Shadow Blood and Fire

Slough, present day 3093.

Insterion Day.

"Eli! Eli! Wake up, you lazy bum!" Zoe shouted as she stormed down the basement stairs. 

She reached the bottom of the stairs and saw Eli lying on a metal bed that was floating in mid-air, about three feet above the ground. He had a black cat on his face, covering his eyes. He called the cat Miss Willy, and he liked to sleep with her as a shield from the light. His room was dark and messy, with wires, tools, and gadgets scattered everywhere. Some of them were blinking, buzzing, or smoking.

Zoe pressed the switch on the wall, she watched the bed descend walked over to the bed and grabbed the cat, tossing her aside. "Hey, leave her alone!" Eli protested, waking up. He opened his eyes and squinted at Zoe. He saw her dark skin, curly brown hair, and muscular body. She was wearing the boys' uniform of the academy, with pants instead of a skirt, and a tight shirt that showed off her abs. She looked like a young athlete, unlike Eli, who was chubby and pale.

"What are you doing staring at me like that? You haven't dressed or had your bath yet!" Zoe snapped, pulling him by his ears. Eli yelped in pain and rolled off the bed, falling to the floor. He was caught by a rough patch of circular platform that was big enough to fit his belly. The platform jerked as it brought him down, making him groan.

He stood up and walked to the table on the other side of the lab, avoiding the tools and gadgets that littered the ground. He reached for his VH glasses and earpiece, which were the cheapest brand for people sensitive to light and sound. He put them on and adjusted the settings, blocking out the noise and dimming the light.

He heard Zoe coming after him, still angry. He looked up and saw her glaring at him. "Come on, Eli, we don't have time for this. You have to get ready for school. And don't forget to feed Miss Willy. She's hungry too, you know." Zoe said, grabbing his arm and dragging him up the stairs.

"Ow, ow, ow, let go of me!" Eli tried to resist. He was older than her by a year, he was 16 and she was 15, but she was stronger and faster than him. She threw him into the only bathroom in the house, which was very small. It was an obsidian building type, the second worst building type in the city. Everyone had to make do with it.

"You have five minutes. If you don't come out by then, I will come get you." Zoe said, slamming the door behind him. Eli sighed and looked at himself in the mirror. He saw his red hair, chubby face and blue eyes.

*********

The city of Metropolis was divided into two parts: the higher plane and the lower plane. The higher plane was where the rich and powerful lived, in sky buildings that floated above the ground, supported by high-class antigrav technology. The lower plane was where the poor and oppressed lived, in obsidian buildings that were cramped and dirty, plagued by pollution and crime.

There were seven estates in the higher plane: Cyrolle, Tylon, Astern, Dune, Fate, Garden, and Palace. Each estate had its own style and status, but they all shared one thing: luxury. The most prestigious estates were Dune and Palace, where the government workers and the mayor resided. The most common building types in these estates were Roth and Nyx, which offered the highest level of comfort and security.

There were also seven estates in the lower plane: Dexer, Luis, Slough, Aston, Mirada, Uxus, and Ember. Each estate had its own problems and challenges, but they all shared one thing: misery. The most miserable estate was Slough, where the poorest and most desperate lived. The most common building type in this estate was obsidian, which offered the lowest level of space and hygiene.

Eli lived in Slough, in a small obsidian building that he shared with his adopted parents and his two sisters. He hated it there. He hated the noise, the dirt, the smell, the violence. He hated the fact that he was born in the lower plane, while others were born in the higher plane. He hated the fact that he was a pogue, short for poor, while others were kooks, short for rich. He hated the fact that he had to look up at the sky buildings every day, and see the mayor's mansion in Dune, directly above his estate. Can you imagine that? He thought bitterly.

He was eating his breakfast, a king-size pizza that he had bought along the way, so he and his sister Zoe wouldn't miss the bus. Zoe was giving him a strange look.

"Can you not eat like that?" 

Eli looked at her perplexed. "Like how? This is how I eat." 

"I wonder why you eat so much." Zoe mumbled.

Zoe was his younger sister, by a year. She was also adopted, from a different family. She was cheerful, adventurous, and athletic. She liked to play soccer and video games. She often defended Eli from the bullies at school.

A portal meant for vehicles associated with the educational sector chimed, and a sleek bus came out. It was made of shiny metal and glass, with a logo of the academy on the side. It was obvious that it wasn't meant to be in this area. It was like a diamond in the midst of poop.

"Okay, let's go. That's our bus." Zoe said, as she hit away the little leftover pizza from Eli's hand and cleaned his hands with a wipe. She dragged him towards the bus.

