“Holy humping rabbits! I never suspected you and Pengie were that close! Here comes the chaste friend tapping on the door. But what meets her eyes when the room is opened? That’s not for a civil tongue to say!”
“Be quiet, Terra, I was taking a nap…” my words were muffled in the depths of stuffed animal.
“Well, quit snuggling and start gobbling. That is, if you’re feeling okay. You do look kind of gaunt this morning. I could make us chicken noodle, assuming you’ve got cans in the closet.” The light string hit my head as I flopped upright, knocking pengie back into Spider City. It was already late afternoon. This morning’s laziness was evident by the dirty laundry still piled on a chair, which lost priority to watching internet videos in bed. Terra stood yawning in the doorway, wearing a “I reject your reality and substitute my own” slogan T-shirt. Quickly I checked that my bracelet was hidden under its ties.
“I feel perfectly healthy and hungry,” I said honestly, “but I wouldn’t mind a piggyback ride. I’m sleepy.”
“You’re six foot five. However thin you are, my back can’t take the stress,” she countered.
“I’m lighter than that backpack you carry around all day,” I said with a yank to the light plug. Festive colors winked out, plunging the bedroom into a grey depression. I sighed.
“Come on, the DC’s only a few blocks away,” Terra snorted. “Poor girl, after a childhood of junk food deprivation we need to turn you into a full-blooded American. And your mom wondered why none of the neighborhood kids came to your birthday parties. How did she expect to pull off serving artichoke pizza to eight-year-olds? That woman needs counseling, and you need therapy.”
“That’s what the DC is for. To let loose cravings after the era of overzealous mothers,” I said as I stared into a nearly empty closet.
“You’re still wearing Hello Kitty?”
“I didn’t feel inspired to do laundry. Give me a moment to throw on something new and I’ll meet you in the living room.” The only clothes left were summery tank tops and a dress, so I wrapped two sweaters around a tank top and put on jeans.
“Ready,” I called into the living room. Terra looked up from playing with the Christmas ornaments on Rachel’s plastic tree.
“Aren’t you going to put your contacts in? I still think your eyes are cool, but you’ve always been resolute about hiding them,” she remarked. I ran a finger over an eyelid. Then I ran for the bathroom mirror.
Blue. Awful, unnaturally bright blue. And like Terra had said, my face was gaunter than yesterday, shifting back to its normal sharp proportions. …effects will fade in about fifty hours. That time limit had passed last night. Hadn’t Keiyron promised to show up before this happened? As much as I never wanted to see another nonhuman face, I needed him to come back in order to get those vitamins. What was I going to do if he didn’t appear?
Hands fumbled for the contact lenses’ jar, but that was empty. Instead I dug in the cupboards beneath the sink, chucking out cleaning supplies and towels, until finding the boxes of extra contacts. Open, wash, pop in, and blink. “So you did forget.” Terra leaned her elbows on the counter. “That’s the first time I’ve seen your real color in years. It’s very pretty.”
“It’s freakish,” I shot back, and re-examined myself. Good. “Let’s go before I remember that I’m supposed to study for finals this weekend.”
“Baby killers, drowned people; once you hear a short story of that caliber, details tend to glue in your mind. Don’t worry about the test on Raymond Carver. The only thing you’ve got to worry about on Monday is waking up for M&M: Mushrooms and Mold. You’ll never look at candy the same.”
“I never looked at M&Ms the same after sex education in middle school,” I said. “Remember we had to blindly take M&Ms out of each other’s paper bags? Then after everyone dumped out their loot the teacher went and told us all the green ones were STDs. Still tasted good though.”227Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoTeKATlFyD
227Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXWeR50EWNY
Terra walked carefully by my side on the way to campus. To prove I was fine after yesterday’s fever I walked faster, until she had to skip ahead to match our uneven pace. We arrived at a good time. The hall had a few scattered students, just enough to make the place feel comforting rather than deserted. Buffet of all kinds were ready and hot. An hour later, we leaned back in our dining chairs after meals that would’ve popped the buttons off a waistcoat. A full stomach calmed my nerves, but in the course of the hour I’d developed a new tic. For once it was a good thing that I wasn’t wearing makeup; with eyeliner, my lids would be a horror show smudge from all the times I’d rubbed them.
