It didn’t matter. She moved to the shower with Örim trailing her and turned it up to its highest temperature. He turned it down. She pushed it back up.It’s my water temperature.
“You’re going to boil yourself. This is too hot for humans."
Don’t care.
“We can skip the shower. You’re not dirty.”
She ignored him. The shower stung. Too hot. Then the water dried up completely as Örim shut off the water line. Her skin was bright red by the time she emerged.
She woke the next morning to Örim beneath her. At some point in the night, she’d rolled over onto him. He’d tucked a pillow under her head and was holding her on his lap, datapad still aloft in front of his face.
“Good morning, Cassie.” He set the datapad down on the carpet. “You did not sleep well.”
I know.She started to rub grit from her eyes, sitting up without assistance.I’m going to the toilet. You don’t need to come with me.Cassie got to her feet and left the room before he could argue, but when she finished, he was outside the door waiting for her.
She ignored him, pushing past.
Can we open the windows? It’s so dark in here.
“I’m sorry, we can’t. The plasma barrier requires all exits to be sealed. I can turn on the artificial lights overhead.”
We didn’t have windows at the Aviary either.
His long pause unsettled something in her stomach. “Are you trying to say our home feels like the Aviary?”
I’m just stuck here waiting for the Aviarist to come and find me, so yes, yes it does!There it was again. The bitter burning rising up inside of her.
Örim went still. “We can’t open the windows, aöseria.”
She threw her hands up, realized she shouldn’t, and winced as her stitches tweaked.This isn’t fair. Nothing about this is fair. I just talked to Rhea a few weeks ago. She had plans. She was going to live. Now we’re all going to die.
“No one else is dying.”
What are you going to do about it? If he makes it through the plasma shield?
“He won’t. It’s calibrated to a kill setting.”
But if he does.
He paused. “The shields have a failsafe. It would take someone determined at least ten minutes to get through. It would give S’samph or K’kaen enough time to arrive. We’ve discussed this at length.”
I should just walk through myself.
“What are you talking about?”
The plasma shield. I’m so tired, Örim. I don’t think I can live like this forever.
“Cassie.”
You told me to tell you. I’m telling you.
“I did.” She sank to the floor. Örim crouched next to her. “But you’re not going anywhere.”
It’s my choice.
“It’s not. You don’t get to choose, because your choice ends with you dead. So, the choice belongs to me until you’re ready to have it back.”
That isn’t fair.
