He was Almost Absorbed by the System

Chapter Thirty Six - Rushing to Meet You

There are many puppeteers in a system that shines with outward perfection. For example Social Services, an organisation that is unlike the one acknowledged in a different place in the universe; this one protects the system, not the people with in it, although if protecting the system leads to protecting an individual, then this is acceptable. For example, upon finding a boy of eight years without parents or memory after an incident that would have potentially caused social anarchy and chaos were it reported in the media, they had him adopted by wealthy parents who happened to be in the entertainment circle, as a sort of compensation for his silence should he regain his memories.

But behind every tower of gleam and glitter, there are grey and shadowed areas; underground websites that simply moved addresses after being shut down, social rebels, who hid amongst the Grounders, individuals claiming extra pocket money by diverting goods. Such hid within the recycling centre. He was supposed to look after the machines that sorted out the trash, but had reprogrammed a couple of them to sort out decent looking clothes and bag them separately, so they weren't turned back into fibres for new cloth and clothes.

The bagged clothes, swapped for cash, descended the levels to very near the ground, where a group of jovial individuals properly sorted the good from the bad, before tweaking, dying and embellishing the clothes into something new. These reclaimed items were then sold in the Ground Markets along with ground grown vegetables, hand made crafts and other 'second hand' goods, that had not been good enough to resell at higher levels.

When Leilei had first taken Kez to the Ground Markets, he thought he had entered a whole new world. He had squealed like a little girl in a sweet shop as he had ran around looking over all the things on offer, but had definitely been most attracted to the Grounder's 'fashions' on display. Unlike the demur, pastels and muted coloured fabrics of the upper levels, the Grounders preferred loud patterns and colours. They were undeniably eye catching. Accessories were also a huge thing here and it was not unusual to see a man wearing multiple bracelets or a woman adorning a whole head of trinkets.

Right now they were seeking new outfits for the videos, including things with a more gothic design. The more Kez had thought about creating a Dark Wish, the more excited he had gotten about the idea. "I think I should run away and become a Grounder, like you," he mused.

Leilei sighed as she lifted up a pair of ruby red heels. "I don't hate it, but you know it's not as easy as all that," she told him. "Sure, it's less restrictive in some ways, but finding work is harder. And if anything happens in the upper levels, the law enforcers descend and throw all their weight around looking for one of us to blame. And you know how Social Services breathe down our necks." Leilei and her father had relocated to a couple of next door apartments just a few floors off of the ground to avoid them, after they tried to force Leilei to get engaged to her so called date. They had also tried to find the sister, so Kez had had to lie low as well. The apartments were not in a nice state or area and the two combined still were not as large as their old home. "What's happened at home for you to suggest this?"

"Mum is pressuring me to skip grades and graduate early so she can send me off to college and down the aisle towards her dream of moving up in the world." Leilei looked over at him. She had wondered why he had insisted on wearing more feminine clothes and a demur bobbed wig to the Market. He tended to switch to becoming Wish when he was unhappy as Kez. "I study now the whole evening, she personally supervised me painting the topic of her choice in the kitchen, to better my art grades and she quizzes me about everything I do, from what time did my train leave, to who I spoke to and what I had for lunch. I snuck out this morning for a breather, so I will definitely be in trouble when I get home."

Leilei tilted her head to the side in thought, before tossing the seller some cash and picking up their purchases. "Wanna do something fun?" She asked. Kez glanced at her for a moment, hesitating. Leilei's idea of fun varied wildly.