Her footsteps pattered down the long, white hallway.

  She shouldn’t be here.

  Rey ran past the doors lining both sides, her eyes on one at the very end. Two guards chased after her, but she had too much of a head start.

  She was almost there, her hands outstretched to push it open. But no matter how hard she tried to run, she seemed to be slowing down the closer she got to the door.

  Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked back to see Aneeta.

  “You’re not ready to remember this.”

  Rey woke up with tears in her eyes.

  “Huh? What was I just dreaming about…” She rubbed her eyes and looked at the white bedsheets. “I’m still tired.”

  It’d been two weeks since they’d been picked up by the Alliance ships, and only forty hours since they’d nded on Ezerse, which was exactly two days on the pnet. They’d been searched, interrogated, and separated as soon as they boarded the ships, and now they’d been pced in a government shelter, which was where they'd be staying until the government decided what to do with them.

  Rey was climbing out of bed when she heard a voice summon her to the common area. She hurriedly got dressed and made her way to the rge, circur room at the center of the shelter.

  Landen and Zan were already there, and Yande and Deru appeared together soon after. Waiting for them to assemble was Mivani Harvi, the leader of the squadron that’d rescued them. Her curly red hair was tied back, and she was dressed in the same military uniform that she’d worn when they first met her. Her physical toughness and hard eyes gave her a commanding presence as she surveyed the room.

  “Where’s the st one?”

  “Chisays still…not ready yet,” Landen said, gncing back. He’d been visiting her every day trying to raise her spirits, but it didn’t seem to be working. She remained closed off in her room, only eating and drinking the bare minimum.

  “Go fetch her,” Harvi said.

  Landen frowned, but went to do as she said.

  “Is your arm still working properly?” Harvi asked Zan.

  “Yeah, it’s holding up,” he said, moving the fingers of the temporary prosthetic arm he’d been given. It’d been attached soon after they’d nded on Ezerse, and Zan was still getting used to it.

  Landen returned with a sleepy Chisay, and they all looked at the woman who had gathered them.

  “Alright, now that you’re all here I have a few things to tell you. First, war has broken out between the Alliance and the Seynian Empire, and this pnet has become unsafe due to its proximity to the border.

  “Second, it's been decided that you all can stay in the Alliance as refugees under government surveilnce. As for where you’ll be staying, we have someone who’s volunteered to take you all in. He lives on the capital pnet, Merrifield, which is a three week journey from here. You’ll be leaving tomorrow morning.

  “Any questions so far?”

  “How long will this st?” Zan asked apprehensively.

  “For the others it’ll be until the government decides otherwise and they’re able to gain citizenship, but you’re in a slightly different situation. You’re a citizen of the Alliance, which means that you can be tried for all the ws that you broke.

  “Or you would be, except that you're fifteen, so you get off pretty much scott free because of our stupid legal code. But that doesn’t mean that you won’t be facing other consequences. We were able to contact your parents, and your father is currently waiting outside this room.”

  “Wait…my dad is here?”

  “Yes, and he’s been informed about the situation. Ordinarily, this would mean that you can go home with him as long as you stay on parole, but he’s asked to meet with you first.

  “On that note, I’ll hold the meeting right here and now, so we can get it over with.”

  “Wait-”

  She knocked on the door behind her and a moment ter it slid open. A man appeared, and Zan’s eyes went wide. He was totally unprepared for this sudden reunion.

  The man was in his thirties, had bck hair, and was slightly slouched forward. His pin clothes somehow paired well with his pin face.

  He walked up to Zan and hit him on his left cheek.

  “I can’t believe what you’ve done!” he said furiously.

  Zan said nothing, only reaching up and pcing his hand where he’d been hit. Yande winced at this interaction, and Deru held her hand slightly tighter.

  “First you refuse to listen to your mother and I, then you run away from home and do this! I haven’t seen you in years, and…and…your hair turned grey.”

  “Yeah, and what are you gonna do about it?” Zan asked in a low voice.

