Author's Note: We're almost at the Plunge, one more chapter and you get to see the inside of the Zephyr.... are you as excited as I am?

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32 - Cello

The next day I barely make it through the written exam. I can't read a Fade chart if my life depended on it, I have no idea about Light waves and potency, and I certainly don't know how LUs are measured while under the influence of ray-breakers. Syianne tells me she did horribly, but I know by now not to take her for her word. She's a harsher judge of herself than anyone would dare to be. Horrible in her book probably means she scored 98 out of 100.

The day after the exam and the day after that, we go into Plunge training under the devoted care of Minty. She helps us simulate the inner world of the Zephyr with her illusionary magic. Even though her illusions are supposedly accurate, capturing our senses and making us see, hear and feel things that aren't really there, I formed the habit of looking through them and effectively shattering them. Minty explained to me that she's capable of trapping people in her own make-believe world, but that an illusion could only work as long as the mind is willing to be deceived. Refusing to see what isn't true is a subconscious act, most people could fight it but never break it while some are naturally hard to trick. In the end, all I did was try to keep my mind in check from destroying illusions. Eventually, Minty sat me aside and trained Syianne alone.

Whatever I managed to gather from Minty's illusion seemed too arbitrary. I could not fathom what the Zephyr is actually like. The day of our Plunge arrives with me feeling more than a little desperate over the fact that I don't know anything at all about what I'm jumping into. I didn't think I'd feel as nervous as I do, but that morning when I open my eyes I realise that this is probably the most dangerous thing I'll experience in my life. There's an army of eels dancing inside my stomach.

It's all happening too soon.

We've been told not to eat, not even Zribble, from the evening before our Plunge. It's a relief because eating the stuff has become an annoying of habit, just for the sake of keeping my body sustained.

As I dress in my Zephyr uniform and put the Lightsilver suit in my black uniform bag, I comfort myself with the thought of today's lunch. Syianne, Fellin and I will dine like kings, or at least like human beings. The only thing we'll avoid eating is Zribble and tomatoes.

Mornings in the mansion are chaotic and lively. Leolan sleeps in the master bedroom and has his own bathroom and toilet leaving the seven of us "kids" to share one toilet in the morning. This ensures plenty of arguments, mainly between Blane and Minty, but one time I got caught up in it as well. I share a room with Hans, who has a ghost-like presence. He supposedly wakes up every morning at dawn to tend to his garden before he leaves for the Zephyr.

With so many people around, Syianne often fades into the background. I purposefully order a rail-car for just the two of us this morning thinking we could both use the calm before the storm.

She doesn't appear to notice that it's only me and her in a two person car, rather than sharing one with Blane, Minty, Tiger and Kaiphine. She stares into space with a vacant expression. I ruffle her hair, trying to get her to snap out of it. She stares at me, as if seeing me for the first time.

"I have a bad feeling about this, Cello," she says. I know what she's thinking: If she had somehow purposefully fallen into that riot, someone had been trying to stop her from Plunging. Syianne had told me that the black Jewels had been plotting something concerning her. Could that have been it? It doesn't make sense because it was Leolan who rescued her. Maybe it was meant to be was some sort of warning, because she overheard that conversation between those two black Jewels? Or maybe someone else is out to get her? Was it an attempt to prevent the black Jewels from achieving their plans with Syianne?

I don't think opening these issues would help us right now. "Me too, but we'll be fine?" my voice rises up at the end of the sentence, as if I'm asking a question. I don't mean to, I clear my throat, "We'll be fine." I state with decisiveness.

"How can you say that with everything that we've been through?"

"Because," I pause, searching for a good reason, something that would convince us both. "Because it's too predictable that something bad will happen. Up until now, everything that happened to us was unpredictable, therefore if something bad happens, it won't be the sort of bad we can predict."

"That doesn't make me feel better at all."

I frown, "Not even slightly?"

"No."

What can I do? I laugh and scratch my head. The rest of the short drive from the mansion to the Zephyr we spend thinking up things that could go wrong and laughing about them.

By the time we reach our destination, we both feel so melancholy and serious, we could cry.

We arrive just as the familiar front gates roll open. We walk inside with the crowd, our feet heavy, our hearts caught in our throats. Down the quiet, clean and airy streets of the Zephyr campus among the white domed buildings, people break away, each one going about their business. The largest group, however, accompanies us to the main dome of the Zephyr.

"Cello." Rosalisa calls to me right before we enter the main dome. I turn at the sound of her voice; she's standing slightly off the main "street", smiling at me.

"I'll go ahead and wait in line for the elevator," Syianne tells me and hurries off. I cross towards Rosalisa and she links her arm through mine as we start walking round the main dome until we're out of sight.

"I'm also Plunging today. I just thought this would be a nice opportunity, because I'm completely Out."

I look down at her. We're dating for barely a week, but this is getting ridiculously hard. Even if she's using me, I think I may have real feelings for her. I feel attracted to her — but who wouldn't? This is Risa Medrick and she's more beautiful than anyone else. But she's smooth and smart too, and even the fact that she may be using me for some ulterior motive has become attractive. There's also something more to her, something deep and sad underneath the surface. She's high and mighty, but I can't shake the feeling that she's also just as lonely. She has two years on me and she's leading me by the ear — but I've decided not to mind it at all.

I kiss her without holding back. I feel the tingle of power that usually courses out of her body into mine, but it feels hollow somehow, almost as if it's only the promise of power rather than the power itself. She leans against me, passing fingers through my hair, enjoying this rare freedom. She feels amazing. Our lips fit together perfectly, and her height is just right for my arms to hold her.

