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Selma hung back for a moment once there were outside, watching the others, trying to decide how it was that she could get over the wall. She noticed Parmida break away, obviously intent on finding her own way. As she watched the others, she also took the time to glance around the courtyard for a possible route of escape. She wasn't ver satisfied with the possibilities until her gaze feel upon one of the small buildings within the interior that backed up against the wall.

Seeing the others take no notice of Parmida's departure, she decided that it would be ok for her to break away from the group as well and made her way towards the building. The roof was about the height of the wall, only going above it by 2 feet or so at the edges and about 4 ft, where it sloped and met in the middle.

Figuring her best bet was to somehow get on that roof, Selma studided the side of the building that was facing her, looking for cracks that could act as handholds, or anything else that could help her. After a few minutes of examining that side of the building, Selma found nothing that would help her and gave up, moving to the other side. And there, she found hope, for on that side of the building were stacked empty crates, presumably used to deliver something, but now set outside to be discarded.

Selma made her way over to the stack and climbed on top of the first crate, the sturdy wood supporting her slight weight. Leaving her bunny at the bottom, she slowly she made her way up the stack of crates, but when at the top, she found herself a still too short to reach the roof. Examining the area arounbd her perch, she noticed a nearby rusty drain pipe that could help her reach the top. Her grimy fingers reached for it, a little ways beyond where the crates held her. Leaning out far enough, she wrapped her smallish hands around the corroded metal and took a deep breath before she let her feet leave the platform she stood on and cling to the pipe. This was just like climbing a tree, right? She told herself, not entirely sure she believed it.

Slowly she made her way up the pipe, but everytime she moved the rusted metal groaned under the added weight, not designed to be climbed upon. Frightened now, but knowing she couldn't get back to where she had been, Selma continued, only hoping that her little adventure would help her reach her goal.

Nikiana was afraid that she'd lost sight of Taliesin in the crowd moving about Nanedin, until she spotted the boy up ahead. Sighing with relief, she weaved her way among the legs of the much taller adults towards the boy. He had stopped and was looking around with a slight frown on his face. Niki grinned as she finally made her way there.

Vincent hurried down the dusty road watching the shadows of the tall buildings dewindle, the tower being the longest and getting shorter the fastest. This didn't really make sense to the boy. He past people out busily doing chores and some toteing things back and forth from rows of canvas covered stalls. The number of people and traffic increased as he followed these shops until he was in the middle of the thronging town market.
People shuffled about in their drab, uncolored clothing, some glancing at the boy, surprised, or with distaste. He realized children were scurrying about gawking at him and would scatter when he took notice of them. He looked down and his clothing and realized how much he stood out. Even the features of the kids, and even the adults look similar. Like a group of dolls, he was finding it hard to tell some people apart. Maybe it was the lack of colors but this whole town seemed muted unlike his house and his room with the other children.
He followed the stalls weaving in and out of the busy people until he met with the largest street in town. If he looked strait ahead he could see the looming gates and the huge walls that surrounded the city clearly. Large vehicles that make horrible, ear hurting gutteral noises went to and fro along with strange carts and some carriges pulled by animals that Vincent had learned about in class, but some seemed rather exotic; he didn't recognize them. The street was congested with humming and crashing and sqauking and the edges were crowded with people.
A long line of vehicles sat waiting at the gate so they could leave. Vincent hoped that when they opened there would be a long line on the other side so it would wide open for a long time and he might be able to sneak out.
But for now the huge wooden doors were securely closed and there was a huge iron grate plunged in the ground in front of it with men in dark clothing prowling about it with evil looking weapons. It looked like it might never move.
Vincent toddled closer to the door, wary of the hurrying people but gradually the crowd thinned and he was able to get closer. He stood in awe as he stared up at it. It's bulk dwarfed the sky like the tower; it was almost equally impressive.
"Hey, kid." An unpleasant voice shouted at him. Vincent jerked his eyes away from the mass to see who was shouting. He smiled at them sunnily hopeing they would find it as disarming as the matrons did.
There was a group of the dark clothed men leaning against the building. Some were smoking a foul smelling roll of some smoking substance.
"Little boys like you shouldn't be wandering around all by yourselves." He sneered, steping closer and blowing the nasty smoke in his face. Vincent coughed and stepped back. His smile dropped.
"Especially you little colored weirdos." There was chuckling from the men at the wall. Vincent was now more than a little worried. The man advanced again and Vincent flung out his hands as if to stop him from doing so. There was more laughter.
"Com'ere boy." He grabbed at him.
Vincent paniced and fled. He'd never encountered anyone that wanted to hurt him. He ran as fast as his small legs would get him. The soldier staggering after him, slow with surprise. Vinny made good use of his short legs and dove under a stack of empty crates and boxes, crawling through the small spaces between. He saw a shaft of light and climbed upwards, disturbing the precarious pile. The boxes started shifting behind him and he heard shouts. There were other dark clothed men with the first! No!
He was against the wall of a building and looked up from his pearch atop a crate to see an open window. Taking a chance he heaved his self though and tumbled through the opening onto the hard dirt floor. He grunted and his eyes welled up with tears but he sniffed mightily and fought back the barrage. He couldn't cry now, they might hear him.
They seemed to still be busy with the boxes so he surveyed the room. It was empty except for a few tables covered with papers and hides and a few small crates of broken pottery. There was also a large fire place. Vincent went over to it to look up. It has partially collapsed to form a steep sloap but he could see sky out of it's holes. He looked back at the window and still heard the muffled curses of the men so he took hold of the rough stone work.
It was rough and worn with age and afforded many useful hand and foot grips. He was getting nasty and sooty as the ashes blankened his cheeks and turned his hair a nondescript gray. He was half way up when he heard a nasty sliding noise and his position shifted suddenly. The chimney was leaning!

