S.T.R Gazer

2

"Alashie you gotta stop taking these hollywood showers.  The water ain't free. Oh and the thingie that sweeps the floor is broken again."

"Uh huh.  I'll fix it later."  Alashie answers through a mouthful of cereal.

"So what's my little genius want for her birthday?" Alashie's mother asked as she brushed her hair.

"Brown contacts."

Very funny.  It seems just like yesterday I was bringing you home and now you're turning 16. Awww.  My baby.  I know.  How about a new digital pod?"

"Ma it's 2784.  Nobody listens to digital anymore.  Plus I just built a sync wave pod last week."

"Well excuuuuse me.  I'll figure something out.  Oh shit.  I'm a be late.  Love ya."

"Bye mom."

Alashie goes out into the graffiti littered hallway to find the elevator broken.  Again. She turned on her heel and covered her nose as she walked into the stairwell.  It always smelled like pee.  Or at least she hoped it was pee.  The air outside was still crisp in January but global warming  had long since stopped any kind of regular snow.   Alashie walks down Junction in Old Detroit's Southwest side factory district to her bus stop.  Abandoned or burned out houses dot the landscape in between auto maker and robot maker plants.  Delivery trucks and cars from 3 different eras bounce up and down the pot hole riddled streets while more expensive hover transports zip above.  Under  green blinking "D-DOT" sign stands a figure bundled in a hot pink bubble jacket and knee high matching boots.

"What up doe.  You look like a Fenkell prostitute wearing them boots." Alashie  yells to her friend Xalissa over the sound of traffic.

"What up doe.  Yeah well you look like a dude with them baggy jeans and them old ass shoes.  Do they even still make Filas?" Xelissa fires back in her deep Spanish accent.

"Leave my shoes alone.  Who still wears bubble jackets?"

"Cold people do.  What's that flannel?"

"Bitch"

"Tu madre"

"Ha.  Tell me about it."

"Girl you need your hair did.  And I'm taking you shopping.  If I had a body like that I'd  be putting some tight shit on."

"Ah girl.  I ain't thinking about these dudes."

"Yeah whateva.  You need to get laid.  Might mellow you out some."

On the bumpy bus ride to school Xalissa flirted like always while Alashie stared out the window.  She lived in the same place her entire life but everyday the stark neighborhood contrast never failed to amaze her.  There was Old Detroit and there was New Detroit. Within a few city block  dilapidated factories and neighborhoods gave way to luxury high rises. 4 blocks in fact, Alashie had counted many times The Robot makers may be headquartered in New Detroit but their operations as well as their underpaid workforce resided in "Old D".  How fast the change come on was what amazed Alashie consistently.  If you blinked you'd miss the few streets where it took place.  Then you'd feel like you were in a time machine all of a sudden and gained 100 years. 

After a 20 minute bus ride Alashie and Xelissa walk up to a 16 story glass building with "Cass Tech" holo projected out front. "Another day in paradise huh mami?" Xalissa says as she elbows Alashie

"Yeah.  I can hardly contain myself." Alashie says through a yawn