Kayla shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember.”
Seara nodded sadly. “You were very young. If you want, I have some videos of the three of us together. Maybe you’d like to see them at some point?”
“Sure, I guess.”
Alec gestured to Veridian. “Seara, Veridian’s mother was the one who saved Kayla from the ruin collapse. They grew up together.”
Seara’s gaze turned to Veridian again. “Your mother sounds like a truly great woman. I’d be honored to meet her one day and offer my thanks.”
“I believe she would have enjoyed meeting you too. Unfortunately, she passed away almost a year and a half ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Seara's expression darkened. The depth of the emotion on her face made Kayla's heart go out to the older woman. “It’s incredibly painful to lose someone you love. I owe you and your family a great debt for the life of my daughter.”
In an attempt to lighten the mood, Veridian bumped shoulders with Kayla and teased, “I could have gotten worse in a little sister. But not much.”
Kayla laughed and gave him an affectionate shove. “You jerk. Your life would be impossibly dull without me. Admit it.”
Veridian chuckled. “You’re definitely right about that. I wouldn’t have gotten into nearly as much trouble.”
Seara smiled at them. “It sounds like you two have quite a few stories to tell.”
“Mostly they’re Kayla’s stories. I was usually just along for the ride and to try to keep her out of as much trouble as possible.”
“Oh, please.” Kayla crossed her arms in a playful pout. She knew he was trying to make the situation easier for everyone and she loved him all the more for it.
Veridian leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “There was this one time when she was about thirteen and she was really getting into scavenging. She heard one of the other scavengers in our camp talking about how there wasn’t anything worth value in a particular sector. So she sneaks out of camp the next morning and drops down into the ruins. She ends up coming back to the surface a couple hours later with about ten thousand credits worth of loot.”
“You know, the way I remember it, you were just as anxious to go down there as I was.”
Veridian winked at her and continued his story. “Mack, the scavenger who had been complaining, was furious. He was convinced she was trying to make him look bad. He went to Leo, our camp master, and demanded she be grounded on the surface until she learned her place.”
Seara leaned forward, her hands resting on the edge of her seat. “What happened?”
Kayla grinned. “I clocked him.”
Seara’s eyes flew open. “You hit him?”
Veridian nodded and laughed. “This little, dark-haired skinny girl goes right up to Mack, who’s actually a pretty big guy, and…Wham! She punches him right in the face and tells him to suck it up. She tells him that if he can’t handle a little competition, he should go play in the tech room.”
“Oh my,” Seara gasped. “What did he do?”
“He was pretty pissed but it got him to wake up. When he realized Kayla wasn’t a pushover, he actually started to respect her. Most of the other scavengers did too. Mack ended up teaching her quite a few of his tricks in the pits.”
Kayla smiled. “He’s a good guy. He’d freak out if he saw me here in the middle of OmniLab.”
Seara sat back, pride shining in her eyes as she beamed at Kayla. “It sounds like you have a lot of your father in you. There was a fire in him and he never let anyone or anything hold him back from what he wanted to do. It was one of the things I admired most about him. It sounds like you have that same fire, Kayla.”
Veridian snorted. “She’s a freaking inferno.”
Kayla stuck her tongue out at him.
Alec had been quiet up until then. He cleared his throat and said, “It’s getting late. I’m sure there’s much more you’d like to discuss, but if you don’t mind, my father is expecting us for dinner tonight.”
Seara stood and smoothed the wrinkles from her dress. “Oh, of course. If you’ll find something suitable for Veridian to wear, I’ll take Kayla to my room. I believe I have something appropriate for her.”
Kayla followed her down the long hallway, stopping when Seara paused outside a door. She turned around to face Kayla, her expression hopeful. “Would you like to see your old room? The furnishings are the same, but most of your things were put in storage years ago for safekeeping. I'll have them brought back up for you. They might jog some of your memories.”
“Sure, I guess.”
