They made their way up the long gravel path to the entrance of the Gardvord, where each of them pulled out their ID cards. Benny scanned his and walked through the open door while Cahir and Seda waited for their turn. Due to recent security concerns, a new protocol was implemented, allowing only one person through the door at a time, and the door quickly sealed shut after the approved person entered.
Cahir held out his hand to let Seda enter next. Seda scanned hercard and walked through the doorway, the smell of soil and chemicals hitting her nose. She tucked her card back into her blue uniform pocket and stepped aside so Cahir had room to enter.
“Let me know if you catch Mom today. Will ya, Seda?” Benny asked over his shoulder as he walked toward his department.
“Sure thing. Let me know what you find out, too.” He gave her a mock salute, just like the Rozzers, and walked down the hall, away from the two.
As they began walking toward their office, Cahir slipped his arm around Seda’s shoulder, and the frayed opening on her uniform from the bird made her skin rub against his. They passed by a few other workers wearing the same blue uniform along the way. No one said anything to them as they went by, too focused on their work to notice.
They approached their office and entered once more. As Seda stepped into the room, she took in the scent of paper and ink, and a sense of comfort enveloped her.Her work was her refuge, a haven of normalcy and quiet ease, a steady rhythm from the chaos outside the walls.
She and Cahir were the only workers in this department now. Their former coworker, Esper, was taken to the Camp during a previous Wyrd six months ago. Like them, Esper and her partner, Diantha, had been trying to get pregnant through artificial insemination for years.
Seda sat down at her desk and turned on the computer, keying in her passcode. Cahir sat across from her, watching her intently. “Seda, there is something…” he paused as if he didn’t know how to say the right words.
“What is it?” she asked as she waited for the computer to load fully.
“Well…” He moved his lips, but nothing came out. He cleared his throat. “I mean, there are things I want to tell you. Can we walk home alone tonight, and I can try?”
“Why…” Seda began.
“It’s just…something,” he interrupted her and paused. “Better said while on a walk home tonight. I love you, Sed.”
She glanced up from her computer at him, her gaze locking onto Cahir’s smile once more—the same smile that had left many girls blushing. His emerald eyes seemed to plead with her to say yes.
“Of course, Cahir. I love you, too.”
The day mostly passed in silence as they worked, entering data quietly. At lunchtime, Cahir pulled out a couple of bananas and some chips for them to share.
Around three in the afternoon, Seda stood up, stretched her legs, and looked over their workstation at Cahir.
He was asleep… again!
She threw an eraser from her desk at his head, but Cahir’s hand shot up and caught it before it smacked him in the face.
Dammit! Almost had him.
He lifted his groggy head, and Seda saw the peel from the banana he’d eaten earlier stuck to his cheek.
“What did I miss?”he asked, the banana peel moving as he spoke.
She fought back a smile. “Wanna go for a walk? I want to see if I can find my Mom. She likes going for walks around this time.”
“I don’t know, Sed. I’m kinda busy here with work.” Cahir grinned mischievously as he got up from his chair, removed the banana peel from his face, and held out his arm for her to take.
“You really need to stop sleeping at work.”
“I was inputting calculations in my brain,” he joked. “It’s called discrete mathematics for a reason.”
Seda rolled her eyes and accepted his outstretched arm. They left their office and walked down the long hall to the entryway, then stepped outside. They wandered around, watching the bees dancearound the gardens, then headed toward the orchard’s side entrance. Both Seda and Cahir scanned their cards and went inside. Sara sat on a bench near the trees, crying as she clutched a piece of paper in her hand.
“Mom! What happened?” Seda asked as she ran up to her.
“Oh, hi sweetie.” Sara wiped her brown eyes with her uniform sleeve. Her hair was a bit messy, with half of it coming out of her braid. “I just got…” Sara paused and held out the letter for Seda to take. “I just got this letter from the Palatium. It seems your father was taken to the Camp for misbehavior.”
“Misbehavior?”Benny paced back and forth in the orchard between two trees, biting his nails. “Dad exemplifies the best qualities of society!”
Jason always followed the rules and encouraged his children to do the same, setting an example for them to follow. The letter, unfortunately, did not say much. It was addressed to Sara and family, indicating that last night, around six in the evening, Jason Arbor had been taken into custody for misbehavior and was being transported to the Camp as soon as possible, and that they wished for a quick rehabilitation, given his status.
