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Description
“Today is the day that you all get your assignments.” The teacher speaking was none other than Kevin, the hardest teacher to please and the toughest trainer. “You all went to a specialized school to become the best at what you were already decent at. Some of you are Scavengers, going to the surface to try to find things of use. Others are Enforcers, the muscle trained in hand-to-hand combat to help keep the shops safe. A few are Engineers, taking what the Scavengers bring down to try getting it to work again. Then there are the Snipers, the small group that will be our first line of defense against anyone or any thing that tries to invade the city. If you are all here, you’ve all graduated your specializations and now you’re here to know where you stand. When I call you name, please stand and listen carefully to your assignment. Before I get into that remember that just because you have this new job, doesn’t mean that you’re going to get out of Wall Duty,” Kevin added with a knowing look to some of the teenagers in the first row. To their credit they tried not to look guilty. “Now let’s begin with assignments, shall we?” Kevin asked as he grabbed a piece of paper from the envelope he’d placed on the table behind him. There was no need for the envelope but it did give the whole ceremony more flair.

Kevin read through the names and clearly stated what each person was assigned. Assignments were based on proficiency in their specialization, their personality, and their specialization. It was rare that an Enforcer would end up on the surface, that was a job for the Scavengers and their small guard of Cut Throats, or the people who specialized in knives.

“Aurora, you will be joining me in policing the city,” Kevin stated. “I expect you early in the morning so we can go over your duties.” He looked up to see Aurora nodding her head, hiding the excitement she felt behind an emotionless mask. Aurora was a Sniper, the only one that had passed the grueling tests he’d put the Snipers through. There hadn’t been a Sniper available to teach them and so Kevin had done triple duty teaching the Cut Throats and the Snipers, and working on top of it. In light of that Aurora had picked up on more than a few knife techniques that she refused to let her mother know about. It also meant that when the next set of kids that got into their specializations Aurora would be their teacher.

Whispers cut through the crowd and more than a few graduates sent Aurora glares. In their eyes she’d gotten one of the easier jobs. A cushy desk job that meant little to no action. What they failed to realize was that as a Sniper she was on call for Wall Duty indefinitely. Snipers were the smallest group of people, there were only a handful because it took a special kind of person to become a Sniper. You needed a sharp mind, quick reflexes, and the ability to make quick judgements on who was the most immediate threat, and good eyes, even without a scope.

“Quiet! Until this ceremony is over I expect you all to keep your mouths shut or else I’ll cut your tongues out myself,” Kevin glared out over all the students and then continued to read the list. It went on for another 20 minutes before ending.

When Kevin finally dismissed all the graduates they all dissolved into smaller groups of friends and their families. Aurora was only and her mom was rushing over, a large smile on her face. Aurora’s mother was Beth, a shopkeep who could beat most people into submission before they realized what was happening. Her blonde hair was down to her midback but always pulled back into a ponytail to keep it out of her bright blue eyes. With a slim figure she looked like she couldn’t hurt a fly. The slim figure was nothing but hard earned muscle.

“Aurora, honey, you’ve graduated!” Beth wrapped her daughter in a hug and pulled her close. “I’m so proud of you!” Beth gave Aurora another squeeze and Aurora felt the last of the air in her lungs leaving her.

“Mom,” Aurora barely managed to gasp out. “Can’t. Breathe.” A sheepish laugh escaped Beth and she let go. “Oh thank you, air!” Aurora exclaimed as she took a deep breath to inflate her lungs.

“I wish your father were here to see this day.” Beth grinned at her daughter who smiled back. Aurora’s father had died when Aurora was a baby. He’d ended up having to save someone outside of the wall and he’d died when a mutated ant grabbed him by the leg and dragged him off before anyone could do anything. It had been a tragedy. “He’d be so proud of you.”

“I know, thanks Mom,” Aurora smiled.

Compared to her mother Aurora was a few inches taller, standing around 5 feet 6 inches, her hair was darker than her mother’s a more strawberry brown than blonde, and the one thing that she’d gotten from her father that was obvious with no picture was her eyes. Her left eye was green and the right blue. It had been a sore spot for years until she’d accepted it and just started beating up anyone who decided to make fun of her for it. There were many calls to Beth about her daughter acting out, but Beth had always pointed out that the other kid started it and that Aurora was, in fact, being bullied.

“Aurora, I have something for you,” Kevin said as he walked up to her. Not only was Kevin her teacher and her soon to be partner but he was an old family friend. Kevin and Beth had met after Aurora’s father had died and they’d become fast friends, so much so that after Aurora had been born Kevin had nearly moved in to help take care of her. By the time Aurora was three that had stopped since Beth was able to take Aurora into the shop.

“It’s not my birthday,” Aurora commented confused. “Why did you get me something?”

“Aurora, for your graduation of course!” Beth exclaimed with a broad grin. “You’ve earned the gift.” Kevin pulled a rifle out from behind his back and handed it to Aurora.

“Is the gift in the barrel?” Aurora asked as she started to stare into it.

“No, the rifle is the gift, the entire thing.” Aurora blinked and then stared at the rifle.

“What? No way! You bought me a rifle?” Aurora exclaimed as she looked at the rifle again with new eyes. “I can’t imagine how much this cost!”

“Well, stop trying to figure it out,” Kevin commented. He’d seen the wheels turning in Aurora’s head and knew that she wanted to know. “You are the best sniper this city has ever seen and you’re going to need your own rifle. I pulled a few strings with the paper jockeys,” Aurora raised an eyebrow at him, “alright, I threatened them with pain. You got a rifle though, with a night vision scope. The only one in the city from what I understand,” Kevin added.

“This is the best gift ever!” Aurora exclaimed.

