After making sure the bedroom door was completely closed, she took off her towel and hung it to dry. She paused at her dresser and looked at her reflection, gazing at the moon-shaped stone that hung from a long chain around her neck. It cast a shimmering light around her.
There’s no way they took children.
She put on comfortable pajamas, a bit worn but still usable, and then brushed out her long, fair hair, braiding it back as her mom had taught her. When she finished, she walked out. Cahir was facing away from her as he sat in the chair, staring at a crumpled piece of white paper. He heard the floor creak and quickly slipped the paper into his shirt pocket. He looked up to Seda and smiled.
“What was that?” she asked.
“Oh, just something for the work I need tofinish.” He dismissed it quickly and glanced at her shoulder. “Your injury is already looking a bit better.” He stood up from the chair. “I’m going to take a shower too.”
Cahir often had small papers, which Seda assumed were related to his work. They both worked at Gardvord, in the plant science division. Although they worked in the same department, Cahir’s role was slightly different from hers, requiring him to attend meetings quite often.
She and Cahir met there a few years ago and quickly became friends. At the time, both of them were single and approaching twenty-five with no plans to conceive, so they chose to enter a mutual relationship to have a child, which was common in Joro.
“The water is cold and slow today,” she mumbled, lightly touching her shoulder and feeling the lingering pain.
“Perfect. It was hot out there anyway,” Cahir replied, and slipped into the bathroom, shutting the door.
Chapter 3
Seda
(26 years prior)
“Ifinally found you,” whispered a voice.
The little girl opened her sensitive eyes to the glaring sun and watched a cerulean butterfly flutter across the dusty road. She followed it and bent down when she noticed a twinkle, picking up a white gemstone and examining it as if for the first time.
What a pretty rock.
She cradled the rock in her hand, loving how it sparkled in the sunlight and reflected the light onto her and the surrounding ground. She slowly raised her head and looked out into the distance, where she saw a massive tower rising toward a radiant glow in the sky. It was so beautiful.
“Hi there, sweetie, are you lost? Where’s your family?”a woman asked as she approached the little girl, carrying a baby on her hip and a bag slung over her shoulder.
The girl looked up at the woman. She regarded her brown hair, perfectly braided back, and her kind eyes staring down at her. The baby pulled at his mother’s earring, and she softly brushed his hand to the side.
“What’s your name?” the woman asked her.
“I don’t know,” she replied in a weak voice.
The woman reached into her bag and held out a piece of bread for the girl. “Are you hungry?”
The little girl took the bread and munched on it. The soft fluffiness and taste of flour and yeast were heaven on her tongue. She smacked her rosy lips in delight.
“Yummy!” She held out her hand, asking for another.
The woman tittered. “I’ll have more for you back at the Gardvord. Will you come with me so we can try to find your family?”
The girl nodded and placed the pretty, shiny rock into her dress pocket. She accepted the woman’s offered hand and they walked up the long road, opposite the tall tower, toward a cluster of buildings and distant farmlands.
She heard the cawing of black birds in the sky and gazed up to count them. Three birds flew high above, weaving in and out of the shimmering dome overhead.
They reached a tall brick building and stopped at a glass doorway. The woman dug into her pocket, pulled out a card, and pressed it against a small gray box beside the door. It clicked, and the glass doors opened. She followed the woman inside, wondering when she’d get another slice of soft bread.
They walked down a long hallway and entered another doorway, where the woman scanned her card again. The door opened into a large greenhouse filled with trees, and the fresh scent hit the girl in the nose.
“This smells like home,” the girl said. She noted the sunlight filtering through the branches and the earthy smell of dirt.
“Oh, that’s good to hear. Your family must be close then,” said the woman. “Why don’t you wait here with Benny for a moment while I go to call my husband?” The woman pointed to a large cushion placed on the ground.
