The cold air hit my face, making tears run down my cheeks. I hate that I cry in the cold, but it happens every time.

My legs push me across the ice faster than normal as I set up for triple jump called a flip. The name doesn't make sense because you do not flip upside down when you do it. That's besides the point.

I turn and hammer my toe pick into the ice. I pull in quick and hard, crossing my feet. In a matter of seconds, I'm landing it with a smile.

If Mom saw it... She is reason I got into skating. Showing me everything I know. Now I am here, in the Motherwealth...

Consistently landing triple jumps with confidence, speed, and height. Something I only dreamt of doing. If someone told me months ago that I would be here, skating at this level, I wouldn't believe them. Now that I am here, I don't want to leave. Skating here, training, is my poison. It is a drug. I want to be the best. That is why I listen to every single thing Irena tells me.

"Well done, Telvi. I think you can be done for the day," Irena says as she claps.

Today is a good skating day. When I skate this good, I don't want to stop, even when Irena tells me I can. "I think I'll stay a little longer."

She shrugs as the last skater got off the ice. "It is up to you. Soon I think we can start work on quads."

"That's four times around, right?"

"So, they do teach you things in the commonwealth," she says with a wink.

There it is. A joke that is really an insult. Irena means nothing by it, I suppose, but it still makes me upset. Those comments, like little paper cuts, constantly remind me that I am never good enough, only because I am from the Commonwealth.

"Make sure you don't push it too hard. Being the best is all about knowing when enough is enough."

I nod, trying to shake off the feelings of inadequacy from the comment before.

She walks away, leaving me, the only one on the ice.

__________________

I don't know how much longer I skated for. All I know is before long, the ice turns softer, and the lights flicker, dimming, until they are completely out. Landing triples give me extra energy in a strange way, but no amount of energy would allow me to see in the dark.

I step off the ice. My body should have been stiff and sore, but I'm not.

Suddenly I hear my name being called out. My head snaps up to see Ezra walking towards me. "Hey Telvi!"

I smile at him as I slip off my skates. We have a habit of running into each other here. Maybe it isn't much of a coincidence. "Hey. So, got my schedule memorized?"

His cheeks turn red for a second before shaking his head. "Nah. It's just I expected your schedule to be the same as all the other talented."

"Good point there."

"So anyhow, have any plans tonight?"

I shake my head. Eydis and I normally hung out in the evening but they are often unplanned. It is normally because we are too tired to do anything else but talk in our beds.

"Fantastic! I was wondering if you wanted to leave campus and get something to eat. You can see Regal like a local."

As tempting as that is, I know couldn't leave campus until a free day. Until then, I am stuck here. "I can't leave campus unless it's a free day."

A smile flashes across his face. "Well, will me, the possibilities are endless." He pulls on a chain hanging around his neck. It looks a lot like mine, the only difference is he has a few golden beads hanging from it. I have never noticed this necklace before, but it is hard to keep my eyes off of it. It gleams in the light. It looks fancy, but then again, nearly everything about the Motherwealth is fancy.

I swing the bag over my shoulder. If he can get me out of campus, I will follow. Seeing Regal from his eyes sounds exciting, dreamy, even. Wait, did I really think that? I mean, interesting. "Sure. I would love to go out with you. I just need to put this away."

He shakes his head as he takes the bag from my hands. "I know a secret place we can hide it for tonight." He walks towards a corner of the lobby. "There's this vent system that they will never fix. Used to hide a slew of things in it."

My eyes meet his, trying to figure out what those hidden things were. What kind of secrets does he have in this rink? What other secrets does he hide behind those clear blue eyes. Eyes that I can get lost in...

I shake my head.

Telvi, pull yourself together.

He walks over to the vent, getting onto his hands and knees then pulls a grate off the wall without much effort. He reaches his hand into the darkness and pulls out a small, roll of paper and tuck it into his pocket then sticks my skates in the darkness. He puts the grate back.

"No one will see them. They'll be safe. Now we can leave." He smiles at me as he dusts himself off.

I want to know what the paper is. But I fear asking too many questions. Instead, I follow him out of the building just as the lights turn back on.

"Those dang power outages. They're getting worse," he mutters as we walk towards the front gate of campus.

"What causes the power outages?" I ask, unable to fight my curiosity.

He shrugs. "Sometimes I hear my dad talk about it. I think we are running out of ways to get power. That's why we have been mining more Amber. It's supposed to be better and last longer."

"In Hell there was an Amber mine."

He frowns slightly. "I heard it's tough working conditions."

"It's Hell, most conditions are tough there. But Amber mines are probably the worst. They also pay the most. Some people chase the money. They need it. I had friends that worked there."

Kazimir pops into my mind. It has been too long since I thought about him or anyone else from Hell. Was he watching out for my brother?

"And your family? what do they do?"

