by J. M. Page
Celine looked from Ben — the Prince, she reminded herself — to the room open before her, a little uncertain.
“A-are you sure?” She took a tentative step inwards, keeping an eye on the man behind her, half-expecting him to lock her away. When the door remained open and unlocked, Celine let out an exhale, relaxed her tense shoulders, and took another step in.
“Of course, you have to stay somewhere, right? It’s late, everyone’s already asleep and you said you were tired. Rest your head and tomorrow we’ll figure out what to do with you.”
While he spoke, Celine drifted toward the far wall, made up of windows. The bedroom was bigger than their entire workshop back home, with towering ceilings and magnificent views of the city below. She’d never seen anything like it — the buildings all stacked on top of each other, reaching toward the sky, a neat grid of streets, spreading out from the palace like rays. She craned her neck upwards, hoping to see through the break of clouds in the force field, but even with the city’s protection, the sky was hazy and orange. Not a star in sight.
It wasn’t until Ben’s final words that Celine felt the familiar creep of anxiety prickle her skin.
“What to do with me?” she asked, turning to face him. She was sure her expression wasn’t as placid as she hoped, but her heart suddenly hammered and there was only so much she could do to mask it. Were they going to throw her in jail? Or worse?
Ben took a step forward, closing the distance between them and making Celine’s head feel fuzzy. He nodded. “You do want to get back to where you came from, don’t you?”
Where she came from…
Celine swallowed, her tongue darting out to lick her parched lips. She had no desire to go back where she came from, but how could she tell him that? How could she explain without outing herself?
It was a puzzle too difficult for her exhausted brain. Celine nodded. “Right, of course.”
Ben shrugged. “I don’t know what they’ll do, with the Grounding and all, but nothing’s going to happen tonight.”
She nodded, her eyes drifting toward the expansive plush bed adorned with so many soft-looking pillows and blankets. Part of her just wanted to dive right in.
“Thank you,” she said, not sure what else to say.
Ben hesitated for a moment, something seemingly on the tip of his tongue, but he shook his head and walked toward the door.
“If you need anything…” He motioned to a painting on the wall, one that depicted a kind of landscape Celine had never seen — green and vibrant. He tapped one corner of the painting and the image disappeared, leaving in its place a menu. “Food here, if you need something for the room, here, umm…” He scrolled through the options on the touch screen and looked over his shoulder at her, his eyes lingering long enough to make her feel like a specimen on display. “You might want new clothes, that’s here.”
Celine nodded. She didn’t catch everything he said, but figured she could manage to work the simple interface, even without her special arm.
“Okay,” he said, tapping the screen again so that the green picture was back. “I guess that’s everything. I’ll… see you tomorrow?”
She nodded again as he made his way toward the door. She didn’t trust herself to say anything more. Not with the way he made her tongue feel tied in knots and turned her brain into mush. Non-verbal communication was probably best until she could get her head screwed on right.
“Pleasant dreams,” he said, with one foot out of the door. He closed it after her answering nod and Celine let out a heavy breath, collapsing on the bed behind her.
The relaxing silence was short-lived because Rufus wasted no time extracting himself from her outwear. He perched on the windowsill and glared at her, eyes flashing red.
“You’ve gone and done it now, haven’t you?” he said. “Are you happy now? You’re in their city,” he hissed, rocking back and forth. “Don’t you know how dangerous this is? If they found out what you are… Where you’re from…”
Celine threw her arms out over the silky bedcovers, making a blanket angel with her sweeping movements. She tried to tune Rufus out and enjoy the luxury around her.
“Yeah, it definitely seems really dangerous here,” Celine teased, burying her head in a fluffy pillow.
Rufus shuddered, vibrating in anger and frustration as he let out a string of angry beeps.
“I’m serious! We don’t know anything about them. Your father is probably worried sick about you!”
