Almost a week after the events at the Pavilion I entered the Omada headquarters, more than a little surprised by how damn cheerful the decorating was in this part of the building.
I’d been there several times over the last few days, between ducking Dagan and completing my duty shifts. It had taken all this time to gather the courage to walk through the doors, but once inside, it was not what I’d expected.
The walls were painted an obnoxiously bright yellow. There were plants everywhere with orange and red blooms whose scent was almost overpowering. I barely held back a sneeze when I walked in.
The blonde human girl at the reception desk looked up at me and smiled brightly.
“Hello! Welcome to Omada! How can I help you?”
“I’d—I’d like to talk to someone about signing up.”
If I hadn’t been watching for it I wouldn’t have noticed the slight falter in her bright smile.
“Of course! Can you please fill out these forms? I’ll get someone to speak with you right away.”
I took the data tablet from her and began filling it out with the minutiae that defined my life. Name. Address. ID number. Next of kin.
I hovered over the last question for a moment before finally listing Dag’s name. I had been avoiding him and taken to sleeping away from the apartment to avoid explaining my decision. He’d be furious with me when he found out. I remembered the happy smile on his face as he introduced me to Deliah the day of the Touchpoint and I swallowed hard. He would be okay. She would make sure of it.
He had almost caught me last night as I stumbled back to the apartment, desperate for a clean uniform. I saw him talking to one of the other Somas about his Bonded.
“…and she’s friends with the prince!”
“Any of them still unbonded?” one of the other Somas asked.
“Nah. They’ve all been snapped up. You knew they wouldn’t be alone long.”
“I thought there was still a couple who hadn’t Bonded.”
“Nah,” Dag had shook his head. “If they aren’t Bonded already, they’ve chosen and will be Bonded soon.”
I had snuck away, a pit opening in my stomach. Of course Luke would have found someone who was a better match. The despair had returned then in double measure. After a sleepless night I walked inside the Omada headquarters the next morning.
As I sat in the overly-cheerful room, I filled out the rest of the forms until I got the last question.
Why do you want to join Omada?
How did you answer that kind of question?The best chance I had at a match turned out to be a Prince who would never want me? Or how aboutI should make room for someone who has at least some hope of being chosen?
I shook my head and finally decided to just putPersonal reasons.
I gave the tablet back to the blonde girl. I couldn’t afford to disappear into my own head, so I forced myself to stay alert. There was no one here to tell me if they called my name and I missed it.
After a few minutes I saw a commander walk down the hall. I saw him call my name and stood.
“Diokitis,” I said, saluting. He returned my salute solemnly.
“Katastrofis. I am Commander O’Fallon. Follow me please.”
He led me down a hallway into a conference room that was a little more somber than the lobby had been. I saw him say something, but because he was facing away from me I couldn’t read what it was.
“I’m sorry, sir. I am mostly deaf. If you could look at me when you speak, it would help me be able to understand you.”
He looked surprised but turned to face me.
“Is that part of your ‘personal reasons’, Corporal?”
I shrugged.
