A Lotus Synthesis

Chapter One: Initialization

Because of that, being manufactured as a "perfect heir" to him, I am physically a carbon copy of my father, everything down from our facial features, to body type, and even our medium height. The Blastonova's have ancestral ties to Italy and Mexico. Thus, we both have light brown skin, deep brown eyes, and very thick, curly chocolate-colored hair, though my father, now forty-six, has been turning more silver as of late. He even has a few wrinkles, mainly around his eyes and one or two by his mouth. But for me still only being seventeen, and created to age naturally, assisted with some upgrades to my body every birthday, I look just my age.

"Thank you, Andy," my father dismisses him, collecting an envelope pressed with a white lotus symbol on it from the automaton. He looks at me again, holding the envelope between two fingers with his classic smirk.

"What is it?" I ask, my eyes looking at the envelope in his hands as I stop before him.

"Something I've been expecting for a little while," my father replies, walking over to the round table in the middle of the foyer and setting the envelope down. "Open it, Nin."

"Okay," I reply, picking it up. Immediately, I notice that the envelope is addressed to my father and I, from...

The Amana family?

Curious, I gently open the seal of the envelope and slide out a white card within. I begin to read aloud the elegant text on it.

"To Mr. Nino and Nin Blastonova," I begin. "The royal Amana family graciously invites you to attend the seventeenth birthday celebration ball of Princess Ama Amana at eight P.M. on the night of Saturday, June third, twenty-fifty one. The ball will be held at the Tamont Capitol. Please arrive Friday, June second by eight P.M, as you will receive special accommodations at the Capitol to stay the night. For the ball, formal and any shade of blue is acceptable wear. We hope to see you there. With care, the Amana's."

"I knew it," my father nods once I finish, straightening out his suit jacket.

I set the envelope down and cock a thick brow at him, still feeling out of the loop.

"Oh, right," my father snaps his fingers. "I forgot to tell you, didn't I? King Annom and I had a talk about this a few weeks ago when we last met at that downtown conference."

King Annom is, as his title suggests, the King of the Atlantic city-state island I live upon, Tamont. I've never met the royal family myself, surprisingly, despite my father having grown up with King Annom and being good friends with him all of their life. In fact, I remember hearing that the Blastonova family and the Amana family have been on good terms ever since Luís Blastonova, my great-grandfather, invented automatons in 1970.

"I knew we'd receive an invitation eventually," my father continues. He gives me a sharp smile. "I'm eager for them to finally meet you, Nin. I really can't believe that in all this time, it's never happened. Especially since Ama is practically your age."

"I agree," I reply. "I don't think I've even been to the Capitol."

"You haven't," my father confirms. He picks up the invitation and reads over it again, nodding to himself before placing it down. He looks at me. "Are you excited?"

I shrug. "I don't know. I don't really attend parties."

"I know, I know...mistake on my part," my father shrugs, letting a sheepish quirk of his lips fall across his face. "But this will be good—and fun. I suppose you can use it as an opportunity to debut yourself in society, too. I'm sure there'll be many Tamont elites in attendance."

"Wonderful," I say simply, though, strangely, the idea makes me feel a sense of unease as a result of the inevitable deviation of my usual routine.

My father gives me a brisk lookover before patting me on the shoulder.