  His father blinked in surprise, then gnced at Captain Harvi, but she didn’t move.

  “You don’t feel bad about running away from us? Do you know how much that hurt your mother?” “...Is she here?” “No.”

  For some reason, Zan almost looked slightly relieved.

  “You don’t regret what you did?” his father asked in disbelief.

  “No, not at all,” Zan replied, not meeting his eyes.

  After a moment, his father’s shoulders slumped and he turned back to Captain Harvi.

  “I won’t take him back. Not now.”

  “Alright, just wait outside until I’m done then,” she said. He left, gncing back once more at Zan before the door slid closed between them.

  “That leaves you with two options,” she said to Zan. “Either force him to take you back anyway, or stay with the others in the capital.”

  “I’ll stay with them.”

  “Good, that makes things simple. I had a feeling something like this might happen, so I’ve already filled out the paperwork. Be ready to leave at five tomorrow morning.”

  ***

  Rey y awake, the covers pulled over her head. Ever since they’d left Temure, she’d had trouble falling asleep. The room was slightly cooler than she would’ve liked, but she didn’t know what to do about it.

  She held her arms to her chest and tried to shut her eyes and fall asleep, but it wasn’t working. There was something buried deep in the back of her mind, but she couldn’t recall what it was.

  She turned over, her skin brushing the cold covers. For a moment she remembered the feeling of Aneeta’s arms around her.

  “I miss that warmth.”

  She felt an emotion stir in her chest, and suddenly didn’t want to be alone. She sat up and slipped out of bed, then into the hallway, still wearing only the nightclothes they’d given her. Without thinking, she walked over to Zan’s door and knocked quietly.

  After a minute, it slid open to reveal him standing in his nightclothes. He looked at her, confused.

  “What is it?”

  “Is it okay if I sleep with you?”

  “Huh?”

  His tired brain took a moment to process her request.

  “What- why?”

  “I’m cold, and I wanted to sleep with someone. I don’t really know the others as well, but I thought it would be okay if it’s you.”

  “Ah-But…”

  After a moment, he let out a breath.

  “I guess…it’s fine. As long as we just sleep.”

  “What else would we do?”

  “Just come inside already,” he said, walking back to his bed slightly flustered. She followed him, and they both y down next to each other on the small bed. Zan pulled the covers over them, and turned so his back was facing Rey.

  After a long silence, he began to speak quietly.

  “This is technically my home pnet, that’s probably why my dad was able to get here so fast. I didn’t tell any of you because I don’t like talking about my past.”

  “Then…why are you telling me now?”

  “.........I don’t know. I guess I just feel like telling you.”

  “...”

  “I haven’t been here in four years though.”

  “Hm? Then…you ran away when you were eleven?”

  “Yeah. I stowed away on a ship to the capital, and that’s where I spent the next three years. Then I spent about a year preparing for the mission.”

  “What did you do in the capital?”

  “That’s where I got the system I use to control my power. There was a company that offered me the chance to get stronger, as long as I went through an experimental procedure for them. They needed a child, and I wanted to get stronger. It was illegal, but they were able to do it in secret, and it…worked, but it wasn't perfect.

  “I have to have a massive amount of limiters or my body won’t be able to function without constantly using up massive amounts of energy. Removing them unlocks more power, but that means I need a lot more energy. It’s also bad for my health, so I only remove them when I really need to. But even with this power, I wasn’t able to save-”

  He felt Rey put her hands against his back, her palms resting between his shoulder bdes.

  “Um…what-”

  Her forehead touched his back and he caught his breath.

  “I’m sorry. It’s because of me that everything went wrong and you had to use them.”

  “What-no, I’m the one who’s at fault, so don’t…”

  “Ah…we both bme ourselves.”

  Zan let out a small sigh.

  “I guess no one can stand to watch someone else bme themselves when they think they’re at fault.”

  “Really it’s the Empire we should be bming. Don’t just think everything is your fault! I’ll try to do the same.”

