BRONZE COURT

KALONICE : EASTERN DISTRICT

Scarlett sat on the edge of the grated overpass, elbows resting on the railing. She peered down into the vast nothingness of the pit that lay below Kalonice.

Thirteen deaths this week. Some accidental, some purposeful.

She wondered how clumsy one would have to be to slip over these railings. When it rained, everything was slippery. But no one should make that mistake around here.

She gazed off into the neon lights of her city. Pinks, purples, blues. They all meshed together as their only source of light. Kalonice was a dark world. But it was the only world they could live on. To her right sat three skyscrapers, reaching the clouds, where everyone worked. And to her left were the various domes everyone lived in.

With two rows of circular overpasses, Scarlett could see the others below her. Some walked to work, some walked with children, and others were starting their morning off with a run. Something she had just finished herself.

"Thinking about jumping today?"

Scarlett turned her head around to see Hahna's slim figure sit down next to her. Her long black hair was nearly identical to Scarlett's. They shared the same bright green eyes of course. All Elven did. Today, Hahna's hair was gathered into a sharp bun, showcasing her pointed ears.

"Maybe tomorrow," Scarlett said blandly, looking back to the neon glow.

"Well, give me a heads up next time. I'll need to find your replacement," Hahna said sarcastically.

"Speaking of," Scarlett looked over to her. "I heard we have a new rank today."

Hahna didn't say anything. She gazed forward to the darkness of the pit, swinging her feet gently.

"Oh, come on. I'm going to meet him either way."

"She," Hahna corrected.

"She?" Scarlett raised her eyebrows. "What is she?"

Hahna looked into her eyes now and sighed.

"A Sarix."

"A Sarix?" Scarlett scoffed. "Did the last one die or something?"

"Filed a complaint."

"Shocker. Prude."

"Let's go," Hahna said getting to her feet and helping Scarlett up. "I left my katana in the lockers. Stop by there with me, please? You know I hate dealing with the guards."

"Whatever," Scarlett said walking next to her. She looked down at the grated overpass and saw the people below her moving in opposite directions. She wondered how easy it must be for some of them. To be assigned an easy job. An easy life.

The neon railings changed from blue to a deep purple when nearing the skyscrapers. Bodies of all kinds floated in and out of the doors on the Southern and Northern overpasses. Some took the floating glass up and some down. Lower level jobs versus higher level. Scarlett had never been too far down. She wondered what it would be like to work down below.

In the pit.

She also wondered what it was like on the very top.

But hardly anyone worked up there. Special clearance was always required with several codes that changed each day.

Hahna boarded the higher levels floating glass and punched in the number 213. Not many worked above floor 180, which was why there were only six others aboard the glass panel. Scarlett looked at the screen inside and saw they would be stopping at four other floors. She wondered what these people even did for a living on those floors.