AFIRE: fight for the Earth begins✓

4.1 ZE

The story so far: 

---- Aija is a Volunteer at the Pristine School at Innermost. She works along with Zuri and Ze, who are her friends. Aija has a crush on Ze. 

---- Ze lives at the Apartments where Zuri and Aija live. 

---- Zuri visits her family at Apper town. She feels the air is different here than in Innermost. Zuri visits her friends along with her brother Alex, at the neighborhood playground.

---- Zuri meets a girl – Nala – at her father's shop. Nala talks to her despite being rude at first.

---- Zuri likes Nala.

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****4.1 - Ze****

The week scurried away rather fast.

Two more missing persons had been reported that week other than the old man. There was never any clue as to how these people were taken. So many people were missing and hadn't been found. The rumor was that they had been killed. There was no other way people could explain the disappearances. The missing people hadn't been seen in years. People from all the Pristine Cities went missing, even from Innermost where the Security was the best in every City. 

None of the SecureCams showed any weird activity, neither did the drones, although now and then a few drones would be found broken in the vicinity of a kidnapping. The Leadership always gave messages of assurance that they were working on it and the situation isn't as bad as it used to be before; that they have it all under control. The Leadership even made announcements of a special team of Secures working on the issue. But, reports of missing people continued to make the news every month from all the Pristine Cities. And since the cases were so random, the Secures never knew where to increase security.

Ze washed the dishes. He helped his mother and aunt as much as he could whenever he went home. Ze didn't really like staying at Innermost, and he hated the way the Cities worked. But he'd had little choice in choosing where to live. 

He had wanted to get into Research so that he could help find a cure to the Green Plague that haunted the Open, or become a doctor to help people; or, at least to be in the Army to go somewhere far. On some days he still missed the fields of his family's farm. If he closed his eyes, he could even see his mother working on the wheat fields. He could still smell the wet earth.

"I'd like it better if you came home every day after work." His mother confessed. "That man is the second person missing from your School Housing."

"Can't you stay here, Zeze?" asked his aunt helping his mother fold clothes which his uncle had just brought in from the dryer.

Ze wiped his hands and joined them at the table. His cousin Nova was completing a quiz on his DigiBook.

"You know I can't," Ze said gently. "The Leadership has instructed me to stay there. It's the same for all Volunteers. It was the same for you back then."

"Well, things have changed since my time." His aunt complained. "It's less safe now."

Ze said, "I'll be fine, Aunt Amaya."

His mother and aunt sighed simultaneously, making him smile.

His Scroll vibrated. "Come home tomorrow; seven p.m." Zuri's message read.

Ze smiled. He found Zuri interesting and he liked to meet her; she made him feel comfortable, and that's all there was to it. It was difficult to meet genuine people at Innermost and Zuri was sweet. But the next day was Saturday. He wasn't sure if he would go; he might be needed at home.