Aurora was such an odd name for a hoydenish girl. With her hair always tied up, her curly bush sat high, like broccoli. Sweats were her go-to, the baggy grey kind. To throw some femininity in her fashion, she made sure to always have on a long sleeve belly shirt that meshed to her upper body. Finishing her look, her favorite black, oversized sweatshirt with the shrugs pendant wrapped her waist. Today was a cooler one with temperatures in the lower thirties, so she wore it like a jacket. However, her plans to meet with her friends at the skate park were halted.

"Where do you think you're going?" said Aurora's mom, Coco, eyeing her from the kitchen.

"Out!" said Aurora. She rolled her eyes and went for the doorknob. That was until Coco intercepted her. Her curvy frame blocked the doorway.

"No, you're not! I need you on your laptop choosing your contribution for the academy."

"I have the rest of the night to do that!" The attitude in her voice made her mother flare her nostrils.

"You're definitely not going out. Not with that tone."

"Why are yaw in a rush to send me away?" She balled her fist in anger.

"You missed your opportunity last year. That's why."

"Well, what if I don't want to go?"

"Nonsense! Go upstairs now! Get on your laptop and choose it, girl!"

"Uh!" Aurora stomped up the stairs and down the narrow hall. When she got to her door, she shoved it open, slamming it behind her. Her mother yelled something in the distance but she paid it no mind. She's so f'n annoying!

On her desk, her white Luma laptop gleamed in a rainbow pattern. She stared at her screen saver, a picture of her five friends, and smiled. I'm gonna miss them. Her legs carried her to her wooden chair where she sat to begin her application to the Academy of Contributions. Sadly, she did not want to contribute anything to society, at least not to the society in The Heights of Victorium. It was a city, among many, that was built in the clouds. The city sat on sturdy, metal legs that circled around The Heights. To get to it from sector 7, where she resided, an elevator had to be taken. Aurora always wondered what the hype was about going, besides the free opportunity to attend the academy. Giant, geometrical skyscrapers and flying cars didn't impress her much. In fact, she hated the fact that Technet's robots and gadgets practically took over everything. So unoriginal, she thought as she remembered different movies that predicted these very times. Those were the flicks that no one would watch nowadays. Still, she couldn't believe her reality though it existed beyond her birth. Maybe because I've never been a part of it....yet.

She sat, arms crossed, fully concentrated on her friends and the things she'd miss in sector 7. Her ears absorbed the absence of sound appreciating the peace and quiet in her neighborhood. The heights would be the total opposite. Her eyes then veered through her window at the ancient tree in her yard. As a child, she and Lori use to run around it while playing tag. Beyond its outstretched branches and leaves, Lori's house peaked through. Her parent's distaste for her best friend made Aurora adore her all the more. They just don't have taste. Those words were always said when they scoffed at Lori's pink hair or tomboyish attire. They believed she influenced Aurora's fashion. In a way she did. A youthful chuckle left her mouth as she channeled through those memories. Then, just as fast, Armon's face pierced its way through, as it always did. He was the first bushy-haired, Latino she ever crushed on. She now wondered if it was worth telling him since she was leaving anyway. They would probably never see each other again. But still, he had a pull on her heart, one that kept her distracted from thinking of the others she would miss. We were supposed to get pancakes today. After watching him and her friends skate, they would always dine in at Patty's Diner, one of the few restaurants that were left. The rest were abandoned since many owners sold their souls to Technet and moved their businesses to The Heights.

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Sector 7's quaint environment held an essence of authenticity even with it being a ghost town. With a population of one thousand friendly faces, everyone either knew one another or passed each other by at one point. They all worked together to keep the town thriving, even through their lack of resources. Their homes were either standard, single houses, or row homes. In fact, things were left how they were except for the major cities bulldozed for Technet's Heights of Victorium project. New York City, once a thriving place of its own, no longer existed. They nested the structure on its entire landmass. That very structure towered over Aurora's sector.

Just as she typed in her password to begin, her mom let herself in her room. She stood behind Aurora's chair beaming her sockets at the screen.

"Yes?" said Aurora rolling her eyes.

"Just checking in. You still haven't started?"

"Mom! What do you think I'm doing now?"

"Let me help you with everything."

"It's okay."

"No, I want to make sure you choose something that will make you the most money. So that we can finally get out of this horrid sector."

Bingo! And there it was again. The reminder that because her parents failed in Victorium, they were going to use her to get back in, to stay. Her mother wouldn't admit that her skincare business could no longer pay for her to access the elevator. She tried selling her products to townees in the futuristic city. Most declined when they found out she lived in a sector. Boujee fools, her mother snickered when bursting through the door after a long day of work. There was a fee to go to Victorium, one most couldn't afford. Her mother certainly couldn't afford to live there.

"How do you know I want you guys to move with me?" She laughed out hoping her mother wouldn't take offense.

"I raised you. That's the least you owe me."

"You both already had a taste of that ghastly place."

"You know nothing about it. When I lost my restaurant and your father lost his opportunity, that was the worst time ever. We loved it up there and we want to go back."

"By using me, even if it means disregarding what I want."

"We're not using you. So that's it, once you go, you will just forget about us?"

"You can visit me when I graduate and get a place."

"But can't....live with you."

When she saw her mother's sullen face through the reflection of the window, her heart tugged.

"We'll see mama."

As she began her application, she heard her mother sneak out of her room. Thought she wanted to help. The homepage had the words equal opportunity at the top. Yeah right, thought Aurora thinking of the people in her sector, even friends, who tried to get into the Academy. They were never given the opportunity because their grades weren't up to par. Technet ran the curriculum, not only in Victorium, but the sectors. The online classes they provided to all youth were outrageously difficult. Here she was accepted with open arms because her parents overstimulated her mind.

While finishing up her form, the last portion made her gasp.

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CHOOSE YOUR HOUSING COST

_6,000 Techbucks provided each quarter to cover living expenses on campus. A standard shared suit with a shared bathroom.

_10,000 Techbucks provided each quarter to cover living expenses on campus. A private suite with a private bathroom. (Out-of-pocket costs of 2000 HV funds will be withdrawn from your account at the beginning of each quarter. If you are unable to pay, you will be moved to a standard, shared suite and your Techbucks will be decreased. Techbucks do not cover rent for private suites.)

_Living off campus. (We do not pay for expenses outside of the academy.)

_____________________________________________________

Aurora's parents could not afford a private suite or for her to live off campus. She checked off the first option stoked that she would get free money. All she had to do now was sign.

"Now to sign my soul," she said with sarcasm.