The Mayor's tower is like a giant candlestick only the flame at the top burns you in a different way. The corruption is bad, but always seems to attract the right kinds of people for me. I learned to survive among them. Kaloas never did. He could only compare the tower to a dead tree with a leaf on top. I was the leaf.

~ Lenoa – My First Diary

The door to the Mayor's private room latches quiet. I went back in to make sure no one had found him yet. I wasn't exactly at peace about it. Did I want the pistol? No. That would look suspicious. It was on my way out too. I could buy another now. I was changing direction more than I wanted. It wasn't my fault either!

“Ok. Let's go this way then. The stairs are that way,” I sigh.

“You're wrong. That way isn't safe anymore. It's not the right way.”

By this point, I had had enough of Kaloas. I take another daring look at him. We talk by making eye contact. Our communicators allow us to to hear and see each others words.

“You idiot dog. What do you mean not safe? That's the third way out of here, already! Make up your mind.”

Just so you know, Kaloas was my Shasi friend, if you want to call him that. He's about that tall and has blotchy gray fur with neon stripes that reminds me of home. Bio-luminescence I suppose. When I was a child, I lived in a small down near the forests. I would often hear the Shasis running outside our home at night and it filled me with excitement. Nothing out of the ordinary for a child. It's kind of like Kaloas and his big ego. Nothing out of the ordinary. Everything has to be done his way. It needs to be exact and often makes no sense. He wears my patience thin. I press my hands against the wall in frustration and give them a few hits. The hallways screens flicker. I hold my breath. The floor lobby ahead was open, but Kaloas sniffed out something. I could tell by the way he moved his tail We were heading down a different hallway already. By his lead. It was a change of plans, but in his mind it was one big plan. I wasn't happy about it. We were still stuck in the tower.

The Mayors building is pretty luxurious compared to the snow towns I grew up in. The heating worked well and there were so many windows and places for floor shops. The windows were clutter free of snow. Someone was making money. The thought of me actually having money to spend made it that much worse. There was even a floor shop that had the fur coat I wanted. The suitcase tired my arm. I needed to rest.

“Listen Kaloas. I only came along with you for the money you promised. OK?”

I could feel Kaloas stare at me in disbelief. It was a chilly feeling. I lean closer to him, taking in his dark blue eyes. They matched mine, but who cares right? No one cares about your eyes when you're about to be chased by the Mastals. You won't have eyes if they feel like it. They usually send locals to do the dirty work they didn't care about. This included the police. The soldiers meant serious business and there were soldiers on every floor. Killing the mayor was serious business.

Usually the Mastals looked after their puppets who took advantage of the locals. That's what you call a paid idiot. Hey, at least the bills won't knock you over.

I refocus.

I look around Kaloas and then watch as screens in the halls light up. A few more prostitutes walk by me, obviously too attached to the money they made at the Mayor's tower. I could feel the buzz of neon all around me. It was suffocating. Messages were being scrambled with luxurious video clips and propaganda. A woman in a costume. The strength of the Mastal fleets. All of it was flickering as if the screens were trying to say the same thing at a different time. It was everywhere. Other locals with their fluffy coats and furs were walking by, next to a drunk couple that found their way into a vendor's stall. I feel the hard presence of police footsteps move by, probably on their way to get yelled at by some Mastal. They were looking for someone they didn't know. Me? I was pretty sure of it. My heart started beating faster again.

“You're wrong,” Kaloas stares back at me.

“Wrong? Ok. So maybe I'm panicking. Who are they looking for then? What do you want from me?”

“You and your ego,” growls Kaloas. I feel his paws lean off my body as he gets on all fours again. He waits for various scents to float through the air once more. I could still smell Kaloas breath. It smelled like butterscotch because I made him eat the Shasi treats. Most of the time I hated when he climbed on me to stare me in the eyes, but I didn't let it bother me. I felt small being around so many strangers. The Mayor's death was a suicide and that's all the news would say about it. For my sake, I hoped so. I wanted to believe it and just leave this mess behind me. I mean, write a fairy tale about it and put it under my pillows. No one cares. It's not like I'm going to be a mother anyways. Who needs the truth? The mayor was corrupt anyways and had it coming. He was still a local and the Mastal's wouldn't care, right? Suicide, that's what he did. I'd force myself to believe it. There was no murderer on the loose. It was hard to justify everything in my mind.

I follow Kaloas out toward another hallway. We reach and elevator and I slap the buttons. I look up and my panic rises as I see more cameras. They felt different now. The elevator rumbles open and I wince from the lights inside. I get on with a few others and wave. It was funny. I still didn't know why Kaloas was taking us the long way. I had a snow mobile waiting for me and paid good money for the secrecy. I planned on not being set-up or sold out. The money was too good for the driver to trick us. I bump into the guy next to me and he smiles back. I grip the suitcase tighter, pretending to be mindful of a scratch on its surface as if I owned it for a long time. Another woman with her son tries to talk to Kaloas, but I pull my Shasi toward me. She was dressed like a Mastal's wife. Beautiful dress. Smoking with rich fiber optics in the fabric that made it sparkle. It had a graceful style to it that would never make you stop and wonder about the evil that it veiled.

