Children of the Eternal

VII

Like candlelight in the Dark, Kate disappeared from his life. Still resentful of the bet and afraid she didn't actually like him, he didn't seek her out. Part of him hoped she would be the one delivering the papers, but to his disappointment, Aoi showed up at the drop off point. Will couldn't get the papers delivered to his house, so he met up with her at an iron bench a few streets away from his home. Perfectly maintained trees lined the streets along with white lanterns of natural light. Will never noticed the scenery, but when he saw Aoi's wide eyes, he recalled how rundown everything was close to the Edges.

Discomfort filled him and a bit of shame for his fine clothing when Aoi was wearing an oversized school uniform. It didn't escape his notice that it was for a boy and he knew very well it was forbidden for a girl to dress that way. But she strolled up with a seeming indifference for breaking sacred laws.

She whistled, craning her head to see the stately houses in Will's neighborhood. "Your family must be swimming in money."

His face heated. "We don't have that much."

Aoi snorted. "I might not want to burn the rich like Shin, but even I have to say that's a bunch of hooey. Anyway, I've your paper. Just leave the money underneath the bench in the future and I'll leave the paper there. That way, we needn't worry about anyone reporting us."

She handed Will what looked like an official Sacred State paper, but the real newspaper was hidden underneath the cover. Curiosity burned to discover forbidden truths, and he fought the urge to open it right away. But another question mattered beyond all the others.

"How is... everyone?" Will asked.

Aoi tilted her head. "By everyone, do you mean Princess Katie?"

"I..."

She rolled her eyes. "Relax Romeo. You aren't the first lad to go mushy over her."

"Romeo?" Will's heart jolted at the last part. "Wait, she has other lads?"

Aoi chuckled. "If you want to know about Romeo, ask Matthew. He's got all the forbidden works."

"I don't think I'll ever see Matthew again," Will said. "You all have my money now... you don't need me around."

"Don't let Shin scare you away," she said.

He bristled. "He doesn't scare me."

She raised an eyebrow. "Sure seems that way to me. Reading the paper is dandy, but the only way you're going to understand the shadowy parts of our world is if you experience them." Her lips curved. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're paying for the paper since that will hopefully include a swell tip for your beautiful delivery girl."

Will laughed at her shameless opportunism and pulled a silver coin from his pocket. "You ought to work for my father. He'd appreciate your style."

She accepted the money and beamed. "I'd make a fine businesswoman if they allowed women to have those jobs and I didn't come from a family that the Sacred State considers corrupted."

He winced. "I'm sorry."

She gave him a playful tap. "Not your responsibility. I ought to call you Lancelot instead of Romeo, since you want to be such a white knight. Anyway, no matter what Shin says, you can't be responsible for the world. You're just a kid."

A little disgruntled, he crossed his arms. "You're not much older than me."

She snickered. "Sorry Lancelot. But maybe it's better if you stick to your own world. Damn, if I lived here, I'd never come to our neighborhood. The company isn't worth it, not even Princess Katie. Now, unless you're willing to be my Prince Charming, I've got to be going. More deliveries to make before I head back to the shadowy wastelands."