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“Oh, my Gemma! I forgot! This came for you while you were away.”

  She went to the cabinet and pulled out a florb. My blood turned to ice as she handed the silver object to me. I let it drop to the table.

  “What is it, my Gemma?” Kaelyn pressed her little hands to the florb. “I’ve never seen…ooh!”

  She’d triggered the release, and a bouquet of roses, purple this time, sprouted in holo from the florb. A second later came the scent. He’d added another expensive option to the gift this time—a message.

  The words formed themselves of shining gold letters that hovered an inch or so above the flower heads. To match your hair.

  I reached across and snapped it off. With a whirr, the florb closed. The scent, however, remained.

  “My Gemma! What was that?”

  I couldn’t bear to send her tumbling into tears, so I didn’t respond as harshly as I wanted. “It’s called a florb. A flower orb.”

  She’d never seen one, because I’d never received one in the time she’d lived with me.

  “Who sent it to my Gemma?”

  “A man.” I paused. “It’s not important.”

  “I have never seen such flowers, my Gemma. This man must care for my Gemma very much.” She touched the florb again, and her musical laughter rang throughout the kitchen when the flowers bloomed again.

  “I wouldn’t say that.” The bitterness must’ve crept into my tone, because she looked at me with wide eyes.

  “My Gemma is angry?”

  “Not at you, Kaelyn.”

  “At the flower man?” She cocked her head, then swooped around to look at the flowers from the other side. “But they are so lovely.”

  She was right. But I couldn’t enjoy them. “You take them, Kaelyn.”

  She looked so stunned I wanted to cry. No matter how many nice things I did for her, she always acted so surprised. As though she weren’t worthy of being loved as she loved me.

  “I can’t take my Gemma’s flowers.”

  I handed her the silver ball. She sagged under its weight. Tears sparkled in her eyes, but she stopped to give me a kiss on the cheek before taking it away to her closet.

  It was so easy to make her happy. I envied Kaelyn that ability. She’d been stolen from her home, abused, and sold like an object, not a person. Yet she always managed to find joy.

  I cleaned my meager dinnerware and headed for my bedroom. I was suddenly, bone-achingly weary. My sleepless night and the workout with Britney were taking their toll.

  The intercom buzzed just as I passed the door. I stopped like a thief caught with his hand in the safe. Nobody rang my buzzer. Nobody came to visit me. Ever.

  “Who is it?” I had to clear my throat twice before I could speak, it had gone so dry.

  A muffled answer came back, and my heart slowed. A wrong buzz. Someone trying to access the building, maybe, or…

  Buzzzzzzz.

  “Who is it?”

  The voice was clearer this time, and I couldn’t mistake the reply. It came over the intercom as clear as Kaelyn’s laughter. The sound of it made me press my hands to my breastbone to keep my heart from jumping through my skin. He spoke only one word, but if he’d recited volumes it would’ve made no difference.

  “Declan.”

  Chapter Four

  As a newbie fresh from the R.I.O. Academy, I’d served a stint in Oldcity. Riots, looting, and constant violence. The works. I’d done my share of hard duty. I wasn’t afraid of stuff like that, yet hearing Declan’s voice through the speaker made my knees weak and my heart thud like a hammer.

  I didn’t want to answer. Didn’t want to watch my hand reach toward the screen control, or see my fingers flip the switch that brought his face into view. Yet I did those things anyway, as if I had no control. No power against my body’s longings.

  His face swam into view, briefly distorted as he stepped too close to the camera. “Are you in there?”

  I’d blocked the two-way viewing, of course. Everyone did. How many times would we be caught, literally, with our pants down by unexpected visitors if we didn’t? I could see him, but he couldn’t see me.

  “What do you want?”

  If he was taken aback by my brusque reply, he didn’t show it. “Did you get the flowers?”

  I bit my lip until the taste of blood, extra bitter since I became mecho, flooded my tongue. “What do you want, Declan?”

  My voice skipped on the syllables of his name. Like I was some crazy school kid or something, giggling over a first crush. I watched him look more closely at the camera, as though sheer desire could allow him to see me through its lens.

  “I want you. To see you.”

  “Go away.”

  My finger reached for the button that would disconnect us, but his voice stopped me. “Gemma, wait!”

  I didn’t want to wait any more than I’d wanted to answer his call in the first place. Yet I did. I cursed silently, but I did as he asked.

  “Will you come down?”

  I shook my head before remembering I had blocked the two-way screening. “No.”

  He looked into the camera lens and gave no trace of a smile. I could have stood against him if he’d made a joke, or tried to act seductive. His seriousness wooed me more than silly pretenses would’ve.

  “Please,” Declan said, and my resolve broke as easily as my bones had when my hoverscooter crashed into the side of the mountain.

  “Give me a minute.”

  I clicked off the viewscreen and turned to the bedroom. Kaelyn, probably curious about the caller, had crept from her closet to watch me with wide eyes.

  “Is that my Gemma’s flower man?”

  “Yes, Kaelyn.” I brushed past her and into my bedroom.

  The fairy followed me, her wings aflutter and her hands rubbing nervously together. “Is my Gemma going out?”

  I nodded and went to my closet. “I have nothing to wear.”

  Kaelyn tilted her head, her expression confused. “My Gemma has lovely things to wear.”

  I rattled some of the hangers. “Nothing…pretty.”

  Kaelyn’s wind chime laughter made me smile, at least. I couldn’t stay sour in her presence. She went to the closet and riffled through the few garments I owned which were not uniforms or workout clothes.

  “This.” She pulled out an outdated gown I’d worn to go to a party for Steve’s parents. “This will look pretty on my Gemma.”

  I caught sight of my reflection in the full length mirror on back of the door. The sight made me sink to the bed. I stared, hard, at the fine silver scars that were the only physical sign of my accident. Perhaps only I could really see them. But I could never forget them.

  “Forget it.” My harsh words made Kaelyn’s big blue eyes well up with tears. “I don’t need to look pretty.”

  Shrugging away her offers to fix my hair, I slipped into a dark gray jumpsuit. It wasn’t a uniform. My uniforms are sexier.

  I twisted my hair on top of my head. My cosmetics had been refreshed the week before, so my face was fine. All I had to do now was go downstairs and meet him.

  He wasn’t waiting for me when I got off the lift. As disappointment I tried to deny pierced me, the scent of roses drifted to my nose. I turned. He’d been waiting for me.

  “I brought you these.” He held out another florb. “In case you didn’t get the other two.”

  Now came the cocky smile I remembered. My anger returned, and I moved without thinking. My fist connected with his jaw hard enough to make him stagger back, even though at the last minute I pulled the force of my blow so I only hurt him, not killed him.

  He managed to keep his feet, and incredibly, came up smiling. “I guess I deserved that.”

  I turned on my heel to make it back to the lift, but he reached out and managed to snag my elbow.

  “Gemma. Don’t.”

  I stopped, stiff as if I had iron beneath my skin instead of flexible copper/aluminum alloy. “Get your hands off me, Declan.”

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