A cloth petal falls to the ground and I pick it up. Immediately, Nahlia grabs my hand.

“That's mine, Tayt.”

“No. I'm not letting you change your mind again,” I say. I hold the cloth coupon out and Nahlia looks at me like I'm stupid. I didn't care. She wasn't going to change her mind again and I was going to let her have it.

“Ooo all natural eye color surgery,” I mock, holding the coupon back from her. I wasn't going to let Nahlia change her purple eyes to blue. Who knows what color she wanted today. She was better off just dyeing her hair. At least, you could cut it off next week.

“You look fine the way you are,” I say. “Besides you don’t want to be a trend freak like all the other ground dwellers,” I add.

Nahlia makes a final grab. She gives me a dirty look. I had bought her a pair of large glamorous sunglasses, so she wouldn't get her eye surgery. We were living together on the sky platform anyways. It as like Nahlia still hadn't left the ground. I shove the coupon in my pocket.

“What's the point to getting your eyes changed?”

I shake my head and give Nahlia back her lame coupon. I don't quite throw it hard enough and it lands on the ground. Before Nahlia can reach it, I step on it and knock it down the drainage drain thing. It disappears.

Nahlia laughs. “It’s funny that you never get the point Tayt.”

We have a staring contest and Nahlia laughs again. It was one of those pissed off laughs she gives me.

“Because, there is no point. Changing your eye color or having two different ones is just stupid. You can’t just alter your body and expect to be someone new.”

Nahlia looks at the back of her fingernails. She tilts her sunglasses with annoyance. At least the day was going well. We got eat a place she hadn't been to in a while. She missed living on the ground. We were on the ground and heading back to the ropes.

I enter a familiar skyscraper. The cooler air was hitting me and the wet season was already here. People had started to abandon the ropes and were prepared to stay at home. School was out to and that gave me time to work a part-time job. It also meant a lot of places on the ground were less crowded and we were having fun. The smell of tropical drinks and sandwiches fills the lobby room. I pass the familiar leather cushions and trendy sofas with Nahlia close by me. I glance behind me. She was looking at a poster. It was an advertisement.

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“Escape from the ‘Jungle Gym!' Our beloved Cepertine cruises. Bring Your Own Gun.”

Nahlia looks over at me. “Hey Tayt. It's the same cruise that field trip we met was on!”

“Wait until your next birthday. C'mon,” I smile

“No, that's not what I meant.” Nahlia shakes her head. “I just like remembering.”

The truth was Nahlia missed being in school. It wasn't a joy ride, but she didn't have a future now. At least it was that way in her mind. School just wasn't the same ever she moved in to my family's apartment. I ate lunch with Ellen now, but she had her own group of friends to hang with.

The longest elevator ride in the world takes us up and away from the lobby. I listen to Nahlia hum herself a tune on the way up. At the top, we exit out onto the roof and I smile. Nahlia smiles back. It was fun at the ropes. I grab Nahlias hand and slam into the metal door. We walk outside toward the big cushion. It was starting to rain already. I feel the first few drops of rain. Suddenly, I look up in fear. It was Ned Fexhan.

“Hey. Over there! It’s the weak bird. It's over there!” laughs a voice in the distance.

“Fly away home little birdie. Birdie. Birdie. Turdie.” mocks one of his friends flapping his shirt sleeves. They high five each other and approach Nahlia and I. Ned eyes Nahlia before trying to grab her tit. She pushes his hand away and he laughs. He looks back at me and backs off a little. My gun was right in his face.

“Oh, I'm so scared?,” mocks Ned. “Do it. You won't do it.”

I feel the gunmetal in my hands and continue pointing it at Ned. He opens his arms and presses his chest to my handgun and laughs at me. Nahlia looks at me concerned.

“Tayt.....” she says softly.

Nahlia puts her hand over my arm and I resist. Finally, I put my gun down and try to lead us both to the ropes. The idiot wasn't worth my future.

“Oh, didn't even flinch!,” mocks Ned, following us around.

Ned shows off and tries to smack my ass to annoy me. I look back at him with fury and push Nahlia to the ropes. I reach for my gun again, but I don't have to. Other sky dwellers had landed and they saw what was going on. Before Ned and his friends could do anymore, others pull out their guns. A gunshot goes off.

One of Ned's friends starts crying, as sky dwellers kick him whiles he's down. He was bleeding out. Life was as merciless as the jungles outside the city.

“Just leave him,” panics Ned. Ned and his buddies run away.

Someone goes to alert an ambulance and the rest of us leave the scene. No one had money for the police to come. I didn't know what to think. I look over at Nahlia. Neither did she. We leave it all behind and head to the sky.

Back in my bedroom, Nahlia and I cuddle together. I could feel her pool hair and she still dressed like a ground dweller. We'd go the FauX store every so often. I feel her re-adjust herself against me.

“Hey Tayt,” beings Nahlia.

“Do you know anything about your past?”

I pause. Nahlia just wanted to change the mood. It was to keep our minds off what we just saw.

“Nah. All I know is I came from some tribe called Enani or something.”

Nahlia smiles. I couldn't see her face, but I could sense it. I didn't care much where I came from. I felt at home in Neandeleria. It was the place to be, on the good days. Life was rough, but I had a best friend to share it with. That was all the past I needed.