The Streets of Aislinn

//ONE//

This is a project I had to do for English class, and since it's writing, I've decided to post it. Whether or not I will continue to update depends on the amount of other work I have, and if I really feel like writing at all (also if you guys like it).

The requirement of this project focused mainly on characters and setting, so that is what my story will be focused on. As you know if you read the description, my characters are Mazi Genesis, Dax Ripley, and Radian Tram. I would give you a brief summary, however, I don't want to spoil the story.

So without further ado, thank you for stumbling upon The Streets of Aislinn, and I do hope that you enjoy.

                                                                                             ***

She sat on the damp dirt, knees pulled against her chest, and hot tears staining her pants an even darker shade of black. Wild, curly, dark brown hair fell around her, creating a curtain that separated her broken self from the cruel world. She drew a shaky breath and examined her chocolate-colored arms and dirt stained hands.

Mazi?" a boy's smooth, rich voice filled her ears. Mazi breathed in deeply, in an attempt to fill herself with something other than the negative thoughts swirling around her mind like a rouge tornado. Her bionic left eye automatically refocused, and she stood, trying to ignore the ever-present gnawing fear that constantly held her stomach its prisoner.

"Mazi?" the boy's voice rang out again.

"I'm here," she responded, her voice seemingly not wanting to get any louder. She pushed through the thick layer of vegetation that was keeping him from seeing her. The boy, one of Mazi's best friends who's name was Radian, stood waiting for her. Dirty blonde hair fell over his golden eyes and defined facial structure. The rest of his body was also the opposite of hers; that is, tall, skinny, and very pale.

"What were you doing? Dax and I were looking for you." Concern was displayed across his features, and Mazi was immediately filled with guilt for sneaking off.

"Just thinking," she lied, not daring to meet his eyes. She had to stay strong and positive for her friends, because they all depended on each other, and in Mazi's mind, if she broke, they all broke.

"Mazi, I'm scared too, but we're going to make it. We should never doubt Poseidon's People." Radian cupped her face with his long, cold fingers, and pulled her into a tight hug, holding her close as he led her back to their temporary home.

They walked into the quiet building. "Dax, we're back!" Radian called, his voice echoing off the cold stone walls. Dax was sitting slumped against the wall, he tablet in his hands illuminating his face with a light blue glow. He glanced up, his emerald eyes immediately flicking to Radian and then to Mazi, and then shoved the tablet into his backpack, which he swung over his shoulder. Radian held out his hand and pulled Dax up, and Mazi could see a bit of red travel to his cheeks from this small gesture of affection.

Dax cleared his throat and ran his fingers through his dark brown hair, and then said, "Let's get going, shall we?" Mazi nodded, pretending not to feel like she was missing something. Radian took the lead and led the other two teenagers out of the building.

As they walked down the street, Dax informed Radian and Mazi what their task was. "We have to go to Aislinn. It's an abandoned city on the coast-not like we have coasts-and we're looking for...something. It doesn't say. Typical. They don't trust me." Dax rolled his eyes and Radian chuckled. Dax was following an electronic map on his tablet that has been assigned as part of the mission. The time on top read "15:33 Day 98 Year 1157 A.G.W." A.G.W. stood for After Global Warming. It was something children learned about as a historical event, not as something that they personally experienced. 1157 years ago, humanity, with all of their new technology and wasteful machines, caused the planet to heat to a point that all of the ice melted, flooding the cities along the coast, and killing millions of people. The survivors formed a place on the mountaintops that was supposed to be paradise, naming it "The Abode." However, the people running it soon became drunk with power, and The Abode became a place of suffering and misery. A group of rebels formed, escaping from the hellish "paradise." They took refuge along the water-filled cities, and called themselves Poseidon's People, named after the Ancient Greek god of the sea.