The Blood of Amietta

II. The Mayor of Moonwake

I rush out of the diner, desperately attempting to catch up to the mayor. The fresh air and blazing sun shocks my system, forcing me to pause for a moment while I regain my senses. The town square is bright and beautiful– a picturesque park filled with white benches and an elegant gazebo.

Yet, there's no mayor in sight.

I growl. How did she disappear so quickly? What an irritating woman.

On the surface, Moonwake seems like any other Mega-City. Well, except for the fact that it's so small. The closer I look, the more differences I see– buildings are stone instead of glass or metal, no one is wearing an Identification Chip, and people stroll along the walkways at a lazy pace. It's already late in the afternoon and no one seems to be worried about making it home before curfew. Rather, they meander about, weaving in and out of various store fronts.

One stone building looms over the others, resting on the west side of the town square. The front of the building is stamped with the words, Assembly Hall. I assume this is Moonwake's version of an Authority Building, a place that any law-abiding citizen strives to avoid at all costs. Nothing good comes from being summoned there.

I've heard the rumors about towns created by Revolutionaries– places where people can be free to live their lives outside of the jurisdiction of the Government. I've always assumed they're nothing but a myth. But maybe...

"Are you new here?"

Suddenly there's a young boy clutching my pant leg. The curly mop on the top of his head bounces as he cranes his neck back to look up at me. He gives me a toothy grin and I try to keep the scowl off my face.

"Are you?" he repeats impatiently.

I pry myself away and take a step back, letting the boy adjust his head so he doesn't run the risk of snapping his neck to look me in the eye.

"Where's your mother, kid?"

He shrugs dramatically. Because that's so helpful.

Kids are so annoying.

I roll my eyes, scanning the park for any frantic-looking adults. Someone has to be worried about the little dude, right?

The boy's eyes dart around the park as he cups a tiny hand around his mouth, gesturing wildly for me to lean in. I stare at him blankly, but he simply continues to make a fool of himself.

"I have a secret," he whisper-yells.

And I don't care, I want to tell him. But I don't. Because that would be frowned upon...right?

"Benjamin!"

The boy jumps a foot in the air, clearly recognizing the voice as he tries to hide behind my legs again.

A woman marches up to us, her frustrated gaze locked onto the boy as she approaches.

"Stop running off like that!" she scolds. "I'm so sorry," she says, turning to me. "He likes to run off. I hope he wasn't bothering you."

I shake my head. "It's no problem."

She takes a moment to look me over. "You're new in town?"

My eyes narrow. "Yeah," I tell her. Can she tell just by looking at me?

The woman sighs deeply, a worry line appearing in the space between her eyebrows. "It's been awhile since we've had a new one."

I'm about to ask her what she means, but suddenly Benjamin runs off again. I'm spared no second glance as the woman takes off after the kid.