To be continued...
Dun dun dun...

Selma smiled at the other girl, also still amazed that she was the first there. "Hi, Niki," she said quietly, brushing the hair that had come loose out of her face. "I guess you got out too. Where is everyone else?"

While she waited for a response, she thought about her own adventure in getting beyond the wall. The pipe barely managed to hold her, having even lost a few of its supports by the time she got on top of the roof. There was no doubt that the length of rusted metal would need to be replaced by the next rainstorm. Selma wasn't thinking about that, however. Her current concern was whether ot not she'd be able to get down from that roof. She hadn't thought that far ahead and thus did not have a plan as to how she would lower herself to the outside of the wall.

She looked down from where she was, looking for a rope, a ladder or anything that would help her get down. Well there was nothing in the immidate vicinity of the roof she was standing on, but as she looked around, she noticed a ladder about 20 yards further down the wall, where some workers had left it after they had done a repair there.

Taking a deep breath, Selma took one step and then another along the wall, making sure not to look down at the fall that awaited her, should she misstep. Slowly she made her way to the ladder, which stopped about 2 ft from the top of the wall. She slipped only once, causing her to cry out and struggle to regain her balance, but regain it she did and after calming herself, she made her way the last few feet.

Looking down at the ladder, she realized that she would not be able to just step onto it. Turning herself so that she faced the inside of the wall, Selma knelt on the narrow piece of stone and while gripping it with her small hands, she allowed her legs to dangle off the outside. Slowly she lowered herself until she felt the solid wood of the ladder beneath her feet. Smiling, knowing that she had at least made it to the outside, she climbed the rest of the way down the ladder without mishap and went in search of the others. To her great surprise she saw no one there. Was she really the first?

Now Nikiana's surprised expression clearly indicated that she was, and she smiled in private celebration.

Nikiana bit her bottom lip as she noticed the guard looking over in their direction. Oh no! Where they going to get in trouble? She sighed as she saw Tali come. He could fix everything. So she followed along as he dragged her over to hide under the table until the coast was clear for them to sneak back into town.

Vincent looked wildly around groping as the bricks shifted around him. He lowered a foot and tried to climb down but a terrifying noise from below stopped him.
"Heeeey there, litte brat." Drawled the same dark clothed meanie from before. He was poking his head into the fire place and Vincent could see him grinning in a way that wasn't very nice.
The rockes shifted again and Vincent gasped.
"Looks like your cornered. Slide down here, nice and easy." He chuckled. Vincent looked down afraid, then glared. No way. There was no way he was going to do that. The rocks continued shifting as Vincent groped for another hand hold. He scuttled up the failing slope quickly and struggled out of the collapsed opening at the top. He balanced precariously at the top of the chimney and grasped the top of the wall. The rest of the stack collapsed beneath him with a horrifying crash as Vincent hung by his fingertips over the roof of the building, several feet below. Huffing and puffing he managed to pull the rest of himself up on the edge of the wall, growing around him was a tangled, dark vine that reached the top of the wall and had started to grow over but was baked in the heat on top. Vincent took a firm grip and let himself down slowly and started each time the vine came loose from the wall. He had got this far doing stupid things, perhaps this would help him the rest of the way. All he knew was that he wanted to show up that show off Tali.
He finally got down to the ground and in the distance saw two of the girls standing in the distance. Vincent said a bad word he had heard the matrons say and decided that they would never know so he said it again. Dejected he looked back at the vine and decided that it would never hold him so he followed the girls to the huge gate that protecet the enclosed city. He managed to slip past the dark clothed guards and toddled down the busy streets home. He was hungy now and looking forward to lunch. Soon his home came into view. Finally. He never thought he get here.

Nikiana pointedly ignored the matron as she scolded the group for getting back so late. It was worth it to have gotten outside of the walls. 'Good boy' over there hadn't even made it, so she endured the pointed remarks about how 003 had been so well behaved.

She giggled gleefully as she saw the 'glitter-sticks'. A gasp escaped her lips as the first was lit. So pretty! She took hers happily and waved it through the air playfully. She'd heard the part about them having full days of classes next. She didn't mind, either. The school thing was kinda fun, though sometimes they things they were learning were silly and didn't seem important. Or to make sense at times. But Niki still enjoyed it.