Urban stepped into her family’s game room and breathed in the smell of oolong tea. The soundproof walls cut out the constant noise of chatter and traffic that usually seeped its way through the walls of the rest of the apartment.

Wooden decorative fans adorned the walls, and a luxuriously pristine white couch wrapped around a marble fountain at the center of the room. Father reclined on the couch, reading, while Lucas teased Baozi nearby. The only sounds were the peaceful bubbling of a fountain and the smack of jade on cedar as Lillian moved pieces in a strategy game.

“Ah, there you are.” Mother sat rigidly on the edge of the couch.

“What’s going on?” Urban asked.

“It’s time for us to go over the rule book,” Mother said cheerily then, using her retina display, projected a list onto the wall.

Urban stared at her mother. “I thought you said it was urgent?”

“It is. I assume you intend to enroll tomorrow like the rest of your peers?” Her eyebrows lifted in question. “In which case, it’s of the utmost importance we address this immediately, before I’m out for the rest of the afternoon.”

Urban plopped onto the couch and folded her arms across her chest, glaring.

“Now,” Mother continued briskly, “I know we’ve been over this a few times, but I want to ensure you remember it before leaving for uni tomorrow.”

A “few times” was an understatement. The rule book was one of Urban’s first memories. It was how she’d made it to seventeen without being discovered as a Natural in the Metropolis.

“Rule number one: Don’t drink. Ever.”

Lucas sipped his own rice wine loudly at this and grinned mischievously at Urban.

“Rule number two: Avoid the Games.”

Urban still didn’t understand this rule, but she’d argued enough times to know it was a moot point.

“Rule number three: Avoid Inceptors and Givers. Befriend anyone else on campus, just not them. Well, maybe not Inventors, either, if you can help it. They can’t read you like an Inceptor, but they’re too smart for their own good.” Mother gave Lillian a pointed look.

Lillian gave an innocent shrug.

“Rule number four—”

“Tell no one I’m a Natural,” Urban interrupted. “Mother, I’ve been following these rules my whole life.”

“University will be different. Father and I won’t be there to protect you. Should you be discovered . . .” Her lips tightened. “Just be very cautious.”

Urban thought about the beggar again, his vacant eyes haunting her.

A tickling sensation bothered her throat. She coughed once and noticed her family members all glance up in alarm.

Taking a sip of tea, she smiled reassuringly. “Just a little itch.”

Everyone relaxed.

Great, on top of all these rules I have my asthma to worry about. She envied the Enhanced with their superior immune systems and genetics that never caught colds or had any sort of lung issues.

“Don’t worry,” Lillian assured her. “I’ll be there, too, just in different classes. You won’t be alone.”

Urban managed a grateful smile.

Mother smoothed her hair back and continued, “Rule number five: Don’t go out late alone. This means you must abide by your university’s curfew regulations.”

“But Mother,” Urban protested. “All the best Key Opinion Leader bashes will go past curfew! How am I supposed to get a high sosh if I’m hiding in my room?” People with high scores always had fans who would be quick to notice and promote their work. All the best jobs in the Metropolis were reserved for those with the highest scores. Some positions she wouldn’t even be able to apply without a minimum score of 75.

Mother arched her perfectly penciled eyebrows. “You may go only if it’s a KOL event and only if you go with someone else. If SCA alerts me that you have missed curfew for any other reason, you will return home immediately to live with us.”

“SCA?” Urban repeated.

“Have fun being babysat again with the Safe Child App.” Lucas laughed.

Urban glared at him.

“Yes, SCA,” Mother said. “You’ll be using it at uni.”

Urban’s jaw dropped. “That’s for little kids. I haven’t had it since I was twelve.”

“Like I said,” Mother repeated firmly, “Father and I won’t be there to protect you. This is a precaution we must take to ensure your safety.”

“This is ridiculous.” Urban ruffled Baozi’s hair with displeasure, watching some of the hair fall off and vanish into the wall, wishing she could do the same.

“What’s ridiculous is your attitude,” Father stated.

Urban stiffened. She recognized that tone.

“You’re lucky we’re sending you at all. Sometimes, your lack of gratitude for all that we do to protect you is disheartening.”

They were approaching dangerous territory, and Urban knew it. Her parents had wanted her to attend a trade school instead of university to keep her safe. The only reason her parents were sending her to university at all was because everyone in their circles attended. In fact, she couldn’t think of anyone who didn’t have at least a master’s degree, and most had their PhDs as well. If she didn’t go, it would look suspicious, and the truth might come out.

