

"How long have you been here, Vexi?" she asked at last. Vexi gave her a quick smile.

"A couple of months."

She didn't seem to want to elaborate.

"W-what is this place?"

Vexi's footsteps echoed along this next corridor. Most of the lights were broken. Shadows lurked in every corner. Dark windows lined one side of the wall, giving barely any insight into what was inside due to the darkness within.

"It's a place for people who are suffering," said Vexi, looking ahead. Her side ponytail bobbed with every step. "There are many people in March City who don't get enough credits for food and basic needs, like clothes and revision material. Do you know why that is?"

"Because they don't score high enough in tests?"

"Exactly, Mina. And why don't they score high enough?"

"Because they don't study?" Mina couldn't see what Vexi was driving at. The older girl shook her head.

"For a few, maybe. But most of them it's because even though they study hard and work hard, they will never score high enough to meet their needs. They were born unlucky."

Mina could sympathise with that. If it wasn't for Ari's constant high scores and plentiful credits, she would be living a very hard life right now. She owed her big sister so much.

"So some people were driven desperate. The city's system worked against them. Work hard, you score highly, and you get rewarded. Study well, you score highly, and you get rewarded. Well, what about those who work hard and study hard, but they never do well? Effort points don't get you credits." Vexi's voice trembled a little as if the topic incensed her. Mina glanced sideways, her heart palpitating. Vexi appeared to sense Mina's unease and sucked in a big breath, before replacing her tension with a soft smile again. "The city doesn't take kindly to those who don't excel in one way or another, and eventually, if those desperate people don't do anything, they'll die."

"That's... so sad."

"It is, isn't it? They haven't done any wrong. Their lives are restricted – you have to either study well, or be born with a naturally great ability, or both. If you don't have either, you're screwed. Forever."

"Working hard can get you somewhere." Mina couldn't help but think of the times Ari spoke rather in awe of Cryo and Lira, the top two students in the city. Nobody had greater natural ability than Ari, but Cryo and Lira worked and trained exceptionally hard, and they topped Ari as a result. Their efforts spurred Mina on. She might not have the natural talent as those three, but Cryo and Lira showed that hard work can yield progress, regardless of one's natural ability.

Vexi gave her a pitiful smile.

"For some lucky ones, perhaps. As long as they are fed and have a roof over their heads, some students can afford to study in those circumstances. Others, who don't even know where their next meal comes from? What about those who have nowhere to stay and are caught by Peacekeepers for breaking curfew or for stealing? Credits are sparse as it is, and the richest students don't bother with the hardship of the poor ones."

Mina thought of Ari again. She remembered walking in Area Five and seeing a few students doing street performances. Although they roused cheers and laughs, there was gauntness in their faces and trembles in their hands that showed not all was fun and games. She asked Ari about them, but her sister merely shrugged. A few days later, they saw some students attacking a passer-by in an alleyway. The scuffle was quiet, but the victim screamed. The robbers stole his school bag and cloak, and Ari just watched them pass. Mina was so angry back then. Ari had so much potential and so much power, and yet she didn't do anything with it. She just earned credits and lived a lazy life, watching others suffer as it wasn't her business.

Vexi had a point. The rich didn't care for the poor. Nobody cared about the poor – but it wasn't those students' fault they couldn't earn much credits. Mina was just like one of them. Without Ari, Mina would be one of them.

"What can I do?"

Vexi had a big smile on her face at that question. They reached a large eating area, much like Mina's school canteen, but the tables and chairs were made of wood, not smooth metal. Old food and drink stains marked the cracked surface. There were a few other students dotted around, looking in deep thought. Vexi skipped over to the food dispersal unit and inserted several letters. She returned with a bread roll and a dollop of jam on the side.

"It's not much," she said in an apologetic voice. "But it'll keep you going for the rest of the day. We're cutting down on expenditure to prepare for the big events ahead."

Mina didn't care. She wolfed it down. Vexi watched her with a small smile, her chin propped on her hands.

"Our leader had a vision. She believes abilities should be equally distributed. The differences between the rich and poor, powerful and weak, should not be that great. Why should the rich live in luxury because they were born lucky and the rest of us have to slave away just to put food on our table? Because of our rank? Because of a silly number?"

Mina nodded, sympathetic. She could see why Vexi and the others would be so unhappy with that.

"That's why she devised a plan. It's still in its early stages, but in time, this will be the revolution that would mean equal distribution for all. We no longer have to cower in front of those who are powerful. We can fight our own battles. We can look after ourselves and our own without grovelling and killing ourselves. Our leader promises to make us stronger."

Vexi's words stirred a distant memory. Mina's heart raced when she recalled the promises of the creepy lady scientist.

"She... is the leader a scientist? With a white coat?"

"Yes, she is. Have you met her already?"

"Y-yes," Mina said in a small voice. The last bite of her bun became like cardboard in her mouth, sticking in her throat and making her cough. Vexi reached over and thumped her back. Eyes watering, Mina felt the lump finally go down. "She s-said she was going to hurt high rankers because they were greedy and mean, but... some of them are my friends and family. I can't hurt them."

Vexi touched her cheek with another soft smile on her face.

"It'll be hard, Mina, but their sacrifices will be for the greater good. Their contributions will ensure generations of future March City citizens will live in peace and prosperity. They can all contribute to the system and work hard, and be happy. You would want that, right? You wouldn't wish poverty on other people like you? Little girls who don't have big sisters and brothers to look after them?"

Mina nodded, her eyes downcast. Her blood was still cold.

"It's quite scary for you right now, but in time you'll learn what a great thing you're doing and what a great thing those high rankers are doing in helping our project. It's for everyone's sake. If it means using one high-ranker to make sure a hundred low-rankers won't ever have to starve again, it's worth it."

"W-what are you planning to do to those high-rankers?" Mina almost dreaded the answer. The bread she swallowed tumbled over and over in her stomach, making her feel sick.

The older girl swallowed.

"That will be an answer for another day. Let's go. I'll show you our facilities then take you to the dorms with the other little girls."

They stood up. Vexi led her by hand to the other end of the canteen. A girl pushed past the double doors, an agitated expression on her face, wringing her hands. Red hair fell in loose waves around her face.

Mina halted, astonished.

"Fris?"

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