Tower of Souls

Walking the dozen blocks to get home- an apartment right near the edge of the wastes, separated by just a few fields of grain that cost far too much for Cameron to have ever tried- usually took little time. But, with the throbbing pain in his shoulder, and the abundant scrapes and cuts he had gotten without even realizing it as he fell to the ground, it felt far longer.

Dragging himself up to the third floor, he sighed in relief when the door to his apartment came into sight, thankful he hadn’t been mugged yet again this month- security rarely ventured out to his ring, and Cameron had learned long ago not to carry money around unless he absolutely needed to.

And, even then, he usually hid it in his shoes... until he wore holes in them, and had to resort to hiding it in his socks, which were much cheaper to replace when they inevitably developed holes of their own.

Locking the door behind himself, his eyes swept across the apartment with a grimace. Dirty, worn down, hot in the summer and frigid in the winter, it was all a single room- even the shower, which barely worked, and the chamber pot were only separated from the rest by the curtain he had hung up...

But it was cheap- which was all he could afford- and it was his. And it was connected to the power grid, so he had a light and a working stove. Well, a mostly working stove...

Shuffling over to the cabinets in the ’kitchen’ area, Cameron quickly opened one and pulled out the last bit of his food: half of a Tower Ration, or T-Ration as most people called them. T-Rations were designed for Classers to carry when they ascended the Tower, as each climb could easily take them weeks or months... and there was no certainty of finding food within...

Of course, that was subjective time, not real time- though there was a healthy amount of debate on the subject, as some argued that it wasn’t perception, but time dilation... Cameron had read the books about it, but even the experts had no idea of which was the truth...

Pulling his only knife from the drawer, he carefully cut the T-Ration in half again, knowing it would be enough to sustain him another day. Designed for classers whose bodies were enhanced beyond the human norm, T-Rations contained all the nutrients they would need for a single day, regardless of how much fighting they did.

For a classless like him, just a third of the grainy, flavorless bar was more than enough for a single day... not that he could afford to indulge that much; T-Rations may have been cheaper than buying real food, but his budget was strained enough already- and that didn’t even take into account that he would need new clothes for whatever job he got after graduation, or any tools he may have to buy for the job... or any other number of expense that he had to prepare for, as well as those he wasn’t even aware of yet.

”What a fucking nightmare...” He sighed, wolfing down his food.

Tossing the remaining chunk of the bar back into the cabinet, Cameron shuffled over to his bed and sat down. The day had ended far worse than he expected, and with the Awakening Ceremony tomorrow...

Well, he didn’t expect things to get better quite yet. Maybe after graduation, when he could finally work and make enough money to eat real food more than once a month... or maybe save up enough to move into a better apartment?

”A guy can dream, right?” He sighed, before flopping back on the bed. Despite the pain in his shoulder, he was out in seconds.

Cameron groaned as he dragged himself out of the shower, drying himself awkwardly- the entire experience was a miserable one; not only was it incredibly difficult to wash and dry himself when one arm didn’t want to work properly, but every bump and shift of his hurt arm sent lances of pain through him.

But, as much as he wanted to skip the shower, he knew he shouldn’t. While being clean, or wearing your best clothes, wasn’t mandatory for the ceremony, it was still a tradition... and heavily frowned upon if he didn’t. Not wanting to face even more criticism or snide remarks, he forced himself through the shower...

Though his best clothes... well, they were relatively new at least, having been bought specifically for today. And he at least liked the way the black pants and blue tunic looked on him, though they did make his pale hair and eyes stand out... Of course, if it wasn’t for all the nasty remarks, he would have actually liked the color of his eyes.

It was unique; he had never seen anyone else with the same colored eyes, except his mother...

Pushing down the thoughts of his deceased mother, he gritted his teeth as he dressed, having to force his injured arm into the sleeve of the shirt with a pained grunt...

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He only had an hour to get to the ceremony, which should be plenty- even if it was a bit of a walk to the center of the District where it would be held...

He was only a few blocks into his walk when a person stepped out of the shadows of a building’s doorway to block his path.

With a wicked smirk, the man held up a hand to stop Cameron. ”Well, just my luck the straggler is just a freak.”

Cameron sighed, shaking his head. ”I don’t have any money, Cole. It’s the end of the month; you know I don’t get my stipend for another week...”

