Chapter One

Cleo scrolled through her Omni-tool going through Earth's feed. The orange glow lit up the bottom floor apartment building. Air cars zoomed above on the super highway. Midnight traffic is picking up on a Saturday morning. Her vape ran out of juice and she dug into her emergency stash of credits for a trip to her dealers. The door popped open making her jump.

"Hey, Babe!" Belle said leaning out the door, her long brown hair flowed behind her, she smiled brightly at Cleo.

"Hey Belle, you having a good night?" Cleo swiped her Omni-tool away.

"Business is booming, here. See you Thursday?" Belle handed her the zip that Cleo bought. She could see it was in a small gift bag. This was one of the reasons she loved Belle as her dealer.

"Yeah, you will. Thanks for the bag, 3 credits for a scent hanger." Cleo really didn't want her car to stink.

"Yeah, of course, this one's free." Belle winked at her.

"Thanks, Hon. Bye." Cleo waved as she made herself to the old with four tires instead an expensive Aircar.

"Bye!" Belle waved as she closed her door. Then Cleo heard the world again. Honks of cars, dogs, and cats in the distance, and far off nightlife.

Cleo prayed the car would turn on. It did and she made her way to the old stone narrow two-story house. One of the few old stone houses left on this side of the city.

The city was separated by glittering towers of the modern world with rivers of aircars passing above. Official buildings, classic clubs, restaurants, gentlemen, and ladies' lounges, and luxurious apartments catered to the want of the wealthy. Live entertainment and ease of travel and limitless education. The city below wasn't completely forgotten by the elite society and government.

The underbelly was almost stuck in the 21st century, kinda. Some new modern structures for decent apartments and feeder schools for the growing population. But the rest was past its glory days, left to the mercy of its inhabitants and the elements.

Cleo lived 20 minutes away from Belle, she drove through yellow stop lights. Listening to the synth that played on the radio. She really needed to install a Bluetooth screen. The wind blew through her short cropped hair that was dyed alternating black and white. Cleo drove past one of the three gas stations in the city, old office buildings, apartments, and closed restaurants and diners. The night smelt of fresh rain. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Cleo saw a light in the front living room window and she groaned, knowing the house monster would be waiting for her. She rolled her eyes, Cleo really didn't want a lecture right now. She turned off the car and grabbed the gift bag.

The wind carried the smell of turned earth and wet grass. Cleo grimaced, they planted the seeds for this summer's harvest. Damn, she forgot that was today. Locking the car she went to the narrow gate that sat under her window. She sat the bag in the attached plant box.

The video camera dinged red as she pressed her thumb to the door knob, it flashed green at her. The living room was to her left, the holo-tv against the end wall. The oversized couch against the front window and the bookcase holding pictures of the occupants of the house. It faced her in the foyer. Lyra, the place 'mother', a monitor really, was sitting down on the oval floating chair.

The Systems Alliance bought out sections of housing to "Combat homelessness". They integrated the foster system and TSA with sponsored housing that dominated the housing market. Crushing and bulldozing the average family. The System Alliance placed babysitters in each house, the majority of the housing units were separated but there was a small percentage of co-ed. This house had Corporal Lyra Sanders as this house monitor, it held Lyra's quarters on the bottom and the four girls' rooms were all on the top.

There were rules and a curfew and technically she was 3 hours late and she was a week away from graduation. It was almost summer and more laid back than the other home security they had Lyra still was a soldier first.

"You're three hours late, Cleo. how many times do we have to have the same conversations?" Lyra calmly said to her. Ugh, she wanted to start this now.

"I don't know." Cleo felt her cheeks heat up, she hated playing dumb with Lyra. Blonde eyebrows lowered and piercing green eyes met her brown one.

"You can't play dumb, where were you?" Lyra got up, a short muscular build. She stood only a few inches shorter than Cleo. but Lyra carried herself with terrifying confidence.

"I was on Mangrove with Belle." Cleo looked at Lyra's face trying to force the truth in each sentence. "It's almost summer and I'm about to graduate. I just wanted to have fun." Cleo shrugged, she shifted on her black boots on the wood floors.

"The rules still apply, you've been here long enough to know that." Lyra continued to scold Cleo. Bringing up how long she had been here hurt, she thought they had been close but clearly not. Lyra probably thought of this situation as a years-long babysitting job instead of being a part of the United North American Army.

"I know I'm sorry." Cleo tucked an annoying piece of hair behind her ear, breaking eye contact. Beats of silence stretched between them.

"This is your last verbal warning, now go to your room. You have school tomorrow." Lyra pointed up the stairs. Cleo could hear the soft thuds of feet moving, tears sprung to her eyes.

Cleo still felt Lyra's eye as she closed her door. Quicky and with careful steps she made her way to the window. The layout of each bedroom was similar. A twin bed against the opposite wall of the closet while the entrance was opposite her window or a solid wall. In Cleo's case, it was a window. She climbed over her TSA-issued "Modern" desk.

With ease she slid the window up and let the fishing hook down, she saw it sway in the wind. Cleo curled her body to stabilize her balance with a swing it snagged the handles and it hung taught, she carefully pulled it up.

There were three twists on her door knob. Light footsteps made her way to the door. Then three pairs of eyes looked at her through the darkness.

"C'mon" Cleo whispered. The girls did. The tallest one, Kai, was a year younger than her, she twirled her reddish-brown hair.

"What excuse did you give her this time," Kai asked with a smile.

"Leave her alone if you're not sharing." Clarke popped her head in, her hair in a butterfly knotless braid. Clarke was in her graduating class.

The youngest, Mitchell, blonde with blue eyes was 16. Muffled laughter came from behind a white hand. Cleo quickly closed the door and turned on the light. The cracks in the door were sealed with a small mass effect field. Clarke sat on her desk.

"You should appreciate the things I do Kai." Cleo smiled and bumped her shoulder playfully.

They sat down on the large fluffy white rug. Mitchell had grabbed the plastic box that held the grinder, 2 glass pipes, and an ash cup.

Cleo ground the nuggets down and then loaded each glass pipe. Mitchell looked between Clarke and Cleo after her turn was over. Her throat burned.

"Do you guys know what you're gonna do after graduation?" Mitchell accepted the pipe from Clarke.

"Go to college, get a job as an intelligence agent," Clarke replied quickly, then took a hit.

Cleo remained silent as she took hers. She has no plan after high school, work, or maybe community but a JOB to devote her life to. She filled with dread and choked on the smoke.

Clarke tossed her a pillow and Cleo let loose muffled coughs. After she finished she looked at Clarke, "Thanks."

"You could've just said you didn't know." Kai said, taking a hit and not coughing. Cleo flipped her off.

"Shut up. I plan on working."

"At the wielder's place? Ew." Mitchell scrunched her nose.

"So what? It's a good-paying job, I'm lucky that I can work weekends. And now I can work full time." Cleo put the pillows beside her. "Anyways any summer plans?"

The girls continued passing the pipes. Cleo dug into her closet while Mitchell emptied the pipes, she had snacks and chips. Cleo really wanted to get rid of the jitters even the mention of future plans caused her hands to shake. She didn't have a plan, not like Kai or Clarke. It was graduation then what, work? For the rest of her life. Cleo scrolled through her omni-tool.

"Ugh, I really wish ya'll didn't have to go," Mitchell said quietly, as she hugged her knees. Cleo opened her blueberry soda called Thessia's Paradise. The girls ate, drank, and threw out the trash. Cleo looked out the window. What she wanted to do was travel but she had neither the credits nor the audacity to join The Systems Alliance. She was trapped on Earth with no future.