A long blast of the ship horns echoed through the cobblestone alley just as Lev exited his grandparents' apartment into the petal filled air. The ships were off for another gathering expedition. They would be back in a month or so with new mods, or supplies for mods, at least. He turned to wave to his grandparents and their previously concerned faces lifted into we-enjoyed-having-you smiles.
Whenever the ships returned from an expedition, the crews switched out and left the next day. Usually citizens who didn't rank high at Higher Learning were assigned memberships on a crew. These jobs, Lev had heard, were difficult and those given membership were discouraged from raising families because of the difficulties presented with being absent half the year. That's what the domes near the docks were for. The single crew members. They were spacious enough, and technologically advanced, but lonely. Lev wouldn't mind being by himself. But he would mind being on a crew of people for a month and having nowhere to go but with them. He was curious, however...
He ran his hand along the stone walls as he walked in the direction of his house. On ship days, everybody was let out at the same time they left. Usually half of Trealles stood by the dock to watch as they took off into the air and disappeared to where the sea met the sky.
Only crew members knew what was beyond that ever steady, ever mysterious point. And none of them ever shared about it. If Lev didn't hate talking to people he would ask someone. He would ask all of the questions bumping around in his mind and not be a bit sorry. But perhaps that's just another thing one learns upon becoming an adult. Like everything else interesting in the world.
The stones ended and a flurry of petals met Lev. The stairs before him were covered with pink. Sliding his hand along the rail, petals stung as they connected with his hand and floated to the ground. Voices echoed along the hall above and Lev's heart began pounding. He stopped mid-step, halfway up the stairs, and began turning around. Bottom step.
"Lev!"
His eyes shut for a moment. A petal landed on his head. He turned and lifted his eyes to Lola and Ker. The outdoor lighting only made their mods more ridiculous—except, maybe, Ker's. Hers weren't so bad in this moment.
Lola placed her hand on her hip. "We heard what happened."
"You know, that's really too bad." Ker sniffed and mirrored her sister but leaned on the railing a bit.
"Heard you weren't paying attention in class."
Ker's eyes widened and she bit her lip but kept silent.
"Economics is important, Lev. How else are you going to improve society?"
"Anyway." Ker dropped her arm and leaned forward so far Lev's heart spiked for her safety. "It's a shame you were hurt, but at least you got out of Higher Learning early."
Lola made a face at her sister.
Ker ignored her and leaned forward even more. "Anyway. We missed you in Historic Architecture, you know."
"Ew." Lola groaned and grabbed her sister's arm. "Let's go, Ker."
Ker's eyes didn't leave Lev's as she was being pulled by Lola. Her eyebrows twitched upwards and her mouth quirked ever so slightly.
Lev shook his head and turned back around. Everybody was going crazy.
Another five minutes of hiding in shadows and backtracking to avoid further interaction and Lev was on the third level of the houses. The one at the end called his name just as the door to his left began opening.
Pace quickened, Lev's steps did the same, and he scanned his hand on the panel before the door and it beeped to reveal Serafina.
"Lev!" Her head was covered with a blue safety cap and her smock, colorful splotches. "I was just coming out to look for you!"
He pressed his lips together and lowered his eyebrows.
"Don't give me that look. Mom and Dad were worried about you. They got the message about you being injured or something at Higher Learning and were worried it was more serious than the message let on. It doesn't look like you're injured at all."
He moved his collar to reveal the bruises.
"Oh." Her eyes widened. "That's unfortunate. Does it hurt?"
He shrugged and moved past her and into the front room to look at the clock. He was only fifteen minutes after the ships left. Not enough to send a search party, namely in the form of his sister, to look for him despite the true rumors of him being injured. How many people knew about it?
"Good thing you came back though." The door slid shut with a poof of air. "They were ready to start calling people up to help look."
Lev took a deep breath in, turned to look at his sister, widened his eyes, and let it out with a shake of his head.
"I know. I dissuaded them from making that rash decision, so all thanks belong to your sister." Serafina grinned and looped her thumbs through the laces in her smock.
Lev tilted his head to the side and raised his eyebrows.
"Work was fine. Busy as usual. We had a large crowd around the lunch break. I guess people wanted to get some mods before their family left for the ships. We're always busiest ship week."
He nodded.
"Let's relieve the parental unit's mind." Serafina grinned and led the way towards the dining room.
"Serafina? Are you back already?" Mom's voice cut through the thin walls.
"Yes."
"Well, did you find him?" Dad's boomed through, not as cleanly.
Serafina stopped at the entrance to let Lev precede her.
"Lev!" Mom stood from where she'd been slumped at the end of the table. "Are you hurt?"
Serafina leaned back against the doorway. "He has a huge bruise. Hasn't said a word. Probably never will again."
"Serafina." Dad frowned and pointed at her. "You should clean up before dinner."
She breathed in deep and gave him a nod. "Will do."
"What happened, Lev?"
He moved his collar to show his parents the bruises.
"Oh no." Mom shook her head and sat back in her chair. "That won't do."
"Lighten up, Lisa. Lev will get over it."
"Do you see the bruise? That is not normal."
"Lev, go wash up."
Gladly. Anything to escape overhearing being talked about.
To the outer layer of the apartment, he went. Staircase, and up. He lived on the top. A little attic room for his reclusiveness. That's what Serafina always said growing up. Lev fell on the edge of his bed and stared at the lights lining the corners of his walls. He would start on them tonight before he forgot everything Lucca had taught him.
A knock sounded on the trapdoor in the middle of the room, which was surrounded by drawers of items, but nowhere close to Lucca's office. Lev had a place for everything and if those things scattered they would be quickly replaced.
Serafina's lime-green haired head peeked through and her bright pink eyebrows twitched at him. "Can I come in, little hermit?"
Lev nodded.
