Wattys shortlist 2021. One morning the sun rises a few hours early, striking levitating skyscrapers in Soliara ahead of schedule. People in the streets stop to look up at the sky and then down at their watches. Most of them, puzzled but disbelieving...
Candra said to Diana Aemilia, "Cristo? We can go find him. I'll come with you." Candra felt her patience with the tight-lipped crying girl shredded to pieces when Nova appeared out of the crowd to get involved.
"Exequi Aemilia," Nova said with a whine that was meant to sound sweet and sympathetic, and she sat down on Diana's other side, putting an arm around her. "Cristo told me about your problem. Is there anything I can do?" Candra may as well have been invisible.
It was intimidating, and it showed off Nova had an exclusive bond with Diana that Candra didn't. Nova knew what was wrong when Candra didn't.
She tried not to clench her jaw too hard.
Diana was sniffling again, but more calm now. Relieved. Nova was relieving her suffering. "I'm waiting for Cristo," she said. She trembled. "Can you bring him over?" In the instant Nova lost turning in her seat to find 'Cristo,' Candra swiped the chance to get Diana alone again.
"I know where he is," she said, and she took both of Diana's hands to pull her up. Then she pulled her into the crowd, which closed around them like a curtain while Nova was looking the other way. "I'll take you to him."
Pulling Diana after her by just one hand now, she moved fast through the crowd, scattering bodies to leave Nova in her dust. She looked over her shoulder; Nova was breaking into a run, then halted by a mass of drunk people; she shoved to get through. Candra slammed between two people and shifted left to lose Nova around a pocket of tightly knit suits with drinks in their hands, bent close desperately to hear each other over the blaring jazz music.
On the other side she looked back again; Nova's face was above the heads of the crowd, eyes searching. Desperate because she lost them.
Back in the direction of the elevators, Candra pushed and pulled, then around the corner to the billiards room where she had no idea whether anyone named Cristo was present.
"I know where he is," she said. The girl was too agonized again to notice Candra was being inconsistent.
She didn't even need to fake an, "Oh, that Cristo?"
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Justin Marius had asked, "Who even are you?"
Leander grinned. Words weren't really his thing, but some were ready to pour out of his mouth when asked that question. He had a lot on his mind.
He said, "My name is Leander Prince, and I'm not really anybody. I used to be somebody, though. I was a police officer. A detective. I was proud of my career. I put some really bad people away — not the bottom run criminals but the people who paid them. It's not like I can say that I never compromised, but I put some of the worst where they belong — behind bars. That's what matters. Anyway, where I come from a guy like me can't just pull over the most important person in the empire at a party when it feels like the world is collapsing and demand that they fix the damn thing. 'Nobodies' like me go ignored. So I'm taking this opportunity while I have your attention.