“Roll me home, Sebastian,” Terra burped with a pat to her stomach.
“In my limousine or down the sidewalk on your tummy? I told you that second cheesecake slice was excessive.”
“Says the girl who drank two large vanilla lattes.”
“With that much sugar, I might actually stay awake long enough to do laundry tonight.” At the dish-collecting wall I carefully laid my plate on top of someone’s half-eaten omelet. The tray whirled the remains into the kitchen.
“After I fill my bottle with horchata I’m gonna crash at your place,” Terra shouted over the clatter. “Your mom did pack more than that green tea stuff right? I’m not into brewed grass, even if it does prevent cancer.” We moved through the fields of tables toward the drink fountain.
“There’s all kinds, from supermarket teabags to Chinese loose-leaf. Tea collecting is Mom’s specialty. Next to yoga and showing first-graders how to blow their noses.” Terra’s eyes squinted in concentration as she positioned her bottle beneath the fountain spout. “Watch it, okay? Don’t spill cinnamon rice milk over the floor. The custodian is not your friend.”
“This is a delicate operation. If you don’t hold the button for just the right amount of seconds—shit!” I was already on my way for napkins, stooping into the fenced-off dinner area to snatch a basket. Terra pretended to sniffle as I wrapped brown paper around her fingers.
“I am never going to be an elementary teacher,” I said.
“Why not? You’re getting plenty of practice. Maternal instinct is in your genes.”
“It is not. Why do they let us take out a fountain drink anyway? Don’t they know everyone swipes milk for cereal? Unless that’s just me. Cow juice is damn expensive.” A toss of the napkin dispenser knocked over a flower piece. This was why in P.E. I ran away from the basketball out of respect for my teammates, when I was allowed to participate in P.E. at all.
“Did you look at the bill for your quarter meal package? If we actually ate our money’s worth, we’d be rounder than pregnant cows by the end of the school year. Apple?” she asked on the way past the fruit stand.
“No. If we don’t escape from the sight and smell of food soon…” Our walk turned into a march to the glass doors. Either the caffeine and sugar had gotten to me or my medical condition was in worse shape than I thought, because my limbs were having another case of the shakes. It was definitely time to go home. I shied away from the door handle as usual, so Terra risked being infected by killer germs and shoved it wide.
Not that I’d expected it, but Keiyron was nowhere to be seen around the place I’d first witnessed him under the dining commons’ overhang. After a glance to the rooftop banana peel, we strode onward into billowing wind. This was one of my many peeves about central California. When it was hot, it was chocolate melting hot, and when the winds picked up, bikes in their racks dominoed.
My bikeless friend wanted to ride on the top of a Double Decker, so we stood at the bus station to the tune of Terra whistling a Korean drama theme song. Women armored in identical overcoats and purple scarves passed out pamphlets to the people waiting at the roadside. There being no way to feign deafness or escape, Terra and I both accepted the papers shoved into our hands. As I’d known she would, Terra started rattling off the many wondrous ways to save our souls. The giant clock tower hand seemed to slow while I fanned myself vigorously with my own pamphlet. Sweat was beading around my neckline.
By the time the bus rattled to a halt people had given us a wide berth. Between spurts of laughter, Terra had taken it upon herself to read aloud the pamphlet with the fake melodious passion of a prophet on a soapbox. The purple-scarfed women edged off with tut tuts and frowns to hunt for new kids waiting to be converted in the Student Hall.
Terra hopped to the front of the line so as to get the best top seat, leaving me to nod apologetically to the people she’d cut and climb up the steep stairway. Her enthusiasm was wasted, because we ended up being the only ones on the second story. She waahed like a kid on her first trip in San Francisco as the bus beeped its way through the intersection. “Oy, you’re gonna leave hand and nose prints. Gimme that—” I snatched her pamphlet from her purse pocket for a double fan.