At mention of her father, Celine rolled her eyes. “Let him worry.” She nuzzled into the mountain of pillows, inhaling the fresh laundered scent of them. Not at all musty and forgotten like the Wastelands.
They didn’t have anything this nice in the tunnels. How could a society with such plush beds be evil?
“You’re courting danger,” Rufus said with another shudder, this time without the anger. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. Who would perform my routine maintenance?”
Celine sighed and propped herself up on her elbow to look at the little robot. “I’m going to be alright, Ru. Nothing bad is going to happen, okay? Just have a little faith.”
Rufus whined. “But it’s dangerous,” he said again.
Celine snorted a laugh. “Yeah, you’ve said that once or a dozen times.”
Rufus’s angry vibration picked up again and he made his way to the bed, getting nose-to-nose with Celine. She blinked, but didn’t move back.
“Well it bears repeating. You’re not nearly as concerned about it as you should be! This isn’t just fun and games. They could…”
Celine frowned and scooped Rufus in toward her, giving him a reassuring pat. “I know you’re worried. It’s sweet, but I promise I’ll be okay. If things start to look dicey, I’ll make a break for it, okay?”
Rufus shuddered, but seemed to accept her proposal.
“Now, I need to recharge my batteries and you shouldn’t stay up all night draining yours, right?”
Rufus gave her one last pitiful look before he settled on the table by her bed and powered down for a rest.
Seeming to sense her desire to do the same, the lights in the room dimmed, leaving only the twinkling lights of the city beyond her window. She didn’t think she’d ever be able to manage it with the buzzing excitement zipping through her veins, but eventually, she found a way to sleep.
The next morning, it was Celine’s grumbling stomach that roused her from her sleep. She yawned and stretched, her eyes struggling to adjust to the bright light streaming in through the window.
In the Wastelands, ambient light carried through the clouds, giving no real difference between day and night. The city was different. Everything was brighter than she remembered. Still hazy and orange if she looked toward the sky, but the force field seemed to let in way more light than the clouds did.
She padded over to the painting on the wall, briefly considering bathing before she remembered Ben’s suggestion about new clothes and was put off the whole idea. She tapped the corner, trying to remember where the food menu was, when a message popped up, taking over the screen.
Pending Order. Confirm?
Celine frowned. Pending order? Of what? Her finger hovered over the button for a moment until another message popped up on the screen.
Hope you don’t mind, I ordered breakfast and the whole treatment for you. Whenever you wake up, just hit confirm. — B
Celine’s stomach grumbled again and her hand moved to cover it, silently trying to calm her gnawing hunger. She cleared away Ben’s message and hit confirm, bolstered by the promise of breakfast.
Then she thought through his message again. What was ‘the whole treatment’?
While she was busy pondering that, there was a knock on the door. Her eyebrows narrowed and Celine tip-toed over, wondering who was on the other side. And if they could be trusted.
She pulled the door open and was nearly run over by an entire entourage.
“Breakfast, ma’am,” a man in all black
said, as three carts laden with platters of food rolled in behind him.
Celine gaped. “For… how many people?”
The man in black cocked a brow. “For, you, ma’am. Per your order.”
The trio of men that wheeled in the food were busy unveiling one aromatic dish after another, but Celine didn’t have a chance to focus on that, because another group bustled into her room. This time a group of older women, all with crisp navy and red dresses.
“Wardrobe,” the one that seemed to be in charge said, waving forward the others. Each of the navy dress women had a rack of clothing to offer in a wide array of styles and colors.
With a line of servers on one side of her room, offering a buffet of food, and a line of seamstresses on the other, offering enough clothes for half the city, Celine didn’t know where to look. She was completely overwhelmed by it all. How had they all gotten there so quickly? It wasn’t even a minute since she pressed the confirm button. Had they just been waiting in the hallway for her to wake up?
