Country: Aurivelle
City: Auremont
Grayson
The first thing most people noticed about power was money.
The cars.
The buildings.
The influence.
But the real cost of power wasn’t visible.
It was time.
My alarm went off at 5:30 a.m.
Not because I needed it.
I had already been awake for fifteen minutes.
Aurivelle was still dark outside my apartment windows when I stepped onto the balcony.
The city lights stretched endlessly across the skyline.
Several towers in the distance carried the Hawthorne name.
Some people collected art.
My father collected cities.
I showered, dressed, and reviewed the overnight reports while finishing my coffee.
By six thirty my driver was already waiting.
The black car pulled away from the building and merged into the quiet morning traffic.
“First
