by Erica Rue
“Hello, Lithia,” the girl said cheerfully.
“How do you know my name?”
“Evy told me.”
“So you must be Cora, then,” Lithia said. Evy had said she looked like her cousin Cora, and she… well, the resemblance was certainly there. Lithia hoped she didn’t look as starry-eyed as this girl, though.
“Yes! I’m here to get you ready for dinner.”
“Dinner?”
“My father wants to meet you.”
“Your father?”
“Regnator Michael Bram,” she said, standing up a little straighter.
“And why does he want to meet me?”
“He didn’t say. I’m supposed to get you cleaned up and find you something to wear.”
For about ten seconds, Lithia thought she’d be able to ditch this girl and escape, but waiting right outside the detention center were two guards who followed after them. Cora took Lithia to a large cylindrical building that looked much like the Forest Base. This must be another research facility. The base, along with the city, was protected by high cliff walls, towering above in the north and east. To the south was the forest, the path by which she had come, and to the west were farms cascading down the steep hills in tiers. In the distance, she could see the moving dots that were men, animals, and machinery. In the town itself, it looked like some sort of preparations were underway.
“What’s going on?” Lithia asked, pointing to a group of people assembling what looked to be a stage in the main square.
“The Matching! It’s in a few days. It’s when you discover who the Farmer intends for you to match with. It’s a great honor to be chosen.”
The Matching. It’s when women were handed out to the men like candy. Delightful.
“How do you feel about the Matching?” Lithia asked.
Cora blushed. “I’m excited. This year I will be matched for the first time. And I’m certain that it will be to my friend Will.”
“Wait. The first time?”
“Yes, some people are lucky enough that the Farmer chooses multiple matches. My father thinks that in the future, I will be selected for a second match.”
Lithia wasn’t especially romantic—that was Dione’s job—but this sounded a bit troubling even to her sensibilities.
“What do you mean a second match?”
“People with superior genetics are often matched more than once, to ensure their genes will survive. As the Farmer’s granddaughter, my genes are superior.”
Great. Another chapter in the saga of genetic superiority.
“Do you want a second match?”
The girl looked serious. “If selected, it will be my responsibility. We don’t know when the Farmer will return, and it’s our responsibility to preserve genetic diversity until he comes back.”
Lithia detected a hint of hesitation there. Cora didn’t want a second match, probably because of this Will guy. She didn’t know what the Farmer’s return had to do with any of it, but she didn’t ask. It probably had something to do with the ridiculous belief that the Farmer was a god. “So I take it you want kids?”
Cora looked at her like she was the crazy one after that comment. “Of course I want children. It’s also my responsibility as the future Regnator to produce a strong dynasty.”
“You said it was an honor to be chosen. Isn’t everyone matched?”
“Most are, yes, but some who carry too many dangerous genes are forbidden.”
“And what if they want kids?”
“They can take an active role in teaching and childcare. My favorite teacher was not permitted a match, and she has been like a mother to me.”
For that poor teacher’s sake, Lithia hoped that those who didn’t match at least could have… liasons, but based on her short encounter with Aratian culture, it didn’t seem likely.
The detention center was not far from the base, and soon Cora was leading Lithia up several flights of stairs to what must have been Cora’s room. The apartment was similar to the one she had seen in the Forest Base, but this one was larger, probably originally intended for some project manager back when this place was used for terraforming research. It was also immaculate and smelled wonderful, like citrus and lavender.
While Lithia was washed and perfumed, her thoughts of escape were quashed by the guard she knew stood outside the door. The windows also did not open, though she was too high up for that to be a viable exit anyway. Apparently, she was going to dinner. When Cora presented her with an outfit, Lithia was only mildly irritated. She had expected layers of puffy skirts, but instead was given dark green harem pants and a loose white blouse. The clothes were too baggy for her taste, but at least she’d be able to move around easily. When Cora, dressed in an orange and tan version of the same outfit, stood next to her in the mirror, the similarities were undeniable. Cora seemed to notice it, too.
“Where are you from?” she asked.
“Far away.”
That answer seemed to reassure her. A commotion in the hallway drew their attention.
“I don’t want to go to dinner!” a voice screamed. Lithia recognized that voice. Evy. “I’m not hungry.”
Cora opened the door to reveal Evy, covered in mud, squirming against one of her attendants. After being home for less than a day, she had already escaped again. Lithia grinned. She loved this girl.
Evy’s eyes went wide and she stopped struggling when she saw Lithia. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I wasn’t going to tell the trackers were you were. I just wanted to go home.”
Lithia shrugged it off. “It wasn’t your fault. You coming to dinner?”
“Are you?”
“It’s starting to look that way,” she said, glancing toward the guard.
Evy thought for a moment. “Then I guess I’ll come, too.”
The attendant gave a relieved smile when Evy walked herself into another room down the hall.
Cora looked annoyed. “That’s Evy for you. I never ran off into the woods when I was her age.”
