Seda and Cahir moved to the front of the line, and the Rozzers shifted their attention to them.
“What about some fermented eggs this time?” Cahir whispered into her ear from behind, tickling it with his breath. She grimaced. He knew how much she hated those, something often handed out at the food dispensaries.
“Shhh,” she silently scolded. “We have to remain quiet.”
Cahir tickled her side, and she shot him a warning look over her uninjured shoulder, struggling to hide her smile. Cahir chuckled and made a hand gesture signaling he was sealing his lips and keeping his hands to himself.
“No child, I see?” the Rozzer at the counter asked Seda as she stepped forward, his eyes suggestively roaming over her from head to toe.“What’s your name, darling?”
“S-Seda Arbor.” Her heart pounded fiercely at his leering gaze, but she felt a surge of gratitude and pride that her voice mostly stayed steady, something she often struggled with.
The Rozzer looked through the files, checked off her name, and handed her three copper food tokens, giving her a slight smirk and a wink.
As Seda stepped out, she grabbed the tokens and slipped them into her pocket, alongside her apartment key and ID, before pausing to wait for Cahir on the other side, nervously biting her nails.
The Rozzer watched her walk out and then looked back at Cahir.
“Name?” the Rozzer asked sternly, as if disgusted he was there.
“Cahir Cutlass.” His voice showed no hint of fear or hesitation.He stood tall, reaching out to take the tokens, but not before giving the Rozzer a sharp glare.
As they left the stadium, the eastern and southern parts of the city came into view. Joro consisted of three main sections, with the Palatium located in the center.
To the south was Barrio, where lower-class residents and most of Joro’s population lived. Barrio consisted of dilapidated, shared homes, with doors that barely held on to their hinges. Falling rooftops, peeling paint, and dirty streets defined the area: the slums.
The people of Barrio were usually the laborers in the Murkway, their clothing stained with a map of the city’s filth.
Seda and Cahir lived in the northeast region called Orience, which featured farmland and the Gardvord. Many apartment complexes were built in Orience to house both scientists and farmworkers.
Out of view to the northwest was Cascade. Cascade’s population was small and consisted of the wealthiest and most influential members of Joro’s society. People from Cascade worked inside the Palatium as advisors or were among the city’s top scientists and medical professionals. Their homes were luxurious, and they received priority in food distribution due to the importance of their roles in society.
“I want to hurt that Rozzer for the way he looked at you,” Cahir seethed as they walked.
Cahir always responded that way when someone stared at her for too long.
“I hate all of them. They could have been something else in Joro and decided to go into the one field where they hurt people,” Seda replied.
It was true. Seda hated all of the Rozzers.
“While I would love to tear apart the ones who look at you like that, I don’t think that is always the case, Sed,” he sighed. “They can’t all be bad.”
“I doubt that,” Seda retorted snidely.
Cahir looked at her and furrowed his brows together. “Some people don’t have a choice in what they want to do to make a living. This society has its way of bestowing fortune on some while keeping others stuck in the lowest depths of despair.”
That was true. The laborers certainly didn’t have an advantage because of their limited education. If a child performed well in primary school and their test scores indicated they had the potential to move into a higher section than their parents, they had the opportunity to advance.
It was difficult, but not impossible; her father was a testament to that.
The Rozzers paid well and got to live within the Palatium. They also didn’t require high testing scores. As a result, many people from the Barrio chose to join.
She disagreed with their decision, though.Violence was violence in her eyes.
They traveled down the road in silence as Seda lost herself in thought. The streets of Orience were neat but dusty from the nearby fields, and the birds flying overhead stirred up dust in the air.
Seda coughed when one of them flew too close, and she narrowed her eyes at it. “You dang things are always causing chaos!”
She pointed her finger at it.
