https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/1-8.mov As Jioni slowed her run to a jog, several distinct sounds bounce off the brick walls: Squeaks, footsteps, and shuffles—none seemed natural. Something different from the typical empty silence. Jioni didn’t turn around. Whatever made those dreaded noises ahead couldn’t be worse than confronting LaMesha again. Jioni got closer—the sound got louder. In time, …
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/1-7-1.mp4 Jioni hesitated but looked up at LaMesha, who had an intense stare full of hatred. “Where are you going in such a hurry?” LaMesha asked in her dull, flat voice. Jioni swiftly went around her. She remained silent at first, not wanting to answer LaMesha’s question, but sighed, then obliged, knowing the possible repercussions. …
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/1-6_.mov In her scurry, Jioni didn’t see LaMesha: an Agent on patrol, but she was able to recognize those habitual robotic footsteps from anywhere. LaMesha was tall—to talk to her, you always had to look up. She wore her dark hair in a braided bun. Her blue and white uniform was clean as she paced …
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/1-5.mov She left her home in a hurry but was stopped by an uncooperative door; Jioni attempted to shut it several times with no success. Using her body to push it, then she slammed it, but in her impatience, she left it closed but slightly cracked, then sprinted down the steps; she jumped over the …
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/1-4-1.mp4 Jioni paused, then her face relaxed into a smile. “Wait a minute, what if I could—” Jioni took the flannel not to wear but to trade for it. It wasn’t payment material–she’s tried before—but someone, somebody out there, may want it. She tapped her foot and looked up at the sky. Perhaps Hippie Girl …
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/1-3-2.mov “Nope, nope, not this either…. no one would want this. I don’t even want this,” Jioni said. She tossed the junk to the floor. After thirty minutes, Jioni gave up. She put her satchel on and pulled her braided hair into a tighter ponytail. As she yanked on the doorknob, her eye caught something—something …
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/1-1-1.mov Jioni only had three days—a mere seventy-two hours to find something valuable as payment. She tossed clothes and books into the air, her movement quick, her search frantic as she feared a cold prison cell. For now, she resided in a library filled to the brim with some of the most useless items imaginable: …
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/1-2-2.mp4 It was expensive: a brochure with a purple and orange jungle, old but still in decent condition; at the top, it had “Outergen” in bold letters. Behind the title displayed a wild landscape, new-looking furniture, and happy faces. Jioni flipped through the pages and analyzed its detail. The heirloom had few words and blurbs …
