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She hasn’t even broken a sweat, and for a moment, I envy her. “You are fast,” I mutter, panting embarrassingly. I sit next to her and guzzle some water, my lungs screaming at me.
“Don’t drink so fast. You’ll make yourself sick, and you need to ration it. They cut off the water and power a long time ago,” she snaps, and I freeze before my cheeks flare with heat and I look away.
I can sense her disgust, and it makes me slump. She’s right—I shouldn’t be here. “I know that, shit, I’m sorry. I’m so bad at this.”
“You wouldn’t be my first choice,” she teases. “So why are you here?”
The fact that she asked makes me sit up a little. She doesn’t know why, that’s for sure, but it’s the interest in her voice that has me peering back at her. She’s framed by the sun, her hair glowing like a flame, while I simply blend into the background with my limp, sweaty blonde hair and boring eyes.
I want to tell her, but I’m not sure I’m allowed to, so I tell her as much. I expect her to be offended, but she shocks me yet again. “Talia, do I look like the type of person who blabs? Or, for that matter, do I look like a person who has anyone to blabber to?” She smirks. “You don’t have to tell me everything.”
She’s right—it can’t hurt. Plus, I need to talk to someone. “I work for a lab, part of the government. They left some research here, and that’s all I know. I’m to retrieve it.”
“And they didn’t send a team, an army, through the front gate?” She frowns. I know what she’s thinking, I thought the same thing.
“They wouldn’t make it,” I offer, still unsure if she’s not right. “They wanted it done quietly and fast.”
“It’s a coverup.” She nods, understanding now. “Still, why you? Not to be mean, but why not a super soldier or spy?”
I don’t even hesitate to tell her. She can judge me all she wants. She already hates me, and for some reason, I want to convince her I’m not all that bad. “I honestly don’t know. I didn’t ask. I’ve been waiting for years to conduct hands-on research and to be able to do what I am trained for. This is the only chance they have given me, so I can’t mess this up, Aria. I’ll get the research, and they will finally let me research what I want to.”
“Which is?” she asks, seemingly interested and not just pitying me.
“I want to do an analysis of the effects our cultured food sources are having on children and the underprivileged,” I answer truthfully. “I want to help make this world a better place.”
“You’re about the only one who wants to then, kid.”
Kid? I’m clearly older than her, but then I think about it. I’m only older in age. She knows this world better than me, so in her eyes, I’m probably a child, bumbling and unknowing.
Her words register, and I frown. “What do you mean?”
“The government will never change. They like the slums. They keep the poor, poor and the rich, rich. There is a clear pecking order. They won’t ever do anything to change that because it benefits them. The rich earn more and live longer and better, while the poor kill each other for scraps. It’s the way they like it and the way it will always be. Nothing will change that. Sorry to burst your bubble, Talia.”
I frown, looking away. I’ve believed in the good of my people and what we are capable of and can do my whole life. I know we aren’t perfect—I hate the slums and want equality—but nothing is perfect, and there are good people who can change it…right?
There was clear truth behind her words, however, so she obviously believed it wholly, and for a moment, my entire world seems to spin as I think back on my life and my society.
Is she right?
No, she’s not. There is good in this world and the capability for change. She’s jaded. She’s seen the worst of humanity without any good, and that would make anyone feel this way, but I’ve seen the beauty, strength, and kindness humanity is capable of.
She’s wrong about us.
“You’re wrong—some want to make this world better, and I’m one of them. I’ll make it happen. We can do better than we have before.”
She watches me with something akin to respect. “I hope you’re right,” she murmurs as I stare at her. “Now drink up, we need to keep moving.”
* * *
The next few hours are hard. We talk more though. She seems freer with me than before, almost respectful, until I offend her about her work. I explain why and where we are going, and she even finds me new shoes once she realises mine are hurting me, but she’s always on guard. It’s clear she doesn’t like my pace, especially after we have a run-in with a wild animal she thinks was near us.
I’m almost relieved when we spot the skyscraper that leads to the lab. I hurry across the square, my scientific brain locking on the building. It’s only when I have my hand on the door when I realise it’s quiet. Looking around, I spot Aria staring down at a hole worriedly.
“Aria?”
Turning away, she hurries to my side and follows me inside. It’s dark, the sunlight unable to pierce the shadows, and I peer into it nervously. She suddenly splashes light across the reception area, which is so similar to the one I work at, it has me freezing for a moment. “You’re up, Doc. Lead the way.”
Shivering in the dark, I worry my lip but move around the furniture, her light showing the way. I search for what they explained… Ah, there is the entrance to the lab. It’s hidden, though I don’t know why. Maybe to protect their research?
