The journey to The Ovum Hall was not at all what I expected. An actual horse and carriage waited outside my home to transport me to The City; as unbeknownst to me, my family had quietly pooled together the funds to arrange a tribestory entrance for the celebration of my fifteenth birth-day. The comfort of the carriage’s plush interior flooded me with relief, and I waved goodbye to my Mother through the open window with a huge smile on my face. In fact, I was still grinning by the time I arrived at The Ovum Hall.
 
The bells about City Korai were tolling the 79th hour when I hopped out of my carriage. A gasp escaped me when I spun to find the wide-doored entrance, meticulously prepared for the arrival of my birth group. Green hedges dotted with pulsating lights framed a silver-carpeted pathway, whilst a horizontal harpist played by the entrance of the large-beyond-purpose doors. The grandiose view was overwhelming enough to wash me in new-adult bliss. However as I stood by, awaiting Della’s arrival while members of my birth group filtered into The Ovum Hall, my frustrations began to rise.
 
When Della finally arrived a near hour later, I found myself huffing in disapproval. Though Della would most likely never admit it, I already knew my feelings didn’t rank very highly on her list of concerns for the day. Yet, seeing that it was as much her birth-day as mine, I couldn’t blame her for such a mentality. She galloped towards me, her face woven with sympathy. “I know, I know - oh my stars, I am so sorry!” she rushed in one breath. “I swear I came as fast as I could! I didn’t mean to be late, but the celebration ran over and-”
 
“Della…” I said, attempting to interrupt her explanations.
 
“Then there was the dinner, and the gifts, and my birth-day trust! I wasn’t sure I’d get one - but my parents surprised me with like, a 250 quartz a day allowance! And after-” Della abruptly paused, then gasped. “Oh my stars, this is so not about me! Here I am, going on about my night, when you’ve been waiting for an hour! I am soooo sorry I’m late!”
 
“It’s fine, Della…” I sighed. “You’re here now, and I’m hungry. Can we just go in?”
 
“Not yet!” Della yelped; as I sucked my gums with an audible clack. “Let me get a look at you first!” she encouraged, enacting a looping hand gesture as she did. After letting out a throaty exhale, I flopped my arms at my sides and waddled in a circle. “Nykia,” Della began, her eyes sweeping me from head to toe; “you look - utterly astral! Like, out of this world!”
 
“Uh… really?” I guffawed, shocked by the strong words.
 
“Uh huh!” Della insisted. “Seriously! Like - like hotter than a sweating farmland-worker in high sun! That dress is gorgeous!”
 
“It is?” I snorted, looking down to myself as I pinched the fabric clinging to my skin. “What… this old fishing net?” I joked, my annoyance evaporating as I accepted the compliment.
 
“So, what do you think!” Della yelped, gesturing to herself.
 
Prompted by Della’s query, I finally noticed her shimmering attire. I gawked at her dress, the words necessary to describe its liquid form entirely escaping me. It first appeared a simple gown, a low-cut bodice coloured in brilliant white, its long billowing sleeves and swathed skirt made of a gauze that pooled fluidly to the floor. Yet as she turned in the light, flashes of blue revealed themselves within the material; yielding the incredibly convincing illusion of a dress made from an ever-flowing stream.
 
“You’re like… a waterfall…” I cooed.
 
“I’ll take that as a compliment!” Della laughed back, smiling with shiny pink lips.
 
My eyes widened at Della’s attire once more, then again at the look of her as a whole. The effort she had invested in her appearance was undeniable, and it had entirely paid off. Her hair was straightened into a thick sheet of alluring black, one half spilling over her face whilst the other half lay neatly pinned behind her ear. Her eyelashes had been dangerously accentuated, giving her a smouldering gaze, and her cheekbones had been delicately buffed and highlighted with powder; leaving her altogether a brilliant, dazzling, vision.
 
“Woah… Della,” I said, shaking my head in awe; “I have no idea how any new-man will find the nerve to speak to you tonight.”
 
“Well, that’s the desired effect!” Della giggled back, happily linking her limbs with mine.
 
Arm in arm, we stepped down the silver pathway and through the enormous adorned doors of The Ovum Hall. The hall was, just as the entrance, stupidly ostentatious. The ballroom was draped in a deep blue, detailed with silver dressing. Huge chandeliers hung from great heights and glittered like precious minerals; the domed ceiling they dangled from, carved in intricate swirling patterns. Below the breathtaking moulded ceiling were circular banquet tables decorated with extravagant centrepieces, the dance floor those dining arrangements surrounded as twinkly as the sparkling dress I had arrived in.
 
Whilst blue lights swooped across the room to set the perfect tone, Della and I looked about ourselves with startled eyes and open mouths. Our steps small, thanks to our heels, we clung to each other for support as we scuttled across the ballroom. After wandering for some time we eventually found our seats happily next to one another; and were pleasantly surprised to find Tedi, also sitting at the table we had been allocated, looking more handsome than ever.
 
I blinked in shock as Tedi turned his head mine and Della’s way with a brilliant smile. “Tedi?” I exclaimed, stopping to correct myself; “Sorry, Ted! Looking good, new-man!”
 
“Yeah Ted, not bad!” Della supplied sportingly.
 
Tedi stood to greet us both. My brows raised at his height as it matched mine, my eyes instantly dropping to find the heeled black shoes he wore. I nodded at the solution as I looked back Tedi’s way with a grin, surprised to find him casually smoothing his blonde hair into its uncharacteristically slicked position.
 
“Evening Della, the gala setting agrees with you,” Tedi said, speaking in an overly formal tone. Della jokingly bowed Tedi’s way before playfully slapping him on the arm, and Tedi laughed in response before turning to me to continue. “And you, Nykia,” he sighed; “Miss Nykia Nykia.”
 
“Alright, let me have it…” I teased, snorting on; “I know I look ridiculous…”
 
“Honestly Nykia,” Tedi began, as I winced in anticipation; “the only thing ridiculous is every other woman here in comparison to you tonight.” Tedi concluded his remark, and smiled plainly. Far too plainly for his comments to be taken as a joke. As seconds ticked on, my eyes further widened; until the expression on my face was one of unfiltered shock.
 
“Um…” I mumbled.
 
“Excuse me?” Della howled. “You’re joking, right? That’s a bad joke, Tedi-”
 
“The only joke is anyone thinking there’s a competition,” Tedi countered, his hand lifting to gesture our way as he went on; “you look really nice, Della. But Nykia clearly steals the show. She looks stunning, celestial even-”
 
“Oh my stars! Re-lax!” Della interjected, huffing every syllable Tedi’s way. She spun on her heels to face me, her cheeks puffed and flushed. “And what have you got to say about this recital of poetics in your honour?” she pressed, her words blaring. I scoffed nervously, an inexplicable warmth suddenly filling my chest as my cheeks went hot.
 
“Um…” I mumbled, yet again wordless.
 
“Urgh - forget it!” Della snapped, rolling her eyes as she barged past us both and forcefully took her seat. I cautiously followed along, suddenly feeling awkward about the seating arrangement that had left me stuck, as if an awkward island, between Della and Tedi. I silently condemned the faceless busybody government Head Planner in charge of the Maturity Ball, sure they were somewhere patting themselves on the back while I squirmed in my chair.
 
As I scooted into my seat, an accidental thought, one that had never once occurred to me, presented itself. What if Tedi liked me? Of course, I knew he liked me in some capacity. We were best friends. Though specifically, I wondered if he could ever, or would ever, like me in a romantic way. He had never expressed such interest in me before, but the adult-mark was known to change things; which suddenly brought forth complicating notions I had never before imagined. Not even in my strangest ponderings.
 
I quickly struck the thoughts from my mind, swiftly realising I was most likely reading too deeply into a courteous compliment from a friend. A friend, I also realised, that had only ever seen me outside of school with damp hair eating fish cakes in his front room. The shock of my wearing cosmetics and a dress besides my school pinafore had probably sent him into a state of disbelief, resulting in the words he had used to describe me. His friend. That only happened to be of dating age.
 
Unaffected by the tension that had arisen within our friendship group, The Maturity Ball went on; and as The Ovum Hall filled, we became far too distracted by our birth group’s attires to dwell on what had transpired. Della and I had since fallen into an all-out betting war over a game of our own invention. The game entailed guessing the colony dwellers in our birth group from those whom had attended different Mainland schools than ours. Yet, despite our best efforts, both our scores were equally poor.
 
After some time, the twenty seats at our table filled. Once they had, I noticed Della and Tedi were the only members of my birth group I was well acquainted with. There was a single exception, Tedi’s mother’s friend’s son, Yacob, who also happened to be seated at our table. Even so, I only knew of the boy through Tedi; and based on the brisk hello and goodbye he would issue me whenever I attempted to introduce myself, that wasn’t about to change any time soon.
 
The unfamiliarity was jolting. In fact, it struck me with sudden awareness of how unsocial I had been in my school days. With Della making small talk with the unknown girl to her left, and Tedi and Yacob casually conversing to my right, I was left a lonely mass between two populated nations. Forced into sudden isolation, I felt the submerged concerns of new-adulthood begin to float to the surface of my mind. Still, in hopes of avoiding the troublesome thoughts on the night of my birth-day, I resorted to distracting myself by picking at the textured blue tablecloth before me.
 
“Nykia?” I heard Tedi call.
 
“Hmm?” I mumbled, my head snapping upwards.
 
“Are - you alright?” Tedi asked, looking concerned. I smiled at his query, touched that he cared; but not enough to share the depths of my worry. I twisted my lips as I worked my way up to a response.
 
“I’m fine…” I eventually managed to lie.
 
“Nope,” Tedi swiftly returned, his tone playful; “I can already tell there’s some internal rant raging in your head right now about how you really feel.”
 
“I, suppose…” I nodded back; recognising he was right, but for some reason feeling the opposite of comforted by his deduction. I squirmed under the focus of Tedi’s gaze, the same inexplicable warmth from before filling my chest and flushing my cheeks. Confused by the sensation, I averted my eyes. “Um, Tedi…” I began slowly, my fingertips nervously tapping the tabletop; “you know what you said… before? About me? Was that a joke? Or-”
 
“Nykia, of course not,” Tedi quickly interjected. “I always mean what I say to you.”
 
