For what seemed like a long time Jacob could only stare at those eyes, too shocked to speak. Aside from the strangeness of seeing Delaney for the first time, he was bombarded with the sensation of being back in his dream. The room was bright, but he half expected it to go black, to have the world reduced to that now familiar tunnel with just himself and Delaney, to see the fire erupt from her eyes. He had thought their reuniting would be a moment of happiness, but instead he was confused, distracted.
“Who are you?” Delaney at last demanded, brusquely trying to mask her fear.
“It’s me, Jacob,” he said. His voice sounded small in his ears, far away.
“Jacob?” she whispered. “Is it really you?”
She rushed over and threw her arms around him. Trembling, she sat on a couch and pulled him down next to her.
“Jacob, you have no idea how wonderful it is to hear a familiar voice. What are you doing here, anyway? And your eyes—they’re following me. Can you see?”
“Yes,” Jacob said. “I don’t know why, but I began to see—right after you left. That’s why I had to leave Harmony.” He shook his head. “It’s a long story.”
“I’m just glad you’re here,” she said. Once again, she pulled him close and held him, as if she would never let him go. Jacob remembered the morning of his last birthday just weeks ago, how his mother had held him the same way before he left her to play in the sun.
She looked over at Xander. “Who’s this with you? Did he bring you here?” she asked.
“This is Xander,” Jacob said as the man came forward from where he lingered at the edge of the room.
“That’s right,” Xander said. “I brought him here, just like I brought you.”
She started. “I know you. You wanted to take me back to Harmony, but I made you bring me here. . . .” Her voice trailed off.
“What happened to your eyes, Delaney?” Jacob asked.
“Do you like them?” she said with a quick, high laugh. “They’re beautiful, aren’t they? Very expensive. You could probably buy our entire colony with them. That’s what they told me, anyway,” she said.
“They just gave them to you?” Xander asked.
“Yes,” she said. She sat back and crossed her legs. Her clasped hands balanced on top of her knees. “They’ve given me everything. New eyes, a new life. Anything I ask for, they’ll get it. Do you like this place, Jacob? Come look out the window.”
She took his hand and drew him to the expanse of glass. From the seventy-sixth floor of Mixel Tower the city of Melville appeared small and defined, stretching below like a disc with sharp edges marking where the city ended and the plains began. A few structures rose from the symmetrical grid work, but even the tallest of them was only half the height of the tower that was the hub of this colonial city.
“I could stare out this window for hours,” she said. “Seeing is so incredible. Better than I ever imagined. It’s like . . . well, you know what’s it like, don’t you, Jacob.”
“Yes,” he said.
It was early afternoon. Even beneath the sun, the city seemed to burn with a light of its own. From here the people in the street were specks. Even the ground cars and low-flying floaters were meager dots. From time to time a floater would buzz by, climbing to Mixel Tower’s roof or dropping back into the grid below. The only nearby object of any size was a rising ship, its engine burners flaring as it drifted from the spaceport, on its way to orbit or beyond.
“The world looks small from up here, doesn’t it?” she said.
“It depends on where you’re looking,” Jacob replied.
Moving his eyes upward, he gazed at the eastern horizon. After the city dropped off, all that remained were hills of grass, low and indistinct. Row after row stretched out, punctuated here and there with the small, irregular shapes of lakes and ponds glittering in the afternoon sun. From here it seemed hard to believe he’d walked all that distance over the land. How far was it, anyway? Somewhere buried in the plains beyond the horizon was Harmony, alone, cut off and oblivious to this humming island of light.
“Harmony’s over there,” he said, pointing.
“You can’t see it,” she said. “It’s too far away.” She turned and left the window. “That’s the only thing about this suite—I wish it faced west instead of east. I’m not interested in looking east. The sea is on the western side, just beyond the city. Have you seen the ocean yet, Jacob?”
“No.”
“It glimmers. It’s dazzling. And there are islands. Hundreds of them. I’m going to get a west-facing room. Jack said he’d move me.”
“Who’s Jack?” Jacob asked.
“Jack LaPerle. He took me in and gave me my eyes. And more.”
“What do you mean?”
She smiled and took his hands, glancing around as if she were about to tell him a precious secret. “I’m a star, Jacob. A celebrity.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m famous. Or at least I’m starting to be. Jack says soon everyone will know me. Not just here. People everywhere. People out there,” she said, pointing out the window toward the sky.
Jacob tried to smile back. He was having a hard time understanding everything she was saying. He didn’t know why, but the whole conversation was going just the opposite of what he’d expected. “What are you famous for?” he asked.
