Elite (on hold)

Chapter I : Paper Crowns

One week earlier...

"Hurry up, idiot!"

Pale blue eyes focused on the path ahead. Blaze's feet hit the ground silently with every step, her breath heavy but relaxed. She had run it thousands of times before, yet never stopped trying to beat her previous speed.

"You know I sprained my ankle yesterday!" Kade yelled from somewhere behind Blaze. "That's the only reason you're faster!"

Jumping over crates and running across rooftops was something Blaze and her best friend did all the time. It was part of their regular routine as Ailithian teenagers.

"I was always faster!" she yelled back.

"Not true!"

The sun was almost set and it was getting harder to see. Dark shades of pink and purple painted the cloud-covered sky. The dim light of street lamps below was all the teens had to guide their way over the tightly-packed, uneven two-story buildings.

They laughed as they ran across the rooftops, jumping over chimneys and nearly falling off when they stepped on loose bricks. Elders shouted angrily at them from the streets, but they couldn't care less. They weren't supposed to be there, but that's what made it so much fun.

Blaze made it to their destination—the tallest building in the hills—just before Kade did. A quick victory cheer from her and a gentle elbow to the ribs from him later, they settled down on the old wooden balcony. The sky darkened until the sun finally disappeared into the hillside.

They faced west, looking over Ailithia—more commonly know as The District—and away from Bellevoit. There was a couple mile gap between the two cities. It was mainly trees that covered the distance, but that's not what drew every Ailithian's attention. What did that, was the fifty-foot tall, eight-foot-wide brick wall that separated the two cities.

Both teens had wondered what it would be like to live on the other side of the barrier, but they also both knew it would never happen. It wasn't possible.

Blaze and Kade were born in The District. And that's where they would remain until the day they died.

They took in the magical view, breathing in the familiar scent of the cold autumn air. But it felt different today. It wasn't just euphoria, there was nostalgia floating around as well, wrapping around them and filling their thoughts. Things were changing. They weren't kids anymore.

Blaze spoke up after a few minutes of silence. "I can't believe you're turning eighteen tomorrow." She smiled sadly. "It's gone by so fast."

Kade was only a week older than Blaze. Soon enough, they'd both be adults.

"Yeah..." he said hesitantly.

"Not happy to finally be an adult?" she joked.

"What?" she asked, prompting him for an answer when he didn't answer. It was easy enough to see that something was on his mind.

Kade took a moment to think. He didn't want to ruin the moment, but he also knew he should tell Blaze what was bothering him.

"My mom's kicking me out," he blurted, quickly, but quietly.

"What?" Blaze's voice raised drastically. "I thought you told me you could stay as long as you wanted."

Kade kept his eyes down. "I lied."

Blaze threw her hands in the air. "On your birthday of all days!" She decided not to make a big deal of his little lie, but focused on the real issue at hand.

"She says I'm an adult now. That I should be able to take care of myself," he sighed.

"I swear to god, I will—" Kade cut off Blaze before she could finish her threat.

"You're not killing my mother," he laughed. "She's still my mom. Plus, she's just doing it so that she can take better care of Cam."

Cameron was Kade twelve year old brother. Like most siblings in Ailithia, they had different fathers. Neither had been very present, though that was their mom's choice.

"How could you be so calm about this?" she asked. "I know we basically already take of ourselves, but a mom should always be looking out for her kids."

"There isn't much I can do about it anyway." He didn't say anything else, leaving both of them with their thoughts in an awkward silence.

Then Blaze remembered the folded piece of paper in her pocket. She pulled it out and unfolded it, revealing a handmade paper crown.

"What the hell is that?" He made innocent fun of her terrible crafting skills.

"Shut up." She nudged his shoulder a bit too aggressively, but smiled anyway. "Well, when an Elite turns eighteen, they get a crown. So, why not let you have a birthday crown too?"

"Sure..." He stared at the paper with a questioning smile and a lowered brow.

"Hey, when you have nothing, you gotta act like you own everything," she said.

"You are way too obsessed with that movie," he said seriously.

"My childhood summed up in ninety minutes."

Aladdin was one of the few movies she had watched growing up. Some older kids had managed to get their hands on an old projector and a few classics. They had set it up and all the kids from the neighbourhood loved it. Blaze had always loved watching Aladdin most. Seeing him go from nothing to everything gave her hope for the future, even though she knew what happened to him could never happen to her.

Her first movie night would be where she'd meet her soon-to-be best friend, Kade. Their parents had brought them to watch a movie when they were four and ended up sitting beside each other. Kade has offered her some popcorn he was sharing with his brother, and they ended up shoving it in each other's mouths while they watched the movie in awe.

After that, their parents had arranged for them to meet up and watch movies almost every night until the projector finally broke. The movies may have stopped, but their constant support for each other never did. It was always nice for Blaze to have someone watching her back. She did the same for him. It was important in a place like this.

"Anyways." She placed the mock-up crown on his head and faked a fancy accent. "I present to you, your majesty, Sir Idiot Kade, the third."

Kade couldn't hold back a smile despite the insult. They both burst out laughing the second Blaze stood up and bowed dramatically.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to up my game for your birthday next week." He winked.

"Looks like you will," she answered smugly.

❖ ❖ ❖

A/N: Short, I know. My plan was to have my chapters be at least two thousand words, but this one is only about eleven hundred. I just wanted to get it out because the second chapter is already nearly done.