The sleek silver shuttle landed on the ledge, near the statue I’d partially uncovered. The shuttle seated six, but the stone creature dwarfed it. Dominic left the shuttle to stand in front of the statue, and I jogged over to meet him.
“Isn’t it amazing? When Birch first spotted them, he thought they were enormous boulders, but look—” I stretched out my hand to indicate the formation several yards away. “That’s another one!”
Dom shook his head in wonder while I grinned like a maniac.
“This is truly remarkable.” He looked at me, his gray and silver eyes as unreadable as any Servant’s. “Have you shown this to anyone? Do the Prem’yera know?”
I felt Birch walk up behind me as I shook my head. “No. Birch and I were just exploring.” Pressure built in my chest—I didn’t want to get Birch in trouble, and I didn’t want the Kshatriya or Brahmin to come in and take over. Now that I’d been here, I wanted to be the one to discover the mysteries of this place. Well, me, Birch, and Finn. “Do we have to tell them just yet? I’d really like to show Finn first. He hasn’t seen anything firsthand yet.”
“Well, I already discovered it,” Birch said in a mulish tone.
I threw my arm around his waist and hugged him roughly to me before letting go. “I know. And the discovery’s totally yours. I bet we can have it named after you—if we can figure out what it is.” There was something important here. So much more to discover; I felt it in my gut. “But it would be cool to show it to Finn before it gets overrun by scientists and stuff, ya know?”
I looked between Birch and Dom, hoping they’d agree.
Dom shrugged, which he did really well, considering he wasn’t human. “I do not see why you could not wait a day or two to report it, Birch.”
Birch scowled but nodded. “Thanks. Will I, um,”—he glanced between me and Dom—”be able to report it? Or will Wylie or Finn get to since they’re . . . you know.”
“You discovered it, correct?” Dom asked.
Birch nodded.
“Then it is yours, of course.”
I beamed when Birch’s shoulders noticeably relaxed.
“Okay!” I punched Birch’s shoulder lightly. “I’ve gotta go. Do you want a lift back to town?” I gestured at the shuttle.
Birch shook his head, his gaze following Dom as the Servant picked up my light bike and put it in the shuttle’s small cargo hold. “I’ll ride back on my own.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You’re going to explore more, aren’t you?”
He grinned and gave me a look that was part innocence, part mischief. “Never.” He placed a hand over his heart.
I glared at him for a second before capitulating. Birch would do what Birch wanted to do. “Well,” I hedged, “just comm me the second you find anything interesting.” I started walking backward to the shuttle. “Promise?”
Birch rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I promise. Now go. Wine and dine, whatever you Dharma do. I’ll just be here discovering the mysteries of this new world.”
“You’re awful!” I called.
“You’re awfuller!” he called back.
With one last grin and a wave, I ducked into the shuttle, and the door slid closed. Dom got in, and we lifted slowly into the air. I watched Birch watching us until the shuttle shot forward and away.
“He seems like a great friend,” Dom said.
I smiled wistfully. “He is.”
An awkward silence fell between us as Dom directed the shuttle, and I watched the scenery outside. Today had been a revelation, from the state of the colony to the strange new illness to Birch’s ledge. Birch’s caverns? Birch’s statues? I wondered what we’d name it. We’d have to figure out what they were—if they had any purpose at all—beforehand, though.
“Finn’s a little jealous, but I wish he wouldn’t be,” I said into the silence that fell between us. “I mean, he should totally be jealous of the exploring!” I laughed, and Dom’s smile reflected at me in the glass. “But he should never be jealous of Birch.” I paused, hoping Dom would volunteer some information about Finn, but he didn’t.
We reached the tower, and while Dom set the shuttle down, he didn’t immediately open the door. “You must never doubt his love for you,” he whispered. “Because it is true and constant.”
I met his strange silver-sparking eyes, searching them as if I could read into them, but they gave nothing away. With a small smile, I nodded. “Thanks.”
He nodded in return, as if that was all there was to say on the matter, and triggered the door release.
I trusted Finn, and I couldn’t imagine Dom lying to me about his feelings. I’d just have to try not to imagine trouble where there was none.
Dom got out, and I did too. He seemed disappointed I hadn’t waited for him to help me out, but it was impossible to change all the things in one fell swoop. Every day, my alone time shrank, and every day, I felt like I became less my own person and more theirs. Not the people’s—I’d be willing to give everything to help citizens like Willow and Fallon—but Missy, the Kshatriya, and the things that made up our ruling class. We weren’t even married yet, and I had to dress a certain way, act a certain way, be a certain way.
All ways that weren’t me.
I wished things could be easy with Missy, but maybe I just needed to give her more time. And give myself that grace too.
I took a deep breath as the door opened onto my floor. “Bye, Dominic.” I gave a small wave and stepped into the hallway.
Dom bowed low then the door closed, and I was alone.
I expected Missy to accost me the second I appeared, chastising me, demanding answers, and bombarding me with should.
You should dress like a lady.
You shouldn’t be spending so much time with that boy.
You should honor the Prem’yera by respecting their customs.
All said in a stern, quiet voice, accompanied by hooded eyes that carried no warmth. Missy was a lot like the mothers I’d had in the Center. None of them had chosen the job, and while some were better at it than others, all of them had seemed to be more concerned that we follow the rules than with our thoughts and feelings.
But maybe I expected too much from Missy.
For several seconds, I stood in the empty hallway, listening to the sound of nothing. Another time, I would have relished the peace, but there was no time to dawdle. Finn was waiting for me.
I found Missy arranging clothes on the bed. My steps faltered, but then I thought of the way Dom and Finn were together, and I decided to try to be kinder. “Hi, Missy.”