"Thanks." The door fell open and banged the floor as she pushed through and sat on the edge, letting her feet dangle down. Besides her hair, Serafina didn't have many mods. Usually those who worked in the Mod Center didn't have the privilege of adding extra modification only because it often got in the way of work. But they certainly showed it in their hair. "Did Dad tell you to wash up?"
He nodded.
"Were they arguing about you?"
Another nod.
"They never argued about me. I don't get why it's different for you."
Lev tucked his chin and raised his eyebrows. Really? She probably knew more about why they argued over him than he did but she always claimed she didn't.
She threw her head back, green hair dangling, and laughed. "Synth isn't a big reason to argue about you. It's not like you're breaking laws or doing crazy stuff. You're doing well in your classes, right? Besides getting hurt, you're not doing anything."
Perhaps becoming an adult didn't entitle one to knowing everything. In fact, it really didn't, but it was expected that one would have all knowledge imparted to them upon graduating from Higher Learning. But Serafina knew just about as much as Lev. More in some areas, less in others, and it was beginning to seem to Lev that the accomplishment of graduation was perhaps more amplified and the reality of it for at one moment of life he must listen to his guardians and ask permission for the most menial of things, and the next he was expected to give the permission and make the decisions without any true prior training. Perhaps that training came on the final level of Higher Learning.
"And it's not like you can do anything about getting hurt. You're just fragile." She twitched her eyebrows and smirked. "But that's fine. You just need to build up some muscle, little hermit. Maybe we should get Mom and Dad to trade in for some strength synths. I bet if you ate those instead of switching all the time it'd help eventually."
Lev's eyes went back to the lights. He'd leave the decision up to his parents. Choosing his own synth was stressful and his doctor always had opinions—and switching synth all the time was expensive for his family. Synth took time to produce and one couldn't just switch every week and expect it to cost the same amount as the normal. Vitamins took time to come across. The ships came back only every other month and not all vitamins could be readily produced at the Center.
"Kids! Come on down!"
Serafina sighed and slid back down to the next level. "Oh no!"
Lev crawled from his bed to the trapdoor to see Serafina slap her forehead and place a hand on her hip. "I forgot to tell Mom and Dad that Kace is coming over!"
Mom and Dad hated unexpected changes. They didn't come across that way, but Serafina knew it'd offset their moods for the rest of the evening.
He slid to the floor, pulling his trapdoor closed behind him. The door knocked and Serafina whipped around to send Lev a pleading expression. He nodded and went to the door as she dashed into the dining room. Slightly raised voices echoed to him as he stopped before the door, waiting for the voices to die down. He checked his shirt, ran a hand through his hair, looked in the mirror in front of him—Serafina always wanted him to look his best for her fiancé. But she'd be moving out soon and Lev's defender would be gone.
The voices went down and Lev pressed his hand to the panel. It whooshed open, sending a breeze to ruffle his hair and press petals into his shirt. Kace stood on the other side, a half grin on his face that didn't disappear when he saw Lev.
"Lev!" His dotted orange eyebrows lifted like his mouth, and he clapped Lev's shoulder. "Glad you're here. Serafina told me you'd gotten hurt at Higher Learning." He shook his head and moved past him into the house. "The good old days. How I miss them." Small golden cylinders protruded from the back of his neck. Those were new. And hideous. But because of them, Kace wouldn't be tripped or hit or called out in class if he was still part of Higher Learning.
Serafina ran into the room, her eyes latched onto Kace and a smile on her face. "Kace!" His arms opened and she walked into his embrace. "I'm glad you could come."
Lev made a face and walked past them to the dining room. Kace was fine, but Serafina became a different person around him. Sort of sentimental and weird and Lev knew it wasn't her intention to push him to the side, but when Kace was around that was exactly what happened. But he was used to it in all aspects of his life so it wasn't anything new.
His parents looked up with grimaces when he entered, but their faces fell flat when they saw him. That was good—better than continuing grimaces. His place had the latest synth before it, but a contraption was attached to the push tube.
His dad glanced at him and motioned to the item. "The center decided to give us the alternate way—it's new, but they think if synth goes into your bloodstream it will bypass any reactions you might have."
Lev took his seat and pulled it to him. A rubber tube was attached to the synth tube and at the end was a needle capped in a protective plastic covering.
His mom lifted her head from her hand. "They said they would send somebody by to show you how to use it, but I guess they forgot."
"We might have to go by the center before they close, otherwise you'll be out of a meal for the night."
Lev breathed out through his nose and slumped back in his chair just as his stomach rumbled. He hadn't had food since this morning. He'd skipped lunch because, frankly, not eating was always better than having a reaction at Higher Learning.
Serafina and Kace walked into the room, hand in hand. "Good evening, Mister and Missus Langford."
They hadn't given him permission to utilize their first names. It wasn't that they disliked Kace, but they wanted to be sure he was worthy of Serafina—top of her Higher Learning class, progressive worker at the Mod Center—she had everything going for her and they couldn't risk a halt to her career of life. As if it was their choice.
"Kace." Lev's mom beckoned for him to sit at the extra seat next to Lev and across from her. Ah, the test of true love—separation at the dining table. Lev bit his lip and stifled the urge to roll his eyes. Kace and Serafina's hands fell away and they sat, Kace putting his synth before him.
He grinned and folded his hands. "I brought my synth."
"We can see that." Lev's dad raised his eyebrows and scooted his chair in.
Kace sighed and his jaw tensed. "I've started a garden of my own at my apartment. It's flourishing. By the time" he glanced at Serafina and his posture relaxed and his visage lightened, "we get married it will be a garden capable of supporting us and any children we might be blessed to have one day. Serafina will well be taken care of."
With the butt end of his fork, Lev's dad stabbed the plastic covering of his tube.