The Ark Diary of Dylan De Rovia Book One of De Rovia Diaries

I Go Shopping

Thursday November 20, 2149

I love the smell of new shoes, the clean new smell that says these are yours just for you. Being a middle most of my stuff is reused or refurbished. Shoes are special these are my new new work boots. They cost me 56 points so if get sucked into the lowers again I'm not giving them away.

As much as I love the smell of my new boots the stiff feel of them is what I hate. It took me three months to get my other shoes broken in. These are sure to take just as long but with my mind set to a career now I'll wear them all the time. Kye asked me why I haven't declared my career yet. I'm not sure either really. Maybe because once I do its irreversible and that's what I'll be for the rest of my life.

Lori is still her she's on the floor her painted toes on my wall. She reading more about Gillespie on her tablet while I'm writing maybe that's why I haven't declared yet. That means I'll leave school and be in the college classes when I'm not working. I'm that scared of growing up?

"We need a night out."

"More cider," I say looking up from my writing. "I'll pass."

She turns over looking out my window. "No we need hydrotherapy."

"The pool." I mull the idea over. The winter festival will have most of the little kids and parents in the park. Little kids kinda dominate the pool I'm not sure why or even how but the pool is definitely kid territory. Most people my age will be taking advantage of a child free arcade. "I'll need a new swimsuit."

Lori rolls into a stand, "Great I know a place."

"Right now?"

"Sure it's the perfect time thursdays are slow tomorrow it will to crowded and saturday most stalls will be closed for the festival."

"Yeah," I say in a long drawn out breath. "But, I'm so comfy here."

"To bad."

I pull on my boots while Lori informs my parents of our trip, they like to know where I'm at now. Only adding to the gary hairs on their heads. Mostly when I'm in public I'm with Lori or Kye or at school or at work. Standing in my stiff boots I rummage through my dressers for my suit. It's a simple black one piece that I've had for years now. Its worn to not good for a resale more likely to be recycled made into little childs outfit.

Twenty minutes later we're at the large storage building it held all the food stuffs that the passengers ate before the farmlands where first producing. I've tried to imagine this place stuffed with carb packets and protein powder. It stayed empty for about ten years then people started to come here to trade this for that. Over the decades it's just grown, on earth things could grow wildly. Plants, animals, people that's what life is growing to point then breaking free.

Dozens of space heaters give off heat that on a good day would mix with the hundreds of people here making this a place warm. Tonight however they give off enough to keep the near freezing cold of November at bay. Lori leads me to old woman with a cloth stall. The framlands produce cotton and hemp that gets made into cloth that gets made into clothing. There is a clothing factory for mass produced products like work uniforms and plain cloths. Then are people who buy bolts of cloth and used clothes to resale or refurbish. I hold out my suit.

The woman takes it in her wrinkled hands, she stretches it out examining the seams then smells it. She looks at me. "Eight points."

"Good enough for me." I hand her my card.

Walking on Lori asks. "So, what are you thinking about getting bikini or a one piece?"

I laugh, "When have I ever worn a bikini?"