Lithia bit back her retort. For some reason, Cora seemed friendly toward her, and she imagined that having the Regnator’s daughter as an ally could be helpful.
***
This is going to be a long dinner. Based on the number of utensils, she guessed there would be more than one course. Two men were already seated at the long table. The one on the right she recognized as the man who had refused to speak to her when he took a blood sample. Next to him was a dark-skinned woman she assumed was Evy’s mother. On her left was an empty seat. At the head of the table sat the man who was clearly in charge.
“That’s my father,” Cora whispered.
The Regnator had light brown hair and blue eyes, but more wrinkles than she would have expected on his sun-tanned skin. Lithia looked hard for the family resemblance, but she saw very little of him in Cora. On his left side were two seats. Cora sat next to her father and directed Lithia into the other seat. Lithia stared at the empty chair across from her, wondering if Evy was coming after all.
“Welcome, Lithia,” the Regnator intoned. “My name is Michael Bram. This is my brother Benjamin, the First Geneticist, and his wife, Amelia. You already met my daughter, and my niece, who has been delayed.” Amelia frowned at those last words.
Lithia just stared. Was she supposed to say hello? The stakes were too high to be herself. She had to put on her polite veneer, the one usually reserved for her parents’ dinner parties. Don’t use their first names to their face, she reminded herself. Adults hated that for some reason.
“Thank you for the invitation to dinner, Regnator,” she said.
Just as the amuse-bouche, some type of fried dough in a green sauce, was being served, there was a racket in the hallway. Benjamin closed his eyes for a long moment and sighed. Then the screaming started. It was exactly the sort of scream someone might make when the world was ending, or if you tried to dress a child in stripes when they wanted to wear polka dots. Sounds like Evy decided she wasn’t hungry aft
er all.
An exasperated woman dragged Evy into the room. Lithia looked around at her dinner companions and found that she was the only one smiling.
“Evelyn, sit down,” Michael said. There was no anger in his voice, but its authority ended the struggle and Evy took her seat. She glared at him.
He wasn’t finished with her. “You need to learn restraint, child. A whole party of trackers was sent to find you yesterday.”
Evy frowned at her uncle. “I told you I didn’t mean to. I was trying to catch a Cela beetle and it kept flying away. Then Titus got scared and ran off.”
“Evy, the time for chasing after bugs has come to an end. You need to attend to your lessons.”
Evy pretended not to hear him and stuffed an entire dough ball into her mouth at once. The sauce dribbled down her chin. Lithia bit back a smile. You go, girl. Michael gave his brother a look, and he nodded. Evy was going to hear about this later, but apparently the dinner table was not the place to escalate a fight with a ten-year-old.
The first course was some sort of roasted Brussels sprouts, still on the stalk, arranged to stand like a whimsical tree. The plate was garnished with brilliant pink orchids. She looked at the generous display of silverware, picked a knife and fork at random, and looked up, hoping for some clue about how to eat it, when she realized they were all staring at her. She put down the utensils and waited. She had missed something. Well, if they locked her back in that room, it probably wouldn’t be because she had bad table manners. Probably.
Michael picked up his utensils and took the first bite. After that, the others followed. Lithia watched them all before making an attempt. She tried to gingerly lay the green trunk on its side, but her grip with the utensils slipped and it fell with a quiet thunk. Lithia didn’t look up to see their reactions. She proceeded to saw off a green bulb and put it in her mouth. She chewed. She swallowed. She smiled.
It was disgusting. It was not a Brussels sprout. Its soapy bitterness stuck to her tongue, but when the others continued eating, she knew she’d have to choke down a few more.
She ate slowly, and stopped eating when Cora did. She seemed like a better model to follow than Evy, who had abandoned her utensils. Her mother hissed quietly at her to use her fork, but with little success.
As they waited for the next course, Lithia braced herself for the interrogation, but it never came. She ate a tasty game bird complemented with a dark purple tuber in peace. The men discussed what sounded like harvest numbers. It was dry, boring talk. Evy thought it was boring, too, and began to fidget in her chair. Benjamin and his wife exchanged one look, which communicated everything, and Amelia left with Evy, who seemed happy to go, even without dessert.
Cora got to stay for dessert, a crisp white fruit in a lavender honey sauce, but her father dismissed her with a nod once she finished. Lithia was alone with the Regnator and his brother, and she was afraid.
“Lithia,” Michael began, “I would like to know who—or what—you are, and how you did it.”
“Did what?”
“Fooled our DNA test. Altered your appearance.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Tell us how it is that you share such a resemblance and so many genetic markers with my late mother-in-law.”
“Your late mother-in-law?” she said. Even as she asked the question, she knew what was coming. She needed him to say it.
“Miranda Min.”
There was no more denying it. She had never imagined that this planet would be the one or she never would have come here. There were so many other habitable worlds in the appropriate range that Zane found when she gave him access to the Alliance systems. This one had been marked uninhabited. There was no way this could have been the planet. But here she was, confronted with a truth she was not ready to face. Miranda Min had lived here, and died here, too, and Lithia would never get the chance to confront her.