“Music, Jacob. That’s what I do now—like in Harmony, only a hundred times as many people hear me, thousands even. Jack says I’ve got flair. I’ve got an image that people will go for.”
“So what do you do all day?” Jacob asked.
“Well,” she said, looking around, “I’m here a lot of the time. I practice a lot. You see the piano I’ve got—there’s nothing like it in Harmony. The sound is amazing. Other than that, I’m pretty busy. A lot of nights, I perform. At first it was for small groups—men who work here, important men, and friends of theirs. And then they had me record. You know, Jacob, like the recordings we listened to back in Harmony. I have my own. You can hear me singing and playing. And now they’re selling them everywhere!”
“Who’s selling them?” Xander asked.
“I don’t know,” she said. “Mixel, I guess.”
“Hmph,” Xander snorted.
Jacob didn’t know what Xander was responding to. He only cared about one thing.
“Just tell me, Delaney—are you happy here?” he asked. “Is this what you want?”
She paused. “Of course it is,” she said with a smile. “I am happy, Jacob. Very happy. I have everything I want. I have more than I could’ve imagined.”
She moved to the piano and sat down. The opal keys spread before her, waiting. Her fingers traced along their surface, gently fell to play a single chord, her foot on the damper pedal muting the chord as it hovered before dying.
“Why shouldn’t I be?” she said.
As if in answer to the chord, a light tone sounded, followed by the swish of the opening door. Delaney rose from the bench. Jacob and Xander turned as two men entered the room. The one in front was not much taller than Jacob. His slicked-back blond hair and bronzed skin reminded Jacob of the older kids at the lake. The rich fabric of his suit glistened under the light, the metallic sheen fragmenting into the suggestion of a rainbow. The man behind was huge in comparison. His suit, multihued like the other’s, barely contained his thick arms and chest.
“I’m sorry,” the smaller man in front cooed, his face breaking into a wide grin, “but fans are not allowed into Miss Corrow’s quarters. Delaney, I’m sorry for the disturbance. I simply don’t know how they got in here.”
“This is Jack LaPerle,” Delaney said to Jacob and Xander. “It’s okay, Jack. They’re friends of mine.”
“Friends? I didn’t realize you’d made any friends, Delaney. How delightful,” he said. Jacob hadn’t thought it was possible, but LaPerle’s grin seemed to stretch even wider.
“Well, Jacob and I go back,” she said.
“That’s delightful,” he said again. He turned to Jacob and Xander. “We’re so lucky that Delaney has decided to join us here at Mixel. I’m sure she’s told you all about her success.”
“It’s just nice to see her,” Jacob replied. “I was worried about you, Delaney.”
“That’s so sweet,” LaPerle said before Delaney could answer. “Anyway, Delaney, I feel absolutely terrible about doing this, but, friends or fans, I’m afraid they’ll both have to go for now.”
“Can’t Jacob stay with me?” Delaney asked, coming over behind Jacob and placing her arms around him.
“That’s not for the best right now,” he replied. “You’ve got a busy schedule and we need you to be focused.”
“Come on, Jack,” Delaney said. “I’m tired of spending all my time here alone. It would be good to have some company.”
Jacob could hear the edge creeping into her voice. For a moment, it reminded him of how she’d spoken to her father back in Harmony.
“Listen, Jack,” Xander interrupted, “this young man’s a friend of Delaney’s. She isn’t a prisoner, is she?”
LaPerle’s smile vanished. “No, Mr. Payne, she isn’t,” he said, seeming to enjoy the look of surprise that flashed over Xander’s face at the mention of his name. “But I’m afraid that Miss Corrow is expected at an engagement shortly and must get ready. Perhaps you can visit another time. Mr. Smith will show you out. Karl?” LaPerle turned to the giant behind him. The man gestured to the door.
“Don’t worry, we’re leaving,” Xander snapped. “Come on, Jacob.” He turned back to Delaney. “Delaney, it was a pleasure seeing you again.”
She managed a smile. “Bye, Jacob. Promise you’ll come back soon.”
“I promise,” Jacob said.
He followed Xander and Karl to the door. Passing LaPerle, he glanced over. The man stared back, a thin smile on his face.
The last thing Jacob saw before leaving was Delaney. Looking behind him, he saw her standing behind LaPerle, one arm raised in farewell, her eyes gleaming points of light. For the briefest moment, Jacob could have sworn he saw those eyes flicker, flare a moment before dulling. Then he was out into the hall, halfway to the elevator before the door had even whispered shut behind them.