Piety of Peterborough

Prologue

Kiara's wedges clicked as she walked home from the bus stop. The clicking of her wedges and the hum of cars in a nearby highway was all you heard at this hour in Fraserville district. Kiara finished work at one every morning but her home district of Fraserville was known for petty crime. She once had her purse snatched and since then Kiara wore a fanny pack and walked quickly. Even if purses were more fashionable.

Kiara had a ten minute walk until she reached her apartment that was shared by her brother, DeAndre. DeAndre moved to Peterborough last month from Kingston, Jamaica, in hopes of working in Peterborough's green energy industry with his degree from the University of the West Indies in Kingston.Deplorably, he couldn't get his dream job and got a job as a construction worker since he required a western degree to work in Peterborough's growing green energy industry. Within decades Peterborough was the leading city of clean energy research and development. The city of ten million people was completely run of renewable energy. Making every other city in the world jealous but also inspired.

Solar panels and wind mills could be seen all over the city giving it a modern look. The solar panels were placed on every home and wind mills were scattered around the city with painted murals on them, showing the growth and beauty of Peterborough. Peterborough was a mere cottage town thirty years ago with only one hospital but now the city flourished into a multicultural melting pot and becoming the face of Canada's promising future. Throwing Toronto (now Canada's second largest city) in its shadow.

Kiara approached the front of her cramped 35 story apartment filled with immigrant families living the Canadian dream. Fraserville district was one of Peterborough most ethnically diverse neighborhoods. With cheap rent rates and its proximity to the city center (only a 45 minute bus ride) were the main driving factors for new immigrant families to move in.

Peterborough is a world leader in research, employment and development often called the Dubai of the west because of its quick growth. Peterborough does lack behind the rest of Canada in one aspect. Racial tolerance.

Peterborough has known for its excessive amount of hate crimes. In the last five years the number of minorities has overcome the number of non minorities causing the rise of hate groups and far right political parties. This included the city's current mayor Lily Desmond who imposed the "Safe Neighborhood Act" which was modern apartheid. She promised any who was born in Peterborough and Canada would be given preference to rent in the old parts of the city (the better and more built up part of town) and anyone who was not born in Canada could live in the "Multicultural Neighborhood" (code for colored) like Fraserville, Morganston, Dranoel and Havelock all neighborhoods rich in culture and color but not in safety. Even if someone of color was born in Canada, they wanted to keep these neighborhoods white since it made the home value higher. This caused most of the residents that weren't white lose trust in white people and vice versa. Peterborough was a modern Cape Town with neighborhoods divided by race. Making the melting pot look as if some ingredients did not want to mix. Surprisingly murder was practically unheard of in the city as most crimes were related to robbery.

Which is why Kiara even after being robbed still works the night shift at Dreams. Peterborough's highest four star restaurant. Kiara fumbled with her fanny pack searching for her keys with the giant "I Heart Kingston" key chain on them. As Kiara looked down to recover her keys she could feel someone's hot breath against the back her neck. It felt like the humidity on a hot summer day. Moist and obvious.

Kiara eyes widen and her breathing quickens. She wanted to turn around, but she was too afraid to look. In sudden rush of adrenaline, Kiara's wedges began to move but before she could run her long, curly black hair was pulled. Before she could cry out in pain a hand covered her mouth. Kiara tried to bite but her attacker's palm was positioned in a way that she couldn't get the angle to do so. As Kiara shuffled, struggled and squirmed she felt a raw blade to her neck.

Kiara's felt some tears form in her eyes. As soon as she felt that blade pressed against her neck she knew it was her last night on Earth.Her regrets began coming in. She should have called her parents more, or stayed in touch more with her best friend from Kingston or told DeAndre I love you before she left to work. Kiara closed her eyes and braced herself for her ill fate.

"You won't be the first." hissed a harsh raspy voice.

After that sentence was uttered Kiara was no longer with us on Earth