Tedi reached outwards to touch my arm, and as he did I flinched; causing him to withdraw his hand. Feeling guilty for my instincts, I quickly spoke up to explain myself. “Uh, Sorry…” I stuttered, tripping over my own tongue as I rushed; “honestly… it’s… it’s just about the things that you mentioned earlier…”
 
“I was wrong,” Tedi blurted out, before quickly rushing to finish his sentence. “I mean, what I meant to say, was that I was wrong to say it the way I did - because it’s embarrassing, especially in front of all these Korainians you don’t know! I get you don’t like being surprised, because I know you need time to think about things. I just thought, since my Father gave me some advice and - actually forget that. Anyway, so, I want you to know that I wasn’t trying to mock you. Or make a joke, or anything like that.”
 
My brows lifted as Tedi suddenly paused. I kept my gaze away from his, confused by his unusual response. Nevertheless, after a period of silence, it became obvious Tedi felt it was now my turn to speak. I glanced to him briefly, and then mumbled my reply. “Well, uh… all this dressing up stuff is new for me and… when you acted all… different… it sort of…”
 
“Felt like I was making fun of you?” he carefully finished.
 
“No…” I replied with just as much caution; “I know you wouldn’t do that, it’s just…” I twisted my lips, my words failing me. Wanting to reassure him, I reached out; gently patting the textured arm of his navy-blue suit. I sighed and gathered my thoughts, allowing myself a short moment before I went on. “Tedi…” I began again, looking to him and meeting his eyes; “you know we’re friends… right?”
 
“Of course, Nykia,” Tedi instantly nodded.
 
“And we’ve been friends for so long…” I added.
 
Tedi nodded again, exhaling softly as he did. He gathered my hands and held them together. “And we always will be,” he said, in the most assuring tone I had ever heard anyone use. I sighed in total relief as he released his soft grip on my fingers, unburdened from the concerns I hadn’t even dared to consider. I smiled largely at him, and he smiled too; his mouth forming a grin as the witty glint in his small grey eyes returned.
 
“Relax Nykia,” he chuckled; “I was only complimenting you - you know, for the first time ever! I’m just used to seeing you scoffing down fish cakes, so I wanted to congratulate you on finally becoming a functioning member of society - that’s all.” Tedi paused there and leaned towards me, his grin becoming mischievous. “I thought girls liked compliments, but I forget you’re a different breed.”
 
“Exactly, I’m a woman now…” I cheekily replied, leaning in with a grin of my own. “You know what? Maybe it’s time you start calling me Nick.”
 
Tedi suddenly roared with laughter. “You realise that makes no sense, right?”
 
“It makes total sense!” I guffawed. “If you can be Ted… I have the right to be Nick!”
 
“Nykia, think about this! Do you really want to be known as Nick? As in, Nick Nykia? The whole name loses its quirk!”
 
“Fine…” I countered; “we’ll work on our aliases later.”
 
“Nothing to work on,” Tedi scoffed. “I’m keeping Ted.”
 
“Oh, better prepare for a short-lived dating life then.”
 
“And what makes you say that?” Tedi challenged.
 
“Ted, obviously. He’s sure to kill your chances.”
 
We both burst out in loud obnoxious laughter; entirely entertained by ourselves, despite the displeased glances from the unknown guests at the circular table behind us. I scoffed at the unimpressed expressions I encountered. “My stars…” I grumbled; “just because we’re adults now doesn’t mean our death-day is around the corner! They’re acting as if eighty-eight hours ago they wouldn’t have all… died of laughter from a fart joke!”
 
Tedi nodded fanatically in agreement, causing us both to crumble further into messy heaps of giggles. My chuckles sounded in bursts as I gripped my chest in breathlessness; until Della’s hand yanked my left shoulder, harshly, and pulled me out of my bubble of merriment. “Ouch, Della!” I yelped in pain, my chin jerking backwards in surprise of the stern expression I found upon my oldest friend’s face. “What? What… is it?” I asked her, confused by the frustrated pout disfiguring her flawless cosmetics.
 
“Nykia, what are you doing!” Della fiercely whispered at me, her eyes briefly flashing over my shoulder. “This is our first debut as adults, and you’re giggling your night away with Tedi? I mean, I know you don’t care about appearances, or whatever - but I really need to focus on getting a good Soulmate, and honestly right now you’re drawing the kinda attention I can’t deal with tonight!”
 
“Uh… attention?” I guffawed. “What kind of… attention?”
 
“The comparative kind, duh!” Della rebutted. “You know, from potential Soulmates?”
 
“At The Maturity Ball?” I scoffed. “But… the odds of you finding your Soulmate-”
 
“Pff - I know the statistics!” Della puffed over me. “I took Adulthood prep same as you, I get the chances of finding my Soulmate in our own birth group are forty to one! But I might meet an age mate with older friends, or brothers, or cousins! Korainians talk! And right now, I’m stuck looking like an awkward bystander to the funniest conversation there’s ever been! So stars, if you don’t care about how you look or your future, at least care about mine!”
 
“Della…” I gasped, as my mouth plopped open. “Of - of course I care about you!” I stuttered, my lips twisting as I struggled to find words. “I get that you’re excited but… you’re sort of being, well… unnecessarily intense right now.”
 
“Unnecessary?” Della gasped. “Unnecessary, really Nykia?”
 
“Well, yeah…” I said, confused by her upset.
 
“The only thing unnecessary, Nykia,” Della snapped; “is you not letting two minutes go by without broadcasting to everyone how pretty and fun you are!” Della pushed back her chair with enough force to cause the friction between the stumps and the carpet to light a fire. She yanked her drink from the table and stormed across the dance floor, swerving around dining tables until she reached the bar on the opposite side of The Ovum Hall.
 
Feeling a unique mixture of bewildered, offended, and enraged, I surged to my feet. Though I didn’t get much further than that, since I was quickly pulled back down by Tedi. “What is this obsession with pulling my limbs today?” I grunted whilst he gestured for me to calm down, though it was a long while before I at last heeded his request.
 
“Leave her,” he said measuredly; “she needs time.”
 
“She… needs time?” I exclaimed, gawking at him. “You heard her Tedi! How could she say those things, what on Uji-”
 
“Nykia, I’m not disagreeing,” Tedi hushed with a steadying hand, continuing to mediate. “She mentioned some things that have obviously been bothering her for a while. But you care about your friendship, right?”
 
“Yes,” I instantly replied; “of course I do…”
 
“Then, you’ll get over what she said,” he nodded.
 
“But, but I…” I retorted in mumbles. “And, she…” I attempted to say, before finally letting out a frustrated huff and slouching in my seat. I sucked my gums, my head flopping on my neck to look over to Della’s far-off figure at The Ovum Hall bar. I did my best to make sense of her words; though as I tried, all I felt was confusion.
 
My peer shifted to my arm. I pulled down the sleeve of my skin-tight dress to reveal the adult-mark singed into my wrist. I stared into its deepened tone, my mind becoming flushed with thoughts of things changing, friendships shifting, life becoming unrecognisable; and then, as if flicking a switch, all my mind could comprehend was an overwhelming desire to have it off. To have everything off. The makeup that coated my face, the dress that felt too tight, and the thick waves of red hair obstructing my eyes.
 
“Nykia?” I heard Tedi call.
 
My eyes lifted from my arm to look Tedi’s way and meet his grey gaze. He smiled at me sympathetically, the sincerity of his expression causing that same inexplicable warmth to flare up in my chest. Frustrated by the waves of unfamiliar emotions, I at last ejected myself from my seat. “I need some air…” I breathed, barely registering Tedi’s shocked expression before I practically ran away.
 
Outside The Ovum Hall, the silver pathway and twinkly hedges remained, but the harpist was thankfully gone; allowing me some much needed time alone. I took several lopsided heeled-steps away from the entrance. My back collapsed against the exterior wall whilst my mind raced with eighty-eight thousand emotions to compute. Hurt, anger, confusion, uncertainty. Mostly uncertainty. The same uncertainty that had unnerved me since The Jump.
 
I felt myself spiralling, losing composure, giving in to the confusion flooding the expanses of my mind. Until, I imagined floating. The weightlessness of being surrounded in deep ocean water, and just, floating. I held that image in my mind for a while, using it to suppress my panic. In fact, I was only drawn out of my floating thoughts when I heard the steps of another Korainian exiting the celebrations.
 
I turned my back to the silver carpeted entranceway, hoping to hide myself from the stranger. However instead, I felt the stranger near me. My brows furrowed as a square of clean cloth, grasped in a pale-skinned hand, entered my line of sight; its purpose escaping me, until I reached to my cheeks and discovered tears. Unprepared for my own emotion, I snatched the gift from the stranger. I lifted my head to nod a thanks to the new-man in the deep-purple suit, though my nods slowed when I noticed he was waiting as I wiped my face.
 
“Do you… want this back?” I croaked, pointing to the cloth.
 
“Not at all, keep it,” he simply replied. I twisted my lips at the young Blackscale, shrugged, and then turned my back to him as I blew the snot from my nose. “If you don’t find it too intrusive,” the stranger then asked; “why are you crying?”
 
“I’m not cry…” I started, completely in denial, and committing to it as I went on; “I mean, I’m not really crying…”
 
“Alright, pretty new-woman that’s not crying,” the new-man suavely replied, my brows raising at his confident tenor as he added; “what are you not crying about?”
 
Unprepared for his persistence, my fingertips began to tap my knuckles; my lips twisting themselves at a loss of words to say. However, after a few seconds had passed, I finally shrugged away my caution. “Why not talk to the stranger, Nykia…” I mumbled to myself, before clearing my throat and turning to face the new-man. “My oldest friend, as in first friend since Early Schooling, just accused me of being… attention seeking.”
 
“If it helps make things clearer,” the stranger replied; “attention seekers don’t usually hide when they’re crying. Defeats the purpose of seeking attention.”
 
“Huh…” I mused, blinking at the realisation. “It does, doesn’t it!” I finally guffawed.
 
“I’d certainly say so,” he smiled back, exposing a row of perfectly straight white teeth.
 
I took a moment then, and assessed the young Blackscale before me. His appearance, his tenor, his possible intent. I saw that he was tall and well built. Handsome, even. Nevertheless in my current state, I didn’t have the mental capacity to even consider what he might have wanted from me; let alone if I could give it to him. Not wanting to waste his time any longer, I took a deep breath and prepared myself for an awkward declaration of mental instability.
 
“I’m… sorry…” I began, and then instantly trailed off.
 
“Jonah,” the new-man offered, bowing extravagantly.
 
A small smile crept onto my tired face. “Well, I’m sorry, Jonah…” I went on; “but I’m not really ready to… embrace… dating yet.”
 
“Stars, well, alright fair enough,” the new-man returned, seeming genuinely disappointed; though clearly not one to be discouraged, he continued to smile my way. “How about you remember my name, and you can look me up when you are?”
 
