~ ~ ~
Once there, Meyer tails me into the unit. A small package marked Avlyn Lark sits on the side table next to the couch. I snatch it up and open the top. Inside is a new handheld. I tap the screen to activate it.
Ms. Lark,
Welcome to New Philadelphia. You are now free to roam the compound without an escort. The handheld device integrates with your EP, and you will receive additional instructions along with your training. Tap the screen twice to bring up your account and follow the directions to set your password. Instructions are to come.
President Waters
For a split second, I wish I could use my ability to tap into the system, find Ben, and contact him, but that's not possible. I poke the link and do as it says. A message vibrates the device.
You have been approved for a monitored visit with the POW Aron Barton for a maximum fifteen minutes. Please click here to schedule a time.
I tap the link and browse the available times. There's one thirty minutes from now. My breath picks up. If I can't see Ben, at least I can see Aron. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't be in this mess at all. Not that being in Elore is much better, but I want to apologize and see what can be done to help him.
I select the appointment.
"I have to go." I shift toward Meyer, who's now standing back to the one small window in Father's unit.
"Where?" he asks. "We just got back."
"My approval to see Aron came in. I need to be there in half an hour."
"Aron?" Meyer swings from the window, eyebrows knitting together, crossing his arms over his chest. "He tried to kill us at the Level One bunker."
"His goal wasn't to kill us … he was attempting to get me from the building alive."
"But he's one of them."
"I don't think so." Squaring myself, I step away from Meyer. I shouldn't tell him this. "Aron was part of my Affinity assignment. To pursue him as a spouse pairing. If Affinity wanted me to be with him, they might have thought him valuable."
Meyer shifts his weight. "Did you arrange a pairing?"
I gulp past the knot forming in my throat. "Well … Aron did ask for one before … everything happened. And I said yes. Then, in the bunker, I tried to shoot him when all he was trying to do was rescue me."
Meyer seems to tense more. "Avlyn, I just want you to be safe."
"Aron's a good person." I walk toward him. "Direction is all he's ever known, so his values might be off, but if he were only shown the truth, that may change. He's not so different than I was."
"Do you like him?" Meyer asks, lowering his voice.
"Of course I like him. I wouldn't be trying to see him if I didn't. But if you're asking if I'm interested in him—he's a friend. It's not as if even that much is necessary for someone to request a Spouse Contract. You alone have to be deemed compatible by Direction. Liking the person is optional."
Meyer angles his back to me. "Fine, but I'm going with you."
"I'm sure I could find my way. According to Waters' message, I'm allowed to go out on my own now."
"No doubt you could." He turns and locks eyes with me, not budging.
I shake my head, fold the handheld, and snap it to my wrist. "Let's go then."
~ ~ ~
On the way to the holding center, Meyer and I don't talk. He continues with his arms crossed and close to his body. At this point, there's a tiny part of me that gets why the Direction Initiative keeps its citizens emotionally distant. Maintaining relationships takes a lot of work, and definitely drags me from what's important. I've never been so distracted in my whole life since meeting Meyer.
A sign on the front of the building reads Detainment Center, and we enter through the doors underneath it. A desk sits directly in front of us with two doors on each side. A proper-looking woman with hair pulled into a tight bun sits at the desk.
"I have an appointment to meet with a detainee," I tell her.
The woman peers from her console and looks to a scanner to her side. "Please, place your hand on the pad, and you will be paged on your device when it's time."
Meyer and I do as she says and wait at the corner of the desk, still not speaking. After a few moments, my handheld buzzes with an alert.
Appointment for 15 minutes of visitation with Aron Barton approved for Avlyn Lark.
I return to the woman at the desk, Meyer following me. "The appointment is approved."
"Yes, I see." Her eyes stay trained on her system screen. "Please place your hand on the pad once more."
I do, and Meyer does the same.
"Sir, only Ms. Lark has been approved."
Meyer opens his mouth to respond. I brush his upper arm. "This will be fine. The meeting will be monitored, remember?"
Meyer nods and leans against the wall of the waiting area. I force a smile.
"I'll be back in fifteen minutes."
"I'll be here," Meyer mumbles.
What's the matter with him?
As I walk through the now-open door on the left, a young female guard in a tan jumpsuit meets me. The two red stripes on her arm must indicate her rank, but because my EP is off, I can't identify what they mean. However, the stunner affixed to her belt and the set of her jaw shows me she intends business.
"Follow me," she says. "Your time will start when we arrive."
She pilots me into a long, drab hallway, making two turns; right, then left. The guard stops at an equally drab door marked 107B and palms the security pad to the side of it. It opens into a hall with ten more doors, five to one side, and five to the other. Each door has a small, reinforced window built in.
She indicates the left of the hall. "Barton is in number four. You have fifteen minutes."
"Thank you." I approach the holding cell, stomach clenching.
Fifteen minutes will not be long enough for this.
I peer through the window. Aron sits in a metal chair, head in his hands. Even his cropped, blond hair appears messy, as if it's been days since it's last been combed.
I place my hand on the security pad.
Avlyn Lark: Approved
The door slides away, and Aron snaps to attention. His blue eyes grow wide and then tear from me, his body returning to its slouch.
