Page 41 of Kingdom of Tomorrow
“I won’t ruin your day off with the answer.”
“It’s that bad?” I groaned again.
“Actually, Bubble Gum, it’s worse.” He looked me over and almost smiled. “I prefer the pink.” With that, he strode past me, leaving me reeling.
I watched him, eyes wide. Had he maybe, possibly issued a compliment? In, like, a flirty manner?
No. Absolutely not. I’d mistaken the sexy tone in his office, and I was mistaken about his flirtiness now. He was only being nice because of his father.
Relieved—only relieved—I called, “Guess you’re gonna call me Lady Blue now.” Two could play this game.
“Don’t be silly.” He performed a slow spin as he walked. “Pink and blue make purple.”
Why, why, why did that strike me as the peak of awful?
“Don’t have too much fun today,” he added. “Tomorrow is a pruning day.”
Great. Wonderful. A crush of people enveloped me before I could respond, forcing me to motor in the opposite direction.
The closer I got to the train, the tighter the crowd became, the more I struggled to make progress, and the harder I longed to return to my room. No wonder Mykal had rushed us. If you didn’t arrive early, you didn’t fit in the windowless carts. But make it inside I did, passing my infection scan just as the doors closed behind me. The cart wobbled, then shot into action, zipping along a dark, narrow tunnel at a faster and faster rate.
How was I supposed to find—“There you are,” a familiar voice called.
Shiloh! The handsome medic shouldered through the throng. My relief was so great, I threw my arms around him the moment he was within reach. “I’m so happy to see you.”
He hugged me back, almost clinging.
Remembering yesterday’s scowl, I asked, “How are you?”
“I’m with you.” He pulled away with a smile that didn’t quite reach the rest of his expression. His usual sparkle had dulled. “Everything is good.”
Anxiety screwed with my heart. What was going on? Unfortunately, now wasn’t the time for a conversation. But I did take his hand and sign “lemons.”
A tiny flicker of relief flared in his irises, and he linked our fingers. We stayed like that until the train stopped. He guided me from the cart, through a tunnel, up a flight of stairs, and into a sunlit city. We cleared the crowd, and a fantasyland opened around us.
“This can’t be real,” I breathed. Massive statues topped marble daises, where costumed people danced. Other monuments crowned oddly shaped buildings made of a shimmery silver material that seemed to ripple with the wind. Lights flashed from signs advertising reducing or increasing the age listed on your birth certificate as well as walk-in surgeries to change anything you disliked about your body. Holograms beckoned pedestrians inside stores. Superfast music played in the background. I almost couldn’t process the splendor.
“There’s more,” Shiloh said.
As we slipped down the street, I gaped at this and that, relying on my companion to guide me. I only snapped into protect-myself mode when we came to a section of the Rock. Utilizing a skill I’d perfected over the years, I kept my focus anywhere else. Or tried to ...
The surface. It seemed to thin, becoming translucent and revealing a handsome bearded man wearing a red robe. He stoodinsidethe stone. For once I didn’t feel as though I was being watched by a thousand eyes, but two. Even with the metal dogs and their cameras, I felt seen by the man and no other as he tracked me with a narrowed gaze.
I gulped. No way I was seeing him. Just no way. Thankfully, the stone returned to its normal color and he vanished amid the maze of crimson veins.
Some kind of hologram, no doubt. Yes, yes. Only a hologram. But why had I seen it? I didn’t dare ask Shiloh. Curiosity about the Rock only ever led to suspicion of infection.
I forced myself to forget him and concentrate on the cornucopia of scents drifting from every direction, crashing together to create a slightly amazing, mostly unpleasant perfume. Various kinds of vehicles zoomed on roads made of multicolor bricks, while pedestrians walkedand skated over—I gasped. The sidewalk was transparent, allowing us to peer into a long stretch of the underground railway.
“Tons of uniformed officers live here,” Shiloh explained. “Curedowns everything and ensures the families of officers are rewarded with the bulk of jobs and homes.”
Hmm. Maybe I could snag a better job and residence for my mother. “How often do the infected break here?”
“Rarely. There’s maybe one every three months.”
Whoa. A break happened every week in Lucrea. At least! So, yes. I had a new mission: Get my mother moved to Bala City. Technically, I wasn’t allowed to have contact with her for three years. But. If I avoided the place, there shouldn’t be a problem. And, really, exceptions might be made if I succeeded in getting the right people involved. Like, say, High Prince Dolion. Would he help me?
Shiloh led me around a corner, saying, “I hope you like doughnuts.”