And just when she thought she couldn’t take any more, another person appeared in the doorway, short and thin, almost childlike in size, though her face was that of an adult woman, maybe a little older than Celine herself. The newcomer gave a curt nod to the men who’d brought food and then to the ladies that brought clothes.
“That’ll be all,” she said, dismissing them all.
Celine gaped after the army of people as they filtered out one-by-one. The tiny woman gave her a thin smile.
“He means well, you know.”
Celine stammered. “I’m sorry?”
“Prince Bennett? He means well. I’m sure he just wanted you to have anything you could dream of, but this is all…”
Celine let free a sigh she didn’t know was locked in her chest. “Too much.”
The woman nodded. “I’m Aris. Think of me as your personal assistant. If you need anything during your stay, just let me know.”
“Celine,” she said, introducing herself, still with one eye on the food. “But I’m not sure I’ll be here very long, I—”
Aris’s happy expression faded. “Yes, the Prince told me you’d likely be headed home soon. This Grounding is tricky business though, I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you. Nonetheless, I’m at your disposal until you do leave.”
Celine wandered over to one of the food carts and started tasting the foreign dishes with her fingertip. There was a citrusy spicy dish that smelled incredible that she decided she wanted a full helping of later. She kept tasting.
Aris cleared her throat. “You may not want to eat too much. The King has invited you to lunch this afternoon and it would appear rude to arrive without an appetite.”
Celine froze with her finger in her mouth, a sweet sticky substance on her tongue. She swallowed, cleaning her finger as she did and let her hand fall to her side, somewhat embarrassed by the way she’d lunged at the food. She had a lot to learn about the city and its customs. She didn’t want to be rude, especially not without knowing what it was that was rude.
“Thanks,” she said.
Aris nodded. “Would you like some help with the clothes?”
Celine was suddenly very aware of the wrinkled and stained garment she’d arrived with, trudged through the desert with, and then slept in. Everyone she’d encountered in the city was clean, starched and pressed. They all wore impeccable uniforms and there she was in a flowy curtain that looked like it hadn’t been washed… ever.
“Yes, please.”
Hours later, after Aris coached her on the fussy shower controls and laid out an outfit for her, Celine admired her reflection. Aris helped wrangle her waterfall of hair into a sleek and tidy ponytail, high atop her head, and she picked out a flattering dress the color of blush that was unlike anything Celine had ever worn.
Most of her attire was loose and breezy, but the dress Aris picked was nothing like that. It hugged Celine’s body, all smooth lines and crisp fabric. Her arms were bare, though there was enough fabric at the shoulders to completely cover the scar Scorpia gave her the day before.
It still amazed her how her arm felt like it had always been there. A few times that day she’d almost forgotten what it was like to have her old arm. But then the new one would do something wrong, making her miss the old one. Once she picked up a glass and held it so tight that it shattered, ruining the dress she was trying on. She felt guilty about the mess, but Aris just laughed and called someone in light blue to clean it up.
Still, Celine didn’t think she’d be getting quite the same treatment if it weren’t for her new arm and she had to admit she liked it. Rufus, on the other hand, did not.
“Don’t gooooo,” he whined as she twirled in the mirror. The skirt flared out from her hips just enough to give some movement and Celine beamed.
“Why shouldn’t I? What could possibly happen at lunch? Don’t you think if they wanted to execute me or something they’d have done it by now?”
Rufus whined. “But it’s the King. What does he want with you?”
Celine frowned. She’d wondered the same thing since Aris informed her of the luncheon. It sounded to her like the King had more than enough on his plate without wasting his time with some strange girl that appeared outside the wall.
Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “He’s Ben’s dad, and Ben’s been really welcoming, so why wouldn’t the King?”
She wondered who she was really trying to convince.
“Ben, Ben, Ben, listen to yourself!”
Celine rolled her eyes and patted Rufus as she often did. “I know you’re trying to look out for me, but it’s getting old. I’m doing this. Stay here and try not to blow a fuse until I come back, okay?”
