Platypus

Chapter 9

 "Drop out of engineering."

Caspian had uttered the phrase like one would mention the weather. "It's a bit chilly out. I might need a jacket," or, "Nice day to walk down 324th to get a cup of coffee."

Fenton stared at the food in front of him. He had been played a fool. This wasn't about class or getting to know him. All Caspian wanted to do was make an excuse to get rid of Fenton. Whether it wasn't about protecting his career or he already had a lover on the side, Fenton didn't know or care.

"... I see," was all he muttered.

This is why his mark turned purple. It must have realized what a self-centered jerk Caspian was and knew that it had made a mistake. Pink and blue. Lavender. Lacey was likely the person that Fenton was supposed to be in love with, but his mark had become tainted with traces of Caspian.

Caspian's face became strained. "... You're really bad at math."

Fenton looked up at him with a hint of a glare in his eyes. "Hmm?"

"I looked through your school records," replied Caspian. "You took the minimum requirement of math classes in high school and barely passed them. It's been two years since you academically touched the subject and you skipped your first class of calculus last Monday. Why pursue engineering now?"

He had skipped calculus because he was feeling depressed and he needed his damn pizza. What was so wrong about that?

Fenton's hands were underneath the table, tensely holding onto each other. "There was too much competition in the art field. I originally wanted to pursue graphic design for advertising, but they don't have that here."

Everything in Blue Ginger was sold in minimalist, unbranded packaging. It had been like that in Fenton's first city too, but he had hoped that his was the only marked city that was like that. There wasn't a use for him in this world, and engineering was the most desirable degree for those looking to move to an inner city.

And he'd do anything to avoid being placed in a colony.

Caspian stared at him for a moment before replying. "Where are you from?"

"Mint Mellow. It's one of the low end cities." Similar to the place where Lacey lived.

Caspian shook his head. "Before that. Were you born in the real world?"

Real world? Was that how Caspian viewed it? Then again, Fenton fully believed that Caspian didn't find the "chosen cities" to be a real place. Anyone from the outside world would agree that dystopia and utopia are two sides of the same coin.

"Chicago. Both my parents were marked. I think they're still alive, but I haven't seen them in seven years. I don't want to go into the details, but I ended up living with my uncle in Mint Mellow."

The situation may have been similar to Caspian's. He hadn't wanted to come here. From the look in Fenton's eyes, it didn't look like he had wanted to leave Toronto either.

Caspian stood up and fetched the binder he had been working on. He held it out for Fenton to take. "I made this for you." He then winced, because he didn't mean to phrase it like that. "I mean, I have a proposal for you to consider." Proposal? Did he have to use proposal?

Fenton took the binder and set it down next to his lasagna. It was everything he needed to get a degree in architecture. What classes he should take, his study schedule, even lists of books he would want to use for references.

"There's still a lot of math involved," added Caspian. "But this allows you to stay in an artistic field. Urban planning and landscape architecture are important right now. There is still competition in the field, it'll still be four years before you graduate, but you'll likely feel more fulfilled in this field."