[Slokais]

As the trees became shorter and the dirt became dry sand, the military presence increased. Julie had already been to the Mbaye’s last known location, a cult compound deep in the bushlands which had been abandoned, a smattering of armed cultists stood guard, but they were no match for the small and stealthy force which included Julie, Jamal, Adama and several affiliated local militia members. Although the Democratic Action Party was created as simply a political party, it had become the leading voice of true opposition or at least non-Islamist forces. Included were many local militias consisting of ex-military activists who had never returned their weapons, some were veterans of the War of Independence while others could no longer be complicit in the government's modern conflicts.

Through the questioning of some captured cultists, they revealed everyone had simply gone to be part of the “New Dawn” whatever that meant. As Julie searched the rooms of the vast estate, she began to build a story. This was one of many cultist centers related to the Dawla cult, with everything from business deals to ceremonies being held there. The Dawla were a Rivalist cult that mixed Christian and traditional Koldan ancestor worship. Mix in a cultish and money-hungry policy and you had a dangerous cult to both its followers and to the Koldan people.
Jamal was familiar with Dawla, as his cousin had been converted.
“He sold his possessions, then just disappeared, his mother was distraught,” Jamal said as they picked through the building's kitchen.
“They just left all this chicken stock in the freezer,” Adama said as he opened it.
“I guess they didn’t need Chicken Neg’aze in this “New Dawn” of theirs,” Julie said
“My cousin called his mother, a few weeks ago actually. Said he was better there and wanted her to bring his siblings up to the New Dawn” Jamal said as he grabbed a loaf of bread.
“You think this New Dawn is an actual site or some twisted version of heaven?” Julie asked as he walked into the dining room.
“The Dawla are big believers in the ancient city of Kolda. They're probably there.” Adama said.
“Did you know this earlier?” Jamal asked somewhat angrily
“Yeah, I just wanted to gather some supplies, the site is off-limits and all the way in Moujerria,” Adama said, grabbing a container of chicken stock.

Mbaye had been given a square meal a day, she wasn’t starving although the long hours in the darkness of the room didn’t help. She couldn’t sleep, leaving Mbaye lots of time to ponder many things. The walls were thick, made of some sort of reinforced material, in addition, there was no cooling of any kind meaning she was obviously not underground. Surely, someone had noticed she was gone. Mbaye had planned to call her parents, or well her adoptive parents anyway. They were probably worried enough to call the Slokasian Embassy if something happened. Then again, so many people had gone missing in Kolda in recent years. Before she left, her friends shared articles and headlines about all the violent incidents and kidnappings. At the time, Mbaye had reminded them about the incidents even within Slokais itself. In this hectic world, not many truly inhabited places were safe. Mbaye also thought about her true father and mother. Why would they kidnap or at least hold her here? They hadn’t sacrificed her yet, so obviously she wasn’t the priority. Maybe it was some crazy form of extortion? Get the Slokasian government to pay the cult to fund more rituals, maybe?

After a few days, the door once again opened, however this time it was three people all dressed similarly to the first man she saw.
“Come with us” the one in the middle said in French
Although she stood up on her own, Mbaye walked out of the room. She wasn’t handcuffed, although she was still trapped. She stood in a small office with plaster walls, a portrait of her father wearing purple robes was positioned on a wall between a cross and a curved wooden symbol. On another wall was a small window inside of a door. Her first look upon the outside world was a strange one, the pure night with the occasional reflections. It was then clear to Mbaye that she was moving.
“Where are we?” Mbaye asked simply
After a few second's pause, the middle guard, the obvious French expert spoke again
“On the road to revelation, to the birthplace of our people” he said
Mbaye began thinking to herself, “birthplace of our people?” she thought.

The first week of the month-long program at HPGU was a blur for both Elizabeth and Julie. It was as if the standard formalites of high school were mixed with the social aspects of the first week of summer. Elizabeth had a roommate, a Ren christian girl named Rachel. Initially not close, when she mentioned her church back home in passing, Rachel suddenly became very interested in discussions of theology. Although Rachel was clean and orderly she was no fun to hang out with for more than a few minutes. So, Elizabeth began exploring her new surroundings. On one of these trips, she went to the Drywall Ball court. HPGU wasn’t as good as many of the other UNL schools. However, it wouldn’t be a Slokasian college campus without an intense passion for the new national pastime. Casually watching, Elizabeth spotted the girl from the orientation, Julie.

Julie had taken an interest in Drywall Ball in secondary school when her family moved from Kolda. The competitive intensity and friendships kept her interested in high school, earning an athletic scholarship from San Marcos Academy in Grade 9. SMA was an intense environment, the children of the city’s elite attended and there was pressure to succeed from peers and from teachers who got paid with results. Due to her economic background, Drywall Ball was her only way to make friends, even if some girls wouldn't talk to her if she wasn’t on the team. When arriving at HPGU, she repeated the process, finding a few friends that way. People seemed slightly less artificial then at San Marcos, a little more willing to be open and talk. Then again HPGU was still a high-level academic program. It was during a casual six-a-side game, when she spotted the girl from orientation, Elizabeth.

“Hey, you play Drywall Ball?” Julie asked
“Sometimes, just for fun. How's it going?"
"Good," Julie said grabbing her bottle of water.
"How are your classes going?" Elizabeth asked
"It's been interesting, if not I wouldn't be here right?" Julie said taking another drink of water.
Elizabeth paused for a second "Mind if I join you?"
"Sure, I'm pretty sure Joseph over there is leaving," Julie said
"Okay, sure. You seem a look more professional than I am" Elizabeth said
"Oh yeah. Let's talk strategy real quick"