The Elite

Twenty-Two

Tass

I had to admit, Zaratha was quite a beautiful city, even if it was populated by Offenders. Solar panels glinted on nearly all surfaces, giving the city a glittering quality as light reflected all around. Maglev trains darted along the horizon and colorful billboards hung from every available space. People strolled about, happy and unconcerned about the sun beating down overhead or where to locate water. They look vibrant. It was nothing like the dirty, smelly streets of my home, where it looked like people had created homes really fast and really messily when they moved to big cities to escape the Offenders. Instead, Zaratha was a beautiful high-tech city that didn't seem to be like it should be in the middle of nowhere in a large desert. It didn't really even feel hot somehow.

I supposed the comparison between the streets of Zaratha and the street I grew up on was similar to the comparison between me and Julian. He was the perfect one who was powerful and well-liked, and I was a nobody — just a stain on the universe.

Most Offenders have inflated egos, you know, Crina told me, not dislike themselves.

"Why would I like myself?" I muttered. "No one else does."

I wished we could just get to where we were intending to go so I could stop listening to Crina judge my character. It was getting frustrating for it seemed she just couldn't shut up anymore.

Walking with Julian, I feared he was going to eventually notice I was talking to myself and going crazy, but he so far hadn't said anything. In addition, Nadia was supposedly around us too, but I didn't think she'd say anything.

Leon figured it was too obvious to be walking around Zaratha in a group of six, so he'd split us up so we got to our destinations separately and didn't give ourselves away as Elite. Our mission was a pretty simple one — collect some information from one of the Elite's many spies — but he didn't think it hurt to be careful, which was something I totally understood. It was best to be careful.

Because of Leon's decision, I was beginning to like him. He didn't seem to be as naive and Elite-worshipping as I originally thought. Despite my aversion to friends, Leon was growing on me, as they all were. We seemed to be getting along fine, which I hoped was a sign these maybe friends of mine wouldn't leave me, but I remained skeptical. Ciprian and I were amazingly close, and yet he left me.

"We're nearly there," Julian said, coming to walk beside me.

"Good," I muttered.

"Hey, Tass. Is everything okay? You seem... I don't know but you seem to be having problems with stuff and I have too, so-"

"Oh, now you're having regrets about turning us into your Offender friends?" I snarled.

Not only was it rude, but it was a really stupid thing to say in a city of Offenders. It signified that I was an Elite, and that I was dumb.

"I'm on your side," Julian insisted. "I will always be there for you, even when you're going through difficult times. You may not believe me thanks to your skepticism and paranoia, but I just wanted you to know."

Julian's words actually stopped me in my tracks as feelings rushed through me. Never would I have expected him to tell me something like that. They were unfairly touching words, like he really was a good friend who would be there through my struggles. It was as if he was promising to do the one thing all of my previous friends had failed to do — always be there for me, staying by my side.

I quickly shook the feeling off. Although having a friend who would be there for me no matter what sounded quite wonderful, I knew that it was unrealistic. Friends like that just didn't exist. Eventually, they'd break such a promise, even someone as nice as Julian.