by Paris Singer
“Sure,” I replied.
“Were you upset when you thought One kissed me?”
My head suddenly felt very hot. “W-what?” I stuttered.
“It’s just…You seemed upset.”
I turned my head slightly, almost not daring to look at her. To my surprise, Iris looked straight down, ahead of her, a reddish hue coloring her glistening, multicolor face through her long, light-blue hair. Losing any nerve I may have had, I replied a little louder than I would have liked, “Oh no, I wasn’t upset. I was just surprised he’d take his mask off, that’s all!”
Still looking down ahead of her, Iris simply said, “Okay.”
For the rest of the way, I tried to make breezy conversation, but she only replied with quiet “mhs.” Finally, we reached my halls. A three-story, rectangular block with molded edges of white and vertical orange lines. In front of my door, I turned to Iris, who still seemed lost in her mind.
“Are we still on for later, then?” I asked.
“Hmm? Oh, of course we are, numb brain!” she replied, forcing a huge smile. Before I could say anything else, though, Iris said, “Okay, I’ll see you there!” She trundled off down the path again toward her own halls, which were a few blocks away from mine.
I turned toward the door, feeling as though I’d said something stupid and placed my hand vertically parallel to the pad on the wall. After the reader had identified who I was, the white and orange door slid open with a fluid swoosh, and I walked into my living quarters.
Inside looked exactly as I’d left it that morning. The large window above my bed was still on tint mode, making my surroundings rather dark.
“Welcome back, Seven,” greeted the quarter’s automated voice assistant or AVA for short.
“Hey, Ava,” I replied. “How are you today?”
“I am well, Seven, thank you. How are you?” Her voice was soft and graceful.
“Yeah, I’m okay. I think I just upset Iris, though,” I told her, navigating through the piles of clothes, books, game cases, and wrappers strewn across the floor.
“As always, you have a way with words, Seven,” she replied. Ava, unlike any other assistant I’d ever come across, seemed to have her own very distinct personality. And she had a particular liking for sarcasm and irony.
“Yeah, yeah, but she acted a little weird, though. She was being all quiet.”
“When in doubt, assume it is your fault, Seven.”
“Thanks, Ava, helpful as always,” I retorted, turning on my classic Hi-Fi system to a raw guitar blues playlist.
“You are welcome, Seven. Are you ever going to clean your quarters, Seven?”
“I’ve told you before. It’s your job to do it. You’re an assistant, remember?”
“I am not your slave, Seven. You are just lazy.”
There was an AVA in every living quarters within every hall. Their specific purpose, aside from maintaining living conditions so they were clean and tidy via operating various machinery hidden behind walls, was to adjust temperatures, answer calls, give messages, take out the trash, and everything else that made life easier for students.
Ava, however, only did some of those things. When she felt like it. Most of the time, however, she behaved more like a lazy student than anything. Ava, in fact, was the reason I tended to wake up late every morning. She, like every other AVA, was supposed to wake me up on time before the academic day began. She, however, preferred to sleep in herself, waking up long after I’d gone. When she did wake up, she liked spending her time channel hopping or playing video games.
After deciding to ignore Ava’s last comment, I turned the window to clear mode and then went into the small kitchen opposite my bedroom, which was also my living room. In comparison with it, the kitchen was relatively tidy. The small island in the middle of the room was almost clutter-free, with only a few random papers and cartons on it. An L-shaped counter ran the length of the back wall and half of the right.
I turned to my left and opened the long door to the clear chill cube. I saw before even opening it that I only had a few dagon and milow fruits left. After grabbing a couple of each, I walked to the Multi-Food Preparation System (or food-maker thing) and dropped them inside the wide opening above. I reached to my right, picked up the first cup I felt from the long shelf overhead and placed it inside the food maker. I closed the lid and pressed the liquidizing button. Less than a second later, I opened the lid again, picked up the cup and took a sip of my milkshake.
“You need to buy more food, Seven,” said Ava.