“Mine! My Kaloas.” I grab Kaloas's tail.

The woman smiles at me and pulls her son close to her.

The elevator does its business and then it stops again. Time was passing slowly and I just wanted to be home. The doors rumble open. Radio fuzz and voices. Two Mastal soldiers get on. I feel their heavy footsteps underneath me shake the elevator. The dull and intimidating strength of their armor silences me. It was far more threatening than their weapons. I hold my breath and look at Kalaos who looks back at me sarcastically. Don't ask me how I knew he was being sarcastic, I just did. The glow of our communicators flash and I blink to get rid of the spots and text. My signal was weakened, obviously from the soldiers standing in front of us. I try to calm myelf. I could feel soft fur in my fingers and I pet Kaloas and act like a good little girl. We make eye contact again. I try to put on an act.

“Are you happy, Kaloas? You are a happy Shasi aren't you?”

I pet Kaloas and he gives me a look. He wasn't amused. I just wanted to talk to someone and say something, even if it was out of place. I sigh.

A few others in the elevator get off at the next stop. I hold my breathe and stare at the elevator buttons. The soldiers don't get off and I moan inside. They yell at each other in some language I don't quite know. I pick up on a few words and try not to pay attention.

“Safe way, huh?” I stare into Kaloas's eyes and take another glance at the soldiers.

“You'll see. This way is the right way,” glares Kaloas back at me.

Now, you might be wondering why it pissed me off that Kaloas answered me the way he did. Let me explain. You see these Shasis can speak to us, but they don't always make sense. It's like they know things. My impression is that of wisdom in their own way, but not pure wisdom. They follow this poem and tell our parents different things. They make good bed time stories and no one takes it seriously. You would have to grow up on Elissa Moon to understand. The fairy tales and everything they taught us are supposed to make sense. I used to think it was gibberish, but I've grown used to it. They are trying to tell us a story. A real story. A fairy tale about the times when the armored ones would come and Elissa moon would shine with human eye lights. The pretty ones would dance on the ice. Neon love would be free and loving in the end. At least that's what my mom and dad used to say. I knew they added that part. Reality was different. The Shasis never spoke of a happy ending. They only spoke of what needed to be done. I take another look at Kaloas.

“So are you all in on your stupid fairy tale? Or just the fuzzy ones?”

My eyes flash and Kaloas ignores me. The soldiers look behind at us with a condescending smile. I could tell they didn't like us. They were too busy with something else.

“You locals and your stupid dogs,” sneers one of them.

I try to hold my smile as the Mastal soldier gives Kaloas a hard kick and he whimpers. Normal, it would piss me off, but Kaloas was ignoring me just the same. He deserved it. I was powerless either way. I bit my cheeks and pressed the elevator button again. It's not very difficult to tell when I'm stressed. I kind of give it away. My mom taught me to plan and plan again and that's what I relied on to feel safe. I didn't have a plan for this and Kaloas wasn't helping. He knew the plan and I didn't.

“I hate you Kaloas....” flash my eyes.

I always found it strange how quiet and smart the Shasis were. The whimper Kaloas gave was just a to appear vulnerable. He didn't want us to appear threatening, but he was also locked in his trance. That meant he was thinking deeply and the outside world wouldn't interrupt his individual silence. I pretend to check Kaloas by brushing his wound. Metal and furry skin don't mix well.

Even thought we have our disagreements. Kaloas is my only friend. That's what happens when you get older. You kind of forget what it means to have one. People want to take what they can from you and leave. The Mastals do it. Everyone does. It's the reason I let everyone know that Kaloas is mine. No one is taking Kaloas. Shasis have nice fur and sometimes I even thought of selling Kaloas on the bad days. No one is strong against hunger. At least it's that way on Elissa Moon. I remember being little and wanting to play with the Shasis and slap their tails with my mittens, but my parents never let me. Some of the kids got eaten by the evil ones. Most things in life are pretty unpredictable and it bothered me. I really hoped Kaloas had a plan for this.

The elevator continues downward, until it reaches the ground level. Echoes from voices and flashy holograms light my face as Kaloas leaps between the two soldiers into the main lobby. I squeeze by the two soldiers as well as they eye me without a budge. I hear the cold metal scraping against my jacket and I shivered. Apparently they didn't know about the murder that took place. I wondered when the Mayor's servants would figure it out. At least the soldiers knew better than to bother someone of noble blood like me. They actually didn't care, but that's what I tell myself. Let me explain.