Urban didn’t want to give her parents any reason to change their minds.

At Urban’s silence, Father settled back into his chair with a grunt.

“There have been more and more alerts of high-profile students being kidnapped and ransomed,” Mother said.

“Did you see the news about the red zone right outside of the city limits?” Lucas said. “It used to be that park we went to as kids, but several mutant animals escaped and are breeding like crazy. Ten people have already died. Can you believe it? Right next to the Guanting Reservoir. That’s practically in our backyard!”

“As I was saying,” Mother continued, ignoring Lucas, “you will need to be extremely cautious. We will be enrolling you in a few extra activities.”

“Activities?” Urban asked suspiciously.

“Self-defense. Maybe some sort of weapons class too.”

Urban stared at her mother. “Are you serious?”

Mother locked eyes with Urban. “This is very serious.”

“But I won’t have time for that,” Urban protested. “Especially not with all my homework.”

“You’ll have to make time. Your priority will be your studies. After that, it’s your ability to defend yourself.”

“What if I don’t go?”

Mother gave Urban her trademark look of disapproval. “You can start by joining your sister in jiujitsu.”

Lillian cheered.

“Why not with me at my underwater gym? We train in jiujitsu too,” Lucas piped up with a devious grin. “I know you love being underwater.”

Urban ignored him. “Not jiujitsu. That primeval martial art is useless.”

“Not true,” Lillian objected. “If you’re attacked and end up on the ground, it’s the most practical defense.”

Urban sank her head in her hands. “This is a disaster. I haven’t wrestled anything since . . .”

“Since that time you attacked Jiaozi after he ate your sushi.” Lucas was enjoying Urban’s dismay.

Jiaozi, Baozi’s mischievous and unruly twin, perked her head up from under the table. She yawned and stretched her flaming-pink striped limbs, then curled back into a ball.

“Jiujitsu is not wrestling,” Lillian said.

“Regardless,” Mother adjusted her bun, “it’s time you take up jiujitsu with your sister.”

“Lillian is doing it because she’s weird and loves that stuff. No offense.” Urban cast a glance at Lillian. “But I don’t want to spend all my free time rolling around on the ground with sweaty strangers.”

“Sorry,” Mother said bluntly, and that conversation was over.

Urban ground her molars.

“I also purchased a gym membership on your behalf,” Mother continued.

“Why? I already work out like crazy at Qiang Gym so people won’t suspect I’m a Natural.”

“It’s time you work out with the social elite at Infini-Fit. It will give you more chances to link with others and boost your sosh.”

Urban blanched. “Don’t you need a private invite to even apply for a membership there?”

“Yes.” Mother turned to Lillian. “We also got you a membership.”

Lillian grinned. “Did my birthday come early? This is amazing!”

Lucas suddenly choked on his tea. “Gah! What is this?” He examined his teacup and sniffed once.

“Really, Father,” Lucas scolded, “you should invest in our own tea garden so we don’t have to drink garbage like this.”

“Even when you average it out over the years, the tea gardens still come out double the price of what we pay for with our current imported selection,” Father pointed out. “Outrageous.”

Lucas shook his head hopelessly. “You two are the stingiest people I know.”

“Why, thank you,” Mother said brightly.

Father beamed. “And you’d do well to find a spouse who’s smart with their money too.”

“But that’s after you graduate and get a good job,” Mother quickly added.

“Of course,” Lucas said innocently. “No dating until then.”

Mother nodded. She missed the shared look between the siblings. Most of the kids dated in secret, though very progressive parents allowed for such “nonsense” before their children were firmly established in their careers. Only Lillian knew Urban had a boyfriend.

“One last rule,” Mother announced.

They’d already covered them all, what was this?

“It’s a new one we’ve just added.” Mother paused and took a sip of tea. “As you know, your first year you will not claim a gene pool but will pursue the general track. For your second year, your Father and I have decided should you be able to get a sosh of 80, we will allow you to join the Artisan gene pool.”

An 80? Urban’s heart sank. Without joining the Artisan gene pool at uni, there was no way she’d become a serious Artist.

“Looks like you’ll be doing acrobatic stunts to boost your sosh after all.” Lucas smirked. “I can teach you a few if you’d like.”

Urban ignored him as she looked at her mother. “That’s impossible. Lucas has already been at school for a year, and his score is only 73. Even Lillian, who’s been at school for three years, only has 75. How am I supposed to get there in one year?”