Seara pressed the button outside of the room to open the door. Kayla stepped inside and looked around, not sure what she'd been expecting. A large canopy bed stood in the center of the room. The walls were a pale blue while thick cream colored carpeting covered the floor. An expansive mural of the sky was painted on the ceiling. As Kayla stared at it, the mural seemed to change and she realized it represented the time of day. The sun was beginning to set and the room was filled with soft pinks and gold. A large desk stood on one side of the room and there were two other doors on the opposite wall.
“Wow, it’s big,” Kayla said in surprise. “Where do those doors go?”
Seara smiled. “I’ve always loved this room. That door leads to your private bath area and the other is your closet.”
“All this space for one person?”
“Yes. This room is actually smaller than some of our others. We selected it when you were a child because we wanted to keep you close to us. Our room is down the hall. We would have given you larger and more private quarters as you grew up.”
“Will I be staying here tonight?”
Seara nodded. “It’s yours for as long as you want. If you’d rather have a different room, you can take your pick. Veridian can stay in the room next door, if you’d like.”
“No, this is fine. Thanks.” Kayla trailed her fingers along the edge of the desk, not quite believing this was real. The varnished wood was smooth to the touch and had been well tended over the years. This one piece of furniture was more beautiful and elaborate than anything she'd ever seen.
She caught her reflection in the mirror and paused. With her faded clothes and tousled hair, she was a stark contrast to the richness of her surroundings. She bit her lip, feeling out of place. She was better suited to wielding a wrench than living amongst this luxury.
“You don’t need to thank me, Kayla. All of this belongs to you. It’s as much yours as it is mine.”
Kayla jerked her hand back and frowned. “Uh, for now, let’s just say it’s yours. This is a little overwhelming.”
“I understand,” Seara said quickly. “I don’t want to pressure you.”
Kayla slipped her hands back into her pockets to resist touching anything else. “So, what’s this thing about dinner? Why do we have to change?”
“Right. Let’s go to my room.” Seara led the way back down the hall. “We occasionally have formal dinners. This one is political and social. The High Council will be there along with most of the Inner Circle. They’re entertaining some prospective traders and will decide on one of them in the next few days. I imagine there will be more people than usual since you’ll be there. They’re going to be curious.”
“Great, more people staring at me,” Kayla muttered.
Seara smiled at her daughter. “Well, we’ll make sure we give them something to really stare at then.”
She led Kayla a few doors down the hall and stepped into a large room that was almost the size of Leo’s entire camp.
“This is your room?” Kayla asked in amazement. There was a large intricately carved canopy bed against the far wall. One wall had a large mirror with lights and a counter filled with strange bottles. Large, ornate pieces of furniture, including a seating area, were placed throughout the room. This ceiling also had one of those strange murals which seemed to reflect the outside sky.
“Yes. The closet is through here.” She pressed a button on the wall and a door slid open. Racks of clothing lined the walls with large floor-length mirrors on the back wall. Seara stepped inside and began browsing through her clothing. Kayla walked over to the closet and stared in shock.
“These all belong to you? You have a whole room for clothing? I think you have more clothes than Leo and Carl’s camp combined.”
Seara offered Kayla an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. I know this is new to you. I’ve heard some stories about what life is like outside of the tower, but most people only hear secondhand. Is it bad?”
Kayla shook her head. “Not at all. It’s not anything like this though. I suppose it’s what you’re used to. Your entire bedroom is larger than the camp where I grew up.”
“Were you…happy growing up?”
Her worried expression tugged at Kayla's sympathy. It was as though one more emotional blow would topple her. She didn't understand it but something about the woman provoked her protective instincts. “I suppose.” Kayla shrugged. “It’s not something you think about. I love scavenging and being in the ruins. I love the freedom and the feeling you get when you race your speeder across the district. There’s nothing like it.”
Seara smiled, looking relieved at her response. “You seem like you enjoy it. Veridian appears to care about you a great deal. I’m glad. I used to constantly wonder what you would look like or what you would be like as you grew up. I’m so glad to have this chance. I…”
Her voice broke as tears filled her eyes. She stepped toward Kayla and hugged her tightly. Kayla floundered, startled at the unsolicited display of affection. Not sure what else to do, she tentatively returned the embrace.