“There’s one more thing you should see,” Beth added. She took the rifle and then flipped it, so Aurora could see the other side of the stock. Right before the rubber end of the stock there was her name, carved in delicate letters. “Kevin bought the rifle, but I carved your name into it so that there was no doubt it’s yours. It’s not much, but happy graduation,” Beth said.

“Oh, Mom, it’s perfect.” Aurora hugged her mom tightly. “Kevin get in here, this is a group hug moment if there ever was one.”

“I don’t do group hugs, or hugs in general,” Kevin commented. Aurora rolled her eyes and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him in before he could protest. Beth was quick on the draw and drew him into the group hug while he stood there glaring at anyone who wanted to comment on the situation. No one dared to cross Kevin. “Alright, alright, that’s enough.” Kevin broke the hug, slipping out of Aurora and Beth’s grips and looking around to see who had seen the hug. He mentally took notes to track down said witnesses and make sure that they never talked about it.

“Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure that if anyone was paying attention they would see that we were holding you hostage,” Aurora commented with a smirk, knowing what Kevin’s thoughts were. “In all seriousness, this is the best gift I’ve ever gotten, thank you.” Aurora smiled and then slung the rifle over her shoulder, with the barrel down. The strap looked like it was sturdy enough for the moment. Aurora had plans on finding a new one, one that she could decorate herself.

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you tomorrow morning, alright?” Kevin asked. Aurora nodded. “Good. Get a good night’s rest because I’m going to work you like a dog.”

“Like you didn’t do that already with training?” Aurora asked.

“If you thought that was hard, wait until you see what I have planned for you tomorrow. Beth, make sure she gets to sleep early tonight.”

“Kevin, if you kill my daughter I will kill you,” Beth chimed with an obviously fake smile in his direction. “Come on, honey, I’ve got something to give you at home too.” Beth looped her arm through Aurora’s and led her daughter home.

Home was above a small general goods shop. It wasn’t much but it was something. Beth had originally been in the upper class of the city but an unplanned pregnancy had made her parents disown her. With the money that she had she bought an empty shop and started over in a new life.

There had been a few times when Aurora had asked about her grandparents on Beth’s side and when Aurora turned 16 she’d gotten the full story. In light of the limited gene pool in the city careful breeding selections were made, especially with the upper class. Beth had been engaged to someone else and when she’d gotten pregnant with Aurora the engagement was in danger of being terminated. Beth’s parents had told Beth to give up the child, abort and she could have a good life so long as no one spoke about the baby. There were more than a few people who would have agreed but Beth hadn’t, she’d told her parents that a baby was a special blessing, not worth a comfortable life with someone she couldn’t stand. Within a day Beth had been thrown out on the street and left to fend for herself.

7 months later Aurora had been born and a new chapter in Beth’s life had started, a chapter she wouldn’t trade for anything. That wasn’t to say it wasn’t hard. If Kevin hadn’t been around Beth wouldn’t have made it as far as she did.

Once home Beth unlocked the door to the shop and stepped inside, Aurora following her in and locking the door behind her. Beth turned around to Aurora and smiled.

“I’m so proud of you, Aura.” Beth only used ‘Aura’ on special occasions. “Your gifts are on the counter,” Beth added as she motioned to the small table that served as the check out counter. Aurora glanced over and saw a small wooden box. Aurora walked over to the counter, turned the box so the hinges were on the side opposite of her, and opened the lid. The inside of the box was lined in red velvet. In the center was the biggest revolver Aurora had ever seen. Most of the ones in the city were snub nosed and barely passed the qualifications of being a revolver. This was also the revolver that her mother had always carried around with her when she was in the city. No one walked around the city without some form of firearm.

“Mom, this is your revolver,” Aurora whispered as she lightly trailed her fingers over the shining metal. There were scratches here and there, some worse than others, but that showed it was a reliable gun to go through all of that and still fire. “You’ve had this since forever.”

“It’s yours now. I know you’ve always liked it. I remember you playing with it when you were little. You could barely lift it up, which I only realized after the heartattack the scene gave me. I was glad that I hadn’t put the bullets back in it after cleaning it the night before. There’s also the holster,” Beth added as she pointed to the custom made leg holster beside the box. Aurora looked at the holster, then the gun, and finally back to her mom.

“Mom, this is an amazing gift. Even so, I don’t feel right taking it. This was with you when you got kicked out of your house for being pregnant with me. You keep it. The day will come when I inherit the revolver, but today isn’t the day. Besides you need the intimidation factor more than I do,” Aurora added with a smirk at her mother. Beth wasn’t cute, but she was short, thin, and didn’t look like she could hurt a fly, even accidentally.

“I’m fine without the gun, Aurora. You know as well as I do that I’m the best hand to hand fighter in the city, and I go no where without my knuckles. The gun is yours, no more arguing,” Beth added with a smile. “You don’t have to carry it with you, but you should keep it in your room. Unless you’re going to move out,” Beth added in a less than happy tone.

“You know I’m not going to move out, Mom,” Aurora said. She closed the lid of the box and lifted it off the table. “There’s no point of moving out until I have a man to move in with. I’d just be taking up a unit that someone else could be using for their family. No, you’re stuck with me until I fall madly in love with some guy.”

“Good, I wasn’t looking forward to living up there by myself,” Beth laughed. “One more surprise and then I’m done.”

“Mom, I just graduated, it isn’t that big a deal,” Aurora groaned. She wasn’t used to getting this many gifts for anything. Normally if she wanted something she had to buy it herself with the meager funds she’d earned from working in the store with her mom.

“Aurora, I will hear no such thing from you! You graduated your specialized training, as a Sniper. The only one in your class! That is no small feat. I’ve been keeping track of your scores since you first joined in the class, and you have top marks in everything. If you didn’t score higher in Marksmanship than anything else they wouldn’t have known what to do with you. You’re exceptional, daughter of mine, and I won’t hear you say otherwise. Graduation is a big deal, and we’re celebrating with cake!”