  “...okay.”

  Quiet.

  After some time, Zan realized that Rey’s breathing had evened, and she had fallen asleep. He didn’t want to turn over in case he accidentally woke her up. Her warm body was still pressing against his, only separated by a couple yers of thin fabric.

  “How the hell am I supposed to fall asleep now?”

  ***

  “This warmth…”

  Rey woke to a knock on the door. She opened her eyes to find that while they were sleeping she’d wrapped her arms around Zan, who now y beside her.

  She sat up when the knocking continued, and a moment ter Zan opened his eyes.

  As soon as he saw Rey and remembered what had happened his eyes widened and he sat up as well.

  The knocking ceased and the door slid open.

  “I don’t like to be ignored-”

  Harvi saw the two of them in bed together and stopped for a moment.

  “It’s not what it looks like,” Zan said.

  “Okay, I don’t really care. I gave Yande and Deru their own room when they insisted. But it’s time to go, so get your asses out of bed already.”

  “Right, we’ll be out in a minute.”

  “Good,” she left the room.

  “What did you mean, it’s not what it looks like?”

  “Don’t ask me to expin it to you. Ask… Chisay or someone.”

  “Sorry, Chisay.”

  “Oh… okay. Thanks for letting me stay the night.”

  She hurried back to her room and quickly threw on the new clothes she’d been given. They actually fit slightly better than the dress she’d been wearing, but she didn’t feel as comfortable wearing them. Unfortunately they’d confiscated all their belongings, so she didn’t have a choice.

  The others were waiting in the common area with Harvi and two men, one on either side of her.

  “Before you leave I’ll introduce these two; they’ll be traveling with you.”

  She gestured at the man to her right, who was almost six feet tall. He wore a bck combat outfit and carried a short spear on his belt. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, had bck hair tied back in a short ponytail near the top of his head, bck eyes, and a pale complexion.

  “You’re all still at risk from Seynian assassination attempts, so I’m sending him with you as a bit of extra security.”

  “I’m Setaria Viridis," he said, holding his hands behind his back and bowing slightly with a bored expression on his face. “Just call me Set if you want, or whatever else comes to mind when you see me.”

  “And this one’s an official escort, provided by the government,” she said, waving briefly at the other man, who looked several years older. Slightly overweight and at least a foot shorter than Set, he had short brown hair that was beginning to thin, a thick brown mustache, shifty eyes, and a blue government uniform that was slightly too small for him.

  “Yes, I’m Lug Ozero, and I’ll be-”

  “He’s mostly here to monitor you all, so don’t mind him,” Captain Harvi cut him off, prompting a scowl, but she had already moved on.

  “Anyway, this is where we part ways, so we probably won’t see each other again unless you become involved in the war.”

  She touched her beret and left the room.

  “Alright, we’ll take you to the ship-”

  “I’ll be giving the directions here,” Lug said, giving Set a dirty look.

  “Suit yourself.”

  Zan yawned, and Rey looked at him.

  “Sorry, I must've kept you up st night.”

  “Hmm? Ah, no, not for long. Don’t worry about it.”

  “What do you mean she kept you up?” Chisay asked.

  “I just said she didn’t…well not for long. And it’s not what you're thinking. We just slept together.”

  “Huh? She slept with a minor?” Landen interjected.

  “You're technically right, but watch your phrasing! We just fell asleep together,” Zan said before Rey could answer.

  “Besides, I’m only a few months away from being an adult,” Zan answered.

  “I swear I’m never doing this again.”

  “Look, can we just get back on track?” Lug said, irritated.

  “Oh, there’s no need to rush,” Set said. “The ship is waiting for us, so we can take our time if we want.”

  “No, my superior was very clear; he said to make sure not to be te. It’ll throw everything off schedule and create more work for me.”

  “Sounds like a pain in the ass.”

  “Wasn’t your captain trying to get everyone out of here on time as well?”

