Like A Fairytale

Chapter 35

Lena

Lena was standing in the garden where she had seen the boy. Samuel followed her silently.

Normally, she would tease him, but she didn't. The girl looked around as if she were searching. The girl was thinking about everything and nothing. About the person she had seen and about her own future. She didn't even pay attention to the young man. Instead, she stroked the light green leaves of flowering bushes. She observed a small bee helping itself to the flowers.

There were only a few animals left that remained original. Animals that the old nature needed. Some species of birds, insects... They lived in the artificially planted nature and kept it alive.

To preserve these insects, there were several breeding centers in the country. Without these centers, the original plants and animals would have become extinct. Humanity tried to preserve the ancient nature they needed to survive. Vegetables, fruits, grains, and colorful flowers.

These centres were usually located between the regular cities or were part of the moving cities. And each wandering capital had its own, very small institution. Of course, these were small for reasons of space.

And all to offer people beautiful gardens and plantations in their domes made of glass. An artificial nature that was slightly reminiscent of more peaceful times. Times when plants and animals did not turn into monsters.

But a look out of the dome quickly revealed the truth. When strange insects or birds, reptiles reminiscent of the extinct dinosaurs, flew over Burgstadt or Government Island.

A bee approached Lena curiously.

Lena liked bees.

She stretched out her hand to the little animal, offered it a landing place, which the little creature accepted after a short hesitation. It sat on her palm and groomed itself, while the girl looked at the bee contentedly.

"Is everything okay?" the soldier finally asked. "What kind of animal is that?"

"A bee." Lena smiled. "You've never seen any, have you?"

The soldier nodded. "How? Without official access to the dome? As a child, I was allowed to visit the dome once. It was part of biology class. But I was only in one room."

"Ah." Lena knew that there was a small classroom on Level 6. All schoolchildren living on the Levels 4 and 5 attended these classes at least once in their school years. There, they were shown photos and video recordings of the old world. They were allowed to do handicrafts with dried flowers and could look through a window into the actual dome. To the small grain fields. They did not see the garden there. Lena had taken part in a lesson there as a primary school child. "Bees are very peaceful and friendly. But be careful! They can sting. Never annoy them."

"Sting?" Samuel looked at the insect. "Nasty."

"Anyone so small must be able to defend themself." The bee crawled briefly over the back of her hand, then flew away.

"Cute." Samuel looked after the bee thoughtfully, then he looked at Lena with a frown. "What depresses you, Miss?"

"You."

"Me?"

"No." Lena laughed. "No 'Miss'. That's not necessary."

"As you wish, Miss."

The girl shook her head. "No... Oh. What the heck. I can't get this boy out of my head. Yesterday's one. His hair. It looked familiar."

"You may have seen such hair before. Nothing more. Do you want to ask the staff about him again, Miss?"

The afternoon before, Lena had asked some maids about the newcomer. But they only knew that there was someone new. Nobody had yet told them exactly where he worked. Lena also asked one of the butlers. But he knew all the less.

Finally, she ran to Mina, with Samuel in tow. The soldier waited in front of the well-secured door while Lena went to her 'foster mother'. Mina confirmed that she had agreed to the hiring of a boy with purple hair, but otherwise, she dodged all the questions Lena asked her.

All this seemed more than suspicious to her.

"Maybe I'm not supposed to meet him?" She frowned. "Mina didn't want to tell me anything. Not his name. Nothing. All I know is that he was not an illusion."

"That's strange", Samuel agreed. "Do you feel lonely? You are the niece of the Clone. The Clones. The daughter of a Mayor. If you want friends, you can ask to invite some girls from good families to a small celebration."

"I could." But Lena didn't want that. She had a hard time with other girls. Her best friend was the only exception.

Lena rarely met girls her age.

She met them when she was allowed to attend regular school lessons from time to time, or appeared at school for an exam that could not take place in her home. Or at official events. But the girls hardly dared to talk to the mayor's daughter. They just stared at her whenever she entered the high school on Level 5. Or they tried to suck up to her.

(c: sasi)