The ground is hot, scorching through my black pants. If I had to guess, I would say this is one of the hottest days this year. But what do I know?

Everyone is here; uuks, ceeks and lowks. Of course, the uuks are here; they live in this here. The lowks though, I admire for having the courage to come here. Not that I see many of them, but there's definitely some of them here. Others will probably hear about the news through gossip or some other shit.

Me, I'm here because I have nothing else to do. It was either this or sitting on the floor in my house, and it is always good to meet people right? Not that I've talked to someone. I don't want to. That's why I'm sitting on the ground almost surrounded by sacks, not to be spotted by anyone.

Not too far away from me, a horse is galloping through the crowd at a crazy speed. I immediately tense, ready to stand up and help anyone who might get run over by the stupid rider. But everyone seems to see the animal coming, and desperately throws their bodies away. Everyone except for one person. They are walking fast, a hood over their head, not even bothering to catch a glimpse of their surroundings. The horse comes closer and closer, and I can see the girl who's riding scream something to the person in front of her, but the words don't seem to be heard by anyone.

My heart beats hard in my chest as I shoot up from the ground, slowly moving towards the scene. It's like I'm just waiting for the poor person to get stomped over by the horse and die, blood spurting everywhere. But that never happens when the hooded person stops in their track, right before the animal soars by them. I let out a big breath and stop my shaking hands.

A girl and two small children run to the person, who takes their hood off. I can see it's a girl with brownish ginger hair. Her expression says nothing but confusion and emptiness like she wasn't shaken at all by the sudden danger.

I jog towards them to see if the girl is okay, but some people squeeze their way in front of me, blocking my sight. I stand there patiently and when I'm free to move, the girls are gone.

"Ddoriaax!" a boy's voice says from behind me. I turn around and take in the slightly familiar face.

"Hey." I say, putting my hands in the pockets of my pants. The boy smiles brightly and throws his arms around my neck. I chuckle at his touchiness, but the sound stops when I remember the conversation we are about to have.

"So, why have I not been seeing you lately?"

"I've had so much to do. My parents are bugging me about school and shit." I lie.

"Oh, okay ..." the disappointment in his voice cuts through my heart. I place a hand on his shoulder, the hot leather burning my palm.

"Maybe we can catch up later?" I say, hoping to end the conversation so that I can go home. But he doesn't seem to want to do that. Instead, he points to my jeans.

"Funny, I had those kinds of pants ... I lost them though." My heart gives of a fast beat and I quickly pull away from him.

"That's great!" I smirk to cover up my nervousness. "I gotta go now though." With that I spin around and hurry away, snaking around the swarm of people. I roll my eyes back into my head in gratitude. That was close.

Continuing through the woods to the left side of the Tower area, I hastily walk my way home. I know this is a shortcut for the uuks living on closing-street, but I've learned how to avoid most of them. As to challenge my recent statement, I don't notice the people crossing roads with me. Clumsily, I collapse right into one of them. The person yelps and falls, but thankfully get caught by his friend. I sigh in relief.

"Sorry man, didn't see you there." I say, giving him a small smirk. He's tall and muscular; tanned skin and narrowed brown eyes. The girl beside him is curvy with strawberry blonde hair, big surprised eyes covering her face. I know exactly why.

"It's okay." The boy mutters and turns his gaze away from me.

"I better be going then, good speaking to you." I wave and jog away from them. I don't want to stay any longer; I'll just get questioned or accused. I saw it in the girl. She knew exactly who I am, and she probably believes every story and rumor told about me. They're mostly true, but there's so much more to them. So much more than anyone will ever know.

My home is hidden well in the forest, almost right next to the big wall. I found it a couple of years ago when I was running away from my orphanage, if you can even call it that. No one came after me, so I decided to stay here. It's an abandoned cottage of some sort, probably used to stock firewood or something, a long, long time ago. I like it because it's mine, because it keeps me warm and healthy.

Bird purrs when she sees me, and she's fast to my feet. She's a cat who started showing up at my house randomly three months ago. I named her Bird as I was drawing one at the time. It's also kind of ironic since cats eat birds. Maybe she'll get eaten some day due to her name. I snicker at the brutal thought.

The matrass on the floor is stiff as ever, but just as soothing. I sigh and stretch my arms, a yawn escaping my lips. Bringing out my sketchbook from my stolen pants, I rest my back against the broken wall. Soon, I need to get a new book, or at least some new papers. The pages are filled with faces; some hurt, some happy. I feel them as I sketch; I see their stories, know their lives. It's the best feeling in the world, the feeling of not being lonely. Even though it's all pretend. In reality, I don't know the faces on the paper. And I never will. The letter D is also reoccurring, the only one I know how to pronounce; the only one I remember without reference. My name starts with it, that much I know. I envy those who read, those who're being taught. No one wants to teach me, and no one ever will. For some reason, I don't really care. I used to, but now I'm just accepting my life for what it is. Lonely.