“Cake? Where the hell did you get cake?” Aurora asked in shock. Cake and sweets were something that almost never made it into the city because they were so sought after. “I get two guns, and cake? I think I died and went to Heaven!” Aurora said excitedly.

“Given the fact that it’s cake, you’ve just graduated, and you’re an amazing young woman, I’ll over look the cursing and just take you upstairs so we can dig in.” Beth grabbed the holster while Aurora carried the box and headed for the back stairs.

“I don’t understand you and swearing, Mom,” Aurora sighed.

“Swearing makes you seem ignorant and stupid, you are the smartest person I know and I won’t let you swear in front of me. I can’t stop you when I’m not around but I hope you take my lessons to heart,” Beth added. “Don’t let Kevin’s mouth rub off on you, in other words.”

“Mom, Kevin has been around for as long as I can remember, if I don’t swear all the time like he does I’m not going to start.”

“You say that now…” Beth muttered under her breath. Beth pulled open the door to the back stairs that led up into the apartment above. Aurora stepped in front of her mother when Beth stepped to the side and headed up the stairs to the only home she’d ever known. Beth was right behind her as they walked up the dark stairwell.

When they got into the apartment Aurora flipped on the lights to see a small cake in the center of the table. There was no frosting but on top there was a piece of paper that read ‘Happy Graduation Aura!’ Aurora smiled and lifted the note off the cake. It was a funfetti cake, and Aurora smiled over at her mom.

“Funfetti, you must have paid a fortune for this.”

“Stop thinking about the money, Aurora,” Beth ordered as she handed her daughter a butter knife to cut the cake with. “This is an exciting day and thinking about money is just gonna bring it down. So shut up and enjoy your cake. And don’t tell Kevin that your cake was funfetti, he’d be so mad I didn’t save him any.” Aurora laughed.

“Kevin’s favorite cake is funfetti?”

“He’d kill me if he found out I told you.”

“The secret is safe with me. So, Mom, are you and Kevin a thing?” Aurora asked as she cut her cake and grabbed her slice. Beth placed two plates down on the table and pointedly ignore the question. Aurora rolled her eyes slightly before putting the cake down on the plate and cutting a second one. The second one wasn’t the same size as the first, but it was close. If she wanted to Aurora could hit a target from over a mile away dead in the center, but cutting a cake wasn’t her strong suit. “Mom, come on, I’m eighteen years old, you can tell me.”

“Aurora. That’s enough,” Beth said quietly. There was finality to her voice, meaning the conversation was over. “I’m not talking about this with you, not ever.”

“Mom, seriously? You can tell that Kevin adores you! I think you two would be an amazing couple.”

“Aurora! Enough!” Beth slammed her hand down on the table and refused to look up at Aurora. “This conversation is over. Enjoy your cake.” Without another word Beth left the room and slammed her bedroom door behind her when she walked in. Aurora looked down at the cake and the second piece she’d just set down on the plate and sighed. It was cake and she knew it was delicious but now it was tainted with the taste of a fight.

Beth and Aurora never fought and it was rarely about something so stupid as who would make a good couple with her mom. Aurora slipped both pieces of cake onto the same plate, grabbed two forks from the small silverware drawer and left the apartment. When she exited the shop she made sure to lock the door before she headed toward Kevin’s apartment. He lived near the East Wall in a not so nice apartment, but he was the only one on the street. It had emptied out as soon as he had moved in, at least that’s what Beth had said one day.

Aurora knocked on the door of his apartment and waited a moment. She heard movement inside and a second later Kevin spoke.

“Who is it?” Kevin asked.

“It’s Aurora,” Aurora answered. She felt silly talking to the door. “I brought you some cake my mom surprised me with,” Aurora added. “Look, mom and I got into a fight and I didn’t want to stay there, so I came here hoping to bribe you into letting me come in with funfetti cake,” Aurora explained quickly. A second later the door opened and a short woman with a very tight dress walked out. Her face was flushed and her hair was messy. Aurora instantly knew that the woman was a prostitute. She gave Aurora a quick smile before quickly leaving the apartment and disappearing down the street. Kevin stood at the door looking a bit flushed. “Holy shit,” Aurora muttered as she tried to fight the blush that was beginning to spread across her cheeks. “Uh, sorry I interrupted. Here, have some cake. I, uh, I need to go.” Aurora quickly turned and walked in the opposite direction that the prostitute had walked. Kevin stared at the cake with his mouth slightly open. He hadn’t even had a chance to say anything.

“Mmm. Funfetti,” Kevin muttered as he took a fork and ate a bite. The cake was sweet and he had to restrain himself from picking up both slices and eating them in the biggest bite that he could. His sweet tooth was no small thing and given that it wasn’t often that anyone got sweets it tasted like ambrosia. He glanced down the street and saw that Aurora was no where to be seen, he could go after her and explain exactly what had happened but when she was like this it wasn’t likely that she was going to listen. There would be ample time to explain it tomorrow while they were working. Kevin took the plates, forks, and cake inside and shut the door behind him, locking it and then going about his usual routine of staying fit.

Aurora leaned up against the side of a building and let out a large sigh. She’d never expected Kevin to be with a prostitute. She had always figured that kevin and her mother would get together, they would make a good couple. Apparently though Aurora was the only one who thought so.

“Get over it, Aurora,” Aurora muttered to herself. “You’re an adult now and you have no right meddling in your mother’s love life. Just drop the subject and get over it. Whatever you may think your mother made her feelings on the subject clear, so move on.”

