Invited

Two - Timber

Lara was settled into bed. She's seriously the best kid I've ever met. Always listening and never arguing when Chevelle or I told her to do anything – she was probably as close to perfect as kids come. A lot of it had to do with how she managed to survive with her parents, I'm sure. From what I understood, her dad hit her and her mom neglected her. And yet Paul wanted to bring them on board and spare their lives. Maybe I was just a jerk, but I didn't feel like they deserved it.

People who abused children shouldn't be allowed to have a second chance. The Achlivans were compassionate, though. Down in the Pit, all kinds of unsavory individuals were living – or so I'd heard. I'd never been down there myself, so I had no firsthand experience to work with. From what I remember Wicken sharing of his time down there, most of them sounded like bad news.

Rumor was down in the Pit, again. That's where she had started, and she was proof that most of the people who went down there needed to stay there. Sure, there were a handful who got put into the Pit by mistake, like Wicken, but they sounded few and far between. Rumor was not one of those people. She lied, manipulated, and was abusive herself. I'd caught her beating and neglecting Vance. If I had had things my way, I would have evicted her into space and called it a day. Apparently the Achlivans found use in her.

The members of the Pit were the workers who kept the ship running. They did the more disgusting tasks like take care of the garbage, human waste, and whatever else needed to be done. Their living quarters were also a lot less comfortable, being more similar to a college dorm than an apartment like what Chevelle and I had. It sounded pretty rough. I hoped I never had to go down there and see it with my own eyes. Even if I was just visiting, it would be difficult for me. Seeing people suffer wasn't something I had ever enjoyed. Being around those who were in worse conditions than I made me uncomfortable as well. Since I was a celebrity back home, I came across it often. Kind of like survivor's guilt. I felt bad for having things, for being comfortable, and doing what I loved while others had to struggle constantly just to survive.

The world wasn't fair. That's always bugged me. In theory, the Pit was supposed to be fair. In practice, I still wasn't so sure. Maybe it was for some people, but others seemed to get screwed over quite a bit.

I sat down in my usual chair and rubbed my forehead with my hand. It was the first chance I had to actually sit alone and think for a moment since Paul had come by.

"Need some aspirin?" Chevelle asked, coming out of the bathroom.

Glancing her way, I tried to get a read on if she was in a mood still, or if she was back to her normal self. Normal for her was sarcastic and cynical, but I could tolerate that a lot better than being snapped out for breathing wrong. Her shoulders were a lot more relaxed than they were during dinner, and her skin wasn't pale and sickly looking. I thought I was safe.

I shook my head. "No, I think I'm going to go for a run in a bit. Get some air. Just processing everything going on. We have some big decisions to make."

"Yeah," she mumbled and sat down on the couch across from me. "I'm guessing once Talia comes, you're going to be moving out. Makes sense to me, I mean. You'll be in your co-habitational bliss and all that jazz. And you'll have a lot of lost time to make up for."

"The only reason I would suggest different living arrangements is because we don't have enough bedrooms for everyone as it is," I explained, my voice quiet.

She shrugged. "I don't want things to be awkward. I'll stay with my parents until Wicken comes back. Then he and I will live together and have our own co-habitational bliss."

I chuckled. "I like how you call it 'co-habitation.' What about marriage?"

"Do people get married here?" she asked. There was a slight, vulnerable shake when she spoke. "And do you think he'd want to marry me? That's a pretty big commitment."