  “Oh, she’s always like that. Don’t mind her too much. As long as we get out of here by today it’s fine.”

  “By today?! We need to leave now! We’re already te, and if we waste anymore time I’ll get yelled at!”

  “That doesn’t bother me.”

  “Just get going already!” Lug said with a sour face as he tried to start rushing the others out the door.

  With a sigh from Set, they began their journey to the capital.

  ***

  The open air outside the ship was so chilly that they could see their breath in the air as they waited for the boarding ramp to descend. Thankfully there was hardly any wind, and the thick jackets they’d been given helped some.

  Far above them, Rey could see the massive transparent dome that covered this sector of the city. Apparently simir domes were spread out across the pnet’s surface because the temperature outside fell far below freezing all year long, and the atmospheric makeup had proven too difficult for humans to change.

  Even the air inside the dome was still very cold most of the time because it was too expensive to heat the entire area effectively. Most people preferred to stay indoors and travel using the extensive tunnel system under the city.

  The ramp hit the ground with a thud, and they hurried inside, where it was much warmer. As the ramp closed behind them, Lug led them into the central room, where a rge rectangur table sat. A door behind the head of the table opened into a hall that led to the control room, and on either side were doors that led to the sleeping quarters, bathrooms, and storage rooms.

  It was a rger ship than the one they’d left Temure in, but still only built to transport a dozen people at most.

  There would be ten total this time, counting the eight passengers and two pilots.

  “You’ll each have your own room, meals will be given out three times a day, and if you have any other concerns or questions come to me,” Lug recited from memory.

  “Ok, well, Yande and I will be sharing a room, so you can use the extra for whatever you want,” Deru said.

  “No, I can’t allow that. It’s against regutions,” Lug said.

  “We always sleep together and there’s no way I’ll let anyone separate us now,” Deru’s tone turned cold.

  “I don’t care what teenage drama you’ve got going on, but I’m in charge here.”

  “I don’t care who you are, no one’s gonna get between me and her. If you do-”

  Deru stepped forward and whispered in Lug’s ear.

  “I’ll castrate you in your sleep.”

  “What the hell is wrong with you?!!!” Lug said, practically jumping back and covering his crotch with his hands. “Damn it! Fine, do what you want. I’ll be filing a report on this though!”

  “Do what you want,” Deru said, then led Yande out of the room with a smile.

  “You got put in your pce before we even took off,” Set said in amusement.

  “Shut up!”

  ***

  A soft knock on Landen’s door. It was several hours after takeoff. Everyone had eaten and retreated to their rooms. Landen paused the song he was listening to and opened the door to find Chisay standing outside.

  “And what could you be here for?”

  “I wanted to say thank you,” she said softly.

  “What for?”

  “You’ve been trying to help me ever since we left Mek, even though it must’ve been hard for you too. I’m still not back to normal, and I don’t know if I will be for a while, but…I’m gd you were there for me, so… thank you,” she said, looking at the floor.

  Landen scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, then sighed.

  “Please raise your head. I didn’t do all that much, I just… couldn’t stand to see someone so broken.”

  “Mmh. I think you’d probably do the same for anyone. Don’t underestimate the value of your words though. If no one had tried to reach out to me, I might’ve… Anyway, if there’s anything I can do for you…”

  “It’s fine, you don’t need to do anything-”

  “But I want to.”

  “...Then, if I ever need someone to give me a bit of support, even if it’s just a shoulder to lean on, please be there for me.”

  “I didn’t expect you to ask for something like that.”

  “You’re the one who asked, and besides… you wouldn’t be happy unless I asked for something I actually wanted, right?”

  “...You’re right. I’ll do my best, so that I can help others someday.”

  “That sounds good to me.”

  “By the way…why do they act like that? Yande and Deru, I mean.”

  “Oh…it’s a bit of a long story.”

  “I don’t mind.”

  “Then we might want to sit down,” he gestured inside. They sat down side by side on the edge of his bed.

  “It started about two years ago, " he began.