*******

Zoe and Eli got on the bus, along with the other students who had won scholarships to the Elysium Academy. The bus was Luxurious and sleek, with a metallic exterior and a glassy interior. It had no wheels, but hovered above the ground, using antigrav technology. It had no driver, but was controlled by an artificial intelligence system, which communicated with the passengers through a mechanical voice.

The bus was out of place in Slough, the poorest and most miserable estate in the lower plane of Metropolis. Most people in Slough had never seen such a bus, let alone ridden one. They stared at Zoe and Eli with curiosity, envy, or resentment. Zoe and Eli ignored them, as they were used to being stared at. They were among the lucky few pogues, short for poor, who had earned a chance to study at the Elysium Academy, the most prestigious school in the higher plane of Metropolis.

They took their seats and buckled up, following the instructions of the mechanical voice. [Approaching teleport format. Please avoid moving from your seats and place on your helmet.] The voice said. Zoe and Eli put on the helmets that came with their seats, which helped to keep them from feeling disoriented. The bus jerked a little and all the lights turned red. [Teleporting in 3...2...1...] The voice counted down. A surge of energy and a flash of light. Then, everything was normal again. [Teleport successful. Next destination: Tylon.] The voice announced.

The bus was using teleportation technology, which allowed it to travel faster and safer than any other vehicle. It could move from one estate to another in a matter of seconds, bypassing the traffic and the security checkpoints. It was a privilege that only the kooks enjoyed, and the pogues envied.

The bus repeated the process six more times, teleporting from one estate to another, until it reached its final destination: Elysium Academy. [Arrived at destination: Elysium Academy. Please remove your helmets and exit the bus. Have a nice day.] 

The door buzzed as it opened, and the students started to leave the bus.

Eli removed his helmet and started to move towards the door. He felt his vision blur as he stumbled to the floor. He had hit someone's leg, someone who was standing in his way. He looked up and saw the face of his enemy: CartI Talon the heir of starry group.

Cartl had the looks of a model, slender and athletic body, fair skin, and blond hair that had been styled in a quiff. He had blue eyes and a charming smile. He wore a navy blue blazer, a white shirt, a red tie, khaki pants, and brown shoes. He stood 6 feet 10 inches tall.

Cartl was the epitome of evil. He was a handsome billionaire playboy who had inherited his mother's empire of corruption and crime. He had no morals, no conscience, no compassion. He had everything he wanted, and he wanted everything.

CartI was the handsome devil who had tormented Eli since he got the scholarship. He was notorious for his exploits and scandals, sleeping with his music teacher in third grade, having an affair with his married history teacher in fourth grade, and dating a supermodel in fifth grade. He was everything a teenager wished or pretended to be, and he was a complete jerk and bully. 

Cartl looked down at Eli, with a smirk on his face. "I'm sorry, didn't see you there."

He offered a fake apology, as he and his two lackeys laughed and continued towards the exit. They pushed past Zoe, who was trying to help Eli up. They didn't care about the smart pogue, the scholarship students, the outsiders. They only cared about themselves, their power, their privilege.

Eli got up, with Zoe's help. He felt a surge of anger, humiliation, and pain. He felt like he had been kicked in the stomach, or stabbed in the heart. He felt like he had been reminded of his place, his status, his fate.

He looked at Cartl's back, as he walked away. 

He said, under his breath: "Another day in school."

Eli and Zoe stepped off the bus and gazed at the sky. It was a dazzling spectacle of blue, red, and white smoke, swirling and dancing in the air. They could hear the roar of the expensive aircraft and mech that were parked outside the school each worth more than hundred million. Today was a special day: Insterion Day. The day when sixth grade students got to do the ability test.

The parents were only there to watch from a holographic display, cheering and clapping for their children. The mech were there to protect the most prominent parents, the ones who could afford the best and rarest abilities for their offspring. Eli smiled bitterly, knowing that he was not one of them. He could not even afford an ability book, even the cheapest ones were more than 20 million credits. If he aligned with the government, he would get the earth ability for free, but that came with the price of his freedom. The government would not just invest in him without expecting something in return.

 The parents were the leaders and the elites, the presidents and the CEOs, the generals and the celebrities. They had the best and the rarest abilities, which they had learned from the books created by Professor Insterion, the man who had changed the world.

Eli and Zoe hated them. They hated the parents, who had everything and wanted more. They hated the kooks, who had abilities and wasted them. They hated Professor Insterion, who had created the abilities and the inequality.

Zoe nudged him and whispered, "Are you ready?" Eli smiled.

He smiled because he didn't need an ability, he didn't want an ability, he didn't care about an ability.

He took a deep breath, and said to Zoe: "Let's go."

They walked towards the entrance of the school, where a large screen displayed a message:

"Welcome to Elysium Academy. Where the future begins.

Please scan your ID card and proceed to the orientation hall.

Your ability test will begin shortly.

Good luck."