Tora gave a heavy breath after gulping down half a gallon of water. Her thirst never failed to surprise her.

Now, with her belly full and her thirst satisfied, her eyes became heavy. She pulled her arms into the sleeves of her black sweatshirt, debating whether she should force herself to move to a more sheltered area, or fall asleep right there on the park bench. Her internal conflict was only debated halfheartedly, though, knowing that there was no way she would be able to sleep comfortably out in the open street.

Groaning slightly, she rose to her feet and swung her bag over her shoulder. She stuffed her water bottle into the side pocket of her bag and began wandering aimlessly down Main Street, debating where a good place to spend the night would be. She's beginning to think that at the end of a dark ally way would be one of her only options that night.

Tora had decided to stay in this city for a while. It was big, so her chances of finding work might be higher, she had thought. But, after spending a whole week here, she never even got an interview. She was always rejected the moment their eyes caught the word “Casteless” on her profile.

She did this to herself, really, when she left home. Not that she had much of a home to begin with, but that's not really the point. The point is, she had left her old life, and, in exchange, she lost her place in society.

She hated this. She had thought everything through so well before she had left. Tora had overheard a rumor that there were lots of jobs up north. She wasn't usually one to believe rumors, but she was kind of desperate. And that single detail messed up the rest of her carefully made decisions.

She had it all down. How many days the journey would take, how much food she would need, how much gas would cost, what hotel she would stay at. She gave herself a month to find work.

What she wasn't expecting was that all these jobs everyone were talking about didn't really exist. After a month she had spent all of her savings – including the money she had inherited from her parents. Not that she had all that much to begin with. Her family was only a part of the Warehouse Caste anyway, meaning they were doomed to throw boxes for the rest of eternity.

The government doesn't want people to be spending money they don't have. After all, they're the ones receiving the profit. So, in an effort to prevent this, they strip citizens of their caste if they can't pay their bills. Which is where Tora ended up, much to her mortification.

Being casteless is like being given a death sentence. There are lots of ways to receive this punishment. Most crimes will get you there. Those who are casteless are looked down upon, labeled as inferior.

But, most importantly to Tora, it meant there wasn't the slightest chance that anyone was going to hire her.

Tora was about to turn off of Main Street when someone grabbed her shoulder. She whipped around, eyes wide.

“Tora, it's really you!”

Tora gave herself a moment to let her heart catch up with her. “Can't you be more subtle!?”

Paix just gave her a grin, her head of honey chestnut curls bouncing as she shifted excitedly between her feet. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing...” Tora replied, gazing wearily at her old friend.

“My father had business here. I was looking at all of the shops when I spotted you! You look...” Paix trailed off as she swiped her eyes over Tora. “Great.”

Tora scoffed at the obvious lie. She knew she looked terrible. She wasn't able to take care of herself very well when she didn't even have a place to sleep, but she wasn't going to tell Paix that so easily.

“So? What about you?” Paix urged her on. “What are you doing here? Last time I spoke with you, you were trying to find work up north.”

Tora shrugged a bit. “Now I'm looking for work here.”

“O-Oh. But, it's been almost two months...”

Tora sighed, knowing she was going to end up confessing everything to Paix. It was worth it though, because Paix always made her feel better when they talked. Halfway through Tora's venting, Paix asked if she wanted to go back to her hotel room. Tora agreed with little hesitation.

Tora continued her rant after taking a shower and changing into a pair of Paix's silk pajamas. They curled up together under the warm sheets of the queen sized bed, and Tora was quick to snuggle into the soft pillows provided. Paix urged her to continue updating her with a concerned face.

As Tora continued on, there was a moment of doubt. Tora worried that Paix wouldn't except her once she had found out she was casteless. After all, Paix herself was Luxury Caste. The difference between even the friendship of a Luxury and Warehouse Caste and the friendship between a Luxury Caste and no caste was a big one.

But, Paix didn't seem to care that much. She argued that there were worse reasons to be casteless, and Tora had to agree with that. Tora wondered if Paix would have ended their friendship right there, had they not been friends for so long.

Paix seemed to be in deep thought for a while after Tora had finished her story. Tora waited in silence for Paix to speak.

