Letting out a breath, I stood along with the others when the Hover slid to a stop and an announcement stated that we were at the final stop.

I stepped out of the Hover, wondering just how I would get to Ren.

I was then approached by a dark haired female C'Riel (dressed in a suit which looked like it was made from the material that the C'Riel I knew wear at night), who asked, "Ms. Hills?" to which I nodded-probably a little too eagerly-and she led me up and out of the Station.

I followed her and watched as most C'Riel (and the few humans who'd also taken the Hover) were all walking in groups, heading to wherever they needed to go.

I realised that the C'Riel before me was doing the same and I followed silently, wondering at the differences.

After what felt like a year of silently trekking the trail with all the other people, I finally decided to talk.

"What's your name?" I asked the C'Riel who'd been assigned to escort me.

She looked at me once before looking back before her, "Humans can call me Rey." She said.

"Rey, did you walk all this way just to pick me up?" I asked.

She looked at me again, "Yes." she said.

Wow.

"I'm sorry for the troub-"

She cut me half way with a curt reply, "I have been assigned Escorting duties and I have done no more than anybody would do if assigned Escorting duties."

Wooooooow.

My eyebrows raised and my mouth shut. Clearly Rey was not the talking type. Or the talking-nicely type.

I don't know how much longer we needed to walk but by the time we reached wherever it is that we were going, I was sure I was going to have dropped a pound or two.

"How come you don't have Hovers?" I asked Rey (who hadn't even broken a sweat), unable reign in my curiosity anymore.

Rey threw me a cold look before answering.

"Hover Transportation is only for the Privileged." She said.

The what?

"Who are the Privileged?" I ask, knowing I was digging the proverbial social grave in her book, but I had never heard of this term.

She came to complete standstill. I stopped too, wondering what I had said wrong this time. She stared at me and I stared back.

"You are the Privileged." She stated.

I blinked for a few more minutes, "I'm sorry...I still don't understand."

"You are from the Privilege District." She said.

Oh.

"And...what District is this?" I asked, my eyes flickering around me a little.

Her spine stiffened, almost defensively, "The Worker District." She said.

Oh.

What did this mean? That they didn't have all the privileges that I've been taking for granted all this time?

"Do not pity me," she all but snapped at me, "I may have been born here but I will end up at the Privilege District because of my own hard work. Not because I know someone or am feeding off my parents' hard work." And this time she definitely cast an almost distasteful glance at me.

My spine stiffened, "What are you insinuating, Rey?"

Rey's hands fisted by her sides but she kept her lips pressed together in silence.

"Well, whatever you're trying to say can't be true because neither do I know anyone nor-"

Rey snorted derisively, cutting me off.

I went to stand right in front of her and she came to a still, her dark eyes boring into mine. I realised that her eyes had been dark the whole time. Like Rafe's are when he's pissed. I hadn't seen a single other colour in her iris, other than black, from when she'd picked me up at the Station.

"If you have something to say, say it." I challenged her, my eyes narrowed at her and my arms crossed in front of her.

A slow smirk spread across her face. Almost cruel.

I schooled my expression to reveal nothing of what I was feeling. Which was...nervousness, a little angry at being hated so immediately for nothing and maybe even a little dread.

"I believe that we call you that girl from one of those little human fairy tales. The maid, who played dress-up and turned into a Princess for a night and went to a dance, but her façade fell apart and she had to come back home in rags." She said, each word chosen carefully to inflict some wound.

"That's not nearly how the story goes, but I understand your reference. Why Cinderella?" I asked, attempting to reign in any other poisonous response from slipping through my lips. I will not lower myself.

Rey tilted her head, "I wonder what it must be, living forever in the shadow, never truly seeing anything. To just be a temporary object of intrigue."

This time I had pressed my teeth into my lip to keep from saying something.

"You speak as if you know of me." I said.

"Oh, everyone knows of you." Then she said something in her language and thankfully before I could ask her to translate, she did it for me, "The Burning Flame, that's what we call you in our language."

"What about a burning flame?" I asked, something unpleasant and heavy settling low in my stomach.

She leaned forward a little, smug, almost euphoric at being able to say this to me.

"It dies faster."

My breath hitched, but she didn't notice because she had manoeuvred her way around me to walk away.

I pressed my eyes closed.

What was she saying? And why was it scaring me?