"It's just my brother. He used to be a fisher but since I came here, I don't know what he's been doing."

"He hasn't written to you?"

I shake my head, trying to not let it get to me. At this point, I'm not holding my breath for something to come. Kol hasn't written. I am out of sight and out of mind. No Telvi means no worries.

He sighs. "I'll see what I can do about the mail. I know it's hard to move things in from the Commonwealths. Maybe you do have something out there. It wouldn't be the first time they lost a letter."

"Thank you."

"Any time." Ezra takes his necklace off and places it against the gate. It buzzes then the gate turns red.

"Walter," Ezra mutters and places his necklace to the gate again. This time the gate turns green and opens so quickly, it bangs against the wall. "I thought they fixed the gate. Guess they're still on it. Dad's probably not going to be happy about it."

This isn't the only thing they need to fix. I used to think that the Motherwealth is full of fancy spotless buildings and technology. But it seems wrong to think like that now that I've lived here. Buildings may look nice on the outside, but they are riddled with faults and the technology is just as glitchy as what we had in Hell.

Eydis's words float around my mind. Intellectual property war. If Regal had all the best and brightest minds, then why are there so many issues?

"What are you thinking about?" he asks as he closes the gate behind us.

"Just about the Motherwealth." I look down the avoid a water filled pothole.

Unlike Eydis, he is from Regal. I need to be careful with what I say to him. As much as I enjoyed spending time with him, he is still one of them. Sometimes I forgot that.

"Is it what you thought it would be?" He gestures to the wet streets and flickering lights.

The documentaries about the Motherwealth never depicted any of the flaws. It always shows how grand it is. It is not that grand. The Motherwealth lied about being perfect.

I shake my head.

He snorts as he kicks a rock down the road. "Yeah, I'm not surprised. We're all built on smoke and mirrors here. Some just do a better job at hiding it."

My gaze shifts to him, wishing he provided more information. He is an insider and I want to know all the truths. He seemed to tell Eydis them. Why could he not tell them to me?

"People hide things. It's life."

Under the lighted displays hanging above us, I see his eyes darken. "That's all the Motherwealth does. They have their own set of monsters."

"Like what?"

His face twists as if he just hurt himself. "I already said too much. Dad wouldn't like that. Sorry. Besides, this wasn't supposed to be about me complaining about the Motherwealth. This was supposed to be about showing you something fun."

"I could use some fun." Although I want to know more about his qualms with the Motherwealth. If I am lucky, maybe I will learn more from him.

He smiles as he lookes down the busy road.

People walk by, wearing coats, scarves, and hats. They rush past, too busy to notice us. One bumps into Ezra, making him stumble, but they never stop to apologize, they just carry on their path forward. Ezra doesn't seem fazed by it, but I am shocked. They interact so little with one another. Even I, someone who wants to stay invisible, would apologize.

"There's a lot of people out today."

"It's rush hour. People are trying to get home."

"We had a rush hour in Hell, but it didn't look like this."

He chuckles. "Probably because Hell only had a fraction of the population we have."

He has a point.

"Anyhow, I was thinking about going out for a local delicacy. Have you ever had an Evengreen roast?"

I shake my head. I have never heard of such a thing before.

"Well, let's get some dinner. I stole my father's card so it's on me tonight." He winks as he waves the card around in front of me.

I am now familiar with the way the Motherwealth pays for things. There is no such thing as physical currency when you can use chips, chains, and cards. People throw money around so willingly, as if it doesn't matter. Anyone in Hell would be appalled. I hate to admit it appalls me lest than it did.

We cross a road and slip into a building that has lights hanging off the side of it. The shop is packed with people waiting in line. All dressed in the Motherwealth's finest fashion. They stare at holograms in their hands, not looking up as we walk in.

At the end of the line is a clear tube going through the ceiling. I watch as someone opens the door to the tube, steps inside and within a moment, are shot up through the ceiling, vanishing.

My eyes widen as I glance at Ezra. Nope, no way. He shouldn't expect me to ride that slag contraption.

"I suppose you have never used a jumper before?" Ezra asks as we got into line.

I shake my head. Eydis has never showed me this place. I wonder if she even knows about it. She probably does and knows better to stay away.

"Makes sense. I don't think many Talents know about it. It's a transportation method that locals use."

I watch person after person ride it, shooting up into the ceiling. Where did those people go? Why did they look so calm. Actually, they look bored.

"Hey, are you the figure skater from Hell?" someone asks as we move forward in the line.

I give a stiff nod. Great. They recognize me. Eydis told me it was only time when they do. I never thought it would be so soon. Talking to a stranger is the last thing I want to do.

"I LOVED your skating. It was beautiful. Gave me shivers."

"Thank you," I say. It sounds like a whisper.