“If this thing were any lighter we’d topple over and squash that Volkswagen. What self-respecting college student drives a pink Volkswagen anyway?”
“Pink was your favorite color in elementary school. So said your mama.”
“I’m just lucky I burned all my diaries, or they’d be framed next to my first ABC books in my parents’ bedroom. Whatev, turning into a big girl made me realize what an uncool kindergartener I use to be. No wonder that boy I liked wouldn’t lend me his crayons. Melting the teacher’s supply of Crayola in the cafeteria microwave got me in serious shit. How can you be hot!? I want a boiling shower when we get to your place.”
“Granted. And I dunno, I’ve been running fevers since yesterday night.”
“Just don’t collapse again on me,” Terra yawned while getting to her feet. “I wasn’t trained for emergencies and I don’t want that on my conscience.” My finger pointed to the “Please remain seated while bus is in motion” sign with a little stick figure demonstrating a seated position. Terra planted her feet on the aisle with hands clasped at her back, staring out the front window in full military general stance. Each stop ruined her surveillance as she skittered into a dance for balance. Meanwhile I plugged one headphone bud into an ear and relaxed with Utada Hikaru’s song “You Make Me Want to Be a Man.” Not that I had any experience with that desire, but it had a great beat. Every few minutes I rubbed at my eyes and glanced at the window’s reflection to make sure the lids hadn’t changed shape.
The Double Decker let us off on the right-hand side of the street, so we made a mad dash across and luckily got over without setting off any horns.
My fever was getting worse, so after fending off Terra’s offers to hunt down an RA I passed her my key-card. Her hand got halfway to the scanner when her arm dropped, the card fell, and she started bouncing on my shoulders.
“Look, look! It’s a Lincoln town car! In person!” Cringing under her weight, I turned around. Sure enough, “in person,” some preppy kid was pulling his black sedan into the parking lot. The thing moved like a silent shark toward the fraternity. It was proportionately larger than the other vehicles in the lot, with a sweeping windshield and high doors. Buildings and sky mirrored flawlessly from its polished black surface and tinted windows. I wasn’t sure Terra had labeled it right, but I was no car connoisseur. Terra’s head poked around my neck with goggled eyes.
“It’s not like he’s gonna step out in his white coat and diamond earring and beckon you for a ride. C’mon, I need a cold shower before you turn up the water heater,” I said with a tug to my friend’s hair. A waft of peach shampoo made me sneeze. Then my arm was seized and dragged in the direction of the neighboring park. Terra’s eyes glinted with a determination that spelled disastrous-embarrassment-approaching. “Tell me you’re kidding—” I whined. Terra’s head swiveled in surprise as her target drifted past the fraternity and circled toward the tiny local diner. We never went there; a dingy interior, static radio and half the meal selection made the twenty minute walk to campus worth the exercise. Hands clapped to my shoulders as Terra’s feet planted back into war general pose.
“Listen up. Two shivering, sad looking girls are walking together alongside the park. One stumbles and faints into the road just as Mr. Lincoln is rolling up behind. Brakes halt a dramatic few feet from our pathetic heroine, hot rich dude jumps from his car to the rescue, lifting her in his arms just as she opens her eyes—”
“—and a background of glittering flowers starts falling to the tune of classical music. Generic manga content. Y’know what’s more likely? A frat boy leaps out to give pathetic heroine the finger. And who did you plan on being the idiot who faints in front of a car?”
“Duh, you,” she said with a snap of her fingers. “When you’re a blogger like me, if you can’t find material, you make material. You’re prettier and more pathetic looking than me anyways. Here comes Sir Lincoln!” I snatched her wrist and pulled us back around the sidewalk. Perhaps it was some lost prospective students on tour. Or maybe it was an old man on his evening scout for university girls. I really didn’t care, as long as we got to my dorm before I inadvertently put Terra’s plan into action. We watched the sleek vehicle move its confused way past the dorm gate. Definitely lost. A mousey squeal of delight hurt my eardrums as its tires circled tight with the park. If it was a lecher, we were in trouble. At least until he got close enough to read Terra’s T-shirt, at which point it would be foot to the accelerator.
