EYEconomy (OLD VERSION)

Chapter 2

"Paige!" a small voice calls from within the crowd. I get off the shuttle and move along with the flow of the people exiting. When the boarding crowd clears, a little girl is left, waving at me.

"Hey, Jaz," I greet with a wide grin. She grins back and walks along with me. "Did you eat yet?" I ask her.

"Nope. My dad had to use the money to pay for the rent this morning. We're lucky we even have that apartment," she says.

"How about some bread bites? My treat," I suggest. The last time I checked my balance, I had enough for one order. I think.

"Are you sure? Don't you need that money for lunch or something?"

"No, it's fine. I have extra." I don't have extra. I just really want to help her out.

"Okay, then. Thanks," she says to me, and then holds my right hand. I don't mind. She's like the little sister I never had.

Jaz is from the Destitute Slums. In the System, Destitute is the lowest you can possibly get. They are deep in poverty, whether it's because of debt they inherited from their parents or dues owed to themselves. If they're lucky, some of them pick up jobs like janitor or factory worker. Their eyes are the color of the deepest, darkest ebony. It's as if their pupils just take up the entirety of their irises.

Every day, Jaz sneaks in her way somehow to meet me at this station and keeps me company until my next shuttle arrives. Today, I have twenty minutes to kill.

As we walk, I notice something new about her.

"Hey, is that a necklace?" I point to the shiny, honey-colored gem hanging around her neck.

"Yup," she says, holding it in her hand. She rolls it around between her index and her thumb.

"Where'd you get something like that?" I ask, curiously.

"It was my mom's. My dad waited for a while before he decided to give it to me," Jaz explains. "It's pretty, right?" she says through a smile.

"Yeah."

Jaz and I take an escalator down to the ground floor where all the station's shops are located. I approach a store, H-mart, and the doors slide open. I head in with Jaz behind me. No one is in the store besides us other than the cashier and a man in front. When the man leaves with a bag in hand, I step up to the counter. The register is manned by a Gray guy who seems to be in his late thirties.

"Welcome to H-mart, how may I help you?" he starts, unenthusiastically. His eyes shift from mine to Jaz's. When he looks at hers, however, his eyebrows pinch. "Hey, hey, what's a Destitute doing in here? You can't afford anything! Shoo, girl, and go find some other place to beg," he says, waving her away.

"She's with me," I say defensively. Jaz hides behind me, holding onto my shirt. He narrows his eyes at her, but after a few seconds drops it.

"Alright, alright. What'll you have?" he asks impatiently.

"A small order of bread bites," I tell him. He takes a moment to type in something with the keyboard. Then, he looks up after calculating the price. The eye scanner rises up from the register and floats in front of my face, eye-level. I hold my eye open long enough for it to scan me.

"Scanning... Paige Brooks. Deducting amount..." I patiently wait for it to finish the transaction. "...Deduction unsuccessful. Insufficient funds," it finally says.

"What?" I ask, surprised. "Isn't it 1.50 units?"

"That's the old price, kid. Now, it's 3.00 units." I can't believe him.