Mahingga

Chapter 1. The University

The moist, tropical air warmed his skin as Ako Tsugari entered the Leytrain station through one of the archways that lined its walls. He recognized several faces, dressed in the same school uniforms of long brown robes.

But as always, his eyes immediately drifted to one particular girl.

Kita.

Her sand-colored hair and light, creamy skin made her stick out like a lantern in the dead of night. And those big, pale green eyes—how could he not stare at them?

He wondered if all Pawids looked like that. He'd only seen a couple others in the city. Did they have the same soft features or smooth skin? She caught him staring, her eyes narrowing. Ako snapped his head away, heat rising in his cheeks. It was best to avoid any contact with her kind.

She walked all the way up here from the workers compound where she lived. He didn't mix with the lower-class.

A soft, tingling sensation vibrated on his arm. He looked down at his Palam, a device attached to his inner forearm like an extra layer of skin. It acted as a multifunctional screen. With a sigh, he lifted his left arm and pulled back the sleeve of his robe to take a look, even though he knew what it would say. Sure enough, there was one minute left until the Leytrain would arrive.

Ako saw his tall friend towering over the throng, wearing one of the same smooth, brown robes that went down to the ankles. A series of v-shaped, dark green stripes were woven into the surface of the robe, green and brown being the colors of the university. Kaib and Ako lived on the same street, both of their families coming from considerable wealth.

"Kaib," Ako said to him.

"Good morning, friend," Kaib said. At fifteen, Kaib was already a grown man. He had to shave every morning, though Ako wasn't sure how the boy shaved around the dimple in his chin. It was so pronounced that it looked like it might have been poked with a nail. Kaib glanced over towards Kita. "Those people are weird."

"Yeah," Ako said. Whether Kaib was referring to poor people or palefaces, it didn't matter. Ako agreed either way, but he couldn't help but wonder if Kaib had noticed him staring at her a second ago.

Silent as a snake, and quick as a diving falcon, the Leytrain slid to a stop just in front of the station. Ako smiled as he noticed others marveling at its smooth, metallic structure, hardly an edge on its surface. Ako's family name was printed on the side of the beautiful structure with their company logo: Tsugari Ley.

Every time Ako saw the Leytrain, it reminded him that his family was the one to discover Leypower. It was his family that had designed the Leymatic engine. It was his family that had changed their world. It was a legacy: ever since his great grandfather made the first engine, every descendent would be an engineer, and Ako was a part of that legacy.

The doors to the Leytrain slid open like water over glass, and everybody boarded, shuffling into the seats that lined the interior. Ako and Kaib sat together near the front, as far away from Kita or any other poor person as they could get. From the inside, the walls of the Leytrain were transparent, allowing a perfect view of the outside.

Once everyone was seated, the Leytrain slipped forward soundlessly, moving across the railing conduit towards the mountains, deeper into the island. The other direction led towards the city and the beach. Above him, Ako could scarcely see the sky through the overhanging jungle leaves that whizzed by. It was rumored that some people wandered out in the mountains with no homes, simply living off the vast quantity of fruit that grew on the various trees. It was true that someone could hardly take a few steps out there without bumping into trees of mangos, bananas, coconuts, papayas, or some other fruit.