Star-Crossed

Part 21

We enter the lobby, and Max puts his arm out for Eva, who graciously accepts, and Zayn does the same for me.

I hesitate but finally give-in. We are just friends, I remind myself.

Arm-in-arm, paired off in twos, the four of us exit the building and walk out onto the street, Max & Eva leading the way, while Zayn and I follow behind.

The weather is gorgeous. Warm but not too hot. Cool but not too cold. A light breeze blows every now and then but with a thin jacket on, it feels perfectly crisp.

We walk for a few minutes and then approach the downtown area. We are in the thick of it all. But amid the chaos, there is an order to things. The movement is steady and unyielding.

Cars and flying vessels zoom back and forth past me and above my head. Hundreds and hundreds of people who all look so different from one another cross the streets in packs.

Men stand at the corners with their carts and sell all sorts of seasoned nuts and spiced fruits and local snacks. There's yelling and haggling and honking.

In the corner of my eye, I spot what looks like a printing press, except that it's printing out sheets of chocolate! I remember reading in my comics about machines like this - machines that could print anything your imagination desired.

I yank Zayn over to one of the chocolate carts.

"Good evening Miss," says the chocolatier. "What can I get for you tonight?"

"What flavors do you have?" I inquire.

"I can print anything your heart desires," responds the man.

I create a dark chocolate bar flavored with rose, cardamom and coconut. It is amazing.

Max and Eva stumble over, and soon everyone is creating their own bars and the chocolatier is able to print them out before our eyes. In a sense, we get a little drunk off of our chocolaty creations. I eat the entire bar way too fast.

Max points to his stomach and makes a sad face.

"I feel you, Max," I respond. "I think we all feel you."

We rest for a bit in the square, digesting our chocolate and people-watching. And once we are all ready to keep moving, we continue to walk and explore.

After a few blocks, we stumble upon VR booths. VR booths allow you to escape to any place you want to go to. You put on a headset with ear buds - similar to what Xeno was wearing at the control center a couple of nights ago, when Zayn snuck into my pod - and you are instantly transported to wherever you choose to go.

We each pay the small fee and step inside our own booths.

There are an infinite number of options to choose from. Sandy beach. The largest star in the Seratona galaxy. An Iggy concert.

I have now seen and heard Iggy's name so many times, I'm curious to see who this person actually is. "Iggy's concert," I say out loud, standing still inside the booth.

I put on the headset and ear buds and all of the sudden, I am in the front row of a huge stadium. Fans are screaming and crying and yelling Iggy's name.

These booths are sound proof, so I join in.

"IGGY. IGGY. IGGY," I yell, at the top of my lungs.

Then, she emerges on stage and the crowd goes insane.

I too jump up and down and scream and flail my arms.

She begins to sing, and it's the song that Eva and I were just listening to in the apartment! I sing along with her, now that I know the words, and try to copy her dance moves.

"Outer space...I got that outer space love for you, baby," I scream along with Iggy and the hundreds of thousands of people in the crowd.

Then, Iggy - the most famous pop star in the entire galaxy - looks straight into my eyes, and I freeze. My head starts to spin, and I feel like I'm suffocating. In and out, I remind myself. I can't breathe. Then my voice finds me, and I start screaming. Pikaaar?!"

I take off the headset and rip out the ear buds. Those eyes, I think. Those are Pikar's eyes. I can never forget those eyes.

I open the door to the booth and stumble out. Zayn is already done, waiting for Max, Eva and I to finish our sessions.

"You okay?" he asks, moving toward me. "What happened?"

I'm breathing heavily. Thoughts are zooming a million miles an hour inside my head. I must be hallucinating, I think. There is no way my sister is a huge pop star. How is that even possible?

"Hello," snaps Zayn. "Karina - you there?"

I look at him and take a deep breath. In and out.

"I...um," I hesitate, wondering if Zayn is going to think that I'm completely insane, feeling sort of annoyed at myself for even caring if he thinks that I'm insane in the first place. "I think that Iggy is my sister - Pikar."

Zayn looks at me, incredulous.

"You think the biggest pop star on Shinar and, arguably, the entire galaxy, is your sister?" he mocks. "You can't be serious."

"I just know those eyes, Z," I continue. "I could never forget them."

Max and Eva each stumble out of their respective booths.

"That was aaaawwweessommee!" Eva screams, and Max moves over toward her and gives her a huge high five.

"What's going on you two?" asks Eva as she and Max approach Zayn and me. "Why so serious?"

"I have decided that I really want to go to an Iggy concert," I say quickly. "I'm obsessed."

"Well, that happened fast," laughs Eva. "But, how will we get tickets?"

"I don't know, but I am going to figure it out," I assert.

Max holds up a sign saying, "Let's walk somewhere to get food. I'm hungry."

"Max, are you ever not hungry?" asks Eva, horrified.

We all start laughing.

The four of us continue to meander throughout the city, stopping here and there to soak-up the sights and sounds and liveliness of it all.

Eventually, we find a hole-in-the-wall place that serves curries made from scratch in these cool blue bowls with big wooden spoons.

We sit down to eat, and the food is delicious, but my head is not present. I can't stop thinking about Iggy - Pikar? - and those eyes. I have to find out if Iggy is, in fact, my sister or not. Until I know for sure, I'll never be able to stop thinking about it.