“Giving yourself a pep talk?” Aurora jumped and saw a teenager staring at her with an amused look on his face. He looked to be a couple years younger than her, about to go into his specialized training. “If you want my advice, you should just forget about everything that happened. If your mom doesn’t want to be with someone, that’s her choice. And if this Kevin dude was with a prostitute that’s his choice too. I mean no one wants to go without sex, right?”

“You’re younger than me, what do you know?” Aurora asked. “And who are you anyway?”

“Jonas. I don’t know if I’m younger than you, you look like you’re my age.”

“I’d find it flattering if I hadn’t just graduated from specialized training,” Aurora muttered.

“You’re really 18?” Jonas asked surprised.

“Yes, and I’m even going to be a teacher for the next batch of Snipers,” Aurora added.

“Oh my god, you’re Aurora!” Aurora raised an eyebrow.

“And how do you know me?”

“You’re the talk of the school. The only Sniper to graduate in years and there was talk that you were hot as hell.” Aurora tried to stop the blush that was spreading across her cheeks but she found that she couldn’t and tried to ignore the embarrassment she was feeling. “I have to say, you are damn hot. I look forward to having you teach me next year,” Jonas added.

“You’re a sniper?” Aurora asked.

“Not yet, but I’m going to graduate and then I’m going to be even better than you are,” Jonas added smugly. Aurora raised an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned onto her left leg. Jonas looked confident, over confident.

“You may think that, but I’ll tell you one thing, Jonas. You will never be as good as me, and I can kick your ass six ways from Sunday.” Aurora leaned in close to him. “You’ll pass, no doubt, if you can make it through what I have planned, but you will never be as good as me. There is no one as good as I am.”

“You’re pretty full of yourself,” Jonas commented back as he leaned in himself. “You’ll have to see me in action, I’m damn good.” Their faces were just inches away from each other as they locked eyes and sized each other up. Aurora’s eyes stared into Jonas’ blue ones and saw that he was collected and calm even when bragging. It would serve him well as a sniper.

“You still don’t compare to me,” Aurora whispered. She saw Jonas leaning in more and quickly stood up while he fell on his face and Aurora laughed. “And I’m way out of your league.” Aurora waved at him as he glared up at her. With another bark of laughter Aurora trotted away toward her house, intending to go apologize to her mother.

“Fuck she’s hot,” Jonas muttered as he pulled himself up off the ground and started dusting himself off.

Aurora couldn’t help but smile as she trotted away from Jonas, a future student of hers. He was cocky, but calm enough that being a sniper wouldn’t be an issue for him. If he was a decent shot there was a chance that he’d be able to be a sniper next year. She had no intention of going easy on him for the next two years, in fact she had plans to work him so hard that quitting seemed like a great idea.

The shop came into view and Aurora walked over to it. Her hand hesitated on the door handle. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to go in and apologize, or if she wanted to hide until it was completely forgotten.

Fights with her mom were hard, she didn’t have them enough to know what to do afterward. It was awkward and hard to say that she’d been wrong and she was sorry. She knew from watching other people do it that parents fought with their children, but because there was only Beth it hadn’t been like that. Aurora had understood at an early age that her mom was at a disadvantage and that it took everything she had to keep food on the table for Aurora and herself.

“Suck it, Aurora. It’s time to go apologize.” Aurora slipped the key from her pocket into the door, unlocked it and then stepped inside. Once inside she locked the door and headed upstairs.

Once upstairs she saw Beth sitting at the small kitchen table staring at the cake. Aurora bit her lip and glanced around, hoping that what to say would come to her, but nothing did.

“Hey, Mom,” Aurora started. Beth turned to look at Aurora, there were clear tear stains on her cheeks but Aurora had the good sense not to comment on them. “Look, I was out of line. Your love life is yours and I shouldn’t meddle, or pester you into telling me, or anything of the sort. It’s the one thing that you can have that I can’t be part of and I should have respected that, no matter what I thought. I’m sorry.” Aurora blurted everything out as fast as she could so it was done and over with.

“I shouldn’t have been so hard on you. I over reacted just a little bit. Let’s put it behind us with a piece of cake, shall we?” Beth asked. Aurora smiled and nodded her head.

“Sounds good to me,” Aurora answered. Beth cut the cake again, giving Aurora a piece and taking one for herself. There were no plates this time, no forks either, they held the cake in their hands and used the other as the plate to catch the crumbs. “This is so good,” Aurora commented after she’d swallowed the first bite.

“I know,” Beth agreed happily. “Too bad we have no frosting.”

“Mom, I think if there had been frosting and the cake that Kevin would have beaten you to the punch and taken it all.” Beth snorted and nodded her head as she chewed another bite of the light and fluffy cake.

“You’re right, of course, but one can wish, right?” Aurora nodded her head and polished off her piece of cake.

“Mom?” Beth turned to look at Aurora. “Thanks, for everything.” Aurora smiled and nibbled on her second piece.

“You’re welcome, Aura.” Once finished with her second slice Beth took a large bowl and put it over the top of the cake. “Now, you have a job to do tomorrow and you don’t want to be late. It’s time to get to bed,” Beth added with a glance at the clock. Aurora followed her gaze and saw that it was almost eleven p.m.

“You’re right. Night, Mom!” Aurora hugged her mother before heading down the small hallway and into her room. Beth watched Aurora go and smiled. Tomorrow was the start of her daughter’s new life.

With the happy smile on her face, Beth headed to her own room and tucked herself in, taking a few minutes before laying down to braid her waist-length blonde hair into a braid to keep it from snarling too bad. With a yawn Beth clicked off the light and closed her eyes to sleep. Sleep caught up quickly, as it always did and Beth lost herself in a world of dreams she’d never remember and nightmares she couldn’t forget.