I am so caught up in the moving line towards the tube that I cannot focus on much of anything else. I am sick to my stomach. My appetite is already gone. I don't want the Evenroast. It takes all I have to keep what I have in my stomach in it.

"Tell me your secret to skating."

"It's just genes. She has true talent," Ezra speaks for me.

The person nods. "Of course. How can I be so stupid?"

"Don't worry about it," Ezra smiles as the person turns forward again.

I pray that no one else speaks to me. I keep my head towards the ground, hoping that the sucking sound dies down. No, it's still that. Every time someone step in, I get closer and the sound gets louder.

"The line always goes fast. Thank the lord."

I suck in a breath. I don't understand why we keep walking closer to the tube. My heart pounds. My fear is palatable. He has to see that this is bothering me. He cannot expect me to ride this even if my life depends on it.

We move closer. There are only a handful of people in front of us.

My feet freeze in place. Not in this sweat earth will I ride this. The line moves forward but I stay still. Nope. Not going to happen. Forget about going out with him, I am not ride this.

Ezra turns back to face me with a frown, finally realizing I am not moving forward. He looks disappointed. "It'll be ok. I use these all the time."

That doesn't make it better. Him and I are very different. He clearly likes to gamble with his life. I will not do that. It is a death trap.

"I'll be right behind you."

Still not good enough. I just don't want to use it regardless of if he is behind me or not.

Ezra gives me a little nudge, pushing me forward.

I glare at him. Son of a twister. He better stop.

"For someone that skates with blades on their feet, I'm surprised you would be scared of something like this."

Now he is mocking me? Does he want me to snap? I will and it will not be pretty.

The person in front of me gets in the tube and shoots off.

I am next in line. But I will not go. Ezra can go by himself.

Before I voice my opinion, the glass door opens, and Ezra pushes me into the tube. The door shuts me in, and I only have a second to look at him frantically.

Air blows around me and suddenly I am off the ground. Air hits me in all angles, making it hard to breathe, see, think. My body feels like I am being squeezed all over. The air stifles my scream.

Within only a second, the air stops and I am on the ground again, stumbling out of the tube.

I fall onto my knees, tears stream down my face. I choke in a breath as people pass me, not bothering to help. My body shakes. I cannot see clearly.

"Telvi, Telvi. Sorry," Ezra's voice rings out from behind me.

He is not sorry. He is the one that forced me to ride it. I glare at him as he kneels beside me. Being by him was the last thing I wanted. He saw my fear. He didn't care. Instead, he pushed me in. He must think this is a joke. It might be nothing to him, but this is everything to me.

I attempt to stand but my legs feel like algae in water.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to force you. I thought you just needed a little nudge."

A push is more than a nudge. I am starting to understand why Eydis stopped being friends with him. He doesn't care about your concerns. He didn't care about mine.

"That was the most terrifying thing in my life," I mutter as I take a deep breath. "I thought I was dying."

"I am really sorry," he says as he helps me to my feet.

I take a breath and shove him away with as much strength as I can muster. He stumbles backwards. "When I tell you I don't want to do something, you better listen," I threaten.

At this point, I don't care about doing anything else with Ezra. I just want to go back to campus, curl up and cry in bed. "I want you to take me back." I point towards the tube. "And I'm not taking that."

He chews on his lip.

"Ezra, I'm not playing around. Take me back."

"Alright," he states before pulling out a small flat screen hologram. He pushes a button, lighting up a screen then proceeds to type something. "The car will be here in five minutes," he says finally, putting the hologram in his pocket.

When I get back to campus, it is later than I thought. Most lights in the windows are off, hinting people are asleep. Eydis will probably be asleep, which allows me peace to cry without prying eyes.

All my emotions were bottled up in the car, but now I can release them. The fear of the tube will haunt my dreams tonight and a while to come.

Carefully, I open the door to my dorm room, hoping to not wake Eydis but to my surprise, she is waiting, staring at the door with the light on.

"Where were you?" she demands. "I was so worried about you! Don't you dare go off without telling me."

Her concern is comforting. She is worried about me. She cares for me. I could say less about Ezra right now. If he cared, he would have at least said something in the long car ride or not forced me into that tube. Ezra broke my trust. Walter, I should have listened to Eydis.

I slip off my shoes and climb into bed, biting back tears. "Just out with Ezra."

She frowns. "I don't like that you are getting close to him." She flips the light switch off and mutter something under her breath.

I pull the blankets over my head to hide my face.

"He's bad news Telvi, I promise you that," she says in the darkness. "I know him. I know his family. There was a reason they are one of the wealthiest families in the Motherwealth. You don't just get that way from selling ice cream."

My stomach tightens, making me feel sick.

"We Commonwealth people do not belong with Motherwealth citizens. They think of us nothing but cattle, here to sell or use for their bidding. He father's a gross man, and Erza will turn into that, I'm sure of it."