Sanctuary

Chapter Twenty Four - Nami

Nami checked the time again and grumbled under her breath. If Senna didn't wake up soon, she'd be late for school and the last thing that girl needed was a tardy added to her already marred record. Of course, it didn't help that Nami was nervous about her own meeting with the Council later that day. Would Senna's lackluster record help or harm Nami's argument to remove her from the genetic matching program? Nami paced as she fretted. She checked the time again, giving her daughter a few more minutes before she stormed up there and woke her up herself.

Nami came to a stop in front of one of the windows that overlooked the city, her mind in the past, on how well her last argument with the Council had gone.

The view was different from when she was young, all twinkling blue lights even in the dead of night. When she dated Zed, back in High School, the hue of the city had been different. The lights had been white and the night had been dark. The old dome had hung over them, with the same tinted panels, but with a certain wear apparent on the support structure. She couldn't remember which window she had been facing when she told Zed she was leaving him for Kavin, but she remembered the bone pale city rising behind him as if it were already his. A smile had danced across his face that day, as smug as he ever was.

"You'll be back." The words rang hollow in her, the taste of them a bitter bile in the back of her throat.

She had been back, even before he extended his offer. Not back to him or to the tower, but back to Central. But even that had been years ago—after Kavin had died, but before Senna had taken her apprenticeship with Wrench. Nami had never been good at craft or trade work, but she had been too prideful to run back to her parents the moment money ran thin. So she made money off of the one thing Sanctuary wanted her for—her genetics. It had taken only a few visits back to Central for her to donate her eggs and the payment had been enough to last them a while. Long enough for Nami to keep up her bitter resistance.

The thought of marrying Zed made her stomach turn, but at least she hadn't run back to her parents. At least Zed would be kind to Senna. He'd be kind to her, too, even if his kindness was a manipulative lie. That was more than she could've expected from her parents.

But this boy, this 'Cohen' that the Council had matched Senna with? Well, Nami didn't know if the boy was manipulative enough to be kind. To him, the son of a Councilmember, being matched to Senna was likely an insult. And if he took his anger out on Senna, she didn't care how much money or political pull the boy had. She would kill him.

Nami checked the time again.

She started for the elevator, wondering if it would be better to drag Senna out of bed or if she should let the girl take a 'sick' day. School hadn't been easy for the poor girl and it wasn't going to get any easier. Originally Nami thought Senna's Upper-Class status would protect her from the bullying, but clearly she had overestimated the people of Central. She regretted thinking even for a moment that they would look past their own backwards racism.

But she couldn't say she understood, having never been victim to such scorn herself. Kavin would know what to do, but then again if Kavin were alive Nami would have never agreed to move back.

Nami nearly ran into Zed as he left the elevator, concern painting his features.

"Nami," he stated, as if surprised to see her there. "Thank health. We need to talk. I have some distressing news."

"Not now. I need to get Senna up and ready for school."

"Unfortunately, Senna is exactly who I need to talk to you about."

He lifted his hand to reveal a battered white electronic device that Nami immediately recognized to be the HMD. She took it from Zed and gingerly looked it over. Senna had taken such pride in the thing, but it was covered in dirt, scuff marks, and even a few cracks.