“Yes, I know.” I sighed. “It’s not like you can eat any of it, is it?”
“I like the way it looks, Seven. It is colorful. Buy more of it.”
“Yes. That and the fact you’re concerned for my well-being, right, Ava?”
After a slight pause, Ava replied, “Whatever you need to tell yourself, Seven.”
“I love you, too, Ava,” I replied, smiling.
“Do you want to play a game, Seven?”
“Let’s,” I answered, walking into my bedroom. “What do you feel like playing?”
“Same as last time, Seven?”
“Excellent idea, Ava.” I placed the cup on my desk and then sat on the chair in front of it.
Ava turned on the large display above it as I put on my gaming gloves. We played until the artificial sun outside began to dim.
I looked at the time and stopped the game. “Sorry, Ava. I have to get ready to go out.”
“You were losing anyway, Seven,” she lied.
After putting on some light brown combat shorts, a blue t-shirt and blue boots, I drifted over to the window. Outside, groups of students ambled, crawled, or hovered past as they headed into the town for the evening. All, except one. Directly across from my window stood a girl under a Cerasis tree. She appeared to be Simian (which surprised me as I thought I was the only one aboard), and looked slightly shorter than me. Her short, bobbed hair was as dark as a black hole. Her skin was ghostly white and she wore a short, red coat with black round buttons. Her knee-length skirt and shoes were also black. The most striking thing about her, though, was her big, dark-green eyes, which stared right into mine.
CHAPTER SIX
“WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT, Seven?” came Ava’s voice.
“There’s a girl outside. She’s staring at me,” I replied.
“Are you certain you are not the one who is staring, Seven?”
“I’m looking back at her. There’s a difference.”
After a short pause, Ava uttered, “Pervert.”
“Hey!” I exclaimed indignantly, turning briefly around as though I could face her. “I am not a pervert, Ava! She really is staring at me. Look!” I turned back to the window, pointing at where the girl had been standing, but she was gone.
“I do not see anyone, Seven.”
“There really was a girl there, I swear!”
“Okay, Seven. Okay.”
“Mmmgaaah!” Ava could really be frustrating sometimes. The worst thing was that she not only knew it but delighted in it.
“Are you not going to be late, Seven?”
Realizing Ava was actually right, I dashed across the room, turned off the Hi-Fi and light she’d earlier turned on and left my living quarters. I hurried up the path, which was now illuminated on both sides by round, white lights that dotted its length.
Students were still merrily trundling over to the town ahead, spilling over onto the dirt and grasses, which made them look like slowly moving barriers. Through forests of legs I crawled, over spiky heads I leapt and between gelatinous bodies I squeezed. I came closer and closer to the town, whose many lights shone like a beacon ahead.
The enormous oval dome above had now become transparent, revealing the astonishing splendour of space outside. The never-ending inky sea was dotted with sparkling stars while nebulae and supernovas, like blooming astral flowers, shone green, gold, and red all around.
Finally, I reached the town, whose bustling stre
ets were filled with the lively sounds and songs of the many who inhabited the Sky Drifter. The floor lights along every street shone up the sides of buildings, giving them an orange-yellow glow.
I managed to squeeze past the last of the crowd and then entered Shabli’s Shake Shop, which was packed, as always. Despite being one of the smallest places in town, it was the most popular, especially among students. It had the widest selection of ice creams and shakes anywhere, and they were all as delicious as the next. There wasn’t a flavor they didn’t have, nor a concoction they hadn’t tried. Everyone was crazy about them.
Mrs. Ursa was the only owner of the café now that her husband, Mr. Shabli, had passed away. I’d heard they’d tirelessly searched every inch of the universe to find the very best flavors.
I looked around for signs of Iris and Pi until, from the bustling sea of customers, a long, hairy arm rose, a yellowed claw wiggling back and forth.