My name is Lenoa, but I have a last name too. My full name is Lenoa Nylanis. I'm a noble by birth right, but not by reality. I like to make believe sometimes and pretend being nobility still matters. My dad used to tell me all about our family name. Mastals were afraid to mess with the local nobles, but it was becoming less of an issue. Pretending that my name still mattered helped me to be calm like Kaloas. When I was little, I used to be calm and just let myself roll down the snow hill. That's when Kaloas first ran into me and rolled down the hill too. He thought it was funny to mimic me. I didn't know what to think. During that time, the Mastals had just started their campaign on the planet. Their domineering snowball quickly grew in size. The nobles were killed off.

“This way,” flashes Kaloas with his eyes.

I push Kaloas off of me and we run passed the echoes. The food smelled so good, I almost wanted to stay. I had money now, but I knew Kaloas wouldn't wait on me. I still had bite scabs from when he wanted to get my attention and I wouldn't listen a few days ago. The tower's main doors were ahead of me and I hit the glass hard to get outside. I took one last look at the glowing sign near the snow-mobile area. My driver was waiting behind the door on the opposite side of the lobby. There was no way to get back in the Mayor's tower without a pass. Once we left that was it. I try to ignore the soldiers at the entrance adjacent to us. I remember coming here too vividly.

“The snowmobiles are that way Kaloas...”

“I know.”

“Then how is this way safer? The soldiers aren't even aware yet! We don't have time to walk!” Walking home would take forever. I dreaded forging my way into the cold.

Kaloas looks at me before sitting on his bushy tail. He was thinking and staring. I could tell. It was as if we plotting out the future and I was just a cog in his machine. He was blocking the door and the unwanted attention was getting to me. “Hello?” I wave my hands in front of Kaloas and he looks up at me. He grabs my arm with his mouth and nudges me toward a nearby shop window across the street.

“You want us to buy space ship parts?”

The glowing outline of an off-world ship flickers. The smell of wind and the local street smoker next to it. I look around me as my legs feel Kaloas nudge them. It was like he was positioning me. “Don't look at me!” I shout at a nearby man. He looks away and I try to refocus. It was cold outside and I was frustrated. My ride wouldn't wait forever and all I could think about was all the money I wasted by leaving the mayor's tower. There was no going back. This was ridiculous.

“Hello? Kaloas?”

Others Shasis pass by us, each with their chosen companion. Every Shasi had one. They chose their human and you just didn't want to be the loser who ended up without one. Everyone would laugh at you in school if that happened. I guess even that was better than being eaten by one, but that's how we always saw it. A lonely kid was a loser kid. Kaloas chose me when I was little and I never told him how glad I was that he did. I have too much of an ego to let a fairy tale creature....Crack! Suddenly. a shout rings out and Kaloas jumps on me. People start to run and several shout as nearby traffic comes to a halt. A man tries to calm his Shasi, but they all move in certain directions as if they all knew. My head hits hard against the pavement, with my thick coat hood saving me from disaster. I feel Kaloas's paws on my chest before he looks me into the eyes one last time. What is happening? I felt betrayed.

“I'll meet you there. Be quiet and you'll make it”

The translated message flashes across my eyes as Kaloas rubs his scent on me vigorously. After, he scampers into the panicked crowds. A few seconds later I hear another shot from a Mastal sniper team. A sharp cut rips through my leg and I fall back down. I gasp as feel warm blood soak my pants against my leg. The world blurs around me. I become sleepy from the projectile. I try to stay awake, still shocked by what happened.

“We got her. We got the bitch.”

“Ok Lenoa. Don't be scared. Don't show fear,” I think to myelf.

Like I said, I felt betrayed and haunted by Kaloas. Did he just give me up to the Mastals? Sometimes the Shasis hunted people or did their own thing. It wasn't unheard of. There were evil ones too, even in the fairy tales. No no. That couldn't be true. Shasis never betray their chosen companion. I was Kaloas's chosen companion. I knew that from the fairy tales. He followed me around now. It had to make sense right? More shouting hurts my ears. People point to me accusingly to hide their fear among the chaos. They feared the Mastals and rightfully so. Several police and Mastal soldiers hover over me as I lie in pain. I could feel my teeth tighten as as one of them picks me up by the front of my jacket and brushes off the snow with a smile.

“She goes to the ship for questioning. You can have your fun with her after,” he sneers

A few of the Mastal soldiers smile to themselves. I try to stay awake, but the last I hear is

“Rotten locals. Rotten locals and their fucking dogs.”

“Rotten locals,” I barely mumble back at them.

My vision fades out. The last thing that enters my vision is the look Kaloas gave me. He looked concerned for me, but at the same time, I knew he trusted me to get through it. I just knew it. He wasn't an evil Shasi. That was reality. I wanted to believe it.