Seara stepped back, wiping her tears away. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I’ve just been wanting to hug you since I first saw you.”
“Uh, that’s okay,” Kayla said, not wanting Seara to feel uncomfortable. Despite the awkwardness, the hug was sort of nice. “I’m just not sure yet how to handle this.”
“I understand.” Seara took a deep breath and turned back to the clothes in the closet. She selected a dress and handed it to Kayla. “I think you would look fabulous in this one.”
Kayla cocked her head and stared at the dress, trying to figure out how she was supposed to get the thing on. “You expect
me
to wear
this
? It’s beautiful but how the hell do you guys get anything done dressed like this?”
Seara laughed. “I would imagine it’s not suitable to ride on a speeder or go scavenging in the ruins, but it works nicely for dinner. I’ll show you how to put it on and help you with your hair.”
Kayla touched her hair self-consciously.
Seara frowned at the gesture. “Oh dear. I hope I didn't offend you. You have beautiful hair, but these dinners tend to be formal affairs.”
Kayla stared at the dress with skepticism. No matter how much you polished a waste recycling canister, it wouldn't change its function. She looked up, prepared to voice her doubts but words failed her at the eager look on Seara's face. She swallowed and managed a weak shrug. “All right. I’ll give it a shot.”
“Wonderful,” Seara exclaimed. “Let’s get started.”
Kayla looked down at the long white dress. “I feel ridiculous.”
The gown was pure white and made from some sort of impossibly soft material. It had a revealing neckline and spaghetti straps that crossed her back. Except for the two small straps, the back was open and accentuated her curves before cascading nearly to the floor. A high slit in the side reached nearly to her hip. Kayla wondered why they even bothered wearing anything at all.
Her mother had twisted Kayla’s hair into a complicated updo, leaving a few wisps to fall around her face. She'd allowed Seara to paint her face using the strange bottles on the counter. Kayla stared at herself in the mirror and had a hard time believing it was her reflection staring back at her.
Seara practically beamed. “You look exquisite. That dress looks far better on you than it ever did on me. It looks like it was made for you.”
“You guys seriously wear this stuff to
eat
? I’m going to end up spilling something on it or worse,” she complained, looking down at her cleavage on display. “I think my boobs are going to pop out.”
Seara laughed in delight, waving off her concerns. “You’ll be fine. If it gets ruined, I have plenty more. I can’t remember when I’ve ever had this much fun dressing for dinner.”
Kayla laughed in spite of herself at Seara's giddiness. She was wearing a long cream colored dress with intricate golden threading and her hair was pinned up in some sort of bun fastened with sparkling clips. She was absolutely breathtaking.
Seara took Kayla’s hand and Kayla noticed the strange bracelet around her wrist. She frowned, remembering the earlier conversation with Alec and his father. “Hey, is that one of those security bracelets?”
Seara’s eyes widened and she let go of Kayla’s hand, self-consciously twisting the bracelet around her wrist. “Who told you about them? Did Alec say something?”
“No,” Kayla replied, puzzled by Seara's reaction. “We ran into his father outside and he mentioned I should get one. He said it gives you access to secure areas?”
“Something like that. What did Alec say about it?”
“He said he didn’t think I needed one. He wanted me to meet you first. I’m guessing he wanted to show me around himself. Maybe I should get one though.”
A security access bracelet might come in handy. She'd like to investigate some of OmniLab's new prototypes and an all-access pass could get her into the restricted areas without too much trouble. Although, even without one, it wouldn't stop her planned exploration.
Seara touched Kayla’s arm and vehemently shook her head. She held her finger to her lips to indicate silence, then pointed to her ear and gestured to the entire room. “That’s an option. You may not need one though. Wait and see.”
Kayla's brow furrowed. They were being monitored? She looked around the room trying to figure out a likely place for listening devices. In a room this size, it would be easy to plant something. It would probably be best to play along until she could learn more. “Uh, okay. I don’t want to wear something around my wrist anyway.”
Seara nodded emphatically and kept her finger pressed against her lips. “We can talk more about it later. Let’s go show Veridian and Alec your dress. I can’t wait to see their faces.”