Page 35 of The Towering Sky
Cord began to explain the experiment. Rylin nodded in vigorous agreement, though her eyes had zeroed in on Hiral’s shopping bag. It was from Element 12, an upscale jewelry store. She felt even more miserable. Hiral had gone out shopping, most likely for a present forher, and here she was, hiding the fact that she was spending time with her ex.
Dimly she realized that the pod was pulling to a stop. The three of them all whirled around to face the back. Sure enough, a couple a few years older than them stepped on, and unquestioningly kept on facing the back of the pod. Rylin let her eyes dart toward Hiral. He seemed incredulous.
When they disembarked at the bottom, Hiral shook his head. “I never realized how quickly people change their behavior. And for no good reason.”
She wondered if he was talking about her.
“We have to do that at least thirty more times if we want valid results. You don’t have to stay, though,” Rylin hastened to add.
“That’s okay.” Hiral now he met her gaze. “I’m happy to stay.”
Rylin nodded, not trusting herself to break the tentative truce that seemed to have woven itself around the three of them.
CALLIOPE
CALLIOPE GAVE Aprivate, self-satisfied smile. She was about to go on a date with Brice Anderton.
At least... shethoughtit was a date. She wasn’t totally sure, which to Calliope’s mind was reason enough for going. It was rare indeed that a boy’s intentions confused her.
She hadn’t expected to hear from Brice again, after she ran into him at the ComBattle. But to her surprise, and unexpected delight, he had flickered her earlier to ask if she was free tonight.
“Sure,” Calliope had replied saying the words aloud to send as a flicker. Her mom and Nadav were meeting with a wedding vendor, leaving her home with Tamar and Livya. And Calliope felt confident that she could shake the two of them.
Then came Brice’s reply.Thanks. I’m backing a new business venture. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it, as a potential target customer.
Business venture? Calliope should have been irritated, yet all she felt was intrigued.
She slipped out of Livya’s bedroom—they were sharing now, since Nadav’s mom was still in town—and paused to glance both ways. All clear. She crept down the hallway on quick, silent feet, holding her breath.
“Where are you sneaking off to?” Livya cried out, emerging from the darkened living room. Her pale face was illuminated with an ugly, twisted glee.Oh my god, Calliope thought wildly, had Livya beenwaitingfor her, just hoping to catch Calliope in some misdeed?
“To school.” Calliope inwardly cringed. She should have thought of a better lie.
“School,” Livya repeated, with marked skepticism.
“I have a review session for my calculus class. Basic stuff. I’m really struggling with the material.” For a moment Calliope thought she’d laid it on too thick; but to her relief, Livya gave a self-righteous smirk. She clearly relished the idea of Calliope taking remedial calculus.
“Good luck studying. Sounds like you need it,” she simpered and stepped aside.
On the corner of their street, Calliope paused to yank her enormous sweater over her head, revealing a cap-sleeved shirt with appliqué floral embroidery. Then she logged on to her contacts to summon a hover, leaning one hand on a wall for balance as she traded her plain black flats for studded heels. She instantly felt more like herself again.
When she arrived at the address Brice had given her, she was surprised to see that it was a shopping district on the 839th floor. Brice was waiting at the end of the promenade, before an industrial-style storefront that Calliope had never noticed.THE CHOCOLATE SHOP, read the massive block letters above the entrance.
“Thanks so much for coming.” He held open the door for her in a show of unnecessary chivalry.
“If you’d told me we were buying chocolate, I would have come sooner,” Calliope said lightly.
She had been to countless chocolateries, all over the world. The cozy Middle Eastern ones, with colorful throw blankets and spicy Turkish coffee; the Parisian ones, with herringbone china and hot chocolate so thick it was more like pudding. But Brice’s chocolate shop felt startlingly like a science lab. Everything was done in an imposing white and chrome, all the surfaces sterile, with scattered touch screens. Behind the titanium counter Calliope saw test tubes and vials, labeled with things likeSUCROSEandEMULSIFIERandVANILLIN.
“Let’s place your order,” Brice said with a lazy smile.
He placed his hand on the counter, but it didn’t call up a menu, as Calliope had expected. Instead, a slot opened on the counter to dispense a single white pill, almost like a breath mint. “Just take that,” he said, placing it in her palm.
“Oh, come on,” Calliope laughed. “Don’t you think I know better than to accept drugs without knowing what they are?”
“It isn’t a drug,” Brice protested as one of the shop’s staff finally appeared from behind the counter, a young man with auburn hair and a stark white lab coat.
“Brice! So good to see you, as always. Sorry for the delay.” His eyes flicked to the tablet on the counter, and he nodded. “I see you’ve already got your colloidosome tablet.”
