Awesome. Add to the equation Cara’s inferior human brain, and after Troy left, she’d be the most worthless person on the planet. Quite the downgrade from her previous title of Midtown High valedictorian.
“Do you go to school in this Aegis, too?” she asked. From what she understood, children stayed in their local Aegis from birth until the end of their twenty-first year, when they received a job assignment and moved to the occupational barracks. But surely any L’eihr gifted enough to be appointed to The Way wouldn’t take classes with the rest of the students.
“We do now,” Jaxen said. When she waited for him to elaborate, he didn’t.
The three of them climbed the front steps leading to the dormitory, and Aisly extended her wrist for the scanner. In response, a pair of metallic doors hissed aside to allow them into the vacant lobby. Cara braced herself for an icy burst of air-conditioning, but a cross breeze from open windows along the adjacent corridors brushed her skin, reminding her that the temperature here hovered around seventy year-round. The next sensation to reach her was the warm, welcoming scent of baking bread. Her stomach growled in response.
“Must be breakfast time,” she mused. That would explain the absence of students.
“Yes,” Aisly said. “Our morning staple here is t’ahinni. It’s made from larun, which is a flat—”
“Flatbread,” Cara finished. A bittersweet smile curved her lips. “I tried re-creating it on Earth for Aelyx, but I never got it right.”
From there, they whisked her to the headmaster’s office and outfitted her with a supply of clean uniforms and a palm-size tablet.
“Bring this to each class,” Jaxen said. “All the texts and essays you’ll need are preloaded and translated into English.”
Even after his demonstration, Cara didn’t understand how to use the device, but she kept quiet for fear of looking stupid. She’d ask Elle to explain it later. Next, Jaxen and Aisly escorted her to her room, which was near the lobby on the first floor.
Jaxen paused outside her door. “Is it still your intention to remain here permanently, as Aelyx’s l’ihan?”
Cara nodded, even though “remain here permanently” sounded so…permanent.
“Excellent,” Aisly said. “Then we can resolve the issue of your citizenship.”
Cara’s stomach dipped. Just because she’d left Earth didn’t mean she wanted to sever all ties to her people. “Can I have dual citizenship?”
“Absolutely,” Aisly promised. “But the process remains the same. In order to become a citizen, you have to hold a Sh’ovah.”
A Sh’ovah? Why did that sound familiar?
Cara searched her memory. When nothing came, she turned to Jaxen for clarification, but by the time their eyes met, the answer hit like a cannonball to the gut. It sounded familiar because several months ago she’d written a blog post about the rite of passage: You swear an oath to the Sacred Mother, and then all your peers stand in line and smear mud on your naked body to symbolize your union with Her. Mazel tov!
All the blood in Cara’s face went south, settling somewhere in the vicinity of her socks. She’d have to stand before her new classmates in her birthday suit? And let them cover her with mud? There had to be another way.
“Cah-ra,” Jaxen said, “we don’t sexualize nudity here. I promise the sight of your body won’t faze anyone.”
So maybe the clones wouldn’t leer, but surely they’d gawk at her pasty skin and the freckles peppering her butt. Why couldn’t they give her a pass, just this once?
“If you’re having second thoughts…” Jaxen trailed off, his voice heavy with implication.
Before she had a chance to change her mind, Cara blurted, “I’ll do it.”
“This isn’t a choice to make in haste,” Aisly warned. “Becoming a citizen means accepting and supporting our customs and following The Way in all things. We’re not a democracy.”
Cara knew that. She and Aelyx had spent hours debating the differences between their governments. Minor offenses such as mouthing off—just a matter of time for her—would result in the electric lash. When she considered the penalty for other crimes, her mind wandered to the brushed chrome iphal holstered to the capital guard’s hip. This place was no utopia, but if she wanted a life with Aelyx on his planet, she had to abide by his people’s rules and respect their culture, even if she didn’t agree with it. Cara stiffened her spine. She was a lot of things, but a coward wasn’t one of them.
“I understand,” she told Aisly. “And I agree.”
“Then I’ll tell the others,” Aisly chirped. “I know The Way will be pleased.”
Jaxen pressed two fingers to Cara’s throat in the standard farewell. “We’ll schedule your Sh’ovah for next week.” Ducking down to meet her height, he added, “As they say in your country, sleep on it. There’s no shame in changing your mind.”
Cara returned the good-bye and pulled her hand free. “I won’t change my mind.”