WELCOME TO CANDLECORP!

Drifting.
Malaika’s mind was in a haze. Drifting…no, sinking into perpetual nothingness.
How long had she been like this? Was she dreaming?
Sometimes she heard and saw things that broke the nothingness. Other times her thoughts intruded on it. And sometimes-

“-up Mal!”

Mal opened her eyes.
“Look up Mal! Mama said that one day, when we’re really big and grown up, we’ll see the real stars!”

Little white dots spread across night's expanse. Each of them twinkling, some brighter than others.

She was outside, sitting on the green turf beneath the artificial sky watching over District 1. Next to her was a small boy. Ginger hair, pale skin and a round face radiating happiness. Milo.
The air felt cold against her skin, but it was refreshing.

"We should show Ciel the stars too once she's out of Mama's tummy! She'll love it!"

That would be nice, Mal thought. The three of us with Mom and Dad too, just watching the stars.

Mal heard the crunch of leaves behind her and saw her mother standing. Her lips curved up into a gentle smile, but her eyes told another story.
Mal had seen this face on so many adults, but their eyes always betrayed them. There were adults with sad eyes, angry eyes and eyes that had nothing inside, she always thought the last type were the saddest.

Mal's mother opened her mouth, but as she was about to speak Mal felt a searing pain in her head, behind her eyes, everywhere. She shut her eyes tight, screaming and hoping the pain would go away. She opened one eye slightly, looking to her mother for comfort. Her mother's smile was gone, she stood with her mouth agape and with a booming voice she shouted:

" WELCOME TO CANDLECORP!"

Mal's eyes snapped open.
She was lying somewhere, a soft bed in a neat and tidy room that had a desk in the corner with a man sitting there reading a book.

"I'm sorry, did the broadcast wake you up?", the man asked as he placed the book on the desk.
Spotless white walls surrounded them, slightly reflecting the equally clean wooden tiling. An overhead fan with a lightbulb attached brightly illuminated the room and cooled Mal's skin to the touch. Air conditioning was exceptionally expensive to install in District 94, then again so were basic house utilities and furniture.

"Where's my sister?" Mal asked as she sat up.
She winced as she felt pain from her abdomen.

“I heard you wanted a salad.”, he said as he raised a small ceramic plate. "I believe you asked for one that wouldn't give you an extra pair of thumbs. This is made from vegetables shipped straight from District 12, fresh as can be."

"That's great and all, but don't ignore my question."

"She got away, like you wanted. She's most likely at your home, fretting over her presumably deceased sibling. Siblings aside, here's your salad Ms Cassidy."

“The salad thing...that was just a passcode. How the fuck do you know that anyway? Who the heck are you anyway?”

“Language, Ms Cassidy.", he warned as his finger waved in the air. “To answer your question, I’m Mr Smith, the manager of Candlecorp's District 94 branch. Your phone is one of our products and I can’t name anyone who uses our products that we don’t observe. Though we also have ways to get to those outside our ecosystem!”

“So, you spy on the general public?”

“Spy is such a strong word.” he laughed. “Besides, we only observe you to make sure that we enrich as many lives as possible! After all, if you want healthcare, technology and shopping galore, come to Candlecorp, now open in District 94! We know your tastes better than you do!”

Mal groaned before he even finished talking, “Why do you corpo types use rhyming in all your jingles? Y’all think it’s cute but it really isn’t.”

"Hahaha, you're a feisty one, aren't you?", he chuckled before bringing his hands together. "Now onto business, I'm sure you've heard whispers of the angel project? The public seems to think it's a top-secret government-led military unit. That isn't true at all."

"Oh great, there's someone else who believes in this garbage. There any spooky 'monsties' under you bed too?" Mal retorted, inspecting a cherry tomato on her plate before popping it into her mouth. It was quite sweet, a bit sour but juicy. She hadn't had one of these in ages.

"A.N.G.E.L,", he continued ignoring her taunt, "or the Assisted Neurological and Gravitation Enhancement Link is a revolutionary new technology developed by Candlecorp that will allow us to assist the general population in all of its woes and struggles. By monitoring user activity and sending out individuals equipped with this tech, we'll be able to prevent crimes as they occur in real time, provide care to the troubled, protect high-value individuals and much more! We're offering a second chance to people, Ms Cassidy."

Mal toyed around with the lettuce on her plate and looked into the man's eyes.
He didn't seem to be lying. Either what he was saying wasn't all hogwash or he genuinely believed it.
"Alright, Mr Smith, 'manager of Candlecorp'. You know who I am, you know what I do. Why am I here and why're you telling me company secrets?"

"To answer your second question, as it so happens, you've already been equipped with an A.N.G.E.L. We installed all the cybernetics while you were on death's door. As for the first question, having you under our wing will help our operations in District 94 proceed smoothly, given your status and control here."

"You what?! Who the fuck gave you permission to poke around my body and install...whatever the hell you put into me?!"

"Language, Ms Cassidy. That is a natural reaction, I understand. But remember that we saved your life, in fact we've made you better than ever. Please, follow me for a demonstration."

Mr Smith stood up and went out of the room, beaconing Mal with his hand.

"Wait you bastard!" Malaika shouted, throwing the blankets off her. She ran through the door, after him. "I'll shove this fucking salad up your-"

"...ass.", she stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes not understanding what was before her.

She stood on a platform overlooking a massive room that was covered to the brim with leather padding. The ceiling stretched up seemingly hundreds of meters and most importantly, there were people flying. Kids were playing with each other and laughing. Some adults simply floated in the air like a dandelion in a gentle breeze.
There were about 30 people with a pair of thin metal rods extending from their backs. Each rod shot out faint waves of purple light that extended to the length of a person's full height. They looked like...wings.

Mr Smith walked up to Mal, beaming at her reaction.
"Wonderful sight, I know. Relax your body Ms Cassidy. Picture yourself getting ready to take flight as if you're a bird. You can also fly if you try hard enough."

Mal closed her eyes, cleared her mind, and pictured herself flying like a bird freely through the air. She focused on visualizing so intensely that at first, she didn't hear the clapping coming from below. She opened her eyes and saw Mr Smith, still on the platform beneath her.
She came to the realization that she was completely off the ground and started panicking, waving her arms frantically like a hatchling learning to fly.

"Calm down, Ms Cassidy. You're doing wonderfully."

Mal took a deep breath and started floating in place awkwardly. At some point she had turned upside down. She then started thinking of what was happening. She was in the air. Floating. Upside down. With a pair of strange wings. As far as she knew, the public wasn't aware of any gravity defying technology.
She looked down, or from her perspective, up and saw the ground far beneath her and the platform and was equally terrified as she was in awe.

"What is this place?", Mal whispered.

"It feels great, doesn't it? Liberating. Captivating. But this isn't all, Ms Cassidy. You are faster than ever, stronger than ever. Your ability to think and process information is greatly enhanced."

"What the hell is this place?" Mal asked once again.

Mr Smith smiled and extended his arms in a theatrical show of absolute confidence, "Welcome to Candlecorp, Ms Cassidy. All these people are society's outcasts. Abandoned children, the homeless and even ex-convicts who couldn't find a place after their sentences. We accept any and all, everybody deserves a second chance. Once more, we're all united under one goal. 'Shine bright and guide the way for the lost and scared, for in this world's suffering and torment we have all shared.'"