“Um, uh, sure…” I said in a horrible lack of words, realising I had already forgotten who he had introduced himself to be. “What was your name again?” I queried, attempting to disguise my forgetfulness; “I mean, first and last… so I can look it up?”
 
The new-man chuckled softly. “It’s Jonah,” he said; “as in, Jonah Leifssan.”
 
I scrunched my brow at his odd phrasing, feeling as if I had missed something. However, before I could catch on, Jonah nodded respectfully, and turned to disappear through the large ornate doors. When I finally found the courage to re-enter the hall, food was already on the table and Della was already back in her chair. I was in the process of carefully retaking my seat when Della suddenly grabbed my arm, causing me to immediately turn my head in her direction and lock eyes with hers.
 
“I’m sorry, alright!” she blurted. “I didn’t mean what I said – I’m feeling a little self-conscious, and a little jealous because you look so nice! And you’ve never made an effort before, and then you did and I felt like it was an attack on me but I know it wasn’t and really it’s me that’s self-centred for thinking that! You’re the most understated Korainian I know, you never seek attention - from boys or anything! Which doesn’t stop them from giving it to you, but that’s not your fault! I just have to make a good debut, and I shouldn’t get mad at you for not being as tightly-wound as I am! So please - like, please, forgive me?”
 
Della looked at me with the biggest, blackest, saddest eyes I had ever seen; giving me no choice but to accept her apology. “Of course I forgive you, Della…” I sighed in return. My oldest friend squealed happily as she pulled me into a tight hug; and I allowed her to, wanting to be done with the additional complication to life. As we hugged we laughed away the soiled memory of the past half hour; and before long, we were delving into the miniature portions of cuisine placed on fine silver saucers before us.
 
The celebration banquet went by, and was delicious. I was starving by then, so I devoured each plate with enthusiasm. Amidst the sit-down portion of the ball I had been introduced to lemongrass wine, a taut and equally punchy beverage that flushed me with the most delightful wave of euphoria. Honestly, Della and I had quite a bit of it. The other age mates at our table turned out to be rather nice too; and conversations soon broke out from groups of two or three, to table-wide discussions.
 
I remained polite throughout dinner. Yet, once the music took a turn from ballroom symphonies to recognisable tunes, I abandoned all small talk. Forcing Tedi from his chair, I dragged him to the empty dance floor. Knowing how much I enjoyed dancing, his feeble disputes lasted only seconds; and soon we were swaying and twirling like no one was watching. The floor filled quickly after that, Della joining us a few songs later, the buzz of our fresh ‘A’ stamps elating us to no end. We celebrated with our age mates like we had never celebrated before. The world was our oyster, and we felt that as we danced away our fifteenth birth-day.
 
Unfortunately, however, The Ovum Hall was not open all night. At the 84th hour, uniformed stewards in deep grey overalls ushered whatever remained of our birth group out of the glittering Ovum Hall, and onto the well-lit-streets of City Korai. While most began their journeys home, stumbling onto shuttles or into carriages, I felt determined to find more to do. Climbing atop a bench, I stretched my arms to the sky and loudly cleared my throat.
 
“Ahem!” I declared.
 
“Nykia, what’re you doing?” Della spluttered. “Get down! You’ll break yourself!”
 
“Ssh!” I hissed as I held a finger to my lips. “I have something to say!” I exclaimed, my loud proclamation inducing a sudden quiet over the small crowd. Della, Tedi, Tedi’s family friend Yacob, and some other members of our birth group, stood around me waiting for something to happen.
 
Tedi stepped forwards then. “Nykia?” he asked.
 
“Yep?” I replied.
 
“What do you have to say?”
 
“Oh…” I huffed, and then gasped when I realised they were all waiting for me. I began laughing, wildly, unsure of why I was laughing at all. “Oh! I was going to say…” I started, my speech trailing off when my mind swam away from me. I lost the words I had intended to speak as I dissolved into inexplicable giggles, before narrowly lifting my arm out of Tedi’s grasp just as he reached for me.
 
“Hey, my limbs! Keep off!” I declared.
 
“Nykia, you’re drunk,” Tedi lamented from the ground.
 
“Uh… no!” I huffed in disbelief.
 
“So what if she is?” Della added in a burp. “Everyone is!”
 
“I’m not,” Tedi dryly replied.
 
“That’s alright, Tedi…” I slurred in response; “we know you follow the rules and… fun is not your thing, but that’s fine!”
 
“Ouch!” Della howled. “He’ll be crying about that tonight!”
 
“Nykia, we’ve got to get home,” Tedi sighed, ignoring Della as he reached for my flailing arms again. “And - I do have fun,” he muttered; “I’m just responsible about it.”
 
I furrowed my brows, aware deep down that Della and I had hurt Tedi’s feelings. However, it really was deep down. Which meant, strangely, in the moment, I didn’t care. I grappled with Tedi, slapping his arms away as he did his best to ground me. “I don’t wanna go home!” I bellowed. Tedi sighed at my waving limbs, finally giving up on the notion of wrangling me whilst a wobbly Della teetered behind him. It was then that a handsome Blackscale, wearing a deep-purple suit, dramatically parted the crowd.
 
“I know what we can do!” the new-man announced.
 
“Who said that?” I heard Della ask, rather impressively in the form of a loudened burp.
 
“I did,” the handsome Blackscale replied, stepping into view.
 
Immediately, I knew I recognised him; though I was finding it increasingly challenging to pull my mind together. “Jonah… Leeeefsssss?” I warbled in remembrance, placing him at The Ovum Hall’s entrance a few hours earlier as the handsome new-man with the square of cloth. He smiled as he stepped towards the bench I had climbed atop and reached out a hand; and I took his hand, allowing him to help me down. Tedi stood by whilst Jonah assisted in stabilising my heeled-steps, before shooing him away and pulling me to his side.
 
“And, you are?” Tedi boldly questioned.
 
“Like the new-woman was trying to say,” he replied; “I’m Leifssan. Jonah Leifssan.”
 
“Where’d I know that name from?” Della tutted to herself.
 
“If you still don’t want to go home,” Jonah continued, speaking to just me at first, then to everyone as he said; “I know where we can go!”
 
“Um, no,” Tedi immediately scoffed at the new-man, clearly unimpressed. “I’m afraid you’re not taking Nykia anywhere. She’s obviously inebriated!”
 
“Hey!” I contested, though it went unheard.
 
“She’s going home,” Tedi stated, as he practically puffed out his chest; which frankly looked ridiculous, since the other boy was about a foot taller. The sight of it made me giggle ferociously. However, my giggles were soon met by Tedi, looking back my way with utter disappointment. Somehow, seeing that disappointment activated a far off and heavily frustrated fragment of sense within my mind; slapping me with a brief dose of sobriety. Hoping to translate my apologies, I reached out to squeeze Tedi’s arm. Yet it was hard to know if he cared, since he avoided eye contact.
 
“Alright, boys,” Della puffed, inserting herself into the drama; “let’s all put our rods away. This isn’t a fishing contest.”
 
“Contest? That’s an odd assumption,” Jonah cruelly joked.
 
I shook my head at the snarky retort, unimpressed by its meanness. Though to be fair, Jonah’s dazed gaze proved him just as drunk as Della. Neither was I one to talk, as in that moment my drunkenness hit me with such a terrific wave of nausea, I keeled over and gripped my knees. The lemongrass wine victoriously coursed its way through my veins. Meanwhile, I breathed deeply with my head between my knees; shuddering as I held back vomit.
 
Unexpectedly, I felt something land on my shivering shoulders. I looked up, and saw Tedi standing besides me, no longer wearing his navy-blue dinner coat, still avoiding eye contact. Thankful for his jacket, I immediately pulled it on; and when I did, Tedi finally glanced my way with a nod.
 
Digging deep, I straightened my back into an upright stance. Then I stumbled two steps to the side. Finally aware of how drunk I was, I hurried to disguise my terribly inebriated state. “Uh, Jonah… where did you, um, say we could go?” I stalled, inventing some way to avoid going home; now out of necessity, thanks to the Mother waiting to scold me if I was ever caught in my condition.
 
“My stars, you can’t be serious,” Tedi loudly groaned.
 
“Come on, Tedi…” I encouraged; “It will be fun…”
 
“Yeah, fun, Tedi,” Della slurred; “weren’t you just saying you could have some?”
 
Tedi squinted his grey eyes at Della, his expression betraying his annoyance. He looked over to me, and I forced the most genuine smile I could whilst holding back the bile threatening to spill out of my gut; letting out a burb of relief when his gaze turned over to Jonah. “Where is this place, then?” Tedi finally sighed, giving in to the pressure from his peers.
 
“Actually, it’s not a place,” Jonah returned, far too confident as he concluded; “it’s a tradition.”
 
Jonah’s plan was unpopular, so much so that the stragglers that waited around to see what we might have done had all since gone their own way. Not one easily discouraged, Jonah led Della, Tedi, Yacob and myself, along with one unknown colony girl, towards The Cliff Edge of City Korai. For some reason the journey was taking quite some time; and I could only assume it was because Jonah insisted on walking instead of riding a shuttle, and taking quiet residential streets rather than main roads. Nevertheless, despite its strangeness, the stroll had at the least sobered me up.
 
After passing several extravagant homes and luxurious plazas, I finally had to admit that City Korai really was a beautiful place to live. Having never had a good reason to be so deep into The City, I hadn’t ever seen neighbourhoods so grand. Which meant, I couldn’t help but be impressed by the architecture. It was entirely unlike my neighbourhood in the Lower Mid Regions, where every house was an identical low-ceilinged rectangle with bulbous shaped rooms; as although every City Korai home held a similar angular form, they each retained a uniquely opulent design of their own.
 
They all incorporated glass and rock, but some boasted metal and even wood in their framework. We had even passed a structure built four floors high, which to me seemed unnecessary. Though admittedly, I was a little unqualified to determine what was too much for The City. The largest residence I had ever stepped foot inside was Tedi’s household in the Central Mid Regions; and although the square foundations and preened front gardens were similar, it was honestly barely comparable.
 
Along our journey I also noticed there were no plaques of identification on the houses. In fact, there were no door numbers or street signs at all. In the Mid regions, where myself, my family and friends all lived, every house had a number and every street was named according to its position to the region. However in The City the singular signpost outside each City Korai home was a name, a family name I presumed, projected above each grand entranceway in bright white holographic glow.
 
“I remember where I know his name from,” Della suddenly whispered into my ear.
 
I yelped out in startle, shocking everyone in our wandering party in the process. Jonah turned back from the front of the group to shush me, and even Tedi and Yacob paused their hushed conversation and glanced over their shoulders to look my way. I quickly gestured my apologies to them all, before swiftly returning my attention to Della.
 
