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He sighed. “To my home.”
“You have a cubicle in a habitat?”
“Kind of,” was his mumbled reply. Rather than use the elevator, we took stairs to the roof I’d arrived on. He led me to a dark vessel that appeared to have no windows until I sat inside. I could see out, but no one could see in. Fascinating except for one thing.
“Must we fly?”
“Yes.” His tone brooked no discussion.
I didn’t like it. Especially since his vessel moved much more quickly and twisty than my initial experience.
Seeing my discomfort, he snorted. “Stop acting as if you’re going to die.”
“This is very strange to me.” The truth.
“Guess it’s a day for weird shit.”
“Why did you request me for breeding?” I asked.
“Because you looked terrified on that stage.”
“It was scary,” I admitted. “But mostly embarrassing. I could hear people speaking of me as if I were an object.” Which I should have been used to. In the Caves, we served a purpose. Those who didn’t left and were never seen again.
“I know. I heard.” A flat reply.
“Do you think I’m dumb?” That was the insult that stung the most. I’d been considered rather smart compared to other Grays, which had led to me having more complex jobs.
“I think you lack the experience we on the surface take for granted.”
A fair surmise. “Will I be assigned a mentor to teach me what I’m supposed to do?”
“I’m the only man you’ll be with.” A gruff exclamation.
“You’ll educate me?”
Rather than reply, he turned away from me and looked out the window. “You need a name.”
“I’m J891.”
“I know what your designation is. It’s not a name.”
Recalling the vowels in his name, Sebastian, I made an observation. “Your name has no numbers, and the letters are vocalized.” Serena and Levi as well. “How was it chosen?”
“My parents named me.”
“What are parents?”
He appeared startled. “You really don’t understand relationships.”
“Fraternization is a crime.”
“Only below the surface.” His lips twisted. “A policy that sounds fine in theory until meeting with it. It’s been a while since I’ve been underground. Do you really not socialize at all in the Caves?”
“I’d have been punished if I did.”
“Are the others in the habitat as talkative as you?”
“No. And on that score, I got shocked quite a bit.” My nose wrinkled with that recollection.