“Let’s go home. If he or she asks for directions, you answer— Cut that out!” We had a short tussle as Terra tried to wave. I won, and with the wind in our faces we cut across the asphalt. Black tinted windows slunk beyond us. Shrugging, Terra deflated back into her usual self before peering sideways. Peach fumes carried by the gusts caused me to sneeze again.
“You okay?” she asked. “Your cheeks are flushed. Unless you’re getting more fantasy value out of my hot rich dude scenario than was intended.”
“Not a chance—” My feet tripped over themselves, and dizziness bent my head to my knees.
“Hey…hey, Erin, we’re in the middle of the road. Shit, I knew we should’ve gone to the clinic, with or without insurance. Seriously, are you—ahhh,”A pat hit my shoulder. “So we’re on the same page after all! Here he comes now.” Alarm flipped my stomach as reverse lights flicked on and the car started backing up. Ah crap.
Shiny hubcaps revolved to a perfect stop. A hazy blur gathered in my eyes as I stared at my warped reflection, the sort of pain that happened when I gazed at a computer screen for too long. With effort I rose to a respectable stance. My hands were still trembling, my neck was sweaty, and my hair was a mess. Now was not the best time to act as a representative of one of the most prestigious universities in the state.
“Let me do the talking,” a loud whisper blew in my ear. Too ill to argue, I retreated to the dorm gate. My knees collapsed again as I picked up my abandoned key-card. The stranger must think I’m either drunk or an invalid. Another first impression nailed. A laugh shot past my lips.
“Withdrawal symptoms already, I see,” a heavily accented voice sighed. If I really did have a heart problem, the jolt that went through me at that moment might have killed me. I froze. Even the shakes paused.
“Uh, don’t get the wrong idea, my friend’s got chronic medical issues. So, can I help you?” my idiot friend announced. No answer. “You have a nice car,” she babbled on. “My grandparents used to own a Lincoln. Is this one custom made? It looks bigger than usual.”
I could be mistaken. Please, please let me be mistaken. That god awful voice. That haunting, lilted voice of my nightmares. Yes, I needed him to come back. But I was a hundred years from being actually, seriously ready for it. “Um. Do you need…help?” Terra faded out, sounding less and less certain of herself. Three heartbeats, and then—
“That will be unnecessary. As soon as I have collected something of mine I will be leaving the country,” the man replied brusquely. The jolt hit me in the gut this time. A cough filled my mouth with saliva, and I spit into a planter box. After finding my breath, I stuffed my fists into pockets and whirled upright. A blood tidal-wave roared inside my ears.
Dark eyes appraised me over crossed arms. Terra’s nose barely came to his chest, despite her standing on the curb. A series of buried memories burst their chains and mooned my sanity.
“How are you feeling, Erin?” he said. Terra’s head bobbed back and forth, watching the lightning strike of our stares.
“Wait wait wait. He’s the cousin who drove you to the hospital? You didn’t tell me he drove a luxury car! Let me introduce myself again. Good evening sir, I’m Terra Kelmar, Erin’s best friend and mentor. I heard you saved her a few days ago. It’s nice to finally meet you—” CLANG. That was my head, banging itself backward against the metal gate.
“Erin!?” called Terra. “What are you doing?”
“Resetting my brain,” I mumbled while rubbing my skull. Long sleeves slid apart as the man’s inhumanly beautiful face lit up with suppressed laughter. His eyes were brown and his hair light this time, but no disguise could conceal his outlandish aura. His every expression and movement had a robotic litheness that grated my nerves. “Terra, sorry, can you give us five minutes to talk? I’ll let you in the gate, and you can wait for me by my door.”
“Are you sure you don’t need backup?”
