Cousins Esther and Tempest have been separated by cities, countries, and continents all their lives; but now, when both girls need each other the most, they are separated by lightyears.
Tempest is stuck on a vessel to Janus, forced into keeping the...
"The intention of the World Alliance was essentially to stop anyone from oppressing another human ever again. Obviously, this is a lofty goal, but so is rebuilding civilization after a nuclear holocaust. So... anything is possible with determination, right?" -Julian Guzman
ESTHER
"Es... Es, wake up," Milo tells me. Wait—Milo? Had I dreamt everything? Hadn't I run away? Hadn't I found myself face to face with Kay in the woods, when... when we were shot with some sort of sedative. But now I'm awake.
I flutter my eyes open under the harsh lights above.
"Es, are you awake?" Milo asks, and now I can process that his voice sounds muffled. My eyes clear and focus on his face in front of me, a subtle halo of light gleaming between us.
I'm in a glass cell, somewhere other than Hicksmon. Back in Hicksmon, all our holding cells are the old world old-fashioned type of cells with iron bars. This looks more high tech, from the blue-white lights above me, to the pad of controls Milo stands behind on the other side of the glass, to the twin control pad pressed into the glass in front of me. But behind Milo is a reddish tan wall of stone. I immediately know where I am, even if I didn't know that it was Milo's final destination. I'm in Petra, Jordan, where the World Alliance is centrally located, and based on the security measures here, I must be in the World Alliance's own incarceration center.
"Why am I in a cell, Milo?" I ask, skipping all pleasantries.
Milo must notice my abruptness and smiles. "I'm happy to see you here too, Es."
"You skipped out on your DNA and hormone tests back in Hicksmon, so the World Alliance has to take precautions. All Perfects are quarantined before being released in the general population."
"You were too?"
He nods, and reaches for the collar of his white suit. The emblem of the World Alliance—two hemispheres overlapping like a Venn diagram—is below the shoulder of his suit. He's officially on duty, which makes all of this even more complicated. I left him, without even following through on his request to come here with him. But I guess I made it anyway. So, what does that make us now, aside from World Alliance employee and quarantined prisoner?
Milo pulls down his collar to reveal a small device implanted just above his clavicle bone. The device is white, but a small light glows green in the device's top corner.
"What is that?" I ask.
"They found the programming in my DNA. Like I thought they would," he says, pressing his forearm against the glass and leaning his body toward me. I move closer to the glass too. Milo calms me. "Isla broke the news that you were gone to me, and she taught me a breathing technique that kept me calm. But my hormone level was close to explosive. This little regulator keeps everything in check. Anyone who can explode has to have one."
I don't really know what to say in response to his reaction to my escape, so I just say, "Okay, so probably me too?"
"Yeah." He leans closer to the glass, so that his breath fogs it when he asks, "Why did you leave like that? I still don't get it."
"I couldn't watch you leave," I whisper in reply, finding myself closer to the glass than I thought I'd be.
"And?"
"And... I knew you'd want to help me, but I have to do this on my own. I can't let you explode or let myself explode."
He smirks at me. "That's what these devices stop us from doing. We can go on living, go on being together, and we won't have to worry." He turns his eyes away and glances quickly over his shoulders. There are guards in the room who stand against the stone walls, but they are far enough away not to hear our whispers. "Unless what you really meant was that you need some space from me. As in a break."
The truth is, I don't know what I really meant. When I last spoke to Milo, I was speaking from a position of fear and uncertainty for our mutual safety, but with these devices, the fear and uncertainty is gone. So why don't I feel relieved? I love Milo—he's my best friend—so why am I not happy? Why am I pausing to respond instead of bursting out of this glass to hold him? Aside from the obvious dangers of breaking through a pane of glass....
"I think I just need some time to process all these changes. Everything I've known about myself is a lie, so that's a lot to—"
"—No it's not," Milo interrupts. "Not everything was a lie. Just because your parents aren't who you thought they were doesn't mean I love you any less or you are inherently any different. Your soul is the same, your heart is the same. Your DNA doesn't change that."
I feign a smile. "You always know what to say, but... I do still think I need time to process this. I think I need to do it on my own."
He leans back from the glass, and for a moment he looks angry with me. I don't blame him. But then his face softens. "Then I'll be one step behind you for the journey, in case you need someone to fall back on."
"Esther Crowley?" one of the guards says, holding his finger to his ear piece.
"That's me... basically." Whatever my last name is now. Blume or Ward or Crowley, whatever.
"They are ready to test you now," the guard says, approaching my cell. Milo moves away from the keypad, but never takes his eyes off me while the guard keys in a code to release me and begins to escort me down a long hallway made of stone.
"I'll be right here," Milo calls after me.
"Okay," I respond, not really sure how else to. He is sweet, and I do love him, and I'm sure I'll need him. But I'm so confused right now, I'm not sure I'm good for anyone.
As I walk toward the testing room, another brightly lit, modern room at the end of the hall, I pass a few more cells, most of which are full. I don't pay much attention to any of the criminals except one in the final cell on the block: Kay.
She slams her body against the glass, her hair matted and her eyes wild. "Esther! Esther!" she screams after me, but I don't have my device yet. I can't hear her pleas without becoming too stressed.
Deep breath.
Deep breath.
"Esther!"
Deep breath, and I can finally block out Kay as the testing room door opens and quickly shuts behind me.
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