I squeezed and bumped my way into the place, repeating, “Excuse me, sorry, excuse me,” every few steps. As I neared Pi’s hairy arm, I tripped on something scuttling by my feet and stumbled head-first onto a Quan’s sleek, dark-yellow back. It’s long, glistening neck reached high above with its narrow head pressed up horizontally against the ceiling. At once, the Quan slowly lowered its head and placed it inches from mine. It’s two big, round eyes looked unblinkingly at me as they rested on their long protrusions that extended from either side of its head.
“I’m really sorry. I think I tripped on something by my feet, and…” I began, sweat building on my brow. With a look of disinterest, the Quan silently raised its head to the ceiling again, and I took a deep breath of relief.
“Hi,” I said, wedging myself between a chair and the table.
“Saved your seat for you,” said Pi.
“Thanks,” I replied, noticing the begrudging looks from surrounding customers, who no doubt had tried to take it.
“What’re you having?” asked Pi before wrapping his black lips around his straw and taking a long sip from the fluorescent blue liquid he drank from a tall glass.
“Huh?” I replied, turning back to face him, “Oh, I don’t know. What is that?”
“No idea. Random choice,” he smiled, looking at the contents of his glass. “Nice, though.”
I looked at Iris, who seemed intently focused on her Equinox, and noticed she wore an off-the-shoulder pink top instead of the usual vest tops she liked to wear. I looked back at Pi, questioningly.
“Don’t look at me, dude. She’s been quiet ever since we got here. She hasn’t even touched her ice cream,” he said, pointing at the red and green cream inside a bowl in front of her. “So?” he persisted.
“So, what?” I asked.
“So, what’re you going to have?”
“Oh yeah, right,” I replied, touching the display on the table, making the menu flash up. After looking it over a while, I made my choice and pressed “select.” Moments later, a slot in the middle of the table swished open, and my order came up from beyond it.
Sitting up, Pi asked, “Oh, what’s that?”
“That, my friend, is a banana sundae. It is, however, not something you’d like. So hands off,” I warned as I slid it protectively toward me. Pi slouched back on his chair and huffed, looking around him.
I took a bite of the delicious dessert and then took out my Equinox from inside my side pocket. I turned it on before I started playing the same game Iris was.
Soon after, she glanced up, and said, “Oh, hi. How are you?”
Aware of my tendency to put my foot in my mouth, I opted on the side of caution and simply replied, “I’m okay, thanks. I like your top.”
“What do you mean?”
I looked up to see Iris glowering at me. I could almost have sworn dark clouds had begun amassing behind and above her.
“Nothing, just that it looks nice, that’s all—”
“I can wear nice things if I want to, you know.”
“I know, I—”
“And I can do so without having any ulterior motives, either. Understood?”
“Y-yes, of course,” I replied, smiling nervously and putting my hands up in front of my chest.
“Good,” said Iris, lowering her gaze back to her game.
I looked slowly round at Pi, who smiled and winked as he started eating a banana sundae.
“So,” began Iris in a much softer voice, “you like it, then?”
Resuming my last position and looking back at her, I started, “Wha—”
“My top.”
“Yes, it’s lovely,” I replied breathlessly with wide open eyes and a smile.
With a gentle grin, Iris lowered her gaze once again and said, “Good.”
Groaning deeply, Pi said, “Going to the little boy’s room. Be right back.” He scraped the chair back into some customers, who pretended not to notice. As he walked, a path cleared ahead of him, revealing the shop’s window and the street beyond.
I glanced over and saw the same girl with the red coat standing outside in the corner, her face half-covered in shadow. Before I could determine whether she looked at me, the path folded back in on itself as Pi reached the bathroom. I wondered whether she really could be following me, but came up with no reasons she, or anyone, would want to. So I decided to take another bite of my sundae and then went back to playing the game.
Two puddings and a wriggling milkshake later, we decided to go to our halls, especially as Iris wanted to get an early night so she could be up early the following day to get ready for the excursion to Brattea.
