Scott and I began to walk down the long streets. It was cold as per usual, the days feeling shorter, but so much longer at the same time. I shivered as a gust of wind trailed down the streets, my hair twirling in the air. Papers and posters which scattered the ground rose into the air as if they were a crowd rising to clap.

Each paper, dotted with information in lettering, tossed and turned in the air in an elaborate dance, harmonizing together. Some rested to the pavement, pictures of the newest celebrities plastered on the front, the cheap ink already running from puddles of water on the ground.

Others continued their pirouettes in the sky, some rising above to the rooftops, others being caught in another gust of wind. However, for a moment, I caught a glimpse of one. It was a design, lines intertwining together to form the shape. Oranges, reds, and whites.

It was a fox.

I had to pause for a moment, try and look at what I had seen. But the paper was gone, trailing with the others as they continued their morning dance along the city streets. With a defeated sigh, I tucked my shivering hands deeper into my pockets, walking along.

Perhaps I had just imagined it. After all, it had been silhouetted against the morning sun, and when looking for something it was easy for your mind to trick you. To see the red and orange hues from morning light and assume it was a part of the printed image.

But it still sent shivers down my spine.

On the train, it was a lot warmer inside. Body's were crammed inside however Scott and I managed to sit by the window. I sat across from him, my own eyes drifting outside as buildings darted past. I couldn't help but try and imagine the lives of each person I saw.

I would see a small snapshot of their lives from their train, just a glimpse. Perhaps it was a group of boys walking to school, or an elderly man walking to buy groceries with an outdated card design. I liked to think of what those boys were talking about, what kinds of things the man was going to by from the store.

On some days, I would see the same people.

Usually there was the same woman that passed underneath the bridge which our train crossed, usually at around the same time every day. Although only for a second, her characteristic look was easy to recognize each time. Brown strewn back hair into a tight ponytail, sleek black clothes, and bright red lipstick which contrasted against her pale complexion.

In her left hand, she carried a briefcase, slightly larger for her small body. Then, in her right hand, she swung an umbrella by her side. I wondered what was in the briefcase. If it was documents, then why not carry them digitally? What else could it be?

But then the train would continue. A light hum as it barely touched the electric rails. And the lady was gone.

At times, the train would go so fast that I was unable to see anybody, not able to focus on their small details, only the blur of the back of buildings and windows. Whenever the train would stop at a station, several dozen more people would press on.

Sometimes the people would resemble someone I know, but then when I looked closer through the train window, I saw that the girl waiting on the bench wasn't actually Marie, but simply a girl waiting for her friends to arrive. However this trip, I felt like everyone around me was a stranger.

Scott and I were a few minutes from our usual stop, watching out the window as buildings grew more deteriorated, and people donning the street grew fewer. However, just then, my eyes widened. I almost jumped from my seat and pressed myself against the window when I saw it.

"What?" Scott asked, seeing my reaction. It had already passed, but I had seen it, actually seen it. I didn't answer, still trying to process it. Scott frowned and continued to wait for a response.

I had seen it. Another fox.

Painted against the back wall of a greyish building, right in the sightline of the passing train. It had been so clear, so recognizable against the dull backdrop. It had been rough, hand-painted, white tips for the ears and orange blurs for the body, a tail which seemed to wrap around the bottom of the wall like a vine.

But it had gone by so quickly.

"Nothing," I said, trying to shrug it off. For a split moment I had seen it, and those oranges couldn't have just been a trick of the light. I had seen those defined shapes, the strong strokes representing whiskers. It had been just as recognizable as the lady holding her briefcase.

The train came to a stop, only a few people remained on. Scott and I stood, being one of a few to trickle onto the crumbling station. The sky was dark, another storm brewing. I could already feel the light moisture in the air. Another breeze, sending my hair around in loops.

It was just a short walk to work, but I couldn't wrap my mind about what I had seen. I knew what Scott would say, he would suggest that it was just a trick of the light. Marie would have said the exact opposite of that. I let out a sigh, walking up to the door of the building.

Scott opened it, the arm of his jacket pulling back slightly, revealing that the bruises did not just line his wrist. They crawled up his arms, shades of purple and blue. He saw me looking, quickly pulling up his sleeve and walking inside. I felt guilty for not doing anything.

