[CANCELLED AND MOVED]
"Were you able to get out of bed this morning?" he asked, staring into the water. His voice was soothing, with the rasp of a fire.
"I..." My breathing spiked. "I don't remember. I think so. I'm here now, right?"
"But did you ha...
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Cynaline led us to a giant bathroom across the exit. Black marble and steel everywhere, with open doors all next to each other like a hotel. They all had a compact bathroom inside. The amber light made it feel less uniform.
Our suitcases all sat by a wall.
"Take as much time as you need," Cynaline patted me on the shoulder. "They're all auto-cleaned every day. I'll see ya in a bit."
Dorothy tapped his arm.
"There are no weird cameras or anything, right?" she stammered.
"Nope!" Cynaline said. "We don't use cameras anywhere. But if you feel paranoid, you can use my shower."
"No, it's fine. Just wondering. Thanks, Theo. I mean, Cynaline."
He chuckled and left, closing the door.
We all grabbed our luggage and entered the separate bathrooms.
The bathroom was compact and ultra modern. Round and glassy, with ambient light coming from seemingly nowhere. Right of a catalog. It took a second to get an idea of how the shower worked. I looked over my body; all the bruises I expected to be there weren't.
I cleaned up, got dressed, and made sure I looked okay.
Dorothy sat on her luggage in front of her door. She played with the carpet fibers and gazed at Jamie, standing across the room.
"Ready to go?" I asked. "Well, wherever we're supposed to go."
The door opened, with Cynaline behind it. He clapped his hands.
"So I got a surprise for you guys!" he hushed. "We have to go before it gets dark."
"What is it?" Dori asked.
"I don't want to spoil it. Come on!"
He led us down the familiar dark hallway. Sparse glass doors passed us by the more we walked. But at the very end of the hall was a bright blue light.
A vast, radiant lobby with columns and glassy surfaces. The glass dome ceiling bathed the room with heavenly white light. One panoramic monitor wrapped around the tops of the wall, displaying pictures and text.
My jaw dropped.
"This is the 'Mind'," Cynaline explained. "Where the President lives and such. Like the White House in your country. You're from North America, right? We call it Boremeris."
"United States, specifically," I said.
Jamie jumped in. "And who are you guys, exactly?"
"We're in Neverlot, right now. In Zarcroft."
"But what's the planet?"
"Oh yeah. Exo."
Next to us stood a digital map, like a mini billboard. On it were illuminated lines and squares representing different halls and rooms. Cynaline traced his fingers along a long line. He looked around the room, gazing at something. His eyes went wide, and he stared back at the back.
