World of Water

PROLOGUE
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With Little Help

IT WAS NIGHT AGAIN.The Rouge City lay in silence, and it was the calmness of the waves that put most to sleep. Depending who you are.

The majority of residents have snuggled into their beds, cots, or their section of the floor. If there had been a hierarchy established, most would agree that the family's privileged enough to own a mattress would sit on top of that pyramid. A combination of recycled trash, antiques, and ingenuity is the foundation of what many called home. If there had been inflated egos there would have not been enough people to work. The highest peak is were the lookout stays. Always alert, watching for any sign of near danger. A man and woman patrolled the area. Not in the way a police would, but more like a mechanic who has been searching for any deteriorating parts in need of repair or replacing. The smell of fish is strong. So much so that it attracts many sea birds. Adding to half the cities population. Suspended water jogs hang from a T-shaped flag pole collecting the fresh water when it rains...but no, of course there is never rain. In fact they have only been filled up a handful of times.

A pair of men huddled on the outer limits of the colony. Sitting with their feet in the dark waters, they whisper to each other with extreme caution, exchanging discussions of troubling news. Avoiding all ears but one. And it is the ears of a child. The girl had dark hair, dark as night. Her eyes were light and impressionable, and she hid with the subtle certainty that comes from the advantages of being tiny.

Rouge City is her birthplace, just as it is for the rest of the children. This is the first generation since the separation from their immense counterpart. It has treated her well, but perhaps well wasn't good enough. The moons reflection dances on the oceans surface. This is appropriate, as it is the dance that is performed every night, choreographed to perfection. It is a show, for a girl who is waiting to step out on a new stage of life.