“Stars! You scared me…” I huffed, catching my breath.
 
“Sorry about that!” Della chimed, gripping my arm.
 
I tilted my head at her in confusion as she purposefully slowed the pace of our heeled-steps, taking us out of hearing distance from the others in our group. My eyes moved as she gestured to a house on the left, finding the ostentatious residence she had pointed to. Like its neighbours, its core was made from the dark grey rock of the land. However this three-floored fortress was also plated with shiny black metal, boasted large frosted glass windows, and was decorated with a wooden patio.
 
“It’s nice…” I said as we neared, unsure of how Della wanted me to react to the eighty-eighth fancy home we had seen that night. She sighed a sigh that was almost exclusively from the back of her throat, then pointed at the front door. Specifically, to the name projected above the entranceway in glowing white lettering. “Leifssan…” I read aloud, just as we passed the home and turned a corner. “Oh…” I finally gasped in realisation; “Leifssan!”
 
“What!” Jonah whispered over his shoulder; my head snapping his way in shock.
 
“Nothing!” Della smiled winningly, causing Jonah to roll his eyes before turning to face the street ahead. “Wow, Nykia,” Della muttered under her breath, looking my way as she sighed; “that was soooo not inconspicuous.”
 
“Oh, sorry…” I mumbled in slow response, taking a moment to think it through before I eventually asked; “you don’t think it’s the same Leifssan as… Jonah Leifssan… do you?”
 
“Well, yeah - duh,” Della quietly duh-ed.
 
“But… he just walked passed his own home?” I whispered back. “Isn’t it uncommon for an Upper Region kid not to boast about their family’s wealth?”
 
“Jonah is a man, not a kid,” Della practically cooed, suddenly defending the new-man. “And it’s obvious why he didn’t gloat,” she went on to say, a smile on her lips as she concluded; “he’s uncommonly humble.”
 
I glanced at Della with a raised brow. “How did you even know his house was coming up?” I probed, unsure whether I was impressed or unnerved by her investigative skills.
 
“His jawline, obviously,” Della returned in a scoff.
 
“His… jawline?” I repeated.
 
“Pff - duh,” Della puffed, cutting a look my way as if it were obvious. After my expression remained blank. Della sighed and explained herself. “He has an Upper Region jawline?” she reiterated. “Stars, Nykia, don’t you read magazines? Good thing I know what’s happening on Uji - you’d be lost without me!”
 
I raised my other brow at Della’s conclusions, though I remained quietly amused as she went on. “Anyway, so I’ve been studying up in case I run into any prestigious potentials while out and about. So when he said his family name the first time, I knew I’d heard it before! Then when he led us through the residential route rather than sticking to the main roads, I thought to myself - he really knows his way around here! Maybe he’s an Upper Regioner? So that got me thinking about his jawline-”
 
“The Upper Regioner one…” I interjected in a joke.
 
“Yes! You’re learning!” Della whispered excitedly, entirely missing my sarcasm as she rushed on. “I knew I’d seen a jawline like his before. Like, down to the ear-to-chin ratio. And then we were walking through this street, and I saw that house coming up, and I said to myself - hey that looks familiar! Then it came over me, like a shooting star, and I finally remembered! Jawline - plus three-floor City house - equals Denton Leifssan!”
 
“Who’s… Benton Leifssan?” I said, bemused.
 
“Denton! Denton Leifssan!” Della huffed, though I continued to gawk at her in total bewilderment. “Denton Leifssan?” she repeated. “Nothing?” she asked again, now glowering at me. “Denton Leifssan? He’s been on the Top 20 Young and Eligible list the last few cycles? He had his own spread in the last issue of City Korai Daily? They showcased his familial home and everything?”
 
I shook my head slowly at Della’s words; knowing they were in my language, but understanding absolutely nothing of it. Della exhaled at me and frowned. “Pff - you are hopeless,” she said, seeming to give up on the topic of conversation. “Well, anyway!” she yelped, undeterred from her lecture in popular culture; “Jonah must be Denton Leifssan’s younger brother!”
 
“That’s… uh, exciting?” I attempted to reply.
 
“It’s more than exciting, Nykia!” Della hissed. “It’s clearly fate! What are the chances? The Universe practically guided us into this moment! There’s no way we could have planned this! I knew Denton had a brother in our birth group - but you know, The Age Appropriate Law stops the magazines from ever printing images of him or his name, so I could’ve never guessed!”
 
“Uh, right…” I mumbled, thinking back on all my nap-inducing Law History lectures in aims of remembering the actual purpose of the Law Della had mentioned. Eventually, I recalled how The Age Appropriate Law made little sense to me. I obviously understood that salacious reports and suggestive discussions about a Korainian of fourteen was distasteful, but I struggled to understand why waiting 88 days until they were fifteen suddenly made it more appropriate.
 
“Um, fine…” I finally said, glancing Della’s way; “but I don’t get why him being related to… Denton… changes anything?”
 
“Are you insane?” Della fiercely whispered. “Nykia, it changes everything!” she hissed, before suddenly halting her steps and causing both of us to fall further behind the group. She gripped my arm and met my startled peer. “So are you gonna get - intimate with him?”
 
My eyes widened to eye-watering size. “Della… what on Uji!” I gasped in outrage.
 
“It’s a normal question now, Nykia,” Della plainly replied.
 
“Not for me…” I grumbled, flushed with embarrassment.
 
I shook my head as I restarted my steps, and Della puffed to herself as she followed along. She remained quiet for a few paces, the only sounds being the ruffling swathe of her waterfall-illusion dress. “So can I?” she asked in a short breath; my face instantly twisting her way in horror when she did. “Nykia, he flirted with you first!” Della ceaselessly whispered on, her eyes glancing to the front of the group to check for listening ears. “I need to know you’re not interested before I try my luck!”
 
“Oh my stars, Della, you weren’t even interested until you realised who he was…”

“If you want him you could just say so-”

“Ew, I don’t… want him!” I retched.

“You sure?” she challenged.
 
“Positive,” I snapped.
 
We stepped in silence for a short while, the clicks of our heeled shoes filling the awkward air. I inhaled deeply and took to sucking my gums, wordlessly disapproving. However, after some time had passed, and my thoughts had calmed, I relaxed my jaw with a heavy sigh. “You’re not, really gonna do it… are you?” I finally asked, glancing my friend’s way. “I mean… I know we’ve got to. Eventually. But, I remember you said that you wanted your… first try… to be like a tribestory? With a potential that you really liked and-”
 
“Pff - I was being childish back then,” Della interrupted.
 
“But that was an eight ago…” I mumbled.
 
“Look, we’re women now,” Della petitioned on; “we’re supposed to hunt for our Soulmates. It’s expected.”
 
“But what if Jonah’s… Universe Forbid, of course… not your Soulmate?”
 
“Stars Nykia, I know what I’m doing,” Della huffed, seeming irritated. “I said a lot of things before - but we weren’t adults before! If I wait, I’ll get left behind. You were the one who brought it up! The statistics of an age mate being your Soulmate are forty to one. So the more times I try, the higher chance I have at finding my Soulmate! It’s simple mathematics, really.”
 
My brows furrowed at her calculations. “I’m not sure that’s how statistics work…”
 
“Wish me luck!” Della suddenly declared, before gesturing affirmatively and skipping off ahead. Stunned by Della’s numbers-based approach to intimacy, I blinked in shock as her fluid form scuttled passed Tedi and Yacob. I watched her as she slowed to a stride beside Jonah and initiated conversation; bearing unwilling witness to the implementation of my oldest friend’s plan, to test her luck with the first Upper Regioner she met. On an unrelated note of foreboding, Tedi abruptly spoke up to the group.
 
“I don’t think this is a good idea!” he called out, surmising how I felt about Della’s plan.
 
“Come now, Mister Responsible-Fun! It’s a tradition,” Jonah teased, cracking a smile at Della as she laughed her most flirtatious laugh in response.
 
“Really, now?” Tedi challenged. “What kind of tradition has never been heard of before?”
 
Jonah suddenly stopped his steps and turned to face Tedi, forcing us all to halt in the middle of the street and form a scattered huddle. “Listen, it’s an Upper Region tradition,” Jonah snapped back. “I’m guessing you don’t come from around here, so you wouldn’t know. Besides, I don’t recall requesting your escort. If you don’t wish to be a legend, you can go.”
 
“Yeah,” Della interjected to add, my brows lifting themselves as she declared; “you can go Tedi, we all know you’re only here because Nykia is.”
 
I felt my face scrunch at Della’s strange words as I looked to Tedi, finding his brows also raised at her announcement. “You jumped ships quick,” Tedi lowly scoffed, before turning his attention back to Jonah. “Why do you want to dive off The Cliff Edge so badly anyway?” he continued to press. “What’s really going on? Who put you up to it?”
 
“No one did,” Jonah defensively grunted.
 
Unnerved by the new-man’s shortness, I took a moment to reconsider Jonah’s proposal; thinking of how he had initially presented it as ‘the perfect way to end our first day as adults’. Nevertheless, since his proposition an hour ago, the mood of the group had significantly changed. Though his declaration seemed a revelation at the time, it was a time when most of us were still drunk. Now I wasn’t drunk. I wasn’t drunk at all. Now all I wanted was my waterbed, and to escape the painful heels trapping my toes.
 
“Maybe… Tedi is right…” I began to say, stepping up to stand besides him.
 
“Really?” Tedi asked, as he looked my way in surprise.
 
“Yeah…” I huffed, peering at my aching feet. “I’m getting tired, and adult hibernation will be coming soon. We’ve been walking for nearly an hour…”
 
“Nope!” Della suddenly exclaimed; my head snapping upwards when she did. “Stop - backing - out!” she clapped at us all. “We - are - go-ing! Alright? Get on the wave!”
 
“Nicely put, Ella,” Jonah nodded, before he spun on his heels and went on walking.
 
“It’s - it’s Della,” Della stuttered, glancing my way to mouth an apology, before hurrying after Jonah’s steps. I stared after Della, clopping into the distance after the new-man; and although I wanted nothing more than to go home, I begrudgingly started to follow along. Tedi looked over to me in disbelief as I shrugged at him, hoping he would understand I couldn’t simply leave my oldest friend with an Upper Regioner she had just met.
 
Despite being obviously unhappy about it, Tedi eventually strode past me; and one by one, our group began moving towards The Cliff Edge again. This time, in awkward silence. The son of Tedi’s mother’s friend, Yacob, who had begrudgingly tagged along, silently shook his head as he shuffled a few paces behind Tedi and just in front of me. Feeling responsible for the night’s events, I took the few steps necessary to close the gap between our strides.
 
