My focus flickered haphazardly from my bedroom window to the door and back down to my hands folded neatly in my lap, a constant unsteady cycle. Dad's words echoed in my mind, growing louder each time I looked down at my short, cracked nails. The memory clawed at me, trying to get out.
"You're testing me, Sun. If you keep proving you're more trouble than a lady is worth, I'll make sure you can't make anymore trouble."
I fidgeted uncomfortably. The bandage wrapped around my left index finger brought out a dull ache that, in the excitement of last night, I had forgotten about.
Last night. God. That sufficiently derailed my train of thought.
Even through the fog of exhaustion from not sleeping and anger from my father's words, my brief run-in with the girl last night was almost all I could think about. Fernanda. She was tall, strong. Her eyes were the sort of dark, muddy brown that the other founder kids would make fun of when they saw them on servants. They were intense, though, like a million thoughts and feelings were constantly storming behind them, just aching to break free. When she stared at me, I felt like I was going to melt under her gaze.
A female mechanic. What were the odds?
I glanced toward my dresser, where my earrings had been quickly discarded. Had she known from the very beginning that I was a founder? Was she playing with me? Was she just a predator playing with her prey before she devoured it?
No, she couldn't. I had told her that I could ruin her life. She wouldn't risk that just to snitch on me.
Right?
Unsettled, I raised my wrist in front of me and tapped on the sleek silver watch that circled it. A holographic screen leapt out, hardly the size of a sheet of paper, but glowing blue in the midday light. After selecting the phone icon, I scrolled through my contacts until I found the one I had been looking for. Aya's face flashed onto the screen, her neat chocolate locks wound up in a complicated updo to support the eccentric silver headpiece that balanced on her head. Even through the hologram, her bright golden eyes sparkled with that familiar otherworldly quality that manufactured eye colors had. Her smiling face waited, as bright and beautiful as ever, as I selected her number and waited for the call to connect.
She answered after only a few rings. If nothing else, she was consistent.
"Hey!" she sang, eyes curling into little half-moons as she smiled on the screen. "You surprised me! You never call anymore."
"Sorry about that. Things have been... busy."
Aya's smile faltered, but she tried not to show it. "Well, how are you? Do you need anything?"
"I need to get out," I admitted.
Now, her grin broke even wider. "Yes! Let's go into town! It's been forever since we went shopping together."
I couldn't help softening into a smile at her enthusiasm. "Sounds perfect."
"I'll come pick you up."
"You don't have to do that. Your family is closer to the city than mine is. Besides, my dad probably wouldn't let me go out without one of our family servants." I paused, trying to buoy my energy. "I'll pick you up."
Aya nodded quickly. "Okay! I'll be ready."
With that, I ended the call, and the room dove back into silence. Somewhere else in the house, I could make out the mumble of voices, but it was impossible to tell whether they belonged to my family or simply to the servants. Dad usually holed himself up in his wing of the estate when he was upset, though, so I was certain enough that I wouldn't run into him. Still, I moved slowly as I inched my bedroom door open and peeked into the hall.
