Holly’s throat tightened. She knew who had lived here.
Many years ago, this had been her mother’s room. Mirth had lived here as a small child, before her mother had taken her away from Charles and this place. Holly tried to imagine the little girl who’d lived here, and square it with the woman who had raisedher. Little Mirth Moone, who arranged her toys on a shelf and slept beneath a quilt of stars. A girl who had been taken from this room and never came back, and whose father had sealed the door shut and left everything exactly as it was.
Holly did not know if that was grief or neglect. With Charles, it could have been either.
She stepped inside and carefully picked up one of the more worn-looking figurines. It was a small carved animal with long ears and a round belly, with a chip in one leg from having been played with. She turned it over in her fingers. Her mother had held this. Had loved it, but had not packed it with her. Perhaps there hadn’t been time. Perhaps she hadn’t been allowed to.
Holly set it back in its place and left the room, pulling the door closed behind her. She would not disturb it, for now. One day, she’d ask her mother if she wanted any of it packed up and sent back to Earth. If she didn’t, well, Holly would deal with it later. For now, it would remain a quiet monument to a childhood that had taken an unexpected turn.
The second door opened into an empty room. No furniture, no evidence that anyone had ever used it for anything. Holly stood in the doorway and catalogued its dimensions. This could be an office, she mused. Or it could be turned into a kitchen and dining area, freeing up the living room for well, living. Finding a purpose for this room could wait, too.
The afternoon slid into evening. The interior dome lights of the station were programmed to shift and dim, simulating the setting sun. Therewasan actual sun out there. Or rather, there was a star at the center of the tiny system of one planet and one moon. The station currently had a full view of it, and while it wasn’t as close to Lars-Vector-2 as Earth was to its sun, evening still mostly looked like evening and exhaustion hit Holly hard.
She took Bean out for a walk to relieve himself, crossing the square quickly and taking him a short distance down the dirt path that led to the forest. It was dark and Holly was relieved to have avoided encountering anyone tonight. Tomorrow, she’d get out there and meet people. She’d learn more about this place. But as she slipped back inside her living unit, she wondered if enduring the Advanced Aesthetic Program would be less painful than resurrecting Moone’s Landing from whatever half-deadstate it was in. She slid into bed and closed her eyes. Sleep shut down her mind and swept away all her worries.
Holly woke slowly, emerging from a deep and dreamless sleep as morning light streamed through her window. She stretched beneath unfamiliar sheets, her body sinking into a mattress that was neither too soft nor too firm. Alyce had mentioned that the bedding and mattress were new, and that if Holly didn’t like either, she could trade them in at The Emporium. She wouldn’t need to. Her sleep had been perfect.
She blinked at the ceiling. Her stomach dropped as the full weight of the past day dropped back on her. The failing solar cells. The airflow problem. The struggling plants and the broken fountain. Andstarsknew what else awaited her on the other side of the unit’s door.
Holly pushed herself up and shuffled to the bathroom to face the day. She showered, brushed her teeth, and ran her brush through her brown hair until it fell in damp waves past her shoulders.
When she emerged from the bathroom, the bed had been made. The sheets were tucked tight, the pillows fluffed. Holly wasn’t used to being waited on, but Luv seemed to consider it part of her duties. It felt strange, having someone tend to her needs before she even knew she had them. Homeboti units were expensive, and the waiting list for one was years long, for certain models. No level three employee at Sol-Arc Industries was going to afford one.
Luv fetched her some hot porridge with different berries this time, and Holly sat at the table, scrolling through the station’s revenue history on her d-pad, when she found herself distracted by a noise she had not heard before. Holly set down the d-pad and stared at the source of the noise: Bean was sleeping belly-upon the couch with one ear folded inside out, snoring loud enough to wake the dead. She had no idea a dog that small could make such noises.
“Does he always snore that loud?” she asked Luv.
“That is just one of the many noises he makes,” the Homeboti replied, rolling past the dog. “Bean is an assault to the senses. You will get used to it.”
She supposed she’d have to, or wake the dog up and reposition him. She wasn’t brave enough to do that, yet. What if he bit her? “I’m going to explore the station a bit.” She looked at the dog, then at the leash. “Should I take him?”
“Let the little beast sleep.” Luv waved a metal arm. “If you’re gone for more than a bit, I’ll have Alyce take him out to do his business.”
Holly nodded, took a fortifying breath, and stepped out of the unit. She walked past the hotel lounge and toward the door. She wore a comm bracelet on her right wrist, and it contained her currency chip in case she found something she wanted to purchase at The Emporium. Before she left, she tapped the tiny black screen to check her balance. Her account held roughly twenty thousandnits. Enough to cover her expenses for a little under three months, which was about how long she had before Sol-Arc Industries expected her decision about the enhanced aesthetics program. Three months to figure out if Moone’s Landing could be saved. Three months to figure out if she even wanted to try.
She opened the door, stepped outside, and automatically raised her face to the warm light. The quiet town square spread before her. White buildings with rounded tops lined up like a collection of giant pearls. The stonework on the ground was pale and smooth. Dry, brown vines clung to trellises between the buildings. Benches sat at intervals, their curved backs mimicking the dome overhead. The fountain sat dry and brokenin the center. But beyond the buildings, she could see the tops of trees, and beyond that, the faint shimmer of the dome catching the light.
It could be beautiful here. Ithadbeen beautiful here, once. She could see the bones of it beneath the neglect.
She crossed the square toward The Emporium, the shop Alyce had mentioned. The storefront was modest, with a simple sign and a display window showcasing an arrangement of colorful bottles and carved wooden figures. Holly pushed open the door and stepped inside.
And gasped.
Seven
The shop was bigger on the inside than it had any right to be. The ceiling stretched upward into shadow, and narrow aisles wound between towering shelves that seemed to go on forever. Every surface was covered withthings. Art and furniture and clothing and jewelry and books and tools and objects Holly couldn’t even identify. Lamps cast warm pools of light that made the merchandise glow like treasure in a dragon’s hoard. The air smelled of warm spices and honey tea, sweet and inviting.
Holly stood just inside the door and stared. She didn’t know where to begin. It was like a candy store for adults, overwhelming in the best possible way. She instantly loved how she felt in here. Surrounded by possibility. By beauty. By the promise that somewhere in this maze of wonders was something perfect, waiting to be found.
Two very tall beings emerged from one of the narrow aisles and approached her with measured grace. Holly’s eyes widened as she recognized them as Vepins, a species both ancient and far more evolved than humans. She’d never met one in person. Their skin was opalescent, almost translucent, with colors shifting beneath the surface like light through a soap bubble. Their eyes were large and pale, blinking slowly as they regardedher. Their mouths were small, their features delicate. Long dark hair fell past their shoulders, shimmering with rainbows like oil on water. They wore flowing robes that obscured most of their bodies, moving like silk in a gentle breeze.
There was something calming about them. A zen-like stillness that made Holly’s shoulders relax without her meaning to.
“Welcome,” the one in front said in a soft, warm voice. “I am Orba. This is my companion, Sula.” The other being inclined their head but remained slightly back. “You must be Holly Greene-Moone, from the city of Nova. We are pleased to meet you. Welcome to The Emporium.”
“Thank you.” Holly glanced around the shop again, still amazed by it. “This place is incredible.”
“The Emporium carries everything,” Orba said. “And if there is something you need that is not here, we can get it for you.”
