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“What was that all about?” AJ asked, more to himself than anyone else.  Had they really just heard what he thought they’d heard?  Was there really a way out, and if so, why wasn’t that chick already gone?  Why wasn’t everyone gone?  He wasn’t sure he trusted her.  She could be an undercover spy for the Luminary and his cronies, digging to see if she could find rebels who opposed her leader’s authority.  But then where did she find that red rose petal?  AJ had never seen such things apart from in books.  

“Aje, I think we should do it” Nick said quietly, looking around to make sure no one was listening “it could be the adventure I’ve been waiting all my life for”

“Or it could be a premature death warrant for the both of us!” AJ replied shaking his head at his friend’s eagerness to trust a pretty face in a crowd.

“Why would she lie?  And there was the rose petal…” 

“Why wouldn’t she lie?  Why tell us?  We don’t know her!” AJ protested.

“Always the pessimist” Nick teased his friend.

“I call it realism” 

“But how awesome would it be to find out?”

“I don’t know Nick.  We’ve all seen the images.  There’s nothing out there, just a barren

wasteland” AJ advised his enthusiastic friend.

“What if that’s a lie?  Have you thought of that?” Nick questioned.

“Let’s talk about this later, we could get arrested for talking like this in the open” AJ warned his friend.

The crowd dispersed and the two men began walking back to their shared living quarters, trying their best to ignore the many happy citizens who were gossiping about the evening’s events.  Didn’t they realize that one day it would be them in the arena?  Or maybe they were so brainwashed by the Luminary’s words that they just accepted that it was fate.

Once inside the sparsely furnished dwelling place and away from unwanted ears, the two friends could talk freely about the day’s events.  Nick kicked off his shoes and laid on his ancient bed, whilst AJ sat down on the single rickety chair in the corner of the room. Neither one of them had brought any personal effects with them when they requested a shared living space. Too many memories.

As much as he wanted to believe that there really was a whole new world to explore beyond the confines of the city, after a couple of hours discussing it with AJ, Nick wasn’t so sure anymore.  AJ was right, if there was anything out there then why would the Luminary and his people hide it?  Why weren’t they all living out there?  No…it was as they’d always been told, there was nothing outside but the crumbling remains of a world long forgotten.  A world which came to an end long ago in the year 2012.

“OK AJ, point taken and you win” Nick sighed “but it was a nice dream while it lasted”

“You know I’m right.  Now let’s get some sleep, it’s getting late and you know how cranky you can be if you don’t get enough sleep”

“Huh, coming from the guy who needs two cups of coffee in the morning before he can function!” Nick retorted.

“Yeah well, I’m older than you and therefore need it” AJ replied.  The lights went out and the friends settled down to sleep in their adjacent beds, both wishing they could be a little more comfortable.  That was one of the downsides to being single; you got the more basic of living areas whereas married couples were upgraded to something a little better.  As the pair of them drifted off to sleep, AJ couldn’t help thinking of the words he’d said just minutes before.  I’m older than you.  He shuddered and checked his palm, sighing with relief when he saw it was still red.

The following morning life carried on as it usually did, they got up at the usual time, showered in the communal bathroom, ate the same breakfast they always ate in the eating area, worked the same jobs they’d always done, stopped for lunch at the allotted time and talked no more of escape.  As far as AJ was concerned, there was nothing more to say on the matter.  That rose petal didn’t mean anything, it could have been artificial for all he knew, how would he know the difference, he’d never seen a real flower.  There was no outside.  Nick was a dreamer and always would be.

After a long day of monotony, the two friends met for a well-deserved drink at The Odyssey, the place to unwind after a long day.  It was also the place to mingle with other singles and the friends had enough credits for a drink or two each.  If they played their cards right, they could get lucky with the ladies.  It had been way too long, and AJ for one wanted to make the most of it while he still could.  Any day now and life as he knew it could be over.  It didn’t bear thinking about.

He was glad he hadn’t been one of the majority who’d settled down with a wife and child.  Having to leave a family behind was beyond his comprehension.  It was hard enough losing his own mother when he was just a child, he didn’t want to inflict the same heartache which had been bestowed upon himself on some other poor child.

Nick was in complete agreement with him; he occasionally still had nightmares about his parents…their faces in the arena as they were gunned down so callously.  He’d been a young boy at the time but could still remember that day so clearly and had vowed never to marry.  If he never married then he’d never father a child and subject it to such a barbaric event.

“Well hello there handsome” a red snaked her arm around Nick’s waist and gave him the ‘fuck me’ look.  All thoughts of escape, the Luminary and the previous night’s ceremony flew out the window.

AJ smirked knowingly at his friend before hooking up with a red of his own.  It was well known that single reds were more eager to please as they had nothing to lose.

It was as the men walked out of The Odyssey with the two women that their paths crossed the blue again.  She nodded her head in acknowledgment and then was gone.