Zenny was about to open Zakt's door when she saw the note. Remis had told her Zakt was looking for her, only now that meant nothing good.

My Dearest Zenny,

Yes, be very angry with me. For I have done a terrible thing. That project I was telling you about, I really had finished it. I know I told you that only Jelm was going up this year, but I lied. Using them I can see, and I'm sorry but I waited until after I passed the "EMs" – as Lanni calls it, to write this. It's too late now. I deliberately arranged it, so that by the time you read this it will already be over. You won't even be able to take the Exam with me. Please, before you decide to just take it next year, I want to ask you to wait until you are eleven. I know two years is a long time – and I won't lie and say it'll be harder for me, because I won't even remember you. Remis will explain it all. I hope he went straight to you with this, so that if you hurry – you can still watch me leave.

Love, Zakt

Zenny dropped the note and went into a straight sprint. 

Run...

Run...

 Run!

She at least had to see him leave! She had to! She ran as fast as she could and dodged this way and that, ignoring the stench wafting into her nose. Her feet just couldn't carry her fast enough.

The Center, a giant elevator that could carry thousands. Located right in the middle of the four quadrants of the slums. They didn't live far from it, but they didn't live close. No matter where you were you could see The Center. That only made the pain in Zenny's chest pulse with frustration. Every muscle in her body pumped and propelled her forward. She felt her speed accelerate and rush of heat came over her. A large booming sound followed by the sound of large grinding metal and gears from the Center urged Zenny to a speed like none other. A streak of wind left a trail behind her as she passed. Making a sharp turn, she skidded across the ground almost falling so she could climb an obscenely large mountain of OLD WORLD junk. The elevator was loading. She watched in mourning silence as equipment followed by hundreds of people crammed onto the enormous machine. She looked, squinting through the crowds of heads, and faces searching. She finally found him; she smiled and laughed at herself. It wasn't as if he was dying! Just then as that thought passed another entered.

"Zakt, did you ever think that maybe I won't pass the exam?" she asked in a whisper. From her position the distance between them was great, looking down on him and Jelm. She watched as the large screeching sound signaled the elevators were about to shut. She could feel that now Zakt was probably in great pain. The sound and vibrations were probably killing him, but if he showed his pain now, they might think something was wrong with him. By now he had developed the ability to detach himself. So even if a sound hurt him or the vibrations made him sick he would just have a blank face. She scoffed at herself, thinking of him after what he'd just done to her. "See you in two years, YOU BIG JERK!" she cried out falling to her knees as the doors finally did close. She cried now as if someone had sawed off her arm, as if an entire limb had been torn from her body. As the doors did close finally, it felt as if the limb was permanently detached.

How on earth was she supposed to live another two years without him? Why'd he have to take Jelm with him? Why did he have to leave her alone with no one? Lanni and Gaddin were so busy now, with talk of either adopting from the Care-Center or having a child born. If that happens they would have no more time for a child already past nine years-old! Not to mention, what did he mean in his note, saying he wouldn't remember her? Why would he forget her? Why, WHY!? Then she remembered that Remis was still here. She hated admitting it, but she always liked Jelm more. He was younger and spent more time with her and Zakt, while Remis was often off with that Lade person. What she couldn't understand was why Zakt had taken Jelm and not Remis instead. Remis was older, and everyone knew that he wanted to go up there much more than Jelm did. Jelm was content to stay until he was a bit older, and wiser like Zakt. 

Looking upon it now it was strange, Remis was so much smarter than Jelm – but Jelm was more interested in learning. Jelm had so much more strength in him, but Remis was more interested in exercise and fighting. Zenny figured it was because Remis had met Lade first, and Jelm started clinging to Zakt before Remis even liked him. At least that's how they all said the story went. Zenny couldn't bear to watch as the elevator started to move upward, and turned away – only to see a sweating Remis standing before and just below the mountain of junk. Zenny sat down as he climbed up toward her. When he finally made it up he just stood by her for a while. Jelm and Remis really were brothers. Jelm only being a year and some months younger.

"Did I miss the action?" he asked smiling. Remis kept his hair just below shoulder-length and never let his bangs get into his eyes. So his hair was not as short as Jelm's, but still nowhere near as long as Zakt's. They were both "born" Slummers. Just like all babies, they were given to the Scientists for two weeks to have their names calculated and programmed into their brains. The Scientists tell the first six letters to the parents, who pretty much, come up with their own "Family-Names". Remis was originally Remisa, and made the decision on his own to stop using the "a". He thought it sounded girly. Jelm on the other hand, was always Jelm. So he didn't like being called by the whole six letters –Jelmic. He said it made him feel like he was in trouble.

"Yeah, they're uh . . . They're gone now." Zenny struggled to say. Zenny wiped her face and stood. She looked up at Remis and gazed into his big, beautiful hazel eyes. Like Jelm his eyes were at a slant, but instead of being thin and slant – they were large and childish. A lot like a 'young girls' eyes. He also had a small low nose and lips as pretty, pink and plump as Jelm's. His cheek bones didn't practically protrude from his face like Jelm's but they were considerably high and outstanding.