Bird claws her way to my lap, snuggling her nose against my sketchbook. She's the only real company I have whenever I'm not in town; pretending to be someone I'm not. It's fun most of the times, making friends and laughing. But then the hard part comes, the part when I have to follow people home and fuck them. Yep, that's what I do. I fuck and then steal. All for food and new pieces of clothing or objects. I don't like that part, to be honest; I hate it, more than anything. But by now, it's become a routine I can't break.

I remember the boy and girl I met in the woods, their faces are memorized in my brain, and so I draw them. I fill a new page with their puzzled expressions, and so their made-up stories gratify my head. Their both uuks, I see that on their outfits and the ways they carry themselves; a well taught proud and straight posture. They were both very pretty, probably popular in their crowd of people. I decide they're not a couple; they weren't close enough. Maybe they just met? Yes, they just met. They are studying together, a school project, I tell myself. He's nice and gentle and so is she. They could become a power couple if they decided to date. Maybe their parents are planning an arranged marriage. I'm pretty sure they still happen sometimes. The thought unsettles me. I would never want to do that; marry someone I might not know, or even like. But in a way, I guess I'm already doing that, except my marriages only last for one night.

⧫⧫⧫

The rest of the day passes by quickly as I'm sketching. Bird has fallen asleep beside me, warming the side of my thigh with her thick fur. I don't dare to move, knowing that the slightest action will wake her up. Not until there's a knock on my door, I flinch. Who can that possibly be? No one ever visits me, because no one knows where I live. With furrowed eyebrows, I stalk toward the front door. The person knocks again, and I flinch all the same.

"Who is this?" I ask, my voice as firm as I can manage.

"This is dealing from the towers, regarding today's announcement." The voice says back. It's deep and bulky, and I furrow my brows even more. Opening the door, there is indeed a guard; shining armor covering his big body and a neatly combed beard covering his face. He looks at me with small black eyes, and so I match his gaze. I knew about the offer, but I never thought they'd come here; where no one is supposed to live.

"You are Ddoriaax Rryykh, am I correct?"

I think for a second, trying to remember my last name. I decide the one he mentioned is the right one. "Yup, that's me."

"I suppose you have been at the meeting?"

"Yup!"

"Then you know what's going on. I'm here to find out if you will follow me, and hundreds of others to the towers. It would be an honor. We will assist you with whatever is necessary; food, a place to sleep, clothing. You may bring one object from home, only if you show it to me first." The man sounds bored, his words practiced and artificial. He's not looking me in the eye. Instead, he stares at the plain floor behind me. "Now, I would want an answer."

"Well, I have everything I need." I say, tapping my sketchbook in my back pocket. The guard doesn't even bother asking to look. I smirk at him. "So should we get going or what?" I wasn't prepared to say yes to whatever they're asking, but then again, I didn't think they'd even come here. I look back to my house where Bird's fallen asleep again. She'll be all right by herself, and me; I don't have anything better to do.

The night sky is dark, casting shadows in every corner. To my surprise, a long row of teenagers waits for me when I step outside the door. They look tired and scared, more guards waiting patiently beside them. It looks like a parade; something the Queen would have come up with. I swiftly take a place with them. Their confused faces make me squirm a little; my made-up identity is now shattered. But I try to hide my uneasiness with the famous sarcastic smirk that makes so many drop to their knees.

⧫⧫⧫

We walk for what feels like hours. Maybe it's because of our slow pace, or all the houses we stay at. The line of people only gets longer and longer, until the heads in front of me shadow my vision. Closing-street goes on forever, house after house. For some reason, it takes at least 10 minutes for every person to decide whether or not to come with us. It pisses me off, and so it seems to do with a lot of others, including the guards. The last house on the street is big and scenic; the yard green under the garden lights, a graveled pathway leading up to the tall front door. The boy who comes out is tall and bulky, warm eyes reflecting the lights around him. I know it's him; the guy I ran into earlier today. He nods at the guard and quickly makes his way in line, keeping his head down; taking no time at all. He doesn't notice me staring. In a way, I wish he would.

When we arrive at the big platform, facing the gates to the towers, the air is buzzing with tension and excitement. Teenagers around me are whispering, jumping up and down, and I think I might even hear someone crying. Three guards take place in front of everyone. I can't almost see them, but I guess they're the three who went around knocking on people's doors.