“When did she die?” Lithia asked. She had always known that finding Miranda alive was unlikely, but she was convinced she would beat the odds. Apparently, Lithia had been mistaken.
He seemed confused by her question. “A long time ago. Tell us your trick.”
“It’s no trick. I’m Miranda’s granddaughter.”
“That’s not possible,” Michael said.
“Why not?”
“Clara, my late wife, was her only child, and you are not my daughter. If you tell me how you did it, I’ll let you go.”
This man was an idiot. Lithia thought the best way to explain it was to ask questions, until his answers led him to the truth. This was how Dione usually convinced her of something.
“I’ll answer your questions, but I hope you can answer a few of mine first. It will help me answer.” Don’t be yourself, be diplomatic. Smile.
He raised an eyebrow. “All right.”
“How did you come to this planet?” Lithia said.
“I was born here,” he replied.
“I mean, how did your parents come here?”
“They were created by the Farmer, then brought here. He created this paradise.”
“Why were they created somewhere else?”
“Because the Farmer needs special tools that we don’t have here to create human life.”
For a few moments Lithia wondered in horror if somehow the Farmer had actually created humans, but then she remembered that Miranda had been recruited, and guessed that all the other colonists had, too.
“How did he create you?”
“I don’t know. Do you remember your creation?” Michael asked.
“No,” Lithia said.
“Neither did my parents.”
Lithia suppressed a snort. She had kept it together this far. She decided not to press the how.
“Why?”
“The Farmer made us strong because we are his seeds. He created the forests and gardens of Kepos for us before he ever knew us,” he said. “I assume you are getting close to your point.”
These people thought they were the chosen ones. That was going to be a tough belief to challenge.
“Are your tests often wrong?” Lithia asked.
“Until today, they have been correct.”
“Then what is the likelihood that they are wrong now?” Lithia said.
“The results are impossible, so you must have done something to tamper with the test.” This track wasn’t going to get far.
“I was locked up.”
“We have never seen a demon like you before, one that could take on human appearance.”
“You think I’m…?” They thought she was a demon. The idea scared her. Shit. Would they actually kill me?
Benjamin interrupted her thoughts. “Then explain to us how you have Miranda’s DNA. We tested you because of your resemblance to Miranda and my niece.”
These people were absolutely not ready for the truth, but she was ready to tell it anyway. “Miranda was my grandmother. She had another child before Clara. A son. My father. She left her family to come here.”
Michael stared at her a moment, then laughed. “Miranda Min was the Farmer’s wife. Her only life was here.”
“Test my DNA again. He taught you those tests, right? They cannot be faked.”
“He gave clear warnings. Only demons fall from the sky. You are not to be trusted.”
“We have no records of the demons being shapeshifters,” Benjamin said. “Do you think the Architect could have taken Miranda’s DNA before she…”
“No,” his brother said firmly.
“What if the Farmer himself created her?” Benjamin posited. “Perhaps he is planning his return?”
Michael stood and peered down at Lithia. She glared back in a mixture of fear and anger.
“She is no harbinger. Have her taken back to her cell.”
“Don’t you want to know where I got the Flyer?” Lithia asked.
Her captor stiffened. “The Ficarans will stoop however low they must, and working with demons is not below them.”
Lithia didn’t expect them to believe her, but all she had to do was sow a little doubt and coax as much information as possible from them.
“The Farmer promised he would return with others, people who would make our gene pool even stronger. He left me with specific instructions about what to do if any demons should find us in his absence. Benjamin will run more tests tomorrow. We will discover whatever it is you’re hiding.” The man’s voice was cold as the void.
***
Lithia found herself back in her secure room. For once, it was the truth, and not her truth-bending, that had gotten her into trouble. She didn’t think they would accept her story, and she was afraid of how far they would go to hear her tell the lie.
She had known from the moment she saw Cora, but it was just now sinking in. All those years ago, Miranda, her grandmother, had left Grandpa Min, hopped on a colonizer, and found a new home. The only problem was that her colonizer didn’t stay at its registered location. It dropped off a few people, then continued on, leaving no hint of a flight plan. Based on its supplies, speed, and other factors, Lithia had come up with an unfortunately large range, but this planet was on the outskirts of even that. She had hoped to use the Alliance data to narrow it down, but clearly that hadn’t worked. She had ruled this planet out, only to find it hiding the biggest shame of her family: Miranda Min’s legacy.
She had no idea what horrors tomorrow would hold, but she doubted it would be all harmless blood tests. She wished she could call Dione. She’d know what to say. She’d have an idea for how to get out of this. Lithia didn’t think she’d be able to sleep, but Dione told her once that the brain worked out problems while you were sleeping, so when she was stuck on something, she took a day, got a good night’s sleep, and came back to the problem in the morning. Lithia just hoped one night was enough for her brain to work this mess out.