“I’m fine. Please.” Keiyron was unpredictable, and I didn’t want Terra to overhear anything she would question me about later. She scrunched up her face but conceded, leaving after a last eyeball caress of Keiyron’s car. The gate clanged shut, and I was left alone in the parking lot with my nightmare. Shiny black boots closed the space between us. “Keep your distance!” I warned. “For sanity’s sake your status is hereby ‘a figment of my imagination.’ We can talk as long as you respect that.” Ignoring my warning, Keiyron stooped before me until his smirk was level with my look of panic.
“Were I imaginary, you would live but a few more years before collapsing from nutrient deprivation. Whether you desire my existence or not, your life depends on my sympathy. I suggest acting accordingly.” He gave an emphatic pause. “I intended to retrieve you yesterday, but there was no opportunity in my schedule—and you failed to answer my call on your shkieroth, your bracelet. Fortunately there was no harm done. Though judging from your quivering, you need more zei.” He stretched a hand toward my shoulder as if to steady me. I flinched out of the way, digging my fingers into the gate to keep from falling. “In any case,” he dropped his hand, “there is little time before I must report back to work. Get in the car.” His demanding tone angered me. I attempted a bold gaze, but the effect was ruined by having to look up at his ridiculous height.
“I’m not ungrateful,” I said more quietly, “But let’s be fair; your species is at fault for biological terrorism. I’m the victim. I don’t owe you any allegiance. That said, can you not approach me like this in public? Maybe where you come from this is normal, but here, there’s protocol for personal space. If people see you cornering me against the gate they’ll be suspicious.” At least I sounded firm and sober. The vasithryn’s eyebrows flexed, which I understood as ‘I don’t think I really care.’ That irked me enough that I took a risk by saying, “Get the hell away from me before I scream like the X-chromosomes I’m made out of.” We stared at each other in what must be the weirdest face-off in Earth history.
“If you spoke to me that way in Shaian I would lashyou on the spot,” he said flatly. “Our family is risking everything to hide you from the State; our reputation, our careers, our family itself. Not because we want to preserve Earth's independence, but because I pity you. As the first Seed birth, you would receive a lot of attention and study. I am saving you much trauma, and in return you insult me. Get in the car before I decide you are not worth the trouble.” My hand clenched, and I felt the sting of cuts around the bracelet as the hair ties shifted.
“Okay,” I whispered. “I’ll go with you. Just let me say goodbye to Terra.”
“Your...acquaintance?” he said with a disapproving tone.“Be quick.” He left to stand by his car. I exhaled and entered the gate. Terra skittered toward me as soon as I neared my suite’s door.
“What was that about?” she asked.
“Sorry, I forgot I had a follow-up appointment at the hospital. We’ll have to postpone hanging out to another day. Take my key—” I dragged the lanyard over my head and let it swing on a finger, “and help yourself to whatever you like. Tea and cocoa’s above the clothes rack, popcorn’s on the dresser, and towels are under the sink. My shampoo is the only one that looks like it came off the drugstore shelf, not from a beauty salon. Oh—and don’t feed the spider.”
“Sure, I’ll drown my sorrows watching Korean dramas with your pet arachnid,” she huffed. “So who is this cousin of your mom, and why does he have time to chauffeur you around?”
“He’s...a surgeon, who took interest in my condition. I told him if he keeps trying to pressure me into experimental procedures, I’m deleting him from my emergency contact list. Still, Dr. Kei offered a free lift, so I’m not passing that up.”
“Don’t let any mad scientist experiment on your body. Not unless you get superpowers.”
“I’ll be sure to ask for that stipulation. Don’t have fun without me,” I said with a limp wave. Terra opened the door lock and half stepped in.
“No promises. I might wrap myself in your Christmas lights and join your suitemates in a spontaneous dance party.”
“Just don’t let your night end in electrocution.” She grinned at me and shut the door.
227Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNc0hwF8RWK
With trepid steps I returned to the parking lot. The back door of Keiyron’s large car yawned wide.
“Should I bring anything?” If I could stall, maybe I’d suddenly become brave enough to go through with this.
“No.” A hand shoved my back.
