Page 398 of Light Leech

“Do you think this is as weird as I do?” I asked.

“Absolute zegging whack.” She looked at some of the numbers on the doors, then pointed to the right. Our room was only five doors down. She looked into the retinal scanner. The door pulsed violet. then opened for us.

At least there was furniture. I half expected to walk in on another empty room with some kind of pod for sleeping or a float pool for an embryonic sleep simulation.

“Awe, two beds?” She sat on hers. It was white, as was everything else besides the black screen on the wall and a few golden decorations. “At least I won’t have to explain anything to Naoma when we get back, right, babe?”

“Right.” I sighed as I collapsed on my bed. Despite the lack of coziness throughout the entire hotel, I knew instantly that I was laying on the softest mattress I had ever touched. I turned over to look at Ralia, who sat and looked around the room. If anyone else had made the comments that Ralia did, I would have been uneasy and in need of distance. Looking at her, I saw the same Ralia I had always known. One of my closest friends and the light amidst the darkness, Ralia was unbreakable. Aside from the slight deviation with Sha, I wondered if she was actually that happy when she was alone. Everyone has low moments, but did she experience more to compensate for her ceaseless joyful output.

Was she lonely?

Of course she had us. Friends made up for a lot of loneliness, but there was a certain hole only a closer friend could fill.

Naoma was filling my abyss.

Did Ralia have someone? Not everyone felt like they needed a companion, but Ralia’s continual flirty remarks led me to believe that she was yearning for something more. I had heard her mention dating a Finian before joining Deleon, but I leaned more on the side of believing that it was a joke.

I let my hands lay back above my head. One of my hands landed on a piece of paper.

“What is that?” Ralia stood and walked over to my bed

She grabbed it, but I kept one hand on it to keep it between us.

Welcome to Hadrian Palace,

We look forward to hosting you and hope you find your room comfortable. Please scan the code below to enter an encrypted chat with your Correction representative. We eagerly await your response and look forward to meeting you in person.

A black rectangle of pixels had been printed on the bottom. We both scanned it and entered a group chat on our neurospace.

Ralia: Hihow?

Advisor: Welcome to the moon. We hope your journey was not too fraught with difficulties. Are you ready to proceed with your membership?

Ralia: Yes.

Advisor: Thank you for your timely response. Please head to the lobby where I will meet you. Look for a red robe amidst the white.

Ralia: Then what?

Advisor: What good is a bright mind without patience?

Ralia: Right. See you there.

Advisor: Likewise.

She was already at the door by the time I exited my neurospace. I opened my mouth to ask for another minute of rest but knew that she was not in the mood.

I burned some of my light reserve, giving me a surge of energy. Hunger would catch up soon despite the excessive amounts of teeth we had eaten to prepare for such a long trip.

Neither of us spoke on the way down. I wanted to say something but had no idea what I could say to change or improve our circumstances. I could steer as much as I wanted, but our vehicle was cliff bound regardless of our direction. Zhou had been nothing more than an odd obstacle. Perhaps that was undermining his influence but meeting him had not changed everything. This could. If the Correction was everything the Luxists led us to believe, the world’s understanding of the entire existence of their planet was on our backs. Fail, and their ignorance would perpetuate and feed Gong’s planetary appetite. Succeed…

Could we change the world’s view?

What would it take to convince humanity that everything they knew about their world was a lie?

What could a failure like me ever hope to do?

I waited for Zhu to whisper a sentiment of peace or assurance, though that was not a common occurrence from him. It never came.