Description
“Today is the day that you all get your assignments.” The teacher speaking was none other than Kevin, the hardest teacher to please and the toughest trainer. “You all went to a specialized school to become the best at what you were already decent at. Some of you are Scavengers, going to the surface to try to find things of use. Others are Enforcers, the muscle trained in hand-to-hand combat to help keep the shops safe. A few are Engineers, taking what the Scavengers bring down to try getting it to work again. Then there are the Snipers, the small group that will be our first line of defense against anyone or any thing that tries to invade the city. If you are all here, you’ve all graduated your specializations and now you’re here to know where you stand. When I call you name, please stand and listen carefully to your assignment. Before I get into that remember that just because you have this new job, doesn’t mean that you’re going to get out of Wall Duty,” Kevin added with a knowing look to some of the teenagers in the first row. To their credit they tried not to look guilty. “Now let’s begin with assignments, shall we?” Kevin asked as he grabbed a piece of paper from the envelope he’d placed on the table behind him. There was no need for the envelope but it did give the whole ceremony more flair.

Kevin read through the names and clearly stated what each person was assigned. Assignments were based on proficiency in their specialization, their personality, and their specialization. It was rare that an Enforcer would end up on the surface, that was a job for the Scavengers and their small guard of Cut Throats, or the people who specialized in knives.

“Aurora, you will be joining me in policing the city,” Kevin stated. “I expect you early in the morning so we can go over your duties.” He looked up to see Aurora nodding her head, hiding the excitement she felt behind an emotionless mask. Aurora was a Sniper, the only one that had passed the grueling tests he’d put the Snipers through. There hadn’t been a Sniper available to teach them and so Kevin had done triple duty teaching the Cut Throats and the Snipers, and working on top of it. In light of that Aurora had picked up on more than a few knife techniques that she refused to let her mother know about. It also meant that when the next set of kids that got into their specializations Aurora would be their teacher.

Whispers cut through the crowd and more than a few graduates sent Aurora glares. In their eyes she’d gotten one of the easier jobs. A cushy desk job that meant little to no action. What they failed to realize was that as a Sniper she was on call for Wall Duty indefinitely. Snipers were the smallest group of people, there were only a handful because it took a special kind of person to become a Sniper. You needed a sharp mind, quick reflexes, and the ability to make quick judgements on who was the most immediate threat, and good eyes, even without a scope.

“Quiet! Until this ceremony is over I expect you all to keep your mouths shut or else I’ll cut your tongues out myself,” Kevin glared out over all the students and then continued to read the list. It went on for another 20 minutes before ending.

When Kevin finally dismissed all the graduates they all dissolved into smaller groups of friends and their families. Aurora was only and her mom was rushing over, a large smile on her face. Aurora’s mother was Beth, a shopkeep who could beat most people into submission before they realized what was happening. Her blonde hair was down to her midback but always pulled back into a ponytail to keep it out of her bright blue eyes. With a slim figure she looked like she couldn’t hurt a fly. The slim figure was nothing but hard earned muscle.

“Aurora, honey, you’ve graduated!” Beth wrapped her daughter in a hug and pulled her close. “I’m so proud of you!” Beth gave Aurora another squeeze and Aurora felt the last of the air in her lungs leaving her.

“Mom,” Aurora barely managed to gasp out. “Can’t. Breathe.” A sheepish laugh escaped Beth and she let go. “Oh thank you, air!” Aurora exclaimed as she took a deep breath to inflate her lungs.

“I wish your father were here to see this day.” Beth grinned at her daughter who smiled back. Aurora’s father had died when Aurora was a baby. He’d ended up having to save someone outside of the wall and he’d died when a mutated ant grabbed him by the leg and dragged him off before anyone could do anything. It had been a tragedy. “He’d be so proud of you.”

“I know, thanks Mom,” Aurora smiled.

Compared to her mother Aurora was a few inches taller, standing around 5 feet 6 inches, her hair was darker than her mother’s a more strawberry brown than blonde, and the one thing that she’d gotten from her father that was obvious with no picture was her eyes. Her left eye was green and the right blue. It had been a sore spot for years until she’d accepted it and just started beating up anyone who decided to make fun of her for it. There were many calls to Beth about her daughter acting out, but Beth had always pointed out that the other kid started it and that Aurora was, in fact, being bullied.

“Aurora, I have something for you,” Kevin said as he walked up to her. Not only was Kevin her teacher and her soon to be partner but he was an old family friend. Kevin and Beth had met after Aurora’s father had died and they’d become fast friends, so much so that after Aurora had been born Kevin had nearly moved in to help take care of her. By the time Aurora was three that had stopped since Beth was able to take Aurora into the shop.

“It’s not my birthday,” Aurora commented confused. “Why did you get me something?”

“Aurora, for your graduation of course!” Beth exclaimed with a broad grin. “You’ve earned the gift.” Kevin pulled a rifle out from behind his back and handed it to Aurora.

“Is the gift in the barrel?” Aurora asked as she started to stare into it.

“No, the rifle is the gift, the entire thing.” Aurora blinked and then stared at the rifle.

“What? No way! You bought me a rifle?” Aurora exclaimed as she looked at the rifle again with new eyes. “I can’t imagine how much this cost!”

“Well, stop trying to figure it out,” Kevin commented. He’d seen the wheels turning in Aurora’s head and knew that she wanted to know. “You are the best sniper this city has ever seen and you’re going to need your own rifle. I pulled a few strings with the paper jockeys,” Aurora raised an eyebrow at him, “alright, I threatened them with pain. You got a rifle though, with a night vision scope. The only one in the city from what I understand,” Kevin added.

“This is the best gift ever!” Aurora exclaimed.