"What are you doing here?"
The acid tone to Aron's voice punches me in the middle. I wasn't expecting less, but I'd hoped for it.
The door slides shut and I move closer to him. "I needed to confirm you were okay."
Aron stretches out his arms. "Here I am. Do I look okay?"
This time he holds my gaze, and I'm the one breaking away.
"Not really." I hang my head. "But you shouldn't have been in that building in the first place."
"What did you expect, Avlyn?" he snaps back. "I liked you, even asked you to make a Spouse Contract. When they informed me my drone project was to be used to locate you, of course I went in to see if I could get you out alive. You ruined our chance at a contract with all," Aron gestures around himself, palms up, "this, but I didn't want to see you dead. I held the tiniest hope it was all a terrible mistake."
"Aron," I whisper, "I like you, too."
Aron's body tenses. "You threatened me with a stunner," he grits out. "Those weapons don't only stun at that range."
I step in to him and lower my voice. "Direction had just killed my mother, Aron. Even if they let me live, I had to protect my father and Meyer. I had a chance to escape, and I took it, but I wouldn't have shot you."
Aron sighs and drops his head into his palms again. "It was stupid of me to ever think my life could have the tiniest amount of fulfillment."
"That's exactly why I joined Affinity. I needed answers, and life under the Direction Initiative felt wrong." I almost tell him about Ben, but it's more than he has to know, and if anyone is listening, I don't want them to hear. "You're here now, might as well take advantage of it."
"But these people are trying to destroy Elore."
"If I believed that, I wouldn't be here." I move in nea
rer and rest my hand on his shoulder. He flinches. "Come on, you trusted me enough to ask for a contract. Trust me now."
Hopefully, with my ability, I have plenty of clout to get Aron released.
"Have they done anything to harm you?" I ask.
Aron shifts in his seat, forcing my hand to fall from his shoulder.
"No, but they haven't told me anything, either. After the bunker, soldiers threw me on a hovership. Immediately on arrival, I was brought here. I've been stuck in this cell for days."
"So, they haven't questioned you?"
Aron shakes his head. "Not yet."
"I'm sorry this happened, but you might be better off here than in Elore, anyway. Manning won't relent easily, so it's going to get ugly."
"Affinity doesn't have a chance. You'll get yourselves killed."
I stare at him. Aron was escorted from the building in Elore and shoved on a hover pod. He probably didn't see much on the flight to New Philadelphia. "You don't know, do you?"
Aron cocks his head. "Know about what?"
"The people in the Outerbounds aren't simply an insignificant band of rebels like Manning would have you believe. New Philadelphia consists of five million, and who knows what's outside that?"
"Five million?" Aron echoes, confused. "That's not possible after Aves."
"It is. Direction has lied to us to maintain control, told us that outside of Elore was a dead zone so no one would venture out."
"So what's the truth?"
"It's all half-truths."
Aron closes his eyes and leans back, silent.
"I'm attempting to get you out," I promise. "I start training tomorrow, and I'll speak with Adriana Ruiz. She's the leader of the Affinity movement." President Waters is unlikely to go for it, but I have to try.
Aron's lips form a thin, sad smile, and the dimple in his cheek takes shape. His face really is one I would not have minded looking at for a lifetime, but this time he has no wink for me.
"I didn't do anything wrong. I tried to make things right," Aron says softly.
"No, you didn't … it was the one life you knew."
My handheld buzzes on my wrist.
Appointment with Aron Barton concuded. Please exit the cell.
"I have to go." Before I know it, my arms wrap his neck. He stiffens, not used to people touching him, but then relaxes and lightly places his arms around me. "I'm glad you weren't hurt," I say.
The guard taps at the door and waves for me to come out.
I give Aron an extra squeeze, release him, and head to the door. Through the window I can see as Aron moves from the chair to the bed in the cell's corner, flopping himself on its top. I break down the list of reasons he should be freed in my head. Securing a pairing contract with Aron was my Affinity mission, so he must be useful, and his skills with programming drones are obviously advanced. The micro search drones he made found us almost immediately in the bunker.
The guard leads me through the corridor to the entrance where Meyer waits.
"You get what you need?" he mumbles.
"I did."
But I'd feel much better if I knew what Water's intention for Aron was.
Chapter
Seven
The door to Father's unit slides back.
"Father?" I call as I go inside the living area.
No answer. Little more than a dim auto lamp illuminates the space.
Meyer leans his shoulder against the open doorway. "I'll see you tomorrow," he grunts and turns to go.
"What's going on with you?"
"Nothing. I'll see you in the morning."
I grip hold of his arm. He pauses, but doesn't shift toward me. Despite my lack of practice dealing with emotional people, it's obvious Meyer's not happy. He hasn't smiled since we got the news of my approval to see Aron.
A thought sparks in my brain. Aron.
"Meyer, I'm allowed to care about others. Even if they're male."
Meyer twists my way, his dark eyes sad. "You are."
I inch slowly to him, keeping my gaze fixed on his. "Then stop this."
