That night, Risha was placed in a girl's hostel. It was called a hostel but in fact it was just another windowless damp room with a thin layer of bedsheets acting as bed. Aside from her, there were four other girls living there. Although only one of them was present at the moment. She was of average height and had a famished figure. Being famished and malnourished was very common for the people of Painted Street.
Painted Street, like the name, it is a dreamlike place and even within the metal bushes, the tiny pieces of greens were really refreshing. That however is how Risha saw this place. She has been raised like a greenhouse flower, not just her, all the people of her surrounding was like that, raised in a protected and artificial environment. She has seen greeneries but that was fake and even the oxygen emitting from it was artificially extracted. There was no other way as there was no such thing as soil to grow any plants. In that case, both times are similar. The only difference is Painted Street secured some soil for people to grow greeneries everywhere while for the high-tech city of 19 years later where Risha grew up, only some special facilities were allowed to raise them as an oxygen fund.
"Here little lady, take it." Paula's glass like voice pulled Risha back to reality. The brunette girl was handing Risha a gas mask, "We are not to far from the radiation area, better be careful."
"Radiation area?" Risha really had no idea what that was. She had never heard of it.
"Hah," Paula grabbed a water bottle and sat in front of Risha,"You really are ignorant. Ever heard of Kean-tech Incident?"
Risha nodded her head. She read it in history book,
"Around 2 centuries ago, a research facility called 'Kean-tech' messed up a project and caused a radio active explosion. This incident caused death of nine tenth of the whole population together with the destruction of two third of the world. Since then,those places became uninhabitable and human moved to the safe zone. They created a barriers around the place to secure their only haven and have always lived inside that."
Paula smiled at her answer, "So little lady here doesn't mean to hide her being one of the high city scums."
"Huh?"
"This is what taught in that place."
"Is it a lie?"
"No,but it is not the complete truth either."
"Then what is the entire truth?"
"After the explosion happened, life and livelihood all came to a still. The ordinary workers were the one to rebuild the habitable area, when authority was trying to create order they co-operated. When the barrier project started, they volunteered to work together with the construction bots make sure that the work didn't fail for the lack of manpower. And finally when the work was done, they were abandoned. The builders of the barrier were cast outside it with bare minimum to live. The upper class scums halfheartedly allowed intercommunion but even that was banned since last decade. Their reason was we may infect them with radio active diseases. Ironic, they were the who threw us in this hellish place."
Risha remained silent. She finally understood who this place wasn't in the geography book or why they were not mentioned anywhere in the history. They were the rotten flesh the high-tech city cut off.
After a long pause, Risha finally opened her mouth, "So this is why you are rebelling against the Karahan authority. To fight and earn back your rights."
Paula nodded. They didn't have any noble cause. It was purely survival instinct. As living here was becoming more impossible every passing moment, they had to do something to save their pathetic lives. Their motivation was to have a square meal under a safe roof, nothing else. A safe life is all they wanted. If they are provided that, let alone cancelling the rebellion, they would even be willing to lick the authorities' boots. That's just how desperate they were.
"Why did you join us? Your complexion is good and attire is lavish, what else you need?"
"I have to save my family and to do that, I need Prof. Rahman's Terra research to continue."
Paula scratched her scalp, "That stubborn old man will not do anything unless the rebellion succeeds. That explains what you are doing here. But..."
Taking a small pause, she continued, "Can't you just kidnap, torture or blackmail him? I mean I don't mean I would support you or something but wouldn't that be more convenient? What? Are you too much high class that your morality doesn't allow you to do something so cheap?"
"Of course not," Risha lay down on her small sleeping space,"Truth be told, I do not even care. The life of my family is on the line and I am really desperate. I cannot afford to care about morality or integrity. If I was told to do something bad, even then I wouldn't have minded. But the thing is...my companion prefers to keep it civil as I see."
"This silver boy? Green eyes? Pretty face?"
"Hm, that's him, Noah."
"He is staying at Jay's, right? But why don't he want to be civil among us rogues?"
Risha had no answer to it. After all Noah wasn't one to share things with her. She didn't even know what Noah did to prove himself to Ruma. She did ask him but never got any reply. But she cannot just say that to someone she just met.
"Won't tell me?" Paula rolled eyes her eyes, "I guess it can't be helped. Night baby."
She occupied the place next to Risha. Risha too closed her eyes. The anxiety and exhaustion was finally getting to her. Soon her eyelids became heavy and mind blank. Another night has fallen.