“Hey!” My palms slid over silky cushions, knees scrambling forward before the door could slam on my toes. The interior was dimmed by the tinted windows. I listened to my breath, tasting a sharp clean scent that dredged back the traumatic memories of a few days ago. There was scarcely time to sit down before the front right side opened. Keiyron positioned himself in the seat and shut his door.
“Right-hand steering? This isn’t an American car, then?” I joked to ease my nerves.
“Be quiet,” he said tersely. Whoa. Had I offended him that badly? All my thoughts scattered as the car started. The outside looked like an ordinary (albeit over-sized) high-end vehicle, but inside was entirely different. There was no sign of a steering device. The vasithryn’s finger swiped the dash, and a panel of controls lit in a complex array. A holographic map rose near the center, depicting the whole of the nearby city with color-coded traffic density. The window was framed by a full circular camera feed of the parking lot outside. Curiosity pulled me forward. “Can I ride in the front?”
“No. Sit down!”he barked.
“Okay, okay…” I withdrew to the farthest corner. For a few moments my eyes dashed about in search of a seat-belt. Finding none, my attention turned instead to stroking the soft seats. The window flashed. Trees and apartments scrolled by at a calm forty miles an hour. When had we started moving? There was no sound. No sound at all. If it weren’t for the windows, I’d swear we were still parked. There weren’t even any vibrations, let alone bumps from the road. It made me feel airy and unreal. The vasithryn’s hands stroked the panels on the dash like some kind of bizarre driving simulator game.
“Um, Keiyron?” I ventured after a minute.
“Keiyron-arshir.”
“What happens to planets ‘acquired’ by your State?”
“The State is the most advanced civilization in the known universes, in technology and sociopolitical peace. Our goal is to create a mutually beneficial society, not to harm native residents. Annexations are efficient, usually succeeding within a week with little violence. You needn’t worry about the turnover or its aftermath. Your only concern should be preparing for the drastic changes in your own future.” My nails clawed over my knees. I’d much rather stay grounded in the present than consider the horrors he presented for the future. ‘Mutually beneficial’ was not a trustworthy mouthful, but it was better than no goodwill promise at all. We stopped at a red light. Keiyron evidently had no issues piloting the large vehicle through traffic. I noticed a lady in the sedan next to us look in idle wonder at our tinted windows.
“What changes are you talking about?” I forced myself to ask the question.
“As I said before, after the State has control there will be a period of social reconstruction during which Earth will be sealed off. Any Seed-born vasithryn such as yourself will be relocated as a safety precaution. Whether you’ll be sent to Shaian or another world, I can’t say.”
“What about Mom!?” I pushed forward in my seat. He spared me a brief backward glance.
“...Your relatives may relocate as well.” My fist against my chest felt how fast my heart was beating. Mom’s fragile temperament would not fair well against this kind of shock. She had to be in control of every situation. If the very floor of her reality crumbled, her sanity might shatter with it.
“You said we have about ten years before Seed evidence is discovered?”
“At most.”
“Is there no way to prevent Seeds from spreading? Like a method of inoculation?” I asked weakly.
“A vaccine would have to be produced with elements from Sathr, the vasithryn species’ native world. It would be an incredible undertaking to continually provide vaccines for a growing number of planets. As far as the State is concerned, there is no motivation to do so. The virus was created as a gift. Seed-borns have the even temperaments, intelligence, and long life of true vasithryn. The spread of their stable empire is beneficial to all.”
“’Gift’ usually implies the receiver has a choice on whether to accept.”
“The original intention was a choice. Sathr gave the Seed to the humans of the world Klr’hain by their request. Vasithryn traits are highly desirable. Parents had the option of inducing the genetic changes upon their child, and many did. The containment breach happened long after it was a standard practice.”
“So now they use their escapee virus as an excuse to move in and assume control of other worlds?”
“The State takes responsibility by enforcing an ideal environment. This achieves the goal the virus was made for in the first place: to lead humanity’s evolution. Total oversight is the only way to avoid deadly consequences for Seed-borns. Especially given the unpredictable nature of the births, humans can’t be trusted to provide adequate care on their own.” He paused, flexing one hand’s knuckles. “Speaking as an other-world sociologist, I predict Earth will be the most tricky acquisition yet. Your mother species has an infamously volatile profile.”