“If only I could clear your name for you...”

Tora's eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

“Well, if I were able to get my dad's password – and his tag, of course – then I would be able to change your caste back to Warehouse. Maybe I could even put you a little higher, you know?”

Paix's father was a government official, meaning he had free access to the profiles of all of Region D's citizens. The idea of Paix abusing his power had never occurred to Tora.

“But, yeah, I'm not sure it'll work. I don't know know if he has the kind of power. He doesn't talk about work a lot. But, I can still try, to see if it'll work!”

Tora sat up. “No! Don't! What if you get caught?”

“It's okay, I won't get caught.”

“How do you know? Do you even know how it works? I mean, you don't even know if your dad's account will allow you to edit citizen profiles!”

Paix recoiled, looking down. “Geez, you always worry too much. Just let me try.”

“I said your not going to.”

Paix turned around and dropped her face into her pillow. Her muffled voice said, “Fine. When Tora says no, she means no.”

Tora ignored the scorn in her voice, and relaxed back onto the bed again. The window was cracked open just enough to let in some cool air. Even the desert was cold at night, Tora had come to understand.

Paix flopped back around and glanced back at Tora. “Hey, so, I'm going to be in town for the next week. You can stay here until I have to leave. My parents won't know you're here.”

Paix's parents weren't fond of her having lower class friends. It's was always like this when Tora went over to Paix's house. They had met when Tora was fifteen, and Paix was two years older; old enough to know that outsiders wouldn't approve of their relationship. Paix's parents had probably never even perceived the existence of her daughters best friend.

Tora agreed to Paix's suggestion, unable to think of any reason why she would argue against sleeping in a comfortable bed for the next week, and the accessibility to hygiene products and air conditioning. Just the idea of having some place to return to at the end of the day is comforting. Tora fell asleep quickly after Paix turned the lamp off.

Tora wasn't new when it came to adapting to different environments. Her parents had died when she was ten years old. This meant being passed over to relatives. It wasn't so bad living with them, but Tora had always imagined that there was a better life waiting for her elsewhere. When she was sixteen she was at legal age to move out and live on her own, and that's what she did the first chance she got.

Getting past the last two years of high school while working to pay your bills proved to be difficult, but difficult was what she was expecting. She had done her research. It was often that Paix would bring her leftovers for her to eat for dinner, and that alone helped Tora a lot more than Paix would ever know.

When she graduated, Tora could only see things going up. She was able to work full time, and that allowed her to live comfortably. Knowing that she would be eating three meals a day is something she wished she never had to give up.

You could say the war had started back when she was seventeen. The one that was building between Regions D and B. But, it wasn't until the winter she turned eighteen that they started building an army. And everyone in town knew that a big town like the one Tora lived in would be a likely target. They were all getting antsy.

Tora was unable to brush it off as some people could. She was kept up at night, wondering when the first bomb would drop, when the dams would break. She knew she had to get out of there. Or maybe it was just her paranoid mind leaving her restless.

As a result of panic, Tora decided to try and find work up north. Which explains how she ended up where she is now.

But, Tora doesn't regret it, not at all. Because, two weeks later, she saw the news. The first attack was on a city not far from the one she had been living in. She would have been safe where she had lived, sure, but the attack itself was a reminder that it she wasn't safe anywhere. And she definitely wasn't safe staying put in one place.

Tora woke up late the next morning. She was a little bitter towards Paix for letting her sleep in, but she couldn't find it in her to really be angry. She kinda needed the rest.
 

A/N:  The first character has been chosen!  This character is from booksrawesome99.  This is kinda quick, but I really like your application, and the story sorta just poured out of me.  I hope I wrote her the way you imagined her!  Paix wasn't really given much personality, so I hope she turned out okay, too ^^

For the rest of you, there are still 5 spots remaining, so please, please send in your applications!  I decided to use my own character for the "Rebel Leader" story.  I hope no one was planning on applying for that spot, or the "Scared Wanderer" story.  Also, I'm getting rid of the due date for applications.  I'll start writing as soon as I feel happy with the applications I've recieved.  I look forward to your applications!