“There’s one more thing you should see,” Beth added. She took the rifle and then flipped it, so Aurora could see the other side of the stock. Right before the rubber end of the stock there was her name, carved in delicate letters. “Kevin bought the rifle, but I carved your name into it so that there was no doubt it’s yours. It’s not much, but happy graduation,” Beth said.

“Oh, Mom, it’s perfect.” Aurora hugged her mom tightly. “Kevin get in here, this is a group hug moment if there ever was one.”

“I don’t do group hugs, or hugs in general,” Kevin commented. Aurora rolled her eyes and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him in before he could protest. Beth was quick on the draw and drew him into the group hug while he stood there glaring at anyone who wanted to comment on the situation. No one dared to cross Kevin. “Alright, alright, that’s enough.” Kevin broke the hug, slipping out of Aurora and Beth’s grips and looking around to see who had seen the hug. He mentally took notes to track down said witnesses and make sure that they never talked about it.

“Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure that if anyone was paying attention they would see that we were holding you hostage,” Aurora commented with a smirk, knowing what Kevin’s thoughts were. “In all seriousness, this is the best gift I’ve ever gotten, thank you.” Aurora smiled and then slung the rifle over her shoulder, with the barrel down. The strap looked like it was sturdy enough for the moment. Aurora had plans on finding a new one, one that she could decorate herself.

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you tomorrow morning, alright?” Kevin asked. Aurora nodded. “Good. Get a good night’s rest because I’m going to work you like a dog.”

“Like you didn’t do that already with training?” Aurora asked.

“If you thought that was hard, wait until you see what I have planned for you tomorrow. Beth, make sure she gets to sleep early tonight.”

“Kevin, if you kill my daughter I will kill you,” Beth chimed with an obviously fake smile in his direction. “Come on, honey, I’ve got something to give you at home too.” Beth looped her arm through Aurora’s and led her daughter home.

Home was above a small general goods shop. It wasn’t much but it was something. Beth had originally been in the upper class of the city but an unplanned pregnancy had made her parents disown her. With the money that she had she bought an empty shop and started over in a new life.

There had been a few times when Aurora had asked about her grandparents on Beth’s side and when Aurora turned 16 she’d gotten the full story. In light of the limited gene pool in the city careful breeding selections were made, especially with the upper class. Beth had been engaged to someone else and when she’d gotten pregnant with Aurora the engagement was in danger of being terminated. Beth’s parents had told Beth to give up the child, abort and she could have a good life so long as no one spoke about the baby. There were more than a few people who would have agreed but Beth hadn’t, she’d told her parents that a baby was a special blessing, not worth a comfortable life with someone she couldn’t stand. Within a day Beth had been thrown out on the street and left to fend for herself.

7 months later Aurora had been born and a new chapter in Beth’s life had started, a chapter she wouldn’t trade for anything. That wasn’t to say it wasn’t hard. If Kevin hadn’t been around Beth wouldn’t have made it as far as she did.

Once home Beth unlocked the door to the shop and stepped inside, Aurora following her in and locking the door behind her. Beth turned around to Aurora and smiled.

“I’m so proud of you, Aura.” Beth only used ‘Aura’ on special occasions. “Your gifts are on the counter,” Beth added as she motioned to the small table that served as the check out counter. Aurora glanced over and saw a small wooden box. Aurora walked over to the counter, turned the box so the hinges were on the side opposite of her, and opened the lid. The inside of the box was lined in red velvet. In the center was the biggest revolver Aurora had ever seen. Most of the ones in the city were snub nosed and barely passed the qualifications of being a revolver. This was also the revolver that her mother had always carried around with her when she was in the city. No one walked around the city without some form of firearm.

“Mom, this is your revolver,” Aurora whispered as she lightly trailed her fingers over the shining metal. There were scratches here and there, some worse than others, but that showed it was a reliable gun to go through all of that and still fire. “You’ve had this since forever.”

“It’s yours now. I know you’ve always liked it. I remember you playing with it when you were little. You could barely lift it up, which I only realized after the heartattack the scene gave me. I was glad that I hadn’t put the bullets back in it after cleaning it the night before. There’s also the holster,” Beth added as she pointed to the custom made leg holster beside the box. Aurora looked at the holster, then the gun, and finally back to her mom.

“Mom, this is an amazing gift. Even so, I don’t feel right taking it. This was with you when you got kicked out of your house for being pregnant with me. You keep it. The day will come when I inherit the revolver, but today isn’t the day. Besides you need the intimidation factor more than I do,” Aurora added with a smirk at her mother. Beth wasn’t cute, but she was short, thin, and didn’t look like she could hurt a fly, even accidentally.

“I’m fine without the gun, Aurora. You know as well as I do that I’m the best hand to hand fighter in the city, and I go no where without my knuckles. The gun is yours, no more arguing,” Beth added with a smile. “You don’t have to carry it with you, but you should keep it in your room. Unless you’re going to move out,” Beth added in a less than happy tone.

“You know I’m not going to move out, Mom,” Aurora said. She closed the lid of the box and lifted it off the table. “There’s no point of moving out until I have a man to move in with. I’d just be taking up a unit that someone else could be using for their family. No, you’re stuck with me until I fall madly in love with some guy.”

“Good, I wasn’t looking forward to living up there by myself,” Beth laughed. “One more surprise and then I’m done.”

“Mom, I just graduated, it isn’t that big a deal,” Aurora groaned. She wasn’t used to getting this many gifts for anything. Normally if she wanted something she had to buy it herself with the meager funds she’d earned from working in the store with her mom.

“Aurora, I will hear no such thing from you! You graduated your specialized training, as a Sniper. The only one in your class! That is no small feat. I’ve been keeping track of your scores since you first joined in the class, and you have top marks in everything. If you didn’t score higher in Marksmanship than anything else they wouldn’t have known what to do with you. You’re exceptional, daughter of mine, and I won’t hear you say otherwise. Graduation is a big deal, and we’re celebrating with cake!”