She pulls away from me breathless, her green eyes locked on mine. She's about to tell me that we have to go in, but I've just begun to have a taste for passion. I kiss her again, before she can speak. I'm not ready to let this moment go.

She pushes me away as she presses her fingers to my lips, "Are all country boys so greedy?"

My mouth smiles under her fingers and I move her hand aside with mine and kiss her knuckles. "I really like you, Rosalisa."

She laughs, "So can I be the Viola to your Cello?"

"Whatever you want. I just want to be with you."

She doesn't say anything, she cups my face with her other hand. For a moment, there's something strange in her eyes, a darkness that makes me feel cautious and guarded, but then she sighs and leans her head against my shoulder, "Cello, what will I do with you? You're so innocent and trusting. You're really such a rare boy; I wish I could have you all to myself. I really like you too."

I kiss the top of her head. I gather she likes me in a different way from the way I like her. Those two years she has on me — maybe they really matter for a woman.

*

Rosalisa boldly drags me down the line to where Syianne and Fellin are standing. No one so much as blinks at us cutting the line to the elevator. Syianne is deep in conversation with a little boy who looks entirely out of place here in the Zephyr. He turns to me with a dark expression, and I pause when I notice that the Jewel on his forehead is Black. He's that boy that wanted to talk to Syianne a few days ago, I hadn't even noticed his Jewel then.

"Cello, I forgot to introduce you last time, this is Dairyk — he's Plunging for the first time as well."

"I'll be Plunging with him," Rosalisa says cheerfully. The boy's expression only grows darker when he sees her.

"Dairyk, this is the boy I told you about, the Undefined who can absorb grey energy." Rosalisa gives me a slight nudge, "Now we just have to discover how he can draw it out and put it to good use."

I can understand why Dairyk is glaring at her like that; she's talking to him in a cheerful tone as if he's five years old. He looks from Rosalisa and then to me, "How do you know he can absorb grey energy? He'd have to directly touch a Black to do that."

I know what this kid says is out of spite, but I blush anyway. Rosalisa, however, laughs and ruffles his hair, "Cello and I touch because we're dating. Are you jealous?"

He ignores her comment and looks at me with the corners of his mouth turned down. "She's using you as her guinea pig, I hope you realise that."

My face grows grim, "I am perfectly aware," I say darkly. "Thanks for the concern."

"Ahem," Fellin coughs and then laughs with Syianne joining in. I am grim when I turn to look at them, but then I realise it's nice that they're both here with me.

"I wonder who we're Plunging with," Fellin says.

"Once we go down into the waiting room before the Launching Hall, we'll see the board with Plunge pairings."

Syianne's face grows pale and she frowns, "I know who I'm Plunging with," she says in a meek voice.

"Who?" Fellin and I ask simultaneously.

"Sagastus."

Fellin and I both draw in a surprised breathe together, "What?" we exclaim.

"How come?" Fellin asks.

Syianne narrows her eyes, "You're supposed to go in with your Guide for the first time, apparently."

"Really?" Fellin scratches his head, "Gardi didn't say anything about that, he was my Guide." He twines his fingers together and presses his hands to his heart, looking upward to the high ceiling as if in prayer, "please let it not be Gardi. He's swell and all, but he's so clumsy I wouldn't want to Plunge with him."

"Fellin, you're religious?"

"No," he scrunches his eyes together, exaggerating his smile, "but in this sort of case I'm willing to be."

"I hear you," I say. "Does old Flent still Plunge?" I ask Rosalisa.

She shakes her head, "He stopped doing it centuries ago. And by centuries, I mean centuries. Even before Sagastus was born."

In Zephyr terms, anything older than Sagastus is considered prehistoric. The elevator arrives and the line begins moving down. We all grow quiet as we step forward through the open glass doors and into the circular elevator, our boots clanking on the shiny metal floor.

I notice that most of those around us are dressed in the Lightsilver suits. "Should we have gotten dressed before?" I ask, keeping my voice as quiet as I can manage without whispering. Everyone around us is wearing such a stoic expression, like soldiers about to be deployed.

"There are changing-rooms down under," Rosalisa answers, "and first-timers have to go through check-ups and get their shots."

"Shots?" Fellin cries, the four of us stare at him.

"Yes," Rosalisa nods, "and you're going to get a micro-chip planted in the back of your neck." Syianne, Dairyk and I join Fellin in his horror.

"It only hurts if you're tense." We exhale together, trying to calm our bodies. The lift doors close and we sink into the floor. The moment the doors open, a screen flashes our names and an arrow points us to the right.

"I'll see you in five minutes," Rosalisa says cheerfully, smiling at Dairyk and winking at me. The four of us first-time Plungers form a line before a cubicle that's marked with the sign "check-ups". A white cloth seals the interior from sight. I am last, and one by one, those before me get called in. Syianne glances at me, shooting a nervous smile and then disappears behind the white flap.

Finally my turn comes. I move the curtain aside and walk in, letting it fall behind me. An elderly Undefined woman looks me up and down, "Is that your Lightsilver suit? I'll take that." She removes the suit from within the bag and returns it to me empty. "Take off all your clothes and any jewellery you have on and put them in this bag. Over there on the rack you'll find a robe, put it on and advance to the next cubicle through that doorway."

Upon finishing her explanation, she rushes to hide behind a screen, as if worried I'd start stripping right there in front of her. She probably has experience with that kind of thing. I wonder if this is her job and if it had been for all the years of her life. I undress and put on a robe. Risa stares at me with a tired expression in her large black eyes; she blinks her inner lids before blinking her outer lids. I offer the pocket of my robe to her. She takes a moment to consider it and then jumps in. Before we arrived in Rockdem, she had been much more independent. Now she's glued to me as if she wants to be part of my body.

"Where should I put