“What’s impossible is succeeding in the Artisan gene pool,” Father interjected. “Your hand is too unsteady to pass as an Enhanced Artisan. It’s too easy to attract unwanted attention. Not to mention, every Natural who makes it out of the Outskirts pursues that path. To beat back suspicion, you need to either pursue another path or maintain a high sosh. If you cannot achieve this, there is no path.”

“Maybe you’ll finally get a high enough sosh to belong in this family,” Lucas mumbled under his breath. Their parents seemed not to have heard, but Lillian glared at Lucas.

It was as if Urban had been sucker punched. She’d never belong. Not in the Metropolis, not with her own family. It all centered on the high sosh.

Urban swallowed. “Why does Mother get to be an Artisan?” she blurted.

Mother’s face froze.

“Your mother,” Father said slowly, “has not migrated from the Outskirts to the Metropolis in the last two decades. She can afford that luxury—unlike you.” He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

“What happens if I can’t boost my sosh high enough?”

“You mean when you don’t,” Lucas quipped.

Mother swirled the tea leaves in her cup. “In your second year, you’ll take the track we’ve selected for you. You’ll join the Giver gene pool.”

Urban sat in stunned silence.

Her plan of working hard to maintain grades would be hard enough as a Natural at an Enhanced university. With added fitness and self-defense classes, it would be even more challenging. But her plan of keeping her head down and staying afloat was being flipped upside down. Now, she had to simultaneously be wildly popular, or she’d be stuck as a Giver for the rest of her life.

She bit back several smart retorts. Displaying any more emotion than she already had would only seem to prove her parent’s point. Racing is my only shot at getting my sosh anywhere near 80.

“I’m sorry.” A flash of what looked like concern passed through her mother’s eyes, but it was gone just as quickly, and Urban couldn’t be sure she’d seen it at all. “Now, as for how to get past the enhancement scanner you’ll encounter at registration—” Mother leaned forward and handed Urban a device the size of her thumbnail.

Urban realized it was a nail.

“Wear that on top of your real nail. When you go through the scanner, it will override your own lack of enhancements with the ones your father programmed into it. In this case, we’ve taken a bit of Lucas’s. You’ll show up as an Aqua with no lethal enhancements.”

“Why not Lillian’s enhancements?”

“Because your sister also attends PKU, and that would alert the scanner,” Mother explained. “With Lucas going to New Shanghai Ocean University, no one will notice. Each University’s screening process is completely separate and, due to PPI regulations, cannot be shared.”

“Why not Father’s then?” Urban pressed. She hated the idea of owing Lucas a favor. By the look on his face, he was just as unhappy about it.

“Because you don’t look at all like an Inventor. You don’t have the tech or grades for that to be believable,” Father said.

Urban turned to her mother. “How about yours then? I could easily pass as an Artisan.”

Mother was losing patience. “Just trust us. Lucas is your best bet.”

Reluctantly, Urban placed the nail on top of her own. It adhered perfectly with the help of nanotech. The nail looked so real.

“That’s all. I’ll be off now.” Mother stood, then locked eyes with Urban. “Stick to the rules, Urban.”

Urban watched her mother’s retreating figure, then sighed as she left for her bedroom. She paused in the doorway. This was her last night here. Technically, she’d always have this room to come back to, so long as she didn’t mess up too bad at university, but still, she knew things would be different once she left.

She took it all in—the bed by the far wall with an assortment of silk blankets, art supplies, and the furry white rug, now mostly hidden by a pile of clothes. Up against the opposite wall leaned a wooden table covered with calligraphy books and parchment. In the corner next to it a stiff square armchair, the kind traditional tea shops used, stood proudly.

Her eyes flitted over the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking downtown. It was dark outside, and the city was lit up with flashing orbs—each building boasting colors to rival a peacock.

Soon, she’d be leaving all this behind. Tomorrow she’d finally be at uni where her over-controlling parents would be forced to let her live her own life.

She ran her fingers over a wall with photos and her artwork. There were old-school photos from the camera she received on her twelfth birthday. Pictures of Baozi as a kitten, sleeping in her arms. And Lillian having tea with her and laughing, and selfies of them dressed up for the opera. All brought a smile to her lips. Then there was her favorite painting of a goldfish, a chengyu, or ancient saying, she’d penned in her practiced calligraphy and a bright-red number 60.