And my hate for Jessie grew even more.

There was no way, in my mind, that those two were good for one another. At least in some aspects, I could see why the system put Jake and I together. There were moments where we shared similar ideals, and finally have set up platonic boundaries. Scott and Jessie on the other hand couldn't be more opposite.

And, at least, in this case, it did not seem that opposites attracted.

But perhaps that was intentional. Perhaps the system made them so compatible that they wouldn't even consider having children. Lowering the population further. But it didn't seem right, not given every other match I'd seen being perfect.

I stepped inside, relieved at the overwhelming warmth which covered me. Noah sat alone at his chair, Evan nowhere to be seen. Scott had already sat down at the computer, opening the new files that Evan and I had retrieved the other day from Jordan.

I hoped I'd get another chance to see her again.

"Evan's on break," Noah's voice was broken, his hands shaking and hair messy. He looked exhausted, skinny, and as broken as the abandoned buildings of the Lower City Region. Seeing him, you'd wonder how a corpse was walking. He said slowly, stuttering slightly, "Just-just... work on... work on those files..."

I could actually see him as the quiet kid now. Almost how reserved Scott had been, although in a lot of ways, Scott continued to be like that. When I had met Noah, he seemed loud, slightly nervous, but fairly extroverted. A bleak comparison to the man leaning over the keyboard now.

"Are you alright?" I whispered to Scott, who had now pulled his arms almost entirely into his jacket. He nodded slightly, adjusting his glasses, before opening a new file for a supermarket. He turned his attention back to the screen, typing away. I whispered again, "She can't keep doing that to you,"

"I'm fine," his voice was blank, low, and tired. I wanted to press on more, but was scared of pushing too far. Scott glanced to Noah before he said, "I think we should talk to Noah today,"

"About?" although it had only been a day away from work, I already felt I was behind, as if I had been absent for weeks. Scott sighed, gently closing the supermarket's file.

"About switching," he said quietly, "We have blackmail on him... Evan isn't here. It is practically the perfect opportunity,"

"Are you sure?" I asked, looking over to the nervous man. I thought back to Jordan, how she had joined computer technology at the same time as him, mentored by Marlin as well. And if she had something to do with whatever this fox symbolism was about, then there was a slight chance that he may be involved as well.

"Do you trust me?" Scott asked, staring at me with intensity. Even through the glasses it was near impossible not to feel intimidated by his gaze. It was unwavering, determined, and focused.

"I do," I said, and he nodded. I couldn't help but feel nervous, "But that doesn't mean this isn't risky,"

"If you've changed your mind, just tell me," he said slowly, slight hesitance in what he said, but still the intensity remained in his eyes, "I will understand. But I cannot go through with this without knowing this is what you want. We can pretend this idea never even came about... but I need to know,"

Could I really do this?

I was risking my life, not just mine, but everyone's around me. I thought back to Marie, and wondered how many people would be interviewed around me if something went wrong. Interrogated. Abbey might, a girl I'd met twice and hardly knew. Perhaps even Phillip. Would this impact Charlie and Lillian?

Scott was right, I could just back out now. Pretend nothing happened, that this idea was just as foolish and brush it off as nothing more than a passing thought. A stream of consciousness that had landed on an idea which was beyond far fetched.

I could learn to love Jake, learn to conform. Perhaps, in time, Jessie and Scott would work it out. After all, the system is clearly refined and perfected to a point where most of the world follows the same system. I would move on, work in the towering government buildings, and just let Scott be a distant friend, just a co-worker. A faded memory.

But if I let that happen, all I would be was Rebecca Aria.

I would be some girl, any girl. Anybody who saw me would not even consider me a glance. Another face in the crowd. If I died, next to few would care, and if I lived then even fewer. If I pursued the life of conformity, then what was the point of living at all. Why live a life when it will just be the same day after another.

"I'm certain," I said, and not a moment later, I could feel the adrenaline pumping through me. Scott smiled at me, a smile of mischievous intent, and stood. He loomed over the room with such confidence it was hard to see him as the same person.

"Noah Williams," Scott said calmly and clearly, "We need to talk to you about Alice,"