”Don’t have any money, eh?” Cole chuckled, clapping Cameron on the shoulder and squeezing- his injured shoulder. The powerful grip of the Classer in front of him sent pain rippling through him, and he instantly collapsed to his knees, mud and unidentifiable muck splashing across his new pants. ”And already hurt? Who else did you piss off, freak?”

”Actually, I don’t care.” Cole shoved Cameron back, sending him sprawling. Planting a foot in the center of the weak boys chest, the thug smiled down at him. ”I’ve been nice enough to let you off with those pitiful payments you make, but that changes after you graduate.”

”I mean, unless you’re just ready to die. Understand, freak?”

As the foot left his chest and the larger man stomped off, Cameron groaned. His ’payments’ were simply protection money- protecting him from Cole doing worse. Not that he had a choice in the matter; the bastard would show up on the first of every month to claim ’his’ portion... and it was either pay or get beaten and then pay anyway...

And the most infuriating part... Cole was a failed climber. According to all the rumors, the man didn’t even finish the first floor of the Tower before he ran off to hide in the Outer Ring... Not that it mattered, since even the lowest level Classer was stronger than a regular person.

And they had Abilities.

Levering himself up from the ground, Cameron wanted to scream- not just at the injustice of the whole situation, or the pain he was feeling in his arm and now his chest... but also at the fact that his ’new’ outfit was a filthy mess now, and there wasn’t enough time for him to go back and change...

And, the entire time all of this was happening, other residents of the District just... walked by, afraid to get involved. Cole may have been a failed climber, but he was still a Classer... And it wasn’t like Security was around to stop him; hell, the man practically owned the surrounding blocks, as no one had the ability to stop him...

At least, no one that was willing, it seemed...

”Fucking... fuck...” Cameron muttered as he started walking again. ”Could this day get any worse?”

Hearing his own words, he cringed, hoping he hadn’t just jinxed himself.

”Oh, Tower preserve! Are you ok Cameron?”

His head snapped up at the words and the familiar voice, as Mrs. Elsbeth hurrying over to him and began to look him over. ”What happened to you?”

For a second, he considered lying, not wanting to worry her more or cause her problems... But she had done so much for him, and continued to try to help him... he couldn’t imagine disrespecting such a kind woman with a lie, and she certainly deserved his respect after so much...

Sighing, he shook his head slowly. ”I was mugged on the way here- not that I had anything for them to take, but...”

Snickering laughter from the side drew his eye, as Markum and his friends strutted past- one of them pausing long enough to offer a snide remark. ”I see your parents made sure you cleaned up for this...”

Mrs. Elsbeth’s glare sent them scurrying away, but the damage was already done- their laughter had drawn even more eyes to Cameron’s bedraggled state. ”Are you hurt, Cam? Maybe we should get you to the clinic-”

The chime of a bell cut her off, eliciting a grimace from both of them- the ceremony was about to begin, and there was no time for him to be seen to... or even clean up... and missing the Awakening Ceremony was actually a crime, though the punishment wasn’t too severe- just a year of forced service to the city, or six months in prison...

Neither of which appealed to Cameron in the least.

”Maybe after, Mrs. Elsbeth.” He carefully hedged, knowing he couldn’t afford it- and not wanting to burden her, either. ”I need to get in line...”

Seeing that the Council Representative wasn’t on stage yet, Mrs. Elsbeth hurriedly brushed off as much of the dirt and mess from Cameron as she could- and his heart clenched, seeing such a kind woman dirty her hands just to help him such a small amount.

”There, that’s a bit better.” She smiled, patting his back. ”And remember, dear, there’s nothing to stress over. It doesn’t matter if you awaken a Class or not. It’s just a ceremony to welcome you to adulthood.”

”Oh! And I spoke with Mr. Hensly; he’s going to see what he can do about taking you on as an assistant after you graduate...”

”Thank you, again, Mrs. Elsbeth.” Cameron said softly, struggling to restrain the tears that threatened to spill- is this what a mother’s, or perhaps grandmother’s, love felt like?

Before he could say more, a well dressed man- far better dressed than anyone else in the District, let alone the square- made his way over to the stage, and Cameron rushed over to join the end of the line for the ceremony.

Awakening Day had come.