“Cake? Where the hell did you get cake?” Aurora asked in shock. Cake and sweets were something that almost never made it into the city because they were so sought after. “I get two guns, and cake? I think I died and went to Heaven!” Aurora said excitedly.

“Given the fact that it’s cake, you’ve just graduated, and you’re an amazing young woman, I’ll over look the cursing and just take you upstairs so we can dig in.” Beth grabbed the holster while Aurora carried the box and headed for the back stairs.

“I don’t understand you and swearing, Mom,” Aurora sighed.

“Swearing makes you seem ignorant and stupid, you are the smartest person I know and I won’t let you swear in front of me. I can’t stop you when I’m not around but I hope you take my lessons to heart,” Beth added. “Don’t let Kevin’s mouth rub off on you, in other words.”

“Mom, Kevin has been around for as long as I can remember, if I don’t swear all the time like he does I’m not going to start.”

“You say that now…” Beth muttered under her breath. Beth pulled open the door to the back stairs that led up into the apartment above. Aurora stepped in front of her mother when Beth stepped to the side and headed up the stairs to the only home she’d ever known. Beth was right behind her as they walked up the dark stairwell.

When they got into the apartment Aurora flipped on the lights to see a small cake in the center of the table. There was no frosting but on top there was a piece of paper that read ‘Happy Graduation Aura!’ Aurora smiled and lifted the note off the cake. It was a funfetti cake, and Aurora smiled over at her mom.

“Funfetti, you must have paid a fortune for this.”

“Stop thinking about the money, Aurora,” Beth ordered as she handed her daughter a butter knife to cut the cake with. “This is an exciting day and thinking about money is just gonna bring it down. So shut up and enjoy your cake. And don’t tell Kevin that your cake was funfetti, he’d be so mad I didn’t save him any.” Aurora laughed.

“Kevin’s favorite cake is funfetti?”

“He’d kill me if he found out I told you.”

“The secret is safe with me. So, Mom, are you and Kevin a thing?” Aurora asked as she cut her cake and grabbed her slice. Beth placed two plates down on the table and pointedly ignore the question. Aurora rolled her eyes slightly before putting the cake down on the plate and cutting a second one. The second one wasn’t the same size as the first, but it was close. If she wanted to Aurora could hit a target from over a mile away dead in the center, but cutting a cake wasn’t her strong suit. “Mom, come on, I’m eighteen years old, you can tell me.”

“Aurora. That’s enough,” Beth said quietly. There was finality to her voice, meaning the conversation was over. “I’m not talking about this with you, not ever.”

“Mom, seriously? You can tell that Kevin adores you! I think you two would be an amazing couple.”

“Aurora! Enough!” Beth slammed her hand down on the table and refused to look up at Aurora. “This conversation is over. Enjoy your cake.” Without another word Beth left the room and slammed her bedroom door behind her when she walked in. Aurora looked down at the cake and the second piece she’d just set down on the plate and sighed. It was cake and she knew it was delicious but now it was tainted with the taste of a fight.

Beth and Aurora never fought and it was rarely about something so stupid as who would make a good couple with her mom. Aurora slipped both pieces of cake onto the same plate, grabbed two forks from the small silverware drawer and left the apartment. When she exited the shop she made sure to lock the door before she headed toward Kevin’s apartment. He lived near the East Wall in a not so nice apartment, but he was the only one on the street. It had emptied out as soon as he had moved in, at least that’s what Beth had said one day.

Aurora knocked on the door of his apartment and waited a moment. She heard movement inside and a second later Kevin spoke.

“Who is it?” Kevin asked.

“It’s Aurora,” Aurora answered. She felt silly talking to the door. “I brought you some cake my mom surprised me with,” Aurora added. “Look, mom and I got into a fight and I didn’t want to stay there, so I came here hoping to bribe you into letting me come in with funfetti cake,” Aurora explained quickly. A second later the door opened and a short woman with a very tight dress walked out. Her face was flushed and her hair was messy. Aurora instantly knew that the woman was a prostitute. She gave Aurora a quick smile before quickly leaving the apartment and disappearing down the street. Kevin stood at the door looking a bit flushed. “Holy shit,” Aurora muttered as she tried to fight the blush that was beginning to spread across her cheeks. “Uh, sorry I interrupted. Here, have some cake. I, uh, I need to go.” Aurora quickly turned and walked in the opposite direction that the prostitute had walked. Kevin stared at the cake with his mouth slightly open. He hadn’t even had a chance to say anything.

“Mmm. Funfetti,” Kevin muttered as he took a fork and ate a bite. The cake was sweet and he had to restrain himself from picking up both slices and eating them in the biggest bite that he could. His sweet tooth was no small thing and given that it wasn’t often that anyone got sweets it tasted like ambrosia. He glanced down the street and saw that Aurora was no where to be seen, he could go after her and explain exactly what had happened but when she was like this it wasn’t likely that she was going to listen. There would be ample time to explain it tomorrow while they were working. Kevin took the plates, forks, and cake inside and shut the door behind him, locking it and then going about his usual routine of staying fit.

Aurora leaned up against the side of a building and let out a large sigh. She’d never expected Kevin to be with a prostitute. She had always figured that kevin and her mother would get together, they would make a good couple. Apparently though Aurora was the only one who thought so.

“Get over it, Aurora,” Aurora muttered to herself. “You’re an adult now and you have no right meddling in your mother’s love life. Just drop the subject and get over it. Whatever you may think your mother made her feelings on the subject clear, so move on.”