“People here will never accept sudden new overlords. Not until they’ve exhausted every last weapon man has invented. The chaos might destroy the world sooner than surrender it—” my voice wavered as the extremity of the situation once again caught up with my thoughts.
“After six world annexations, the State is well prepared for any situation. Be calm. I promise, Earth will only benefit in the end.”
“There’s no calm in this scenario! Luckily I’m already in this padded box—” I back-slapped the seat, “so when my nerves crack I can flail about in comfort and safety.”
“You’ve flailed enough already,” he said. Probably in reference to my hitting my head against the gate. “But I can offer a sedative if you’d like.”
“No thanks,” I cringed. A flashback to when they’d paralyzed me against the bed made my underarms sweat. I lapsed into concentrated breathing to get the panic under control. Beyond the windows, the last of the college buildings left my sight as we drove farther east. Where were we going? Clearly to a different location than the place I'd been sent to through the portal. “Where are we headed?” I asked with a tap to the window.
“To a portal gate.”
“Another underground station?”
“No, the port you used from Shaian’s side was a generator. Regular gates can be established anywhere. The generator provides the power to cut through the universe barrier, and gates are the coordinates at either end of the jump. The more frequently a gate is used, the easier it is to travel through.”
“So we’re going to something like a Wi-Fi hot-spot for portal travel.”
“Think of it how you like,” his voice shrugged.
“Isn’t it dangerous for me to return to Shaian? You could just deliver the zei vitamins here.”
“We need a secure location where I can teach you to control your shiin radiation. Before you left last time, we gave you a drug to suppress it, but we can't depend on that. There are AI programs that watch worlds for signs of Seed activity, and they will be triggered by the consequences of shiin radiation. And besides—” As the car stopped at another light, he turned his head to look at me. “We should begin your reeducation, if you ever hope to meet our level standards.”
“Hah? I’m going to university, I don’t have time for more study!”
“You have ample free time, judging by your conversation with your friend. Learning efficiency and focus will be the greatest initial challenge.” I exhaled an indignant laugh at his insult, but couldn’t find words to refute it. It was true that my course schedule wasn’t nearly as intensive as those in the heavy sciences. But he had no right to criticize my balanced lifestyle.
To distract myself I watched the roadside. We were driving through the outskirts of town now, past bike shops and vegetable markets. The car swept into an unmarked driveway, floating outside the chain-link fence of a storage facility. Orange storage containers whipped by in a constant pattern. It hurt my eyes to watch them. When we slowed to a halt in the back of the yard my gaze flitted around the deserted lot. This was the sort of place criminals hung out. Quiet. Empty. No-one-can-hear-you-scream isolated.
“There’s nothing here.” My voice was muted in the silence.
Keiyron began gesturing at the dashboard in some kind of jerky sign language that it evidently understood, because menus and text sprang upwards in quick succession.
“Before I cue the portal, take this just in case,” he said, and shoved something into the backseat. Plastic crinkled as I unfolded, of all things, a grocery bag printed with the logo of a local supermarket.
“Uh, what’s this for?”
“You may need it during translocation.” Keiyron made one last jab at the dashboard and shrank what he could of his large body into his seat as if bracing himself.
“Why—” But the question was sliced off as what at first seemed to be radio static amplified into a monstrous whine. An explosion of light forced my eyes shut, and the static snapped over my skin like a wire whip. Electricity thundered against my eardrums until I was sure they would bleed. I could feel the lids of my eyes blink, feel the fabric of the seats and the hard curve of the door jutting against my shoulder, but all I could see was the flashing green of my burned retina against white nothingness. The visual world and all its dimensions had vanished.
“Kei—” I coughed, but my throat had no air to make words.
And then my stomach was rejecting itself, every bite of this morning’s breakfast chucked into the plastic bag still clutched in my fingers. Thoughtful of him, to nip a bag from a recycle bin. Then again he was probably just worried about his seats.
ns 18.68.41.148da2