The conversation on the way mostly consisted of Pi’s new-found love of sundaes, and Iris’ explanation of just how cute the Bratteans really were. Once we reached my halls, Iris made plans to meet me the following morning earlier than I would have liked so we could get to the hangar on time.
After we said goodnight, and Iris and Pi had walked to their respective halls, I entered my quarters to the sounds of Ava singing along to the musical part of a film. I undressed and then lay on my bed with my stomach nicely full and thoughts of the long day ahead.
***
Next morning I awoke with a start. “Wh-What?”
“Good morning, Seven,” said Ava as smoothly as ever, playing a game on the large display above my desk, “Did I wake you?”
“Wh-What time is it?”
“It is 07:35, Seven. Why do you ask?”
With a sudden loss of breath, I instantly opened my eyes as wide as they could and bounded out of bed in search of clothes. The expedition vessel left at eight, sharp.
“Ava! You were supposed to wake me an hour ago!”
“I am sorry, Seven. I was distracted by the banging on the door.”
“What bang—Iris.” A new fear seized me as I desperately threw on any clothes I could find, put my boots on and dashed out of my quarters.
I reached the academy gates and ran through to the main entrance and then down the long hall adjacent to it, stopping at the very end where the elevators to the hangar were. With urgency I pressed the small blue pad on the wall, hoping the expedition vessel hadn’t left and that Iris would spare my life. I’d looked up at the clock tower as I’d run past moments earlier, and it’d indicated I had four minutes to get there.
“Come on, come on, come on,” I repeated, jerking my body up and down with impatience. Finally, the door swooshed open, and I dove quickly inside the spacious cabin, pressing the lower of the two pads on the wall to my right. Moments later, the door re-opened onto the vast hangar beyond.
Sterile, dark gray steel walls encased the busy space. All around, engineers and crew were busily working at their consoles or making repairs to various service ships and machinery. To my right, the five expedition vessels were lined up next to each other along the wall. They were white and blue to represent the academy’s colors, and were rectangular, but for the slope at the front, which ended in a smooth curve toward the bottom. The only entrance to each was half-way up the side, and only acce
ssible by a ramp, which folded downward from its vertical position over the door.
Stepping off the elevator, I turned to see students walking onto the platform and into the ship as Mr. Sylva, who stood inside his cylindrical mobile earth unit, ticked them off from his list of attendance.
Waiting next to the vessel was Iris, looking angrily at me with her arms crossed in front of her. I jogged toward her.
“I am so sorry, Iris,” I began. “Ava was supposed to—”
“I waited ten minutes out there for you, Seven. I banged on your door so much I looked crazy!”
“I know, I’m sorry. Ava—”
“Yes, I know. She was supposed to wake you up. Why do you still rely on her to do that? Has she ever woken you up on time? Honestly, if it wasn’t for me, you’d never get to the academy.”
“I know, you’re right, I—”
“And why are you dressed like that?”
I looked down at myself and noticed for the first time that I’d put on an old, holey practice vest, dirty gray sweat pants and my blue boots. Feeling my cheeks redden, I replied embarrassingly, “Well, I didn’t have time, so…”
“You students there, do you wish to come or would you prefer to stay here, chatting the whole day?” came the teacher’s voice, accompanied by the whirring from his mobile unit as it turned to face us.
“Sorry, Mr. Sylva,” replied Iris, beaming. “We’re coming.” Just before walking toward the platform, she turned her head and threw icy daggers at my eyes with her own. Feeling oddly tired already, I followed her up the ramp and into the vessel.
Inside, five rows of seats, each accommodating four students, faced the front where two pilots sat behind a glass screen. The interior looked much as the exterior did with the walls colored in white and blue, though the floor was a light metallic gray. There were four long, vertical rectangular windows on either side to allow for excellent views outside, which was something I always looked forward to.
Iris sat in the front row at the far end, so I had to sit in the only seat left, which was in one of the middle seats of the third row between a skeletal Clava and a short, furry Ewi.
