Page 9 of Kingdom of Tomorrow
While Mom and I ate, I told her about the medic with the charming smile.
“You like him, huh?” She spooned a bite with more energy than usual, nearly bursting with delight.
“In my defense, he’s super likable.”
“A trait that is the downfall of many determined girls.” She winked before sharing details of her day, all centered on Bates, a boy she watched. The son of a baron.
I laughed at Bates’s antics until my lungs shoutedNo more!But like any special party, this one came to an end. We prepared for the night, barricading the front door. Pritis illuminated the building’s entrance but nothing inside.
She walked me to my bedroom, leaning on me more than usual. Leaving her was going to hurt.
We stopped in the doorway, both peering into my sanctuary. A small but cozy room with a twin bed, a built-in dresser, and a retractable desk. Worn but clean. Well loved. A single fist-size window supplied light to my hanging minigarden, where plants (mostly) flourished in various stages of development.
“I’ll miss you,” Mom said and sniffled. “So much.”
Don’t you dare cry.“I’ll miss you too.”
“Promise me you’ll give the academy your best.”
“I have a best?” I teased.
Unamused, she cupped my cheeks. “Listen to me, young lady. There will always be someone who can’t see your worth. That’s a fact of life. Don’t let that someone be you. Got it?”
“Mom,” I croaked, blinking to stop a flow of tears. I clasped her wrists, getting serious. “Listen. As you know, I put in an application for a single-bedroom apartment. I don’t know when it will become available, but take it for yourself as soon as it does. Rent will be cheaper. Make friends. You are a treasure others deserve to experience. But stay away from Mr. Garfield.” If he was even allowed to remain in the building. “And don’t put yourself in danger for anyone. Feel free to throw out my stuff. Everything but my babies. Instructions for their care are stored in my desk drawer. Treat those plants well, and they’ll do the same for you.”
She twined our fingers, clinging to me. “I’ll accept the apartment, but you come back to me.”
“I will.” Time to end this before I broke down. “I should pack and rest.” Not that I hadeverrested. Not really.
“Yes, of course.” She wrapped her arms around me. “I’m glad you’re mine, baby.”
Eyes stinging, I hugged her feeble form gently. “I’m glad you’re mine too. Good night, Mom.” I would miss her more than I could ever say.
As my lungs constricted, I bolted myself in the bedroom. An alarm blasted in the distance, sounding across the entire city, and I tensed. Curfew. The descent of darkness had begun.
I didn’t let my tremors stop me from double- and triple-checking my bolts, ensuring no one, not even my mother, could enter. This was the way of the world. Share a space at your peril.
How well I comprehended this. I’d been trapped in a locked room with Amelia, forced to watch as the Madness took hold and she—
Nope. Not going there. I hyperfocused on my few struggling plants, watering the pot filled with dark-brown, sweet-smelling, once-native soil from Ourland. The grains had been robotically sifted to remove everything from Theirland. Then I sprinkled ash on the plants with glittery-yellow-but-not-so-great-smelling soil from Theirland, the home world of the Rock and Madness. It, too, was sifted, undiluted and natural.
“I’m listening. Tell me your secrets,” I begged the grains. Nothing I’d done had increased my yield by more than 3 percent.
I traced my fingertips over a drying leaf and sighed. “What am I missing?”
Two hundred years ago, people sprayed some mixture of chemicals in the skies for reasons unknown, burning through an invisible veil that separated Ourland, my world, and a previously unknown, unseen realm. The two didn’t crash together but merged in an instant. Kind of. They blended, creating two mismatched puzzles that were half Ourland, half Theirland. They were both together and separate. Many of our landmarks had vanished, replaced by theirs. The soils combined in both worlds, which proved detrimental to many plants and trees. Weeds thrived in the mixture, but we struggled to grow enough food for the masses.
One day, after my stint at the academy, I would figure out a worldwide solution. I welcomed the challenge.
Needing a pick-me-up, I pinched the dark-brown dirt between my fingers and inhaled the pleasant aroma. Ah, now that was the good stuff. Highly expensive and sold on the streets at exorbitant rates. How Mom had snagged my supply, small though it was, I still didn’t comprehend.She couldn’t afford it, and she’d had nothing with which to bargain. Anytime I asked about it, she shut down.
“I’m going to miss you guys.” After returning the precious soil to its pot, I eased onto the edge of my bed. Minutes passed as I waited, tenser by the heartbeat. Eventually, the final siren blared.
Night had arrived.
“One,” I whispered. “Two. Three. Four. Fiv—” A distant scream pierced the air. Then another and another. Soon, the sounds of anguish blended, creating a discordant symphony of pain, rage, and terror. I’d heard this chorus every night of my life. A serenade from both new and older maddened as they spilled from their hiding places, ready to play with anyone trapped out in the open.
I shuddered. Usually I cranked up my music or plugged my ears. Tonight I preferred to hear what I was to face. Tomorrow, everything changed. My address. My purpose. Probably my lifespan.
