CHAPTER 2

I grab Jupiter's hand and pull him to his feet. Cracker's and juice lay at his feet, obviously given to him by the man in the room. He's sitting a few feet away, in a comfortable looking chair.

"All done Miss Arta?" he asked, standing to his feet.

I nod, her heart pumping.

"The file is on your chair sir; may we leave now?"

The man smiles.

"Yes you may, but let me remind you that tomorrow someone will pick up Jupiter for school. He will return home an hour before you do. Oh, and someone will get you as well, they shall take you to your new job and introduce you to the basics. Have a good day"

I bite a nail and walk out of the room, with my brother beside me. My brother rambles on about how good the snacks were as we walk, and I just nod occasionally, so that he thinks I am listening. How can I have any time with my brother when I am gone at work all day? And who is going to make him dinner? My heart sinks. I might as well have fun with him tonight, make the best of it. I lift Jupiter in my arm's kiss both of his cheeks.

"Do you want to go out for ice cream?" I ask.

Jupiter's lets out a whoop and slips out of my grasp. He starts to run circles around me and I chuckle. We walk down the stairs of the compound and my nose picks up the familiar scent of raw meat that has always lurked in Clan W. Clan W has always been a dreary place, and one of the dirtiest and unorganized Clan's in the city. We produce meat and coal, so the mixed stench of smoke and blood has always been a normality here. Sometimes, when the sky is clear, I climb the rooftops and look out on Clan S, which is the most beautiful Clan, for it lies just above a large forest, in which most of the citizens live. They produce wood and bread, so their air is always fresh and smells of warm baked pastries. My gaze drifts over to a hot dog stand and I guide Jupiter over to it. Meat is cheap here, so we buy five of them. As we sit on the hard concrete of the sidewalk, I can't help but notice how quiet everything sounds. Our Clan is usually busy and loud, so the silence is nice. Jupiter bites into one of his hot dogs, squirting a mixture of fish and pickles all over his shirt. I grimace, he will smell of fish the rest of the day. I take a bite of my own hot dog and chew slowly, wondering what my job will be like.

S.O.C 's (Small Once Caretakers/Protectors) aren't very popular among the rich, for we steal away their chances of making some extra money, even though they have no need of it. They take the orphans to the outskirts of the city and sell them to the Untamed. Just thinking of the group of rebel's makes my heart turn to stone. Even though our city has taken precautions by making walls and posting guards by the outskirts of the city, the Untamed ones, always find a way in. They do anything possible to shut down our system, which consists of the four clans, Clan W, Clan S, Clan E and Clan N. But we are ready, if the Untamed one's break down one clan, we have made it so that our separate clans can survive without the support of each other. Of course, we should have each other's resources, but we don't NEED them. Each of the clan's has a food source, Clan W's is meat and dairy products, Clan S is bread and pastries, Clan E is vegetables and fruit and Clan N is seafood. The only thing that could break all of the Clan's down would be the electricity, which is heavily guarded at all times, the Untamed are not getting in there. I stuff the rest of my hot dog in my mouth and put the rest of them in my bag. Night is coming, and we'd better hurry home before it gets dark. I glance over my shoulder to see the elevator we came up in, it is closed already. I bite my lip; the only way we can get down is by the rooftops. I walk over to a nearby railing and look down. We are hundreds of feet up, but the outline of roofs is visible under the white billowing clouds below us. I tighten my backpack strings and grasp Jupiter's hand tightly. He has only done this twice, so he looks nervous.

"Don't worry, it will be easy. Just remember what I taught you. Jump high and far" I say to him.

Jupiter nods and I climb the railing, with him beside me. When we reach the other side, we let go.