A little voice chided me in my head, Serves you right for leaving your District.

I shook that thought away, "I'm here for Ren." I told myself.

I would meet him. I didn't care how. I would meet him.

I steeled my spine and turned around, to follow Rey. When I caught up to her I murmured, "Better a burning flame than a candle that forever wishes it were lit."

Her head whipped to look at me and I continued without letting a single inflection enter my words, "Besides, Cinderella got the Prince and a Kingdom in the end. Not to mention a good dose of revenge against her step-sisters and step-mother. What's not to like about her?" I asked.

Neither of us uttered a word after that. I didn't understand what she was accusing me of, and I don't know what she thought of me. Frankly, I preferred silence to her hostility.

I pulled out my communication device and sent a message to Freesia and Wolf, letting them know that I had reached. My finger rested on his name, wondering if I should message him or not. A small smile lit my lips and I knew I was definitely going send him a message.

Send me Ace's Chip ID. I sent him.

His reply came quickly.

I am glad your sense of human is still intact.

I grinned, knowing exactly what to say now.

Yeah, that part of me wasn't shot at.

His reply was slower to come, but when it came I narrowed my eyes.

Put your Com on.

I replied: Whatever for?

His reply: I need to check if something is working.

Me: Yes, your brain. Is it intact?

Him: As well as yours.

Me: You wish.

Him: You know nothing of my wishes.

Me: Not for the lack of trying.

Him: Maybe you have not tried hard enough.

Me: Maybe you're just an asshole.

Him: You say such nice things to me.

Me: Don't go falling in love with me now.

Him: Do not flatter yourself.

Me: Oh, it wouldn't be flattering if you fell in love with me.

Me: But if Ace did...

Him: Put your Com on.

Say what you have to say. I'm not wearing the Com. I said.

Him: Did you not like them?

I knew what he was asking. The earrings.

I liked them just fine.

Why are you not wearing them? He asked.

Because you didn't give it to me nicely. I said.

You left. He said.

You let me. I said.

Why did I say that? Did I want him to stop me? No..no I didn't. Because I did want to see Ren. So why did I stupidly send that?

Would you have let me stop you? He asked, hitting the nail right on the head.

No. I admitted.

We are arguing about a moot point then. He said.

It is not moot. I'm just saying you almost slapped me in the face with the gift. I said.

I placed it next to you. He said.

Placed it very rudely. I pointed out.

How can one place something very rudely? He asked.

Ask yourself, you did it. I said.

Why are you not wearing them? He asked again.

Because. I said.

Amour. He said.

Rafe. I replied.

"You are wrong, you know."

I looked up, pulled out of my reverie.

"What?" I asked Rey, who wasn't even looking at me.

"You are wrong. Your story will not end like that fairy tale." She said.

I sighed, rubbing a hand to my forehead.

"I guess we will just have to find out." I said finally.

What fairy tale? He asked me.

My eyes widened. How in the world did he know what Rey had just told me?!

I looked around me, I couldn't see anything. We were surrounded by forests and purple-greenery.

How do you know? I asked.

I always know. He replied.

Stalker. I said. Somehow comforted by the fact that he was watching over me. As terribly disturbing as this was.

What fairy tale? He asked again.

Nothing. I said.

A few minutes of silence.

What did she say to you before this? I could almost hear him say that. His voice would be low. Skating intimate, but scary.

But clearly he'd only heard the last bit of the conversation. I wasn't going to tell him anything else. I was no snitch.

And...she was just a kid.

Nothing, Rafe.

What is her name? He asked.

You don't know? I mocked, my eyes rolling even as I typed it out.

Not yet. He admitted.

I licked my lips. I had to make him drop this. This girl clearly had aspirations. She wanted to go places and she was working for it. A few misplaced words, no matter how angry they'd made me, wouldn't have me resorting to getting her into trouble.

Rafe, I handled it. It's nothing. If it's something I want to talk about, I will tell you. She's a good girl. Just a little angry.

What did she say to you? He asked after some time and I could almost hear him in my head. His voice would've have gone quieter than normal.

I typed out many responses before cancelling them all and reattaching my communication device back to my hip. I just didn't know what to say.

Whatever she told me, I needed to find out more about. I decided.

______________________________________

^_^ Tee Hee. Sleep comes my way. Until next time!