Just a few lucky humans were chosen to migrate to Selino, land of six moons, when Earth was falling apart. Now Earth is long gone, and the only thing stopping the humans from taking full advantage of their new planet are Selino's five native species...
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It was only a short walk from the monorail station to the rana village, but it felt far too long as Cybele trailed after Cynth, who was the only one out of the three who moved with dangerous purpose.
Cybele still couldn't quite believe she was willingly walking alongside Cynth Leeyung straight into a rana settlement — this would never end well. The entire situation was... unfathomable.
No, Cybele thought. It was terrifying. Especially after what she'd just witnessed. She knew Cynth killed hibri as often and easily as she breathed, but that didn't lessen the shock of seeing her murder the one who'd been chasing Will.
Will. Cybele cast a furtive glance in the purple-eyed girl's direction. She'd barely spoken since Cynth had shot the hibri, and Cybele couldn't help but wonder why. Was it just the experience of witnessing a murder? Or was it possible she was a patria sympathizer?
Cybele quickly shut the question down. She couldn't be thinking those kinds of things — it was dangerous, reckless to make such assumptions.
They entered the village too soon. Any thoughts of Will emptied from Cybele's mind, her heartbeat picking up speed as she glimpsed two ranae across the road pause in their conversation to stare — even if they were mainly staring at Cynth and her all-too-recognizable hair, Cybele could still feel their fear, mixed with that cutting edge of hatred.
Cybele struggled to draw in a steadying breath, keeping her gaze straight ahead, focused on the back of Cynth's head. For some reason, she couldn't look at Will as she tried to keep her hands from shaking.
No — no. This wasn't good. This wasn't how it was supposed to go — she shouldn't have been feeling ashamed.
Cynth certainly wasn't.
"Well, we're here," the blue-haired girl said, stopping in the center of the road with her arms crossed. Cybele repressed the urge to look around; she could have sworn every rana in the village was staring at them through their windows. "What now, Willa?"
Will's gaze jerked toward the Leeyung daughter, her expression caught somewhere between panic and fear — and again, Cybele couldn't help but wonder what she could have possibly been scared of.
"Me?" Will asked in response to Cynth, her voice small.
"No, the pathetic hibri who nearly made you shit yourself out of terror," Cynth deadpanned. "Yes, you — you're the one who suggested coming here. Now what?"
Will's mouth opened, but nothing came out.
Cybele quickly took over. "We need to find a contact to speak with," she said. "Maybe we can locate one of Tercy Cess's descendants, or — "
"No one's going to talk to us," Will interrupted unexpectedly, her eyes darting uneasily around the village. More and more ranae walking down the road were glancing in their direction, their expressions suspiciously wary. "They hate us."