With black stringy hair that often looked frazzled – though Remis obviously took better care of his hair - he and Jelm did look quite a bit alike. In personality, though, they were polar opposites. Jelm remained mostly calm and didn't laugh much; if you get actually get him to work he DID work hard, but he was intent on having fun and became a little chatter-box and quite the clown as soon as lights turned down. If there was however, serious action going on during the day, you could still count on him to be part of it. Though, he was the first one bring up the down-side, Jelm was always the first to say 'this' or 'that' could happen. Yet and still, his attitude was always optimistic, as if to let people around him know 'things could get bad", but he was going to do it anyway.

Remis however, was smile and laughs all day, yet, at night he was the one off in the corner enjoying a drink in silence with himself. Either working out or just goofing off. While unlike Jelm, he always "said" things in optimism, he was the last one to brush off sadness or fear. More like he was reassuring himself that everything was okay, than encouraging others. Yet through, and through Remis was the one to go to if you needed help. Because while Jelm's hard work was mostly self-motivated – as in he had something to gain from it or Remis wouldn't leave him alone unless he helped, Remis could only work his hardest if it was for someone else. He was constantly being reminded to take care of himself. Zenny could see, Jelm and Remis together was quite a sight, definitely brothers – they just fit together. All three of them actually, Zakt, Jelm and Remis. 

So why, why did they split like this?  . . . It was most puzzling to Zenny as her thoughts raced.

"You still have me, and, I still have you. Also I promised Zakt and Jelm that we'd do something useful these next two years. You know about Lade, well he agreed to let you train with him. He's from Up Top and if he can fight like that – it can't be a bad idea to learn. You're nine now, people aren't going to be nice anymore." Remis bent over and Zenny climbed onto his back. "I made a promise. No matter what okay? No matter . . . If you don't pass the Exam in two years, then I don't even take it. We're going to be okay Zenny." He slowly made his way down the large hill, Zenny on back. Together, they made their way home, both in some way or another depending on the other. He would never tell this to her – but he had put her on his back, so that she wouldn't be able to the tears that had begun to fall down his face. 

Remis

I had noticed that in the months before the Exam,

Zenny and Zakt had been spending less and yet more time together.

There were times Zakt would tell Zenny he was too busy, yet do absolutely nothing the whole time. He would just walk around or sit in the Book House and think. They once went a whole week without even saying "hi". Yet in those days they did spend together, they would often be with each other the entire day. Neither paying mind to anybody nor to anything else. Jelm and I once joked with  Zakt about his feelings, about his relationship with her. 

His reaction was this:

"I just feel – responsible for her. Like a brother who's been left as the only one to watch over his little sister. It was almost as if . . . I had no choice . . . I know you are just concerned because of how close we are, and I admit that I probably look at her strange. But most of it is just, I'm not sure I can be there for her anymore. Not that I want anything from her. . ."

Jelm and I stood there astonished at him for a minute. Mostly because we thought he'd be mad. He said he understood, because we always had to hear what other people thought, of course we'd begin to wonder as well. However, we were also shocked because, we had all felt the same way. Somehow we all felt like she was left in our care. We'd protect her, even from each other. If that's what it came down to.

Jelm probably didn't remember but, when Zenny showed up – just a tot with those sad and confused black confused eyes and jet-black hair, her skin a -brown instead of the usual pale, it was nerve-wrecking. None of us knew exactly what to do. I had avoided her, even feared her. Having only been nine years old when she first showed up I nearly scoffed at the idea of being overly nice to her. Zakt was around eleven and Jelm waiting eagerly for his ninth birthday. Zakt helped Lanni and Gaddin, always going to visit. At Zenny's first harvest he picked her potatoes and carrots and carried them for her. Yet he had never worked harder on his inventions and never been more energetic and yet, never more . . . Relaxed.

We don't talk about it much, but her hair changed color too. One day she just woke up from the crazy daze she'd been in. Her eyes turned that pretty purple color, her hair was suddenly a violet instead of black. Her hair only changed color for strong emotions. Like it had when she cried watching him leave. It had suddenly turned navy blue. When she becomes REALLY angry you could see it turn a deep red color, almost like blood. When had she just shown up, it would've been three more months before the Exam and the elevator came down bringing new people. So how had she even gotten here? Smaller elevators do run, but they never bring people with them, just Scientists and equipment. For some reason Zakt was convinced she wasn't just from another Quadrant.

Enough about him . . . I really had a hard time when they left. Because after a strange incident, Lade wouldn't let anyone train with Zenny except him. The moment he saw her in practice he was convinced she was like that other boy. The boy with skin like hers, and strange hair. His hair was white, and his eyes were red, and his name was Kai. Zakt said the day he saw him fight Lade – that he needed him.

I didn't completely get it then, but to Zakt, he was just as important to the plan as the rest of us. He would also become the best thing to happen to me and Zenny.

~Remis