AFIRE: fight for the Earth begins✓

13.2 AIJA

The story so far:

---- Aija is a Volunteer at the Pristine School at Innermost. She works along with Zuri and Ze, who are her friends. Aija witnesses a strange event one night – light emanating from Rez's body. The kidnapper is after her soul, next, but he leaves her alive and goes away. Another man finds her, he wants to take her somewhere else - Aija though wary of him agrees. Aija learns of the existence of the aliens – the Ytai. Also, about the R'ies and H'eon, Harvesting and Àvo from Etrie. Etrie tells her that the man, who Harvested Rez (Thieron), will now go after her. He tells her that the spy/kidnapper's name is Luka. Etrie asks her to work along with him. Aija agrees to work along with Etrie on Harvest Stopping Missions.

---- Thieron is in the Open. Alton asks to visit him – something he had been avoiding for a long time since he punched Dhor-Wo, and broke his nose and jaw. Alton is not angry with Thieron for hurting Dhor-Wo; he tells Thieron that he will send him to retrieve the Àvo. Thieron finds a photo of his family in the forbidden section of the Mansion. He hears the voices of two women in the forbidden section and wonders who lives there and what secret Alton is hiding.

---- Thieron and Nala check out a new target, and realize that Etrie's team was trailing the same target.

---- Aija's parents tell her that she has received the notice for engagement from The Leadership. She hates the idea of it, but there is no escape.

---- Her mother asks her to get ready to meet Quinn and his family.

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****13.2 - Aija****

Aija looked at herself in the mirror, not sure if she looked good. 

She wasn't sure, if she even wanted to look good. Vaya had tied her long black hair into a braid of interwoven hair strands and the heaviness of it – she felt at the nape of her neck. She wore a gold organza dress with silver detailing. The hem of the dress rested just above her knees.

"You look beautiful," Avi said walking into her room.

She turned to him, "Thanks, Avi. Although, I'm not sure I was rooting for beautiful."

Avi grinned, understanding what she implied. "But, it can't be helped, you make everything look good."

Aija smiled at the compliment. Avi was Avi – a sweet kid.

"If you don't like Quinn, just run home. I'll help you run away."

Aija raised her eyebrows; it reminded her of Rei.

"Really, just run," Avi said looking at her surprise.

She smiled, "I'll let you know."

***

Aija was nervous as she climbed into the car. Her father had requested – demanded – for one. He always did on important occasions and the Leadership never denied. They couldn't, obviously, say no to the man who owned the entire transportation system in all the seven cities across the world and had ensured clean air and temperature maintenance everywhere. They had even appointed them a designated driver.

Aija wondered if her father knew that the air purifying system was only well maintained at Innermost and few other towns. That several smaller towns, especially the ones far from Innermost were practically ignored; that the people there suffered. She wondered how much of everything he knew, or was he a part of it all? She would hate it if he were a part of this blatant injustice.

It was a forty-five-minute drive to the Ersco's place. She looked at the AIVIO Scroll on her left wrist. It was eleven, and they were close to the Ersco household. They lived close to the Animal Preservation Centre, which was close to the Research Institute on the border of Innermost.