"Thank you all for coming with us, it means a lot to our leaders and our feature." A woman speaks. Her voice is carried through a horn, like the other ones they've used today. "You have all excepted the terms of this offer, but as we all can see; some of you are regretting your answers. I tell you that this is your last chance to back out because when you enter these gates, you will not be going out in a long time." Some people around me are moving, saying goodbye to each other and making their way home again. I smile slightly at everyone who locks eyes with me, if only to give them a bit of reassurance.

"Now, we have a couple of rules to tell before we let any of you inside." Another one of them says. A man, but with a different voice than the one who picked me up. "First of all; do not touch anything. Many things are valuable or way too complicated for any of you to understand. Only do you do things when we tell you to. This night there will be no questions before we say there can be. Keep the talking to the minimum and stay in line if you do not want to get lost. Are we all ready?" no one answers, but the guards take the lead inside anyway. We eagerly follow, trying to be as quiet as possible.

The woman opens the big door to the grand tower, where the tenths live. No other guards follow inside the gates, taking their usual places guarding the outsides. But as soon as we're in, new guards take their place. Except, these guards aren't dressed in armor and polished helmets; they're wearing tight white clothing, fabric necklaces with pictures of themselves hanging in the center. There're letters under the portrait, probably spelling out their names. I take a closer look at the necklace on the girl beside me; her picture is crystal clean, no signs of painting streaks anywhere. It looks almost like she's in there, and not painted on. I nudge her side, and she gives me a scolding look in return.

"Sorry, but what's that painting made of? It looks so real." I whisper to her. She gives me a confused glare, frowning. But then she relaxes, a smile tugging the side of her mouth.

"It is a photograph, I am sorry but I cannot tell you more about that now."

"Thank you." I return my gaze to where the three guards are, even though curiosity is eating me. I notice their armor has gone as well, and they're now wearing the same clothes as everyone else. They move fast, making our line uneven and disorganized. Their voices are strong but calm as they talk.

"-There are many corridors leading to different places, it takes a lot not to get lost; so we have put up maps around the buildings. They will show you the way to you rooms, training halls, where you can move from tower to towers and so on. If you have not noticed yet, we have inventions here that none of you have heard of before. We will tell you why we have not informed the people of this, but for now, let's just go over the basics.

"What you see hanging on the walls are called surveillance cameras. You could say they make their own paintings. Those paintings are called photos, or videos. They look exactly like reality and they are a way for us to see if anything goes wrong. We will have securities looking through them at all times.

"The devices we are talking through are called microphones. They work as the horns we used before, but they are electronic and easier to use since they are attached behind our ears; we do not have to carry them around. There are a lot more, but nothing we have time for right now." The woman speaks. I take in every word she says, storing it back in my mind. The three guards lead us into a big empty room. To the far short side, there is a scene. They motion for us to stay on the lowest level while they make their way up the stairs to the scene. I and so many else wait for what they're about to say now.

"We are the mains." The manly guard, who picked me up, says. He doesn't look as bored as before. "That means that I and the two guards beside me are the managers of our protection system. If you have any questions, please come to us. We will try our best to help you out. The hall we are in is called the grand hall. This is where we will have most of our introduction meetings and announcements.

"Soon you will get to go to your rooms, but we have just a couple of more things to tell. Tomorrow you will all have clock alarms ringing at a quarter to eight, and you will meet us down here at nine for another gathering. After that, you will all get to eat some breakfast. Now, before you go; there are two five guards waiting at the entrance to the grand hall. Before you can pass you have to tell them your name. That way, you will get a paper with the number of your room and other important necessities."

"Thank you for your patience, hope you have a good night sleep. We will see you here tomorrow morning." The other man says. The room of people soon starts moving towards the entrance doors. I try my best to stay out of the way till it's my turn to get my stuff.

It goes faster than what I thought before I'm one of the people standing before a guard. It's the same girl, and she smiles lightly at me. "Your name?" she asks.

"Ddoriaax Rryykh." I say proudly, happy I remember my supposed last name. She gives me a hard paper sheet, filled with letters and numbers. My heart thumps in my chest as I try to figure something out. But my mind goes blank.

"Sir, you have to move out of the way." The girl taps my shoulder, bringing my eyes to hers.

"I –I can't find my room number." I whisper quickly, hoping no one heard or understood that I actually can't read it.

"There." she points. "210." I keep my eyes at the numbers and move away. Now I just have to find the matching ones on a door.