“Giving yourself a pep talk?” Aurora jumped and saw a teenager staring at her with an amused look on his face. He looked to be a couple years younger than her, about to go into his specialized training. “If you want my advice, you should just forget about everything that happened. If your mom doesn’t want to be with someone, that’s her choice. And if this Kevin dude was with a prostitute that’s his choice too. I mean no one wants to go without sex, right?”

“You’re younger than me, what do you know?” Aurora asked. “And who are you anyway?”

“Jonas. I don’t know if I’m younger than you, you look like you’re my age.”

“I’d find it flattering if I hadn’t just graduated from specialized training,” Aurora muttered.

“You’re really 18?” Jonas asked surprised.

“Yes, and I’m even going to be a teacher for the next batch of Snipers,” Aurora added.

“Oh my god, you’re Aurora!” Aurora raised an eyebrow.

“And how do you know me?”

“You’re the talk of the school. The only Sniper to graduate in years and there was talk that you were hot as hell.” Aurora tried to stop the blush that was spreading across her cheeks but she found that she couldn’t and tried to ignore the embarrassment she was feeling. “I have to say, you are damn hot. I look forward to having you teach me next year,” Jonas added.

“You’re a sniper?” Aurora asked.

“Not yet, but I’m going to graduate and then I’m going to be even better than you are,” Jonas added smugly. Aurora raised an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned onto her left leg. Jonas looked confident, over confident.

“You may think that, but I’ll tell you one thing, Jonas. You will never be as good as me, and I can kick your ass six ways from Sunday.” Aurora leaned in close to him. “You’ll pass, no doubt, if you can make it through what I have planned, but you will never be as good as me. There is no one as good as I am.”

“You’re pretty full of yourself,” Jonas commented back as he leaned in himself. “You’ll have to see me in action, I’m damn good.” Their faces were just inches away from each other as they locked eyes and sized each other up. Aurora’s eyes stared into Jonas’ blue ones and saw that he was collected and calm even when bragging. It would serve him well as a sniper.

“You still don’t compare to me,” Aurora whispered. She saw Jonas leaning in more and quickly stood up while he fell on his face and Aurora laughed. “And I’m way out of your league.” Aurora waved at him as he glared up at her. With another bark of laughter Aurora trotted away toward her house, intending to go apologize to her mother.

“Fuck she’s hot,” Jonas muttered as he pulled himself up off the ground and started dusting himself off.

Aurora couldn’t help but smile as she trotted away from Jonas, a future student of hers. He was cocky, but calm enough that being a sniper wouldn’t be an issue for him. If he was a decent shot there was a chance that he’d be able to be a sniper next year. She had no intention of going easy on him for the next two years, in fact she had plans to work him so hard that quitting seemed like a great idea.

The shop came into view and Aurora walked over to it. Her hand hesitated on the door handle. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to go in and apologize, or if she wanted to hide until it was completely forgotten.

Fights with her mom were hard, she didn’t have them enough to know what to do afterward. It was awkward and hard to say that she’d been wrong and she was sorry. She knew from watching other people do it that parents fought with their children, but because there was only Beth it hadn’t been like that. Aurora had understood at an early age that her mom was at a disadvantage and that it took everything she had to keep food on the table for Aurora and herself.

“Suck it, Aurora. It’s time to go apologize.” Aurora slipped the key from her pocket into the door, unlocked it and then stepped inside. Once inside she locked the door and headed upstairs.

Once upstairs she saw Beth sitting at the small kitchen table staring at the cake. Aurora bit her lip and glanced around, hoping that what to say would come to her, but nothing did.

“Hey, Mom,” Aurora started. Beth turned to look at Aurora, there were clear tear stains on her cheeks but Aurora had the good sense not to comment on them. “Look, I was out of line. Your love life is yours and I shouldn’t meddle, or pester you into telling me, or anything of the sort. It’s the one thing that you can have that I can’t be part of and I should have respected that, no matter what I thought. I’m sorry.” Aurora blurted everything out as fast as she could so it was done and over with.

“I shouldn’t have been so hard on you. I over reacted just a little bit. Let’s put it behind us with a piece of cake, shall we?” Beth asked. Aurora smiled and nodded her head.

“Sounds good to me,” Aurora answered. Beth cut the cake again, giving Aurora a piece and taking one for herself. There were no plates this time, no forks either, they held the cake in their hands and used the other as the plate to catch the crumbs. “This is so good,” Aurora commented after she’d swallowed the first bite.

“I know,” Beth agreed happily. “Too bad we have no frosting.”

“Mom, I think if there had been frosting and the cake that Kevin would have beaten you to the punch and taken it all.” Beth snorted and nodded her head as she chewed another bite of the light and fluffy cake.

“You’re right, of course, but one can wish, right?” Aurora nodded her head and polished off her piece of cake.

“Mom?” Beth turned to look at Aurora. “Thanks, for everything.” Aurora smiled and nibbled on her second piece.

“You’re welcome, Aura.” Once finished with her second slice Beth took a large bowl and put it over the top of the cake. “Now, you have a job to do tomorrow and you don’t want to be late. It’s time to get to bed,” Beth added with a glance at the clock. Aurora followed her gaze and saw that it was almost eleven p.m.

“You’re right. Night, Mom!” Aurora hugged her mother before heading down the small hallway and into her room. Beth watched Aurora go and smiled. Tomorrow was the start of her daughter’s new life.

With the happy smile on her face, Beth headed to her own room and tucked herself in, taking a few minutes before laying down to braid her waist-length blonde hair into a braid to keep it from snarling too bad. With a yawn Beth clicked off the light and closed her eyes to sleep. Sleep caught up quickly, as it always did and Beth lost herself in a world of dreams she’d never remember and nightmares she couldn’t forget.