The Urbem (Completed)

Chapter Four: God Save The Queen

(Nephele)

Twelve did not beat me home.

Granted, he wasn't that far behind me, but he still wasn't quick enough to get back first. As punishment, he had to sleep outside in the garden, and, just to make sure he didn't try anything funny, I set his handcuffs so if he went further than 5 miles from me, they would go off and taser him to the floor.

I watched him lay down then fidget uncomfortably in a mound of leaves the tree had kindly shed until he finally went still. Twelve might of had a horrible night's sleep, but I, however, slept perfectly and I awoke in somewhat of a good mood. I rose from my single bed and wandered over to my window, glancing down quickly at Twelve, who was now sitting upright, his knees against his chest and his body shivering. I rolled my eyes; he was such an inconvenience... He even took up garden space.

I looked up at the azure blue sky; there wasn't a single cloud or a single sniff of breeze, only the heat of the sun dominated the air today, rare for a place such as here. Pushing open the window and feeling the heat graze my skin, I took in the sounds and sights of Uxor-Russia. Every Uxor had some sort of structure to it; Russia happened to be built like it was on levels.

When you first enter the city, the streets are cobbled, there are a lot of overgrown grassy areas, the houses are small and wooden, and the shops are little more than market stools. Don't be mistaken, the streets down there are not dirty or covered in grime they are just... old. The people who live there are the birthers, the lowest in society, the ones that give birth to the boys, raise the chosen few until they are chosen by a women, and then the women are impregnated and do the whole process all over again.

Following a path through this part of the city would lead you to the next level. This housed the teachers, healers, accountants and shop owners; basically everyone that did the every day jobs. They had average houses, made of brick and wood, their streets were quite neat, and their cars were all even standard. Continue through the city and you'll come to the homes of the warriors, and the women who assist the Queen with her everyday running of life.

Our homes were by far the nicest, made of marble, strong and sturdy concrete, beautiful bricks, and even sometimes the finest of oak wood. Here we had all the tall and grand buildings, the finest hotels, and most magnificent restaurants. We even had a few skyscrapers that graced my view. There was only one level above us and that was the home of Royalty. The Queen's home was beyond magnificent. She had the absolute finest of everything and to get here you would have to travel the furthest, to the very top of the Uxor.

"Nephele?" called my mother from downstairs, "Are you awake?"

"Yes Mama," I replied, shutting my window and making my way to her in the kitchen.

"Can you hurry and get dressed? You're needed at the palace today."

I raised an eyebrow. "Me?"

"Da, I don't know why though." She put a cup of hot coffee on the table and gestured for me to sit. "Either way, you can’t go out looking like that."

I glanced down at my normal nightwear, nothing more than a simple vest top and shorts, but it made me laugh as I pulled at the flimsy material. "This could be a new warrior outfit, da?" I grinned.

She rolled her eyes. "Nyet, now drink. Clean up Twelve, clean up yourself, and then get moving."

I gave her a sarcastic salute and gulped down the coffee. I had forgotten about Twelve sitting outside, so I filled up a bucket of cold water and took it out to him. He got to his feet and shuffled toward me; I think he was expecting warm water but when his fingers touched it I heard him gasp from the temperature of it.