He inhales deeply and straightens up. "It's not you. I'm upset with myself. I've kept myself closed off to … this, for a long time. Forever. Affinity is my life, and distractions make it too difficult."
"This?" I break from his stare and hug my arms over my torso. "Then maybe you shouldn't see me anymore. I'm sure you have plenty else to do, and I do, too."
His eyes soften. "Is that what you want?"
"No, but if you do, there's not much I can do about it. What I want is to get to know you," I say.
"We have no idea how much time we have before everything changes. I might get sent off on an Affinity mission and you will be here."
"Did we ever have much time? Until then, let's not allow things like Aron being my friend or not to stop us. He is my friend, and if we remained the same in Elore, I might have made a Spouse Contract with him. But I'm not in Elore anymore."
"I know, and I'm sorry. I've just never felt this way before, and losing you isn't an option."
I lift on my toes and raise my chin. The corners of his lips have turned up ever so slightly, and the heat of his body pulls me toward him like a magnet, but I resist.
Meyer draws me into his chest. My heart beats wildly, nearly matching the erratic pace of his. He cups his hand below my chin, eyes locked on mine.
We’re going to kiss again.
"Getting to know you better would be nice."
My breath hitches and I twine my arms around his waist. When his lips touch mine, a burst of energy fills my chest and tightens my grip.
Click, click.
The door to the unit slides away and the magnetic energy I felt flips, driving us several feet apart. Heat travels up my back all the way to the top of my neck. Father stands stiffly in the doorway, a hint of curiosity on his face, although not enough to shroud the grief making its home in his eyes.
"Hello, Avlyn," he greets. "Meyer."
Meyer jams his hands into his pockets. "Mr. Lark … I was just leaving."
"You're welcome to stay to eat." Father enters the unit and holds an unmarked fabric sack. "They allowed me an escorted visit into the city, and I picked up food, since I'm not doing well with food preparation without a printer. I think I got more than Avlyn and I require."
"No. I can't, but thank you. And Avlyn starts training early tomorrow."
Meyer glances at the floor and then to me. I throw him a look that begs him to stay. His lips quirk up and he smiles widely, causing the electricity burst to repeat in my chest, but he shakes his head no, effectively scattering my hope in an instant.
"I need to go." Meyer raises his hand to me. "I'll get you in the morning. Goodbye, Mr. Lark." He turns and exits the still-open door.
"Hungry?" Father asks as his body relaxes, probably relieved he's not required to socialize with Meyer anymore.
"Yes." Now that he says it, I realize there's a gnawing ache in my belly. "What did you get?"
~ ~ ~
"I apologize for my behavior," Father says as he takes our plates into the kitchen and dumps them into the sink. "I don't even recognize myself anymore. The medic who examined me last said I was in shock. I hate how my emotions are consuming me."
"You are in shock. The life you knew is gone." I move to the couch and flop on it. "It's not possible to hold everything together all the time, Father."
"I always thought I could."
He comes from the kitchen and picks up the image of Mother on the side table, takes a seat next to me, and tells me about when they met. Apparently, she was the one for him immediately, which surprises me because I always thought Father the type to carefully consider his choices. Their pairing calculated as a 95% compatibility match, which was high, but not as high as two of his other possibilities. When they first met in person, Father hid his feelings, but he tells me how her naturally streaked—not that anyone in Elore has an unnatural physical appearance—blonde hair kept falling in her fa
ce since she wore it longer at the time. He knew it was illogical, but he couldn't keep from the lovely girl named Darline.
Knowing deep down my father always did care for our family for reasons beyond duty means more to me than he will ever know. It's proof he's human after all.
"Did you request a contract right away?" I ask.
"No. Of course not." He gazes at her image. "You know that's not the way it's done. I didn't know how she felt, and I didn't want to appear overly interested. But she was the only one I considered seriously. None of the other matches came close."
A question rises in my mind, one I've held onto for a long time, but never asked because it wasn't appropriate. Father seems receptive today, so I decide to risk it. "Why didn't you have a biological child?"
Father stiffens at the question, immediately making me feel guilty for asking it, but then he relaxes.
"That's not normally spoken of."
"I know," I say, "but it often crossed my mind, and you weren't satisfied to raise me, so it seemed odd."
Father tips his head and gives me a sad smile. "I apologize. Again. With all that has happened in the last few days, I see how the ideals of Direction are flawed. I was … misguided." Father stops speaking and a tiny crease forms between his eyebrows. "None of our pregnancies were viable," he whispers.
"What?"
"We tried for three years. But every time, for some reason, they weren't viable. We were not provided with details … simply that there was a sort of defect in the fetuses. There have been advances in gene repair since twenty years ago. Maybe today they could have corrected the issue."
"When I was placed with you, I wasn't a newborn, was I?"
I'm unsure why I said it. I don't really want to get into the experiments performed on Ben and me.
Father narrows his eyes quizzically. "No. How are you aware of that?"
"It doesn't matter." I have little desire to go into the experimentation Ben and I endured before my being matched with my parents.
He nods and moves on. "Two options were offered: to break the pairing contract and exist as singles, or to be matched to a compatible Level Two infant. In your case, the second came with a substantial increase in credits to take you and not ask questions."
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