Rufus beeped and grumbled at her the whole way out the door. Celine just smirked and shook her head as she left the room. He was nothing but a scaredy bot. Sometimes she considered fiddling with his caution programming, but Rufus was Rufus and changing him just wouldn’t be right.
Aris waited for her in the hallway and gave her a once-over before offering a curt nod and the tiniest satisfactory smile.
“Any pointers?” Celine asked, her stomach fluttery and nervous. “I’ve never had lunch with a king before.”
Aris giggled, taking Celine by the hand. Her first instinct was to pull away, not trusting her new arm, but Aris didn’t seem to notice.
“Well, first off, it’s not just the King who will be in attendance. There will be a few of his trusted advisors and some other high-ranking dignitaries. My biggest piece of advice? Be quiet and look pretty. If someone asks you a question, answer it as simply as possible. Things are already tense enough and they’re going to be eyeing you with an extra layer of scrutiny. Don’t give them anything to worry about.”
Though Aris seemed perfectly content with her little pep talk, Celine felt more worried than ever. Scrutiny? What kind of scrutiny?
Maybe Rufus wasn’t just a scaredy bot…
“Keep your hands visible at all times, it’s a sign of trustworthiness. Other than that… Well, I’m sure you’ll be fine. Just look at you!” Aris stopped in front of a grand doorway and gave Celine a push forward.
Celine nearly tumbled into the dining hall. A table long enough to seat over a hundred people stretched from one end of the cavernous room to the other. Like her bedroom, one wall was completely made up of floor-to-ceiling windows, letting in a wash of warm orange light.
Down at the far end of the table, so far she had to squint to make out any discernable features, Celine spotted Ben and half a dozen other men all in different colors of the same crisp starched jumpsuit uniform.
“Celine! Join us,” Ben called, drawing attention to the both of them. Celine was sure now would be a good time to find a hole to crawl into.
She didn’t like the way the older men looked at her, eyes narrowed and suspicious. Then as she grew closer, they didn’t look suspicious anymore, only curious. Interested in a
way that was unwelcome from anyone other than the Prince.
“I’m sorry, am I late?” she asked, taking the seat offered by one of the servants in all black. To her left, there was a white-haired man that paid her little attention, to her right, a long row of empty chairs. And directly across from Celine, was Ben, watching her with an unidentifiable twinkle in his eyes.
“Not at all,” he said, quiet enough she knew it was only meant for her ears.
The King kept one eye trained on his son and another on the newcomer.
“Bennett, you should introduce your guest,” he said.
Ben sent a look down the table toward his father that made Celine very grateful she wasn’t the recipient of it. There was something between those two, something tense and unspoken. She wasn’t the only one that noticed.
The other men around the table let their conversations fall silent, some shifting in their seat uncomfortably at the encounter between father and son.
Ben cleared his throat. “This is Celine…” he trailed off and looked at her, seeming to realize he didn’t have anything else to say.
“Velmann,” she offered. “My father is an engineer.” It was close enough to the truth that they would probably buy it. She hoped.
Ben nodded.
“Where are you from, Ms. Velmann? I heard you were discovered outside the wall,” a man to the King’s left said, beady eyes drilling holes into her story from down the table.
Celine reached for her glass of water, taking a long drink before she answered. She used the time to try to come up with something quick.
“Her ship seems to have veered off-course,” Ben said, saving her before she could dig herself any deeper. “Though most of her memories revolving around the incident have disappeared.”
It was Celine’s turn to nod, and she remembered Aris’s advice to say as little as possible.
“How unfortunate,” the man said, not sounding sympathetic in the least. “It’s a wonder our boys in grey didn’t shoot you out of the sky.”
Celine’s eyes went wide and she sputtered water the moment it touched her lips. Shoot her out of the sky?
“Might be a while before you’re able to go home,” the dark-skinned man to his right said. “The Grounding won’t make exceptions.”