“Tedi better not ask another favour after this one,” I heard him mutter; “once I’ve verified his alibi to his mother, that’s it!”
 
“Uh, Yacob…” I started to say, drawing his grey-eyed peer as I stepped up beside him; “it’s alright if you go, you know? I would if I could, but I’m staying for Della. So… I wouldn’t mind verifying Tedi’s alibi too, while I’m here?”
 
Yacob looked over to me, and scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous, his mother would never believe you,” he rebuffed, taking a sideways step away from me. “Must you walk so close?” he grunted in annoyance; “I’m really not in the mood for romantic advances.”
 
“Uh… what?” I said, convinced I must have misheard him.
 
The fancily-attired Whitescale peered at me with a look in his eyes I could only interpret as, strangely, one of pity. “Right, fine, Nykia,” Yacob boldly restarted, sighing with his steps; “I know we’re friends by association.”
 
“Well, I suppose…” I mumbled; “but not really…”
 
“I understand I’m an attractive potential,” he confidently continued; “and I’m sure you’ve been planning this for some time, so please. Don’t take this to heart. Honestly you seem nice, much better than that loud-mouthed Blackscale you associate with. But while some enjoy the hunt, catching a red fish, unlike our mutual friend I’ve never been intrigued by you-”
 
“Intrigued…?” I interjected.
 
“Not at all,” Yacob reiterated; “I’m not the sort to fish for sport, and I know all I need to know of your situation-”
 
“Situation?” I guffawed, halting my steps as Yacob’s response circled my mind like the contents of a flushing drainpipe. “What do you mean my… situation?”
 
Yacob paused his strides to look back my way, his head shrinking into his chin as he observed me. “My stars, I can see you’re disappointed,” he said. “Still, I don’t believe The Universe would make such a mismatched pairing. With your fatherless misfortune and your Lower Mid-Region position, it would be a waste of a try. My family have a history of being rather fortunate in our Soulmates, coincidentally that has also meant we’ve never glowed with Korainians outside our own scale so-”
 
“What on Uji is wrong with you?” I snapped, shocked by the words coming out of his mouth.
 
Yacob peered at me as he reached to scratch the back of his blonde head. “This is rather, awkward,” he nervously chuckled; “I didn’t expect you to take the rejection so badly. I did say you were better than your Blackscale friend? I’d test my luck with you before her. Most before her, really. I was only saying there’s likely a more appropriate potential for-”
 
“Oh my stars, stop talking!” I gasped.
 
Yacob halted his tongue whilst I glared at him, my lips twisting into an angry pucker as I struggled with what to say. Since I had much to say, but no idea how to word it. Frustrated by my inability to speak my mind, I finally gave up. Grunting to myself, I shook my head and restarted my steps. Unfortunately, just as I manoeuvred around Yacob, he got in one last offensive whisper.
 
“Don’t tell Tedi I rejected you, he’ll be disheartened you were disappointed-”
 
“Go home, Yacob!” I hissed out of the side of my mouth.
 
“But The Cliff Edge?” he said, until I spun back to growl at him. Yacob near jumped in his skin before he hurried away, and once he did I spun around to stomp off. I made quick and clumsy click-clacking strides to catch up with the group I had fallen behind; my noisy approach causing Tedi to turn back and look in my direction. I scowled at him whilst he looked around me, clearly searching for Yacob.
 
“Your alibi wimped out!” I hissed.
 
Tedi furrowed his brow at my clipped tone, before shrugging and turning away. A quiet huff left me as I continued to step, angered by the revelation. Yacob, was an utter blowhole. I had previously thought Tedi’s family friend was simply a shy boy; his fear of group hang outs, and bodies of water, and social interactions to be the cause of his isolation. Or at least, that was what Tedi had said.
 
However, after the offensive encounter I had just endured, it seemed clear to me now that Tedi had lied; likely in hopes of keeping the friends he actually cared about, away from the despicable opinions of his familial connection. Still, I was stunned by Yacob’s words. So stunned, I strained to think how on Uji an individual could grow up to hold such repulsive beliefs.
 
Whilst I trailed behind Jonah’s unwilling expedition group, clopping in frustration through streets of fanciful City homes in my Mother’s heels, I did my best to recall what my Great Grandfather had been lecturing about at dinner; finally recognising he was right. The scale-specific demographics of the regions really did have some worrying consequences, because it was true. The Upper Region was mostly populated by Whitescales, the Mid Regions by Redscales, and the Lower Regions by Blackscales.
 
Even so, the thought some Korainians perceived themselves as being better than others because of the digits of their land lot code disgusted me. Especially when Uji’s well-documented history told us the separation of scale in the regions was simply a side-effect of colony migration. Nevertheless, with Yacob’s thoughtless words still circling my subconscious, particularly what he had said regarding scale, I knew he was insinuating more than just the incompatibility of land lots.
 
In sudden realisation, I looked to the front of our group at my oldest friend. At last, I became aware of the context I had been missing the whole night. For Della, Yacob’s narrow-minded judgement, his summary by features skin-deep, would likely be nothing new for her. Korainians like Yacob believed land-lot codes and scale were all you needed to know about an individual. Which meant, for those that thought in such ways, Della’s scale, Blackscale, the majority population of the Lower Regions that held The Factory Lands, The Farmlands, and the Lowest Lower Region called The Pits by some, would be the least desirable of all.
 
With that in mind, it seemed obvious why a new-man the same scale as her, from a family in a position of wealth despite the scale distinctions within our society, was something she found attractive. So attractive, that the mere possibility of a connection to him was worth her undivided attention. Ashamed for not realising her unfair predicament sooner, I lowered my eyes from Della up ahead; feeling a bad friend more than ever.
 
Clopping along, stewing in guilt, the soft breeze of the nearing sea began to gently whip my hair into my eyes. Huffing in annoyance, I raised my hand to push the red curls away; the navy blue suit jacket Tedi had given me earlier that night nearly slipping off my shoulders. I momentarily paused my steps to button the jacket closed, then I took advantage of the pause to also yank off my Mother’s frustrating heels.
 
“Nykia?” I heard Tedi call; my gaze lifting from my bare toes to his concerned peer.
 
“I’m fine!” I called out from a distance.
 
“Are we - still going?” he called back after a short moment.
 
I twisted my lips at his query, knowing what he wanted my answer to be; but also realising, for Della’s sake, what I had to say. “Of course we’re still going!” I yelled out; causing Tedi to shake his head, before turning to follow after the expedition leaders. I started after him, huffing to myself as I tied the straps of my Mother’s high-heels together and hung them around my neck.
 
While we walked, I watched the back of Tedi’s head closely; wondering, just as with Della, what hidden context I had overlooked within our friendship. Disappointed in myself, I continued lagging behind the others. My bare feet even slapped against the cold rock while I stomped. Which was when I finally noticed the heeled steps of another Korainian. Confused by the presence, I turned to look over my shoulder. Yet, as soon as I did, my eyes met the grey-eyed peer of a random Whitescale girl.
 
“Oh…” I said, finally noticing the unknown age mate following behind our group.
 
“Hello,” the girl greeted from several paces behind me.
 
I furrowed my brow at her, unsure why she was following, until I eventually recalled Jonah Leifssan’s open-invite. I tipped my head in realisation as the drunken memory of our group, departing from The Ovum Hall, returned to me. Surprised the unknown colony girl was somehow still with us, bound to Jonah’s insane mission despite the bickering that had ensued, I twisted my lips at a loss of words. “Um, hi…” I finally said back, before immediately becoming distracted by the girl’s unusual appearance.
 
She was pretty. The high-neck dress she wore was pretty too. It was glittery, and exposed parts of her skin in a see-through gauze, distractingly revealing several lines of text etched along her collarbone in black ink. “Wow… tattoos…” I mumbled, staring into the intricate line-work; until I remembered how impolite it was to gawk. Embarrassed by my own behaviour, I gasped and looked away. “Um… sorry!” I apologised over my shoulder.
 
“No worries,” I heard the girl call back; “many have been intrigued since I arrived!”
 
With my bare feet still shuffling a few paces ahead of her, I glanced back once more and nodded in appreciation of her courteous reply. Moments later, the girl’s even-heeled strides had caught up with my flat-footed scuffles. She casually matched my pace, leaving me walking side-by-side with a stranger. “You’re, uh… from the colonies?” I lamely asked, making the assumption from her decorative skin-ink.
 
“Is it so obvious?” she laughed, speaking lightly. “Well, you did assume correctly, I am from The Mountu colony.”
 
“The Mountu colony, of course…” I mumbled back, awkwardly going on to add; “because you’re a Whitescale… and that’s the Whitescale colony.” We stepped in silence for a short while. “I’ve never met a colony dweller…” I mumbled under my breath, before hurrying to correct the vaguely offensive term. “Sorry, I meant… colony settler!”
 
“It is fine,” she graciously replied. “I am honoured to be your first, I understand it is rare. Most moved from The Outlands cycles ago. My stubborn kin are one of few clans left.”
 
I widened my eyes at the unexpectedly honest response, my lips twisting at a loss for words. Unsure if she was being sarcastic or not, I decided it safer to change the subject. “The City must be kind of amazing to you…” I eventually said, only to be appalled by how superior my own statement sounded as it left my lips. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that in a… bad way!” I instantly apologised, hurrying to explain myself; “City Korai is amazing to me too!”
 
“Yes, I am in shock also!” she giggled, not at all offended. “The Visitor Halls I am staying in are otherworldly!” she said, continuing to chuckle; and I laughed along, glad my social blunders hadn’t ruined things. Until, that is, I noticed what she had said.
 
“Sorry… Visitor Halls?” I then repeated, attempting to make sense of her words.
 
“Yes,” the colony girl replied. “At The Ovum. The same building that holds The Maturity Ball venue, The Ovum Hall.”
 
“I, uh, know The Ovum…” I awkwardly snorted; “but it doesn’t have… Visitor Halls?”
 
“Yes, that is what is mostly thought,” the colony girl returned; “though I would have to say, the jet powered waterbeds beg to differ!”
 
The colony girl laughed again, and I laughed too; not wanting to appear rude by disputing her comment, despite the fact all I had ever been told about The Ovum directly contradicted with what she had said. Everyone on Uji knew that on any day other than a fifteenth birth-day, The Ovum was heavily secured; its all-access entrance only ever used by Government officials. With such extensive security, it was well-known no Korainian outside of The Government was allowed inside the institute. Not a rich Upper Regioner, not a regular Mainlander, and definitely not a colony girl.
 