Urban’s heart sank at the sight of the number. She went to her art supplies, whipped out a marker and scratched out the beautiful painted numbers. She scrawled over it a crude 80, then threw her pen down and stared at it.

How will I ever get a sosh of 80? It’s practically impossible. The alternative was becoming a Giver. But she knew she couldn’t sit and listen to people talk all day. It was too much like her job at Gene-IQ where she felt trapped. She couldn’t even solve her own problems, much less anyone else’s.

She sank onto her bed, her eyes continuing to roam across her room. They stopped on a small, compostable ticket from New Beijing’s Art Museum. Everest had taken her there on their first date.

The entrance fee was cheap by Metropolis standards but for someone from the Outskirts, it cost a fortune. Urban had wanted to pay for it, but he’d stubbornly refused. The ticket always made her think of him and his stubbornness. She smiled at the memory but then frowned. And what about Everest? When will I have time to see him?

Up until this point, they’d been in similar stages of life. Both working a summer job.

Our lives will start to go different directions.

Suddenly, it was all too much.

She ran out of her room, down the hall, and flung open the door to Lillian’s bedroom. She half expected it would be empty, as it had been for the last year since Lillian had been at university.

But Lillian was in the middle of brushing her teeth in the adjacent bathroom. “What’s up?” she asked in between toothpaste foam.

She hopped onto Lillian’s bed and wiggled under the covers.

“Oh no, you don’t,” Lillian warned.

Baozi leaped up onto the bed to join her.

“And get your cat off my bed!”

“Aw, come on. It can be a slumber party, just like old times.”

Urban could hear Lillian spitting out her toothpaste. “Don’t make me use my martial arts on you both.” She came and sat on the bed beside Urban. “Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready to leave for uni tomorrow?”

Lillian must have read something in Urban’s expression because she reached into a drawer, pulled out a dainty box, and handed it to her. “I have a present for you. It’s for uni.”

Urban opened the box carefully. Inside was a bracelet with a strand of antique jade beads from the Qing dynasty, mixed with holographic metallic beads.

Urban’s face brightened as she put it on. “Thanks, sis.” She smiled gratefully, then slid off the bed and went to the mirror to study her reflection.

Who do I think I am going to uni? The thought sobered her. The close encounter at work with Qing Angel came to mind and made her frown.

Lillian had begun brushing her hair and saw Urban’s face in the mirror. “What’s wrong? You don’t like the bracelet?”

“It’s not that. I’m just worried.” Urban twisted the bracelet around her wrist. “Something weird happened yesterday. Someone at work named Qing Angel knew my identity.”

Lillian stopped brushing mid stroke. “But that’s impossible. Didn’t the Union decide ages ago that the AI training jobs should remain anonymous—that your avatar wouldn’t be tied to your identity?”

“They did. At the time, their reasoning was people working blue-collar jobs could be treated with equality in the real world without being associated with their hated service avatars.” She tensed, just thinking about being known for her 4.4 service rep avatar. Thankfully, apart from this one exception, no one would ever know about her humiliating time as a service rep.

Lillian resumed brushing her hair again. “But that was before enhancements.”

“Exactly. So now, with Gene-IQ’s software, the identity connection is irrelevant. I mean, one scan of a person with your retina, and you know exactly someone’s enhancements.”

“The union’s privacy law is just one of the many antiquated laws that hasn’t kept up with the pace of technological advancements. I get that. But that’s why Mom and Dad purchased Gene-IQ’s deluxe software.” Lillian tapped her temple next to her eye. “So that we could render Gene-IQs scanning abilities void and keep you safe.”

“Right. So, if Angel was able to somehow hack the deluxe software to find my identity, that means she also knows I’m a Natural.” Urban plunked back onto the bed.

Lillian put her brush down and began patting her face with moisturizer. “But the deluxe software was tested by the Federation’s top cybersecurity experts. No one could hack it. It doesn’t make sense that someone was able to find out your name.” She was silent a moment. “So, are you going to tell Mom and Dad?”

“No thank you, I choose life.” Urban made a face. “I mean, they already installed SCA. If they find out about this, they’ll probably assign a robo-nanny or security detail to follow me around.”

Lillian turned and looked at her. “Let me know if anything happens like that again, okay? And if it gets worse, I think you should tell them. They care about you.”

Urban wanted to laugh. Their parents cared about Lillian, because she was a part of their perfect plan, not to mention Enhanced. But Urban? She wasn’t even supposed to be here.