Dawn rose above the city of Avirkian and with it climbed pillars of smoke and steam floating from chimneys and pipes protruding from the various rooftops. The sky began to fill with citizens heading to work, taking off in their personal zeppelins and other airships. The use of these vehicles was crucial for transportation as Avirkian was not just any normal city ---it was a flying city. Powered by massive steam-powered engines and machinery, Avirkian hovered a mere 6,000 feet off the ground.
Aside from this little anomaly, its people acted just like any other self-respectable community of the times would. They went to their jobs at the assembly lines perhaps going to the theater to see the latest showing of “Carlotta and T14” in the evening (a rather sappy romance about a botanist and a service robot). Or, if they were of school age and female, perhaps they’d go to St. Agatha’s Prepatory School for Girls, as was one teenager by the name of Jaine Newton.
“Jaine! Jaine!” Elisabet Humphrey wove through a crowd of her classmates searching for her best friend. This was a bit of a daunting task as all of the girls were clad in identical plaid skirts and sweaters as regulated by their school. (The school itself was located centrally in the city and was one of the oldest buildings there, being built pre-Launch. It displayed its pointed arches and buttresses proudly along with holding tight to old principles such as uniforms much to the dismay of some of the more ostentatious students.)
“Jaine!” Elisabet huffed as she put her knapsack down and sat next to where Jaine was perched on the edge of the school’s acclaimed brass fountain. “Hey! How was your day?”
“Good, I guess,” Jaine said dryly, “I had the pleasure of reading my paper out loud first today in Languages and then things got even better when Miriam Davis and her cronies felt they had the need to tell me that my hair looked surprisingly similar to the Flocksnort’s bird’s nest. Oh yes, it was a fantastic day.”
“Well, I know how to make your day a lot better!” said Elisabet trying to keep the conversation positive. “Guess what?”
“What,” Jaine replied, “Did Mrs. Levings finally get eaten by that awful Gigantica Venus Flytrap she’s been cultivating? I tell you, it’s been coming for her ever since she brought that seedling to class.”
“No…” Elisabet suddenly squealed with glee quite similar to a teapot that’s ripe for pouring. “You made the fencing squad!”
“Really?” Jaine’s face lit up, but then fell. “Geez, way to spoil the surprise Lis.”
“Whatever. Thank you for the sarcasm. It’s not like you didn’t know you were going to make it anyways. I declare, you’re far better than any of the other girls here. I bet you could even beat some of the boys at St. Joseph’s!”
“Thanks, Lis.” Unusual for Jaine, this statement was completely clean of sarcasm. It was a natural defense that she had developed after transferring from a school on the Fringe to St. Ag’s.
“You’re very welcome,” Elisabet said cheerily, “Now about tonight’s math homework…” She made to pull out her notebook, but Jaine stopped her quickly.
“Um, I actually have to go see Dr. Levingshire at five,” she said just as the clock in the school’s tower began to boom. “He said he had something ‘truly exciting’ to show me.”
“O.K.” Elisabet’s eyes narrowed, “But you owe me. I battled through hordes of ravenous school girls to bring you that good news.”
“Alright, alright, “Jaine laughed as she slung her knapsack over her shoulder. “I’ll see you back at the dorm later. I’ll bring the smarts if you bring the snacks.”
“Whatever,” Elisabet muttered as Jaine ran off; “I’d take snacks over smarts any day.”
