The Tiger and the Moth

Chapter 1

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Pacific Palisades, California, Year of 2055

It woke up Emily in the dead of the night. Even through the shade of her window, she could see the eyes glowing and the sight of it could of burned through her shades. There were no wild animals around in the California canyons since most were dead with the Thirty-Year Drought. She was afraid to think what could survive. She was afraid to blink. She didn't know if she were asleep or awake or if this was a dream again or if it was simply the neighbor's dog that escaped the fence again only to die from the elements. When she watched the eyes, they turned from yellow to red to blue, and reflected in the light from outside. The shades protected her from the ultraviolet rays skewed her vision of the eyes and made all kinds of colors dance into the canyon. The constant sun burned and destroyed the land to a crisp. Many fires erupted spontaneously, even with the chemicals that were dropped in the soil to prevent it. The polarized screens and lenses tended to make illusions, and maybe this was one of them. No this had to be something, Emily thought.

She looked at the eyes until she couldn't remember if her eyes were open or closed. Emily snapped up and reached for her phone. She remembered that the show was tonight and she was suppose to be there. Her internal clock struck and she realized she might be late. When she saw the eyes it reminded her of confetti. She thought about when she went on a trip with her parents somewhere far away. It must of been in another state or up a mountain. It was a Rain Parade. Maybe it could be, but she doubted it. There were a lot of faces that popped up in the crowd. Sometimes she'd have dreams about it where she'd see eyes watching her. It would rain, and then there would be eyes closing finally, feeling the rain. Emily would feel some relief and then wake up. The men danced like feathered birds and beasts. Instead of a rain dance, the tradition resembled a war with the rain instead of prayer. It was a tradition to scare the rain from the sky.

She turned her shades down a bit to see outside. The desert air and the soft tone of the shades shielded her room from the night and the toxic air. Just when she thought she saw something, she leaned in closer.

"Meowr!" Emily leaned on Ginger's tail. Her large, orange Persian cat, Ginger, hissed at the window. After that, she tried to sleep but it was pointless. She wasn't going back to sleep. She had gone to bed too early anyway. She thought about the city, and going to do something fun. She thought about getting invited to see a band play tonight. Maybe I should go, she thought. She liked the idea of it.

She got out of bed and went to the mirror. She brushed her long brown hair out and got dressed. Emily looked over towards the window.

The last thing to do was get into the suit. It hung by the backdoor. It was what kept people alive in the west where the Drought still lingered. Without it, cancer was eminent. Without shelter, people died. The canyon house Emily shared with her parents was quiet. Even her dad who worked in his garage was too preoccupied to notice her when she was gone. She slipped into the large suit as quietly as she could, and stepped outside. Her dad loved it out here, that's why they lived there instead of city. She understood why, especially at night. She carefully shut the door behind her, and turned to look at the night. The sun shone brightly at the top of the canyon as it did in the morning. She went into her mom's car and it drove quietly down the long driveway and past the neighbors towards the shore. The car steered itself while Emily fumbled with her hair. In the windows, she could see each of the houses, and the bubbles formed around them. Most had their own unique artificial ecosystems or environments that many paid for, many of them which her dad installed as a contractor. She turned left towards Los Angeles and drove parallel to the Pacific Dome. It was vast and barren, but there were people who had no home to go to sleeping on its dried shores in patched up suits. Once out of Palisades, Emily continued to drive until she saw the lights in the distance. She had reached the toll in Los Angeles to see her friends. The toll permitted citizens and people to pass through with either money or with permission. Emily realized this is the first time she's driven through the toll alone. Every other time had been with her parents. Once inside Los Angeles, she knew the shield protecting the city was guaranteed to keep those safe from the sun, and once through, she could take off her gear. Emily reached the stop light and came to a halt. The new model was a car her mother designed and had her mom's insignia laid on the dashboard. The guards watching the gate entrance nodded at her.

"Where's Aileen tonight?" one guard asked.

Emily cleared her throat. "She's working in the city," she said. It wasn't a complete lie.

"Okay, on you go," the guard said. "Tell her Jared says hi." Emily rolled up the window and the guards waved as she drove through. The Pacific Dome was new. It was expensive to live in the city and the city of Los Angeles knew it. Even to go into the city costs money. Emily thought about how lucky she was that her mom worked inside the city while many people do not.

She took a couple turns. She wanted to explore the city. She didn't get the car to herself often, especially at night. Emily drove around the city, looking at the people. She came up to a few blocks that had lines. She knew there was music and events going on there.

"Program," she said. The car-unit responded.

"Yes Emily," a voice said from the speakers.

"Pick up at 12 o'clock," Emily said.

"Pick up at 12 o'clock complete," the car-unit replied. She pulled her car to the side of the road to be parked, and the door opened for her. Emily stepped out and the car parked itself in the back lot.

Emily looked around at the sky. If she squinted and looked closely, the headlights of the car-units illuminated through the windows. She could see faces and night lights on. She couldn't imagined growing up in the city in a place like here, but she liked it. It was busy with the freeway, and the noise. It was protection, Emily couldn't deny that. Out in the Palisades, it's more free range, and more like the wild west. Emily always loved looking up at the night under the Los Angeles sky. It was a night that Emily pictured was as close to the true nighttime as she could get. The moon was a florescent yellow that her dad claimed was almost as it should be. Under the night sky, they appeared like lightbulbs and from far away, she could see people and their bright colors gathering and having fun under the night time illusion. As she was looking around, she could see people walking around the buildings with grocery bags behind the grey stone buildings. Robberies were common still, even under heavy police guards. She remembered how her dad had to serve in the Army once he graduated high school. It was mandatory for men, and optional for women and how her mom served in the military as a mechanic and her parents met. Up above, there was a couple of apartments, and one of the window's lights' dimmed. The curtains moved and some children peered down.

She reached the front of the line and gave her name and the security guard opened the large wood doors. Emily walked into small room with a chandelier, then continued past through an even larger door. The stage was situated in the corner and a bar was across from the stage, as was seating.The lights were on and the stage glowed as a tall, blonde hair boy set up his equipment. Emily looked at him and his bandmates set up their equipment. It felt great to out and to get away. She like the city noise.

After a while, Emily stepped outside to get some air. She stepped in the front and the security guards were there along with a long line again. There were young girls trying to get in and Emily wondered how they could get in. Fireworks appeared from the top of a building, and snaps and pops. A loud one shot off from close by, surprising Emily. A crowd quickly formed to get a view of it, and then someone bumped her in the crowd. Emily dropped her purse on the ground and could her the contents spill all over the asphalt. The line moved forward as Emily felt the ground for her purse and its items. Suddenly, a boy was crouched down with her picking up her stuff.

"It's okay, I got it," Emily said, not looking up at him. She was managing to find most of her stuff.

"You need to be careful Aileen," he said. "She knows you're here and you need to go back home." She looked up but missed his face, and he ran away. He could see feet moving, but couldn't tell which one he was. She continued to gather her things, and as she reached for them, she saw her hands shake uncontrollably. She went back inside, and watched the show. Emily didn't know what to believe.***

When the show ended that night she came home to red and blue lights. The police were standing outside her front door.