“Gathering from your silence,” the colony girl went on; “I sense the arrangement is unheard of on The Mainland also?”
 
I twisted my lips, unsure of what to say. “I, um… suppose it is strange I haven’t heard anything about it…” I returned. Several more steps of silence followed my reply, the only sounds surrounding us the echoes of the colony girl’s clacking heels. “Did you… come here with any friends?” I finally went on to ask.
 
“No friends,” the colony girl said. “Though some age mates, from the colony.”
 
“Really?” I remarked; first noticing her lack of friends, and then the rest of her reply. “So then…” I pressed, hoping to be proven wrong as I asked; “there are no Volcanis or Sandya colony age mates staying at the Visitor Halls with you?”
 
“No,” she quietly responded; “only Whitescale new-adults from Mountu’s colony.”
 
I scoffed in gentle disbelief. I fully shook my head, surprised to find, especially after the night I’d had, that my Great Grandfather’s insane theories of Whitescale favouritism within The Government seemed to hold some truth. I sighed deeply at the thought, wishing all the talk of Visitor Halls and preferential treatment from The Government would end. “At least The Maturity Ball was fun…” I lightheartedly restarted, switching the topic of conversation.
 
“That is true,” the colony girl began, a sigh escaping her as she admitted; “honestly I am ashamed to say, I enjoyed tonight.”
 
“Uh, ashamed?” I scoffed. “Isn’t having fun… good?”
 
“Not where I am from,” she returned.
 
Already sensing the deep dive the discussion was about to take, I looked for an out. However, just before I could jump ship, the colony girl started speaking again. “If Father had seen me tonight, he would have disowned me,” she revealed. “He is not a supporter of The Chief and her ranks. I feel like a failure for succumbing tonight. And now I feel even worse because, part of me never wants to go back.”
 
The colony girl abruptly halted as tears swelled in her eyes. I floundered at the emotion, unknowing of what to do. I knew I couldn’t leave her, since she obviously needed someone to talk to. Yet, it also felt inappropriate to comment on her life. “Well, uh… don’t feel too bad…” I tried to offer; “The Maturity Ball is meant to be really fun…”
 
“Yes, I imagine that is true,” she replied, before going quiet. Gradually, our steps began to fall out of line as the colony girl slowed her stride; distancing herself from the others. I looked back to her, confused by the slowing of her pace, until I saw the glint in her gaze. Instantly, I knew she wanted to say something. Something she didn’t want anyone else to hear. Yet it was for those exact reasons that whatever she had to say, it was more than likely I didn’t want to hear it.
 
“Alright then…” I began, my steps quickening; “I’m gonna go… talk to Tedi…”
 
“I am a fool,” the colony girl declared, her abruptly wet cheeks slowing my steps and thwarting my attempt to politely ditch her. “The pageantry and pretty dresses,” she hissed on; “I want it all. I know they are tools. Bait on a hook, all to keep us invested in this way of life. I know I only want it, because I can not have it. Because of what I have come from. I know all of this. My Father warned me. Only tonight, I allowed myself to be fooled.”
 
The colony girl suddenly looked to me, and I nodded in awkward reply. “I believe in a way,” she continued; “I am preparing myself to let Father down. He expects me to return tonight. Back to the colonies and back to my sleeping mat. Back to the life I have there and the responsibilities awaiting me.” The colony girl quietened and looked up to the starry night sky. She closed her eyes briefly and placed a hand with a finger pointed to the sky over her lips, as if sending a wish to The Universe itself. “Only, I do not wish to leave this new world yet,” she whispered.
 
We stepped without speaking for a minute after that, and I used the time to think of how I could respectfully exit the conversation. Only, before I could act, she started speaking again. “If I do decide to move from The Colony Outlands, Father would certainly abandon me. But, this will not be the first time I have strayed. And at the very least, this time, I will have a full cycle to find a new place of belonging-”
 
“A… full cycle?” she got me to ask.
 
“It may work,” she continued, apparently speaking to herself. “I may stay within the Visitor Halls until the next wave of Korainians celebrating their fifteenth birth-day. If I find a Soulmate within that time, all will be well. I could live with him, or we could be issued a home together.”
 
“Well, that’s convenient…” I mumbled under my breath, bothered by the special treatment. I twisted my lips, pondering why The Government would encourage Mountu colony kids to remain in The Mainland. “Do you know why they’re letting you stay?” I finally asked her. “I mean, you must know that The Government openly criticises the colonies… so isn’t this a big change in policy? Why isn’t it being publicised? At all? Honestly, I’m surprised they’re not making it into Ovum-sponsored reality series…”
 
A sudden scoff left me as I imagined the woodwind theme song such a show would likely have; graphic text reading ‘Colony to City Class’ stretching across the radial screen of the programming box in my mind. The scene remained with me for a few more steps, and with each step I came to realise how ridiculous it was to question what The Government did with their so-called Visitor Halls. The existence of which, when thinking about it sensibly, was based on the word of a colony girl I had only just met.
 
“Oh well…” I shrugged, sighing away my concerns. “I suppose what The Government does with their ‘Visitor Halls’ is their business-”
 
“You believe I am lying,” the colony girl interjected.
 
“Uh, what? N-no!” I stuttered in shock. “I… I just…”
 
“You wonder what The Government would have to gain from a colony dweller?” she countered, my brows raising as she pushed; “What of our allegiance? Our land? Our ancestry?”
 
I tapped my knuckles in unease, looking around myself in hopes of escaping confrontation. Up at the front, I caught a glimpse of Della flirting with Jonah. Behind them, Tedi walked alone. Yacob, thankfully, yet also unfortunately, was long gone. Which left me, trapped in interaction. Looking back over to the colony girl, I felt my shoulders lift in a shrug. Yet to my dismay, she clearly wasn’t accepting my meek reply.
 
“The Visitor Halls are real,” she affirmed. “This cycle, every day seventy-six born Korainian in the Mountu colony received a special invitation to The Jump.”
 
“Um, sure…” I said, confused about what her special invite had to do with me.
 
“You are not understanding,” the colony girl replied, leaning towards me as I leaned away from her. “The Chief herself crossed The Border Marshes.”
 
“The Chief?” I scoffed in disbelief. “As in… Chief Ieday? The Chief crossed into The Colony Outlands?” I shook my head at the tale. “There’s no way,” I went on, unimpressed by the girl’s fanciful lie. “No Chief has left The Mainland since The Third and Final Wave of Confirmation, and that was… I mean, I barely listened in Law History, but I think it was-”
 
“It was over fifty cycles ago,” the colony girl confirmed.
 
My brows furrowed as I turned to look her way, and witnessed her demeanour harden before my eyes. I blinked for several seconds, recognising her mannerisms. Her frustrated strides as she stepped beside me. The expression of annoyance that came from not being believed. Or understood. Which was, in truth, an expression I had become acquainted with in the last few eights.
 
“Oh my stars…” I finally breathed; “you’re serious.”
 
“I would not lie about such a thing,” she replied, looking away, her cold grey gaze cast sternly ahead. “I will never forget it,” she said, her tone becoming resentful as she recalled the memory. “The sight of her, standing there as if a ruler on ground that was not hers. Most believed she had come to make threats.”
 
“Threats…” I gasped. “What on Uji are you talking about?”
 
“The truth,” the colony girl retorted; “at least, the version I am acquainted with.”
 
Still stepping in time with the girl, my mouth opened to question her; only to my surprise, no words left me. I felt my gut twist into a knot, nervous of the uncertainty I was in danger of wading into. I closed my mouth again and shrugged, attempting to end the conversation there. Nevertheless, the colony girl went on speaking. “Surely you are aware of the overpopulation crisis in the Lower Region?” she pressed, looking my way.
 
Prompted by the question, I recalled a deeply submerged memory. Although I had never before considered such a topic, when pushed to think of it, I happened to remember hearing of Lower Region housing nearly two cycles ago. Specifically, during Della’s oldest sister’s move after her Commitment Ceremony. “I think I’ve heard about, something…” I mumbled, remembering the conversation between Dena and her parents about the long wait for a Government-allocated home. “There’s… a housing shortage.”
 
“Then you do know,” the colony girl replied.
 
“Yeah…” I nodded, quietly. “I suppose I do…”
 
“That is clearly the motive,” the colony girl whispered on. “Though, Father also believed it is connected to genetics.”
 
“Genetics?” I retorted, overhearing.
 
“Yes, our gene pool,” she continued on, seeming to be working it out herself. “Think of it,” she encouraged, glancing my way. “When Soulmates of different scales occur, the dominant scale’s genes are inherited by the child near every time.”
 
“Uh, sure…” I shrugged. “But what does that have to do with anything? That’s just, commonly known biology…”
 
“Yes, so now think,” she said again.
 
“Uh, alright then…” I huffed, starting to feel insulted by her prompts; as if I wasn’t already using my brain. I dragged my bare feet alongside her heeled-clops, trying my hardest to draw a connection. In Early Schooling, before our intermediary lessons began, every Mainlander was made aware of such genetic fact. There was even a Redscale boy that lived on my street, with a Redscale father and Whitescale mother, so I knew of such cases myself. However, since talk of genetics was considered a distasteful subject, Korainians rarely discussed it.
 
“So… what am I thinking about?” I gave up and asked.
 
“The unlikely coincidence of it all, of course,” the colony girl explained. “There have been outlanders that hold such a belief, but after Chief Ieday herself came to the border of the colony it practically confirmed the hearsay. From what my Father suspects, and what I have now seen, the theories are compelling.”
 
“Um, colony girl…” I mumbled uncomfortably; “maybe you shouldn’t, theorise…”
 
“Think about it,” she probed yet again, ignoring my suggestion of caution; “power is elusive, it relies on allegiance, and for cycles The Government has depended on the allegiance of Korainians that share their scale. They’ve rewarded Korainians that share their scale. It is no better than bribery-”
 
“Woah…” I interrupted; “that’s a… strong opinion.”
 
“But it is true, is it not?” the colony girl pushed back, expecting me to agree with her.
 
I took a moment to inhale deeply, attempting to settle the unease that was making knots out of my gut. “Um, so… not that I’m not enjoying our chat…” I said, doing my best to advise the colony settler; “but you can’t talk about The Government like that here on the Mainland. You’ll get in trouble…”
 
“Drowned for treason, you mean? For stating facts?”
 
“I’m just trying to help…”
 
“And you do not understand,” she spoke over me. “What type of Korainian is offended by the truth? No need to ponder, I will tell you plain and simple. A liar. The facts are, a neutral tribe of Whitescales brokered peace after The Last Battle for Uji in 89 BL. That tribe’s leader, Ino Taka, became the First Chief of Uji. Over 350 cycles later, the ranks of that Government remain Whitescale by majority. Most Whitescale Mainlanders are rich in funds. The Mountu colony enjoys favourable trade deals. No matter what you believe, those facts are undeniable. City Korai might as well be an Upper Region Mountu colony.”
 
I scoffed, shocked by the colony girl’s treasonous remarks. My tongue went lax in my mouth, my mind emptied of thought; as I had never, in my entire life, encountered an individual so outwardly opposing of The Government. “Please stop…” I said to her, my strides beginning to veer away. My head turned as I looked around myself, fearful of listening ears hidden between the preened front-gardens of Upper Region homes.
 
“You understand now?” I heard a voice say, my head spinning to my left to find the colony girl had closed the gap between us. I peered at her, perplexed, my dumbfounded expression persisting for several more moments, until she finally lost patience and surmised it herself. “The Government are ensuring future generations of supporters by luring Whitescale colony new-adults into The City and plotting for them to find Soulmates in The Mainland!”
 
I lingered on the revelation. I lingered on it, for quite some time. Then at last I understood. Immediately, I felt exposed. Out in the open, in the late hours of the evening, wearing a skintight dress and a thinly padded blazer that did nothing to protect me. My eyes searched the black of night, waiting for a drove of Law Enforcers to pierce the shadows; because I had theorised. I had questioned.
 

 
I was an accomplice to treason.
 

 
I gulped as the Whitescale colony girl linked arms with me and ploughed onwards; because I knew, with each word she revealed, she only further entangled me as her co-conspirator. “The Government wish to ensure certain Korainians remain in power throughout the generations,” the colony girl conspired, though the more she spoke the less I understood. Her words burred together. I barely managed to absorb drops of her fanatic speech. Ancestral veins of The Government. Our birthrights to biology. Investments in control. More and more, and even more I didn’t want to know.
 
“This is insane…” I breathed, remembering how to speak as I spoke over her. I forcibly released myself from the colony girl’s linked arm, tired of her treasonous lies. “You’re insane!” I said, stopping us both in the street. “Do you even hear your own theory? The Government letting you stay doesn’t mean your Soulmate will be a Mainlander! The Government isn’t tricking you into staying! You can go home! Now, if you wanted! You’re just, making all this stuff up because you feel guilty about liking The Mainland!”
 
“No I am not!” she hissed at me. “You are ignoring the truth because you are scared!”
 
“Of course I’m scared!” I snapped at her. “Your kind of thinking… your opinion on Chief Ieday and The Governmental Ranks… will get you drowned for treason! It will get me drowned for treason! I’m not gonna let you drag me into insane theories because you’ve got issues with your father! It’s not my problem! I’m not interested, alright? Stop-”
 
“Hey! Ladies!” Jonah called out from ahead. My eyes flashed down the residential road towards the front of the group and saw Jonah, impatiently gesturing for us to catch up. In that moment, I had never been more grateful to have an obnoxious boy barking orders at me. I turned to eye the colony girl a last time, sending my disapproval through a harsh glare, before running ahead to meet the rest of the group. Just as I, and then she, caught up, Jonah stooped into a low duck. “Follow me, and run!” he called, before taking off.
 
My brows lifted in shock. Della immediately obeyed and chased after the new-man. The colony girl was next, and ran around me and Tedi to keep up. A gasp left me as Tedi suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me into a sprint. Then we were running, as fast as we could, between one residential street and the next. I glanced at the homes whooshing past; seeing a bright flash of artificial light leaking from over the roofs of the tall homes in the distance.
 
“What’s… that?” I huffed, though not even Tedi replied.
 
We raced through the quiet City Korai neighbourhood, dashing past front gardens and between slip-streets; taking a right turn, another right turn, then a left turn to end. We followed Jonah into a thin passageway nested between two highly stacked homes. The multi-floored residences were located on the far westside of Uji, on the very last row of houses before The Cliff Edge. I stood behind Tedi, who crouched behind the colony girl, who ducked behind Della and Jonah. Still even then, the white-hot lights that swooped along The Cliff Edge, illuminating every nook in the rocks, was clear to us all.
 
Jonah’s initial plan, the one that had rallied us all in drunken new-adult rebellion, had been to dive from the Cliff Edge like we had mere hours ago. A ‘perfect ending’ to our first day as adults. Yet when we arrived, we stared out; stunned to find the mile-long sectioning of Cliff Edge we had all jumped from as children, and the rocky stairs that we had climbed as new-adults, completely overrun. Every inch, every square-foot of The Cliff Edge, was swarming with either equipment, vehicles, Law Enforcers, suited-figures, or one of dozens in head-to-toe reflective yellow suits.
 
“What on Uji is this?” Della yelped.
 
“I have no idea,” Jonah gawked.
 
Tedi dropped my hand and left me to step up to the wide-eyed Blackscale. “If this is a known tradition, Leifssan,” Tedi challenged in a hiss; “why are there Law Enforcers standing in our way!”
 
“Shut it!” Jonah hissed back, appearing just as rattled as the rest of us. He lifted his hand to his jaw and rubbed his chin. “Damn it, Denton,” he whispered under his breath.
 
“Who is Denton?” I heard the colony girl ask.
 
I looked at Della to answer the question, though she quickly avoided my peer. Meanwhile Jonah didn’t even acknowledge the colony girl’s presence, let alone her query. After realising Della wasn’t going to speak up, I sighed aloud and answered the question myself. “Denton is… Jonah’s older brother,” I quietly announced.
 
“And - how do you know that?” Tedi asked with a risen brow.
 
“Della told me…” I mumbled, before leaning against the wall closest to me and sinking to the floor.
 
“Well, isn’t that perfect?” Tedi huffed, my bewildered gaze briefly blinking his way as he faced Jonah. “So this is all to impress your big brother!” Tedi laughed, shortly and harshly, shaking his head back and forth as he began pacing. “You’ve really done it now, Leifssan! There’s no way this ends well!”
 
“I didn’t mean for this to happen!” Jonah barked.
 
“Sssh-ah!” Della hissed to quieten us all. “Nobody is blaming you, Jonah,” she cooed, as she reached to place her hand on his shoulder. Jonah shrugged her away, and Della stepped back; embarrassment over the open rejection flushing her cheeks pink. She inhaled sharply, her tone abruptly growing sarcastic. “No - I won’t blame you,” she started again; “not at all, Jonah. Not even for the fact we’re hours from home and, oh yeah - on route to a Government operation!” Della inhaled suddenly to calm herself. “I will not get arrested on my first day as an adult!” she whined, her eyes welling with anxious tears.
 
“I don’t understand,” Jonah murmured, speaking to himself instead of the group he had led into a Government operation; “I did everything right-”
 
“What does that mean?” Tedi pressed, obviously angered; yet being the responsible one, it was clear he was still trying to make sense of the situation. Nevertheless, Jonah only scowled and averted his gaze. “Hey!” Tedi finally snapped. “I’m talking to you!Explain yourself, Leifssan! Why did you bring us here?”
 
Jonah clenched his fists and paced the three-steps-width of the passageway. Della bounced uneasily in place; her eyes darting from Jonah, to the bustling Cliff Edge, to me. The colony girl manoeuvred around them all to get a better look at the Cliff Edge. Even so, I didn’t at all hesitate on the thought, since my mind was already awash with enough to consider.
 
“My brother tried to do it,” Jonah finally revealed, his head lifting to speak to us; “he said I couldn’t-”
 
“He tried to do it?” Tedi pushed. “What stopped him?”
 
We all looked at Jonah, waiting for his response; his reluctance to give answers aggravating us all. Della suddenly squealed out in frustration. “Ah! Alright, suffering stars!” Jonah yelped, begrudgingly muttering on; “He was stopped by Enforcers.”
 
“So you knew they would be here!” Tedi growled.
 
“No!” Jonah growled back. “How would I know they’d all be here? Like this! They stopped Denton far before he got anywhere close to The Cliff Edge!”
 
“And knowing that, you still brought us?” Tedi snapped.
 
“Oh, relax,” Jonah retorted, still unconvinced of his wrongdoing. “My brother and his age mates weren’t even written up. The Law Enforcers gave them a verbal warning for public disorderliness and sent them home. Barely anything!”
 
“Now it makes sense why you were avoiding main roads!” Tedi grunted. “You’re nothing but a bored Upper Regioner!”
 
“Watch it, Mid-Region!” Jonah puffed.
 
“Oh my stars! What are you two doing!” Della cried, stepping between the young men and holding her palms up and out. “This isn’t the time for this! We need to get home!” she gasped, before dropping her eyes to my collapsed position on the ground. “Nykia! Fix Tedi - he’s acting insane!”
 
“I’m insane?” Tedi huffed in disbelief, shoving Della’s arm aside. “I’m the sane one! I told you not to follow this guy! He doesn’t give a flying fish about us! He knew we weren’t supposed to be here and he still tricked us into coming to The Cliff Edge - and for what? To prove himself to big brother Benton?”
 
“Denton,” Della murmured, her correction going unheard as Jonah stepped around her.
 
“Oh, no one was tricked to go anywhere!” Jonah scoffed.
 
“That’s not the point!” Tedi countered. “Maybe mother and father can bail your Upper-Region-rear out of trouble, but most of us don’t have that luxury! You have no idea what could happen to us for even being this close!”
 
“Close to what? It’s public land!” Jonah countered, almost pleading with us; and even starting to make actual sense when he went on. “We jumped from that edge hours ago, how would I know The Government would be here? Would I come myself if I did? It’s clearly dangerous - they look as if they’re sweeping for explosives!”
 
“It does appear a large operation,” the colony girl interrupted; all eyes turning to look her way as she stooped at the entrance of the passageway. She turned her head to glance back at us. “The shiny yellow clothing? What is it?” she asked.
 
“Those are like - mining suits,” Della replied.
 
“But we’re miles from the mines,” Tedi remarked, as he too began to focus on the activity around The Cliff Edge.
 
I followed his eye-line through the gap and peered at the uncanny scene unfolding before us. Temporary barriers blocked off the mile-long cliff, leaving only a small opening heavily patrolled by Law Enforcers in light grey overalls. Inside the barriers, high intensity searchlights floodlit the cliff and the water below; exposing tens of swarming yellow mining suits about the site. Some in mining suits even held devices with antennas pointed towards the sea, measuring something while they nodded to each other and conversed inaudibly.
 
Meanwhile, teams of divers in heavy-duty gear climbed the cliff stairs from the water; heaving large iron tanks embedded in cables with them. Amidst the activity, figures, cloaked in dark suits, oversaw the operations, their blonde hair making it easy to identify them as Government officials. I marvelled at the efficiency of the operation, each procedure moving smoothly. Efficiently. Almost as if fulfilled a hundred times before.
 
Half a dozen divers would surface with a large canister, then a yellow mining suit would approach and hold out a device to scan over the cable-ridden tank. After receiving a nod, the divers would return to sea by jumping off the edge; leaving the canister with the yellow-suited individual. Moments later a steam-powered truck would appear, reversing onto the site through the guarded barrier. Two Law Enforcers would hop out of the vehicle, lift the canister onto the truck, secure it, then drive off the site. The whole while, a cluster of officials stood by; tapping at their holographic devices.
 
“DUCK!” Jonah called, and everyone obeyed, just as one of the steam-powered vehicles sped by the cliffside homes we were hidden between.
 
“This is insane!” Della hissed, as she stooped crouched to the floor. “THIS IS SO INSANE!” she hissed again, her whispers increasingly shrill. Even so, no one challenged her. No one even moved. I tried my hardest to think about anything but the situation I was trapped within. Absolutely anything. However, the more I thought, the deeper I was pulled under.
 
I knew The General Trade Law meant that all Cliff Edge stores had closed hours ago, and the shopkeepers that owned those points of trade had long gone home. I also knew, from what my Aunt had told me, that housing worked differently in The City. Korainians that lived in City Korai were either wealthy, or Government officials; wealthy Korainians owning their homes through purchase or land inheritance, while high-ranking officials leased Government properties for as long as they served The Chief.
 
The multi-floored homes we had hidden between were surely built for Government Officials, given their closeness to The Orientation Centre; the institute our Adulthood Initiation and Inauguration had taken place within just hours earlier. Anyone that lived this far west on Uji were likely in the highest of The Chief’s ranks, and probably already on The Cliff Edge. The only loose ends left were the main roads. Yet, if Jonah’s tale of his brother’s thwarted attempt from cycles ago was true, then the roads were surely closed to the public as well. Which meant, somehow, that we were all seeing something we weren’t supposed to see.
 
“Are Korainians usually permitted to jump from The Cliff Edge at night?” the colony girl whispered, luckily distracting me from my own mind.
 
“Yes! My brother does it regularly,” Jonah assured.
 
“Then why is it surrounded by Enforcers?” Tedi muttered.
 
“Suffering stars, I’m telling the truth!” Jonah hissed in frustration. “I get it’s suspicious, but I’m being honest! Not that you would know, but it’s an Upper Region rite of passage to try and jump off The Cliff Edge on the night of your fifteenth! No one’s ever done it, but Upper Regioners trade stories about how they got caught! Sure, my brother was stopped when he tried five cycles ago, but he’s jumped off The Cliff Edge a dozen times since! He didn’t know about this! And neither did I!”
 
“I do not think anyone does,” the colony girl quietly added, speaking exactly what I thought.
 
Still ignoring her, I turned my eyes over to Jonah; who was now rubbing his jaw and causing red marks to form all over his chin. “I just wanted to do something Denton couldn’t,” he said to himself; “have the perfect first day as an adult. Be a legend.”
 
I rolled my eyes at him, and when I looked away I caught Della and Tedi doing the same. The colony girl even exhaled to herself, before turning to address the rest of us. “I believe he is telling the truth,” she said to Della and Tedi, carefully avoiding me as she did. “Do you not find it unusual the sea is being guarded?”
 
“Well, it has to be,” Tedi said. “We were initiated today.”
 
“Why does that matter?” the colony girl probed.
 
“Because of The Coming of Age ceremony, duh?” Della scoffed. “It’s for the entire day? Like, all eighty-eight hours? The Jump kicks it off, so if anyone other than our birth group swam in the ocean it would ruin everything. It’s tradition. A planet-wide law. Don’t they have schools in the colonies?”
 
“Della!” Tedi lamented.
 
“Pff - what? Everyone knows that!” she puffed back.
 
Tedi shook his head and turned to face the colony girl. “It’s illegal for children to swim in the sea,” he explained. “The Jump is our first act of sanctioned adulthood. From waking hour on a coming of age day, the sea is vacated until The Jump. It’s supposed to be the one day where the seas are reserved for us.”
 
“Then if it is reserved for us, why can we not swim in it now?” The colony girl countered, swiftly, instantly leaving Tedi wordless. “Why are there divers within it?” she pressed. “Why are tanks being pulled from it while Law Enforcers stand idly by-”
 
“They’re obviously doing maintenance!” Della interjected.
 
“Maintenance - really?” Tedi challenged, huffing at our age mate. “It’s the sea, Della, what kind of maintenance does it need?” At the conclusion of Tedi’s words, we were all left in a frosty silence; despite the warm air surrounding us. Then, without warning, Jonah let out a huff and started walking off.
 
“Hey!” Della squawked at him. “Where are you going?”
 
“Home,” he said without turning back; “you should go too, before someone sees you.”
 
Jonah disappeared as he turned out of the passageway, beginning the short stroll back to his Upper Region residence. “The Blackscale boy is right,” the colony girl said after a short while, looking up to the sky as she added; “it is almost the 87th hour.”
 
“My stars, tell me you’re joking!” Tedi exclaimed, most likely remembering his mother.
 
My own mother popped into my head then; and with that, I suddenly recalled the world that existed outside of the surreal first night of adulthood I was trapped within. “Come on… let’s go,” I finally called out, pushing myself to my feet while Della, Tedi, and the colony girl carefully backed away from The Cliff Edge. The second we had reached the end of the passageway, we spun round and ran; sprinting through every back alley we could find and avoiding all large connected roads we came across.
 
I led the way, the time I had spent marvelling at the architecture proving useful as I manoeuvred us through the maze of shiny homes from memory. Luck seemingly on our side, we made it back to City Korai Central Plaza undetected with only minutes to spare before the last shuttles departed for the Mid Region. The colony girl said a brief goodbye to Della and Tedi, once again avoiding eye contact with me as she did, and set off on the walk back to her supposed secret ‘Visitor Halls’.
 
When the last public shuttle to the south of the Central Mid Regions arrived, Della, Tedi, and I, wordlessly boarded. The yellow lights of the rickety night-shuttle flickered with each bump the road encountered; the vessel practically empty, besides a few quiet Korainians seated in the front rows and a couple intoxicated new-adults passed out in the middle seats. Meanwhile we sat in the back, huddled in the corner. Speechless. Thoughtful. Drained.
 
After what felt like seconds, the bell for the north side of the Central Mid Region rang loudly. Tedi took to his feet and began ambling down the walkway towards the exit doors. “Tedi…” I called to him, just as I remembered I was still wearing his jacket. Tedi stopped by the shuttle doors to look my way. I pulled his navy blue blazer from my shoulders and held it out; though he simply shook his head, and angled his chin at the space to my right.
 
I moved my eyes to find what Tedi had gestured at, and found Della; sat underneath the shuttle’s air fan, shivering in her shoulder-less dress. I rested the textured jacket over her as she glanced at me, nodded, and returned her blank stare to the window. Then, the shuttle started moving again. Startled, I looked upwards, shocked to find that Tedi had disembarked without saying goodbye.
 
Confused by his sudden exit, I felt an unease rise within me. A steady feeling of wrongness, bubbling up. Unnerved, I turned my eyes to the window, just as Della had, and focused on the blurred sight of Uji as it whizzed by. My body ached. Yet most worryingly, my mind was numb. So numb, that all the physical pain in my arms, and feet, did little to stir me.
 
I began to worry that nothing would coax me out of my stunned state, that I would remain in perpetual confusion; as the gap of sense, the lack of explanation for the events I had witnessed, widened. Even as I attempted to calm myself and recapture the blissful feeling of floating within my mind, the sensation didn’t feel the same. It was as if I was, floating. Not in the water, but above it. Staring back at my own reflection as I had earlier that day.
 
Only now, the tides below me were tinged with a purplish haze. Now, the sight of my reflection confused me; as if I didn’t recognise myself through the new perspective. I was sure Della had called me. My name. I heard it, but in a strange way that reverberated inside my skull. Like, a faraway echo. I focused on hearing the words. Clarifying their cadence. My floating form gradually eased towards the ebbing surface of my consciousness, until I at last slipped from suspension and splashed into the waters below.
 
“Hmm?” I actually replied, relief flushing me as I did.
 
“I said,” Della said, her voice barely above a whisper; “that tonight was - a lot.” Della concluded there; and though I heard her, I didn’t have anything to say in response. So I didn’t say anything at all. “I’ve never been on a night shuttle before,” she continued, in that strangely hushed un-Della-like voice; “we’re usually hibernating by now.” Della paused again, for a long moment, until I moved my eyes to look at her. “Nykia?” I watched her whisper, whilst she peered out of the window; “you know what we saw, at The Cliff Edge?”
 
“You mean… what they were doing in the water?” I asked, whilst Della nodded in reply. I took in a breath at the query. “I don’t think, we were supposed to see it…” I whispered.
 
“I don’t think so either,” she returned.
 
“So, what… do you want to do about it?”
 
“I want to forget everything.”
 
“Forget… everything?”
 
“Yes, forget it.”
 
“All of it?”
 
“Nykia,” Della snapped, before she finally said; “forget it.”
 
Della fell asleep on my arm after then. Whilst she slept, my mind blended everything about the day into a senseless slush of memories, hoping it would go down smoother that way. I knew why Della wanted to forget what we had seen, because I wanted to as well. I wanted to un-see The Cliff Edge. Un-hear the things the colony girl theorised. Un-know what it was to be an adult in our world. But deep down, I questioned.
 
How could I be a child again, when I had been branded an adult? How could I believe what I was told, when I was beginning to know things for myself? How could I float in the tides, when I knew there was something in the water?
 
A loud snort sounded from beside me. I looked to Della, and gently shook her awake as we reached our stop. Although I still had quite a hike before I was back in my neighbourhood, since Della’s household was only a street away from the shuttle station, I walked her home first. By the time I had helped her tiredly stumble through her front door, I could feel the 88th hour nearing. I knew that adult hibernation would begin soon, and the absolute last thing I needed, especially today, was to fall comatose on the street.
 
Fighting the swell of hibernation, I shuffled home as fast as I could; and after lumbering down roads of identical housing for what felt like forever, I finally made it to my street. Scanning my palm at the front door, I tumbled inside and dropped my Mother’s heeled shoes from around my neck. My body began to stiffen as I crashed through my bedroom curtains. My limbs locked, just as I reached my waterbed, and my mind instantly surrendered to a deep, twenty-eight hour long, sleep.