“You’re . . . curious about art?”
“Yes. Aren’t you?”
For one wild moment, I wondered if an Elite had come to evaluate me for the mating contract. Could he even be my proposed Mate? Suddenly, I found myself desperate, like Lo, to be accepted. The man looked toward me, but my eyes flew to my lap, unable to meet his gaze. I couldn’t risk the rejection of beingseen. Not yet.
“All the time,” I finally admitted, and my pulse turned painful at my honesty. I took a steadying breath. “Have you always been interested in art?”
“No, but lately I am,” the man told me.
“Is art common there?” I asked. Would I see real art in the clouds?
“I can’t give you our secrets,” he said smoothly, “but maybe one day I could show you.”
My insides twisted in anticipation or apprehension; I didn’t know. Maybe both. I had been told since my earliest years that I was beneath the Elite. The Academy preached this every day, intermingling with the harshness of my birth father’s teachings. Were they wrong? It was a traitorous thought, one that could condemn me. We weren’t permitted to question the Illum.
Frustration coursed through me at how little they told us. Perhaps the Elite had lessons that consisted of more than how to be a compliant vessel for offspring. If we weren’t learning how to get to the clouds by being the perfect Mate, we learned horrifying lessons on the Last War. Endless hologram lectures warned us of all the risks to life without the Illum to guide us. How ancient humans had torn themselves apart and wiped themselves out. Their conflicting beliefs and ideologies created an irreparable divide that had resulted in near extinction. The Illum had knitted it all back together, saving humanity. The Illum had seen to the rebirth of society, illuminating the best way forward with their superior intellect. The Academy portrayed the Illum as saviors of mankind. Gods and religion had no place here. We could only trust in the Illum, unseen yet always watching.
“Would you like me to leave?” the man asked, interrupting my busy mind.
“No,” I exclaimed, too quickly, standing. I didn’t want to be alone again, not yet.
“All right . . .” The man cleared his throat. “I don’t know your name.”
“Emeline,” I told him as I got a look at all of him, still partially concealed in the shadows. There was a mysterious ease to him. The man stepped into my office, and my eyes flew to my desk. This was a trap of some kind, a test. Another lesson from the Academy found me.
Should you be successful in your dedication to the Greater Good and matched with an Elite Mate, you will find your true work has just begun. Every meeting with your proposed Mate will be watched by the Elite collective. Your ability to perform publicly is as critical to your success as your ability to carry an offspring.
If your behavior is unsatisfactory or displeasing, you will be among the fallen in blue. Follow the Illum’s protocol, abide by the rules of the Minor Defect population, and constantly seek self-improvement, and you will rise, fulfilling your use for the Greater Good.
“Are you going to look at me, Emeline?” the man asked, his voice closer now. “I swear I won’t bite.”
Never look at the Elite, Emeline,my birth mother had warned. I had been only four years old, boarding the Pod for the Academy. My only memory of her speaking to me.Just look down and they will leave you be. You must look down.
But I couldn’t displease the Elite. I took a deep breath, lifted my chin slowly, and sealed my fate as my eyes collided with his. His light brown irises had a ring of amber along the inside, as if a star had burst from the pupil. They were beautiful.
I held his gaze, my throat too tight. I waited for his rejection, disgust, and cruel words. But he didn’t flinch. His eyes went wide for a single breath, yet he didn’t look away.
“It’s nice to meet you, Emeline,” the man said, his dimple appearing. He approached my desk, extending his hand across it. “My name’s Hal.”
I raised my hand to his, disbelief flooding my veins. The light from the hologram cast his features into sharp relief, heightening his beauty and large frame.
And that he was dressed in blue.
I dropped my hand instantly. “You’re a Major Defect?” How had I missed that? Weren’t they not allowed to leave their sector?
An unsettling realization slammed into my chest: I agreed with someone in blue. I stepped away, my back colliding with the wall. It had been a relief just moments ago to think I agreed with someone from the clouds, sharing something dangerous I kept locked away.
“Guilty.” Hal smirked, thrusting his hands into his pockets. “You going to run away?” I looked toward the door behind him. I was cornered. “Call for someone to save you?”
“There’s no one down here,” I confessed.
“I know,” Hal said as he watched me. “Your kind calls us monsters.”
“Are you a monster?” I whispered, too curious for my own good.
Hal’s smirk spread. “Would you like to find out?”
Before I could think better, I admitted, “I don’t understand. You don’t look . . .”
