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There was more wind and dust than there had ever been inside the walls of the city. It was brutal, and paired with the scorching sun, Evan wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out with what little water she had left in her bottle.
The streets were bustling with people. In the heat, Evanna wasn't sure how they could all walk so closely to one another, but it didn't seem to bother them in the slightest. Vendors shouted all kinds of things from the sides of the street while others simply walked through the crowd and waved around whatever products they had to sell.
It was chaotic and loud and so different from inside the walls in every aspect possible. Washing lines were strung up above her, ragged and old clothes hanging from them. Children ran through groups of people, ignoring the angry shouts that followed them, laughing as they continued barreling into one another. It didn't at all seem like the small side street she had arrived in from the tunnel. It was livelier.
Evan watched as a woman paid for dirty apples, handing them over her to a boy who immediately cleaned them with a cloth. The vendor smiled kindly and the woman ruffled the boy's hair proudly.
Despite of what WICKED wanted everyone to believe, most of these people seemed perfectly content with the way things were. Or maybe they just knew it would never get better, so they settled. Either way, it didn't look like they let the prospect of the Flare get them down.
Evanna frowned as she continued walking. She wasn't so naïve. She of all people should know better than that. These people deserve as much as everyone else inside the walls, if not more. Having less fortune does not make them any less entitled to equal rights.
She knew Garek would agree. She knew seeing all of this would anger him. Garek was passionate about a lot of things but wanting fairness had always been at the top of the list. Perhaps it had something to do with being looked down on by higher ups all his career long. Evan couldn't blame him. It was discouraging and frustrating. A title shouldn't have to make anyone better than someone else.
There was a tug in her chest. She wished she had Garek with her. To talk her through all of it, annoy her, keep her mind from her thoughts. He always had been good at distracting her. Evan couldn't imagine what he had to be feeling. Did he think she died? Would he blame himself for it? She was almost certain he would. That was just the kind of person he was.
Shaking her head, Evanna rid herself of those thoughts. They wouldn't do her any good and she had to focus. Glancing down at the small map Garek had haphazardly drawn for her, she tried navigating through the outskirts of the city. It shouldn't have to be so hard to find a bunch of warehouses and yet there she was.
