The Choccy Chronicles

Chapter 15 - One Sided

 LightSide

It's a funny name that didn't make that much sense from an outside perspective. Especially to the likes of Marlowe, it was already portrayed to him that the place was aureate. But what had come to greet the anthro, was nothing more than a grandiose sight of a city.

     The only words that could come out of my mouth weren't even words, they were more so an, "Oooh" and "Aaahs". It made way more sense why it was called LightSide, considering how shiny the. The everything really, buildings and houses and everything else gleamed brightly. Spotless to the seams and it probably would've been clean
inside and out of the cracks, if there were any. 
     According to Treble, who knew a lot about LightSide, he says that the buildings were built by this unbelievable fusion of ice and wood. Something called Pykrete, as he called it. Treble also said that it would be freezing cold to the touch, my curiosity peaked at this fact and despite his warning, gave the buildings a little yet nervous tap.

     "Oh. Its surprisingly warm, and smooth." he said, putting his whole paw onto the side of the building and flexing his claws before Treble went, "Stop doing that. We aren't here to check on the infrastructure." It was clear he was getting a little impatient, putting in a bit more pep into his step as he speed-walks away from the squad. 

     "Let him be like that, we're early enough despite the long walk, plus at the pace we're going, we should be there right on time." Avi tells him.
     Ezra and Avi were continuously walking beside each other, but it was more so that she could watch the troublemaker, and make sure he doesn't do anything of the sorts. 
     On the other hand, he really looked like he had quietened down under her supervision. But in reality, he was just jamming it out with his headset, indicated by the jazz hands, finger guns and head bobbing movements.

     Wow, they made everything out of this? curiously raced his mind as he looked around him. Well, definitely not everything. The most notable thing being fancy bins that were glued to the ground and similar public amenities all around, being made of a more normal but equally leal as the rest of this vast metropolis. 
     It was all so clean and absolutely trash-less, there was barely any trash in the bins, or even stains. Thought he wasn't intentionally trying to look for the sorts.)
     Perfect. LightSide was perfect to every last detail, spotless and grimeless from top to bottom, and this was just the residential district too. There was supposedly a luxury district too, can you just imagine that? Another region that was proclaimed to be even more luxurious and elysian than the place they were already in!

     Compared to Calitoria, the bustling capital city of the NCR, streets filled with an expansive roster of everything that you could ever search for (and probably find it too). Your average street advertiser trying to lure the next patron to their claimed spot on their side of the street. Stalls and shops overflowing with customers and goods. 
     Meanwhile, LightSide was on the other end of the spectrum. Strict-ish sidewalk rules with no solicitors in sight. It was so straightforward and streamline that you could mistake it as an elegant walkway than some common pathway. There were also the well dressed businessmen and woman, unsure whether that was just the norm of living here, or if it was a fashion choice. Tourists also had to abide to the street laws, much more to follow than the residents of LightSide. One of them being:

Please don't interact with the residents of LightSide under any normal circumstances. Public services are still available to wristband wearers.
Stay in your lane, stick to your kind.

     Which was a really weird (and frankly rude) rule to have in my opinion. Why would it be a bad thing to talk with tourists or outsiders?

     "Hey Avi, you guys were right. This place is living up to how exactly how you told me it was going to be like. I mean, wow!" I said to Avi, who turned her head to give me a cheery smile. 
    "I'm glad you're liking it." she said back to me, still smiling. Then a little ray of sunshine, shone off the picturesque buildings, and straight into my eyes. Making me flinch back with an, "AHH." as Avi's expression switched from sunbeams to a concerned gasp. 

     I end up falling, tripping over my own feet as I brace myself for the hard impact against the ground. But it never came.
     "Jeez, you've either got horrible luck or horrible balance to trip over yourself like that." says Treble.
He had managed to catch him right before it was too late to get back up again. Ezra and Avi sighed in relief as I shook off the falling feeling.
"Don't bother thanking me just yet. I need you guys to move it. Any questions, curiosities, inquiries and etc. We can talk all about it on the train okay?"
     "Okay... and thanks." I still said to him. 
He rolled his eyes at me. Chuckling a bit before jogging off again, Avi and Ezra hurrying along too. 

     I take a quick glance at the others ahead of me, then to the anthros and humans walking along in their suits too formal for my tastes. It had come across weird that none of the people walking by had noticed his trip, almost like he didn't even exist to them. A shudder going down his spine as a bad thought formulates in his brain.
     Maybe they can't see me, what if I'm actually dead? But then again how can the others see me, and feel me? 

Thoughts and ideas kept flooding into my brain, one after the other, getting progressively worse than the previous. The unsettling rubatosis of my own heart, overthinking slowly taking over-
     "Marlowe hurry up. You're going to be left behind!" Avi shouts across to me, breaking me free once again from my own reverie. I slowly start to jog, eventually catching up with the group as time seems to go faster. 

     Skyscrapers began friscalating in the distance as sunshine rebounded from the mighty structures. Unable to tell how far it is but feeling the vibrant happiness that laid in residing here. 

And yet, through the bright light ahead, I felt the feeling of a calamity approaching closer.