Etren Court was dark when Hyuga reached the top of the steps. They were wide and shallow, more for show than anything in a city that could just as easily levitate a willing citizen if they so desired, and lit by blue florescent tubes in the creases between slabs of metal. The illumination didn't do much besides blind him when he looked down. He supposed it was the same system they used down below, meant to light up the people moving on the ground so security, hidden in the shadows above, could swoop down and snag anyone that looked suspicious.

He couldn't hear the security cubes, but he knew they were there. They were a familiar thing in this new world he had been thrust into. Yes, he'd known academmically that his lot in the slave blocks was bad, yet until he'd seen for himself the gleaming sterility of the Second Class level, and the elegance of the First, he'd not known anything better.

He glanced around to orient himself in the dimness, then started walking again, afraid to give Security reason to be suspicious of him. They didn't pick off just anybody, especially boys wearing Jugend uniforms, but he wanted to be careful. Drawing attention wouldn't only make him look bad; it would also cause trouble for the person he intended to visit.

You're just paranoid, Jesiah had said. They won't touch you. Hyuga wanted to believe. The unfortunate reality of the situation was, however, that he was still one of the few dark heads in the Jugend ranks. Most Second Class citizens were of pale coloring. He knew they must take that into account during the selection process. His fellow students still made comments about it in class: How did Hyuga pass the Selection? There must be something special about him if they're willing to ruin the genetic pool to bring him in.

As if they knew anything about genetics. The Freshman curriculum had already bored him to sleep a dozen times, and they thought it accorded them some kind of superiority?

Hyuga quickened his pace and left the dark storefronts behind. The distance between the shopping court and the first tract of houses was wooded and almost completely dark save for cones of illumination at intervals along the sidewalk, as unhelpful as ever. The trees were mere shadows that smelled of pine - or so he'd been told. It was sharp and fresh, though he wasn't sure how much he appreciated it. He had no idea how it compared to other trees, just as he had no idea whether the lake surrounding the city resembled a real lake, or if it was just a pale imitation. His parents might have known, but they were dead.

But that was the nice thing about Jesiah. The first time they'd met, he had recognized the same energy in his commander that his father had once had. Jesiah didn't strike Hyuga as the kind of man he'd want as a father, but sometimes he sought out the man's company for that glimpse of the ghost he had lost.

I should have taken the train, Hyuga thought with a sigh as he left the woods and entered the first tract. Jesiah's home was still several blocks away, in the third - only the best, for the newest member of Solaris's top brass.


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[Word: paranoia]
I guess it fits the word. That's the best I can say about it.