"I do?"

Neo nods, but he's quick to raise his hands up, palms toward me. "Don't get offended, alright, but that was why I was so interested in you in the first place. You two even look alike."

Ouch. My pride takes a little hit from that. Before I know it, my voice is coming out as abrasive as steel wool.

"Okay, so I look like your girlfriend. Big deal. How do you expect me to get you out?"

Neo doesn't seem to notice the coarse notes of my tone. He just smiles and blushes like a maniac, tugging on a strand of his pale hair.

"Well, she's not my girlfriend. I just see her often."

I raise an eyebrow. "Wait, how do you see her often if you can't even leave the Inner Ring?"

At this, he manages to look sheepish. "It's embarrassing."

I scoff. "We've come this far already. You've told me all about your desire to leave the Inner Ring, which I'm sure could get you in serious trouble. I think we're past the point of embarrassment, now. Don't you?"

Neo clears his throat and rocks back and forth on his heels. "I, um... well, I watch her."

I blink. "Watch her? Like on a Stream or something?"

"Something like that."

When his blush grows even more pronounced, I roll my eyes. I probably remind him of a girl in some porno he's been obsessively watching. Red flag if I've ever seen one.

But I gloss over the topic. "Alright, well, you still haven't told me how we'll get out there."

He grins. "That's the really fun part. You don't have to do much. Just convince your attendant to take you and a friend out to the Outer Ring for a day. I'll do the rest."

"And you... presumably... would be that friend?"

"Of course."

I circle the chair, arms crossed over my chest. I mustn't look very convinced, because Neo sends an impish smile my way.

"I'm not going to be going with you looking like this. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve."

"Tricks that can fool scanners?"

What could fool a scanner? I think. I haven't heard of anything that could do it except for that holotech that Anden uses. Where'd Lex get it again?

He shrugs. His eyes gleam in the half-light. "Maybe."

From a friend, she'd said. Now I have to wonder if that friend was Neo.

When I don't reply to him, Neo puts a hand on my shoulder.

"If this all goes well, I have something for you."

My confidence in this odd boy is growing by the second. If he's the genius behind that holotech, then we're getting out of here no problem.

"I do enjoy gifts..." I say.

"Doesn't everybody?" He squeezes my shoulder. "We'll get on with the plan this Saturday, Cassandra. You're a dear."

--

Neo's car stops in front of my new home. He leans over and manually unbuckles my seatbelt, his blue eyes lowered in concentration.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then?" I ask.

He nods, the seatbelt sliding over my body and tucking away safely behind my head. "Should I pick you up again?"

I smooth my clothing and brush away imaginary dust like I've seen Lex do time and time again. "No, that's fine. I'll see you at The Academy."

"What's your Link address?"

Ah, the Link. Ceres had an address, I think. "I'm not sure." I admit.

The corners of his lips turn up. "I'll look you up, then."

The door on my side opens. Neo's guard, Norman, is waiting for me to exit. I climb out and look back inside the car at Neo, whose eyes are on mine. I see that imperfection in his iris again, tiny but visible, and I wonder what it is.

"Goodbye, Cassandra."

Norman shuts the door and I wave as the car drives off. I stand in the driveway and watch it as it moves farther and farther away from me, and I continue to stare at the place I last saw it, far down the street before it turned a corner.

"Miss, what are you doing?"

I recognize the timid voice. "Hi, Kaelan."

"Won't you come inside?"

I think about how strange I must have looked, standing in the driveway and staring at a fixed point for who knows how long. I clear my throat. "Yeah, sure."

We walk up the driveway together. He adjusts his loose clothing, never looking up from the ground, afraid to even set his eyes on me. He opens the front door to let me in.

"Where's Anden?" I ask, looking around and glancing through the door as he closes it. "His car isn't in the driveway."

Kaelan fidgets around the room, preparing a plate of food for me in the kitchen. "He's out."

"Out?"

He nods. "Master Sullivan got him clearance to make a short trip to the Outer Ring. Not all of your luggage came with you, supposedly." He sniffs.

I move into the kitchen space, sitting on a stool in front of some counters.

"You two don't get along very well."

Kaelan freezes, and then shakes his head quickly. "No, Miss, we get along just fine."

I smile at him. "You don't have to lie, you know. It's pretty obvious."

Kaelan places the plate of food in front of me. There's a steak covered in brown sauce and a few green vegetables on the side. Beside my plate, he puts down a chilled glass of water.

"He seems to be very close to you, Miss. It's not something that should happen between an attendant and his Mistress." There's a forlorn expression in his caramel eyes, now.

"Anden and I go way back," I tell him. "We're not... romantically involved, or anything. Don't you know the story of what happened? How dad found me?"

Kaelan nods. "Yes, I know the story, Miss. I can only hope that nothing... evolves between you both."

I raise my eyebrows. "Why do you care so much, Kaelan?"

His lower lip trembles as he hands me some cutlery. "Because I made the same mistake. I was young and... impulsive, and so was my Mistress. It was only a matter of time before something happened." He pauses, turning away. "I have a son, somewhere. For my infraction, I was kicked out of the dome and I returned to my family's home in the Outer Ring. Later, your father ended up bringing me back here. To this day, I don't know why."

I take a bite of the steak. "Maybe it's because you're a good cook?"

Kaelan's melancholy expression turns to one of surprise, and then reluctant amusement. "Thank you, Miss, but I don't think that's it."

"So, what happened to your son? Where is he?"

"I wish I knew. My former Mistress had him removed from the dome some time ago. I don't know whether he's alive or dead."

I put another bit of steak in my mouth. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Kaelan shrugs and starts cleaning the counters and appliances. I eat in silence, and when I'm done I push my plate forward and slide off the stool.

"Thanks for the food, Kaelan. Can I help you with cleanup?"

"No, Miss. I'll take care of it."

I watch him for a moment as he busies himself with tidying up my empty plate and glass. Kaelan must have it hard, living with the guilt of bringing a child into this world that nobody truly wanted. As I ascend the stairs, I pause.

"Kaelan?"

He looks up. "Yes, Miss?"

"I... I hope you'll see your son again one day."

His eyes shine, and he turns away. A few laboured breaths later, he says, "I hope so, too."