6
Ridley’s blood pounded in her ears as she headed straight for Aura Tower. Her shoes smacked the pavements, her hands curled into fists, and she was in danger of grinding her teeth away completely as she marched past block after block toward the Opal Quarter, the most affluent part of the city center. The bus had wound up in a traffic jam about halfway there, and Ridley couldn’t handle sitting still knowing she could walk faster than the bus could drive.
The grimy streets and graffitied walls gave way to glass structures that grew ever taller as she neared the center of town. Gigantic screens on the sides of buildings flashed brightly colored advertisements and reminder messages prompting people to visit their nearest clinic or hospital if they suspected a problem with either of their a