“There you are.” She glanced quickly up from her work before returning to it. Was it my imagination, or did she seem . . . less annoyed to see me than usual? “The Prem’yera herself sent these gowns for you.” From the doorway, I spied frothy garments in colors I’d never seen anyone wear. Pale pinks and turquoise blues, lime greens and deep rose reds.
Uncertainty gripped me as I approached. This party must be much more important than Finn had let on.
“Everything you need is here.” I felt the warmth and tingle of a data transfer. My eyes widened. Had she read my mind? “Now you know how to behave at a party, how to wear your dress—even how to make small talk. I have also included a brief on each of the Kshatriya you will meet, and some likely talking points.”
“Talking points.” I noisily swallowed a lump in my throat. “Thank you.”
She gave me a once-over, but instead of berating me for the dirt that covered me from head to toe, she simply handed me a towel. “Better hop in the shower and clean up. You must hurry.”
I followed her instructions wordlessly. Had Finn talked to her? Because this was like Missy 2.0.
Hope, that blasted eternal optimism, rose unbidden within me. Was it possible Missy could one day become as loved a companion as Dom was to Finn? Until Finn, I’d never let anyone get too close because it hurt to be the one left behind. Even Birch, my best friend, didn’t know everything about me. His family had been kind to me, but Amondy had once approached them and asked if they would adopt me, and they’d said no. Of course, she told me about it, though neither Birch, nor his parents, had ever said a thing. But I never forgot.
Secretly, I feared the poor relationship with Missy was because she’d seen into my mind and found me to be unworthy—and if an android could find me wanting, how would Finn feel? Maybe there really was something unlovable about me.
Now, though . . . Between Dom’s comment on the way home, and Missy’s gentler demeanor, I wondered if being loved had less to do with me and more about the people who would love you. And Finn loved me.
I lifted my chin and risked giving Missy a goofy grin.
“I do not know what you are grinning about when you are so late.” She glared at me, but . . . was that a glint of humor in her eyes?
I washed quickly, and as I toweled off, Missy poked her head inside the washing room.
“Do you know which gown you would prefer?”
I’d only glimpsed the colors on the bed, but as I thought about what I’d seen, I realized my nanites had cataloged them all. So cool.
“The turquoise one.” It reminded me of the color of the foliage here on Lux, and it was so different from anything I’d ever seen on ship.
“Excellent choice,” Missy said before retreating.
As she helped me dress and tame my hair, Missy talked me through the data she’d sent until I felt confident I could speak with anyone at the party. And when she finished with my hair, she gave me a wide smile of approval. Nothing resembling mirrors were found on Lux, and I hadn’t cared enough to order one, but I wished for one just then.
The gown hung from thin straps at my shoulder and flowed down my body in rippling strips that reminded me of the Luxian sea. Most of the fabric was turquoise, but here and there was a glimpse of green or blue in varying shades. I’d never worn anything that made my curvy body look better, but this one did. When Missy produced beautiful blue slippers, I nearly squealed with joy. Nearly. Because I was learning some class.
She sat me down and with a fat, soft-bristled brush, dusted golden powder over my skin. “While you were out, I requisitioned these for you. With how much hair you have, you really ought to have an arsenal of hair accessories. Do you mind if I put one together for you?”
She opened a plain box sitting on the table and plucked out two golden hair combs.
I laughed. “No!”
She paused, her hand holding a comb freezing the air.
I shook my head. “No, don’t stop. I meant, no, I wouldn’t mind at all if you gathered some hair accessories for me. I don’t really know how to wear them, but I’ve always thought they would help.”
“Most certainly.”
She used both combs on the left side of my face, pinning the hair away from my ear. It was unexpected and pretty. “Thank you,” I breathed when she was done.
“Just as perfect as I had hoped.”
Unable to help myself, I stood and spun, enjoying the way the ruffles fluttered.
“The Dì èr has not arrived yet.” Missy clasped her hands together tightly, and when I caught her gaze, she looked away. “May I speak with you?”
I nodded, too surprised to answer, and she sat on the cushioned bench without waiting for a reply.
I sat on the edge of my bed, careful not to disturb the dresses that still lay there, and waited for Missy to continue.
“I am sorry for how I have treated you. I had two programs installed in me, and without code giving precedence to one over the other, my original programming established dominance.”
I hadn’t realized Missy had performed any other duties before this one. I’d assumed she’d been created just for me, like Dom was for Finn. Given how quickly Finn and I became a couple, I supposed that was naive of me.
“While you were gone, I visited the ship and had my programming updated. I realize now, I should have been more compassionate. I did not realize how important physical comfort and words of kindness meant to a human.”
I wondered if this might explain Amondy. As a surrogate mother for orphaned children, Amondy should be everything a mother was, yet she was cold, controlling, and unchanging.
“I know now that you are not mine to command, but the other way around. I apologize for not listening to you or being conscious of your feelings. I heard you, I felt them, but I trusted my programming rather than your emotions.”
I pulled back and searched her silver eyes, the tiny filaments within them sparking like bolts of lightning. After words like that, I expected to see humanity, but it wasn’t there. I couldn’t read the truth in her eyes as I might with another human, and it was a little unsettling.
“Thank you,” I finally said. “And . . . and I could do better at listening to you too.”
She beamed at me. “You will make an excellent Prem’yera, Wylie. I assure you, I have your best interest in mind. It is my job to inform and educate you on decorum and politics, so yes, it would behoove you to listen to me once in a while.”
We shared a smile, standing awkwardly, neither of us sure what to do next. Maybe, now that she better understood my past, she’d be a little kinder. At least we were finally in agreement, and that was a win in my books.