The lobby was drab and outdated, decorated in colors that had been fashionable perhaps a century ago. A counter faced the door, unoccupied, where guests used to be checked in and out. These days, it was typically all done remotely, but Oliver Moone had apparently wanted guests to be greeted. To the right of the counter were doors with the word “lounge” above them and a closed sign hanging from one handle.
The furnishings were old. The carpet was worn thin in places, but everything was spotlessly clean. Someone cared for this place, even if they couldn’t make it modern.
Holly sagged with relief when a woman bustled down the central hallway toward her. She was older than Holly’s parents, maybe around a hundred years old, with a face that had seen a great deal and had opinions about all of it. Her eyes were sharp and gold-colored, striking against her brown, freckled skin. Her hair, black streaked with white, was arranged in a high coil of braids atop her head. She held a dog leash, and Holly’s gaze dropped to see an old, pudgy beagle at the end of it.
“You must be Holly Greene-Moone,” the woman said. Her voice was brisk but not unfriendly. “I’m Alyce Morv. Welcome to Moone’s Landing.”
Four
Holly shifted her bag on her shoulder in an effort to hide her relief. Finally, someone to fill her in, and this woman appeared to know what she was about. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Morv. I was getting worried that no one was here. Where is everyone?”
Alyce let out a short laugh. “There isn’t an ‘everyone.’ Just a handful of hangers-on who have nowhere else to go. And call me Alyce.”
“Oh. Okay.” She blinked. “I thought there were thirty-six residents.”
Alyce gave her a wry grin. “Did you? Well, they have somewhere to be, I suppose. Come on, then. Let me show you to your place.”
She, or rather,her dog,led Holly to a door to the left of the lobby. The beagle appeared very interested in that door and strained at the leash. He pressed his nose to the seam as Alyce caught up. “This is your residential unit,” she said to Holly. “Luv and I did our best to clean it up, but you’ll have to go to The Emporium yourself if you want to spruce up the decor.”
Before Holly could ask who Luv was, Alyce took Holly’s hand and placed it against a cracked pad mounted on the wall to theright of the door. Holly swallowed a gasp at Alyce’s strong grip, but the other woman just grunted. “Like this, now. Hold your hand here a moment.” The pad flickered, buzzed, and the door unlocked with an audible click.
Holly stared at it, then at the woman with her. She could notbelievehow out-of-date this place was. Homes used an individual’s unique energy signature to unlock these days. Body parts hadn’t been used for security since well before she was born. She was fairly certain she had seen this model of palm reader in a museum once.
Alyce pushed the door open and the beagle burst inside with glee. The woman crouched down and unclipped the dog, who instantly set his nose to the floor and began systematically sniffing the room.
Holly raised her brows and followed inside. “Your dog seems at home. Did he?—?”
“Oh, he’s not mine,” Alyce said, hanging the leash on a hook beside the door. “He’s yours. Bean comes with the living unit.”
“What?” Holly shook her head. “No, Alyce. I can’t have a dog.”
Alyce let out another bark of a laugh. “Oh, yes, you can. He’s not much trouble.”
Panic spiked as she glanced at the dog who was busy sniffing every inch of the floor. “I’ve never owned a pet.”
Alyce put her hands on her ample hips. “Didn’t anyone tell you that Bean was part of the package before you arrived?”
“No!” She held out her hands. “Look, I don’t know how to care for a dog. The most I can manage is houseplants. Please?—”
“Sorry, but I took care of him as long as I could.” Alyce gave a quick shake of her head. “Thisis his home. Bean isn’t happy anywhere else.”
“I can’t believe Charles had a dog.” Holly’s mental image of her grandfather did not include caring for an animal.Successfully.
“Charles took good care of him. He walked Bean twice daily. Those were the only times he left this unit.” Alyce tilted her head toward the beagle, who had completed his sniffing assessment and leaped onto the couch. He let out a happy grunt, flopped down, and let out a squeaky fart. “He’s not abaddog, Ms. Greene-Moone.”
“Call me Holly,” Holly said absently, staring at her new, furry roommate. Since she was not someone who would abandon an animal, what else could she do?
“Holly,” Alyce repeated with a nod. “Don’t feed him anything other than his dog food, and keep him on the leash when you take him out, unless you want to spend the rest of your day scouring the station looking for him. Once he finds a scent,poof.” She gestured sharply in the direction of the forest. “I’m sure you two will get on just fine. He has opinions, but he’s devoted to his person.”
Holly was not sure she’d “get on just fine” with Bean, or whether she even wanted to be his person. And what would she do with him if, after three months, she decided to return to Sol-Arc Industries? Perhaps her parents could take him. No pets were allowed in her living unit in Nova. Houseplants weretolerated.
“We removed Charles’ clothing and such, but kept items that might be keepsakes. They're stored in the closet,” Alyce went on, as the matter of Bean was settled. “You can go through them any time you wish. We took the liberty of replacing Charles’ old bed and getting some fresh bedding. The cost was charged to your account. You may exchange it at The Emporium if it doesn’t suit.”
“I appreciate that. Thank you…” Holly trailed off as she took in the apartment that had been Charles Moone’s, and was now hers. It was, by far, the most depressing space she had ever seen, and that was saying something, considering the sterile, austere cubes of Sol-Arc’s offices. The walls were a shade between yellow and gray, but may have once been white. The air smelled of must and misery—unsurprising, considering all but one of the windows were covered with opaque plastoid slabs, leaving the space dim and oppressive with only a few dim lights overhead.
In the living room, there was a dining area with a table and two chairs. It lay across the room from the sofa, which had a low coffee table beside it and a viewscreen attached to the wall. Through an archway, she could see the door to a bathroom, and a bedroom with a bed and a single dresser.
This is where my grandfather lived.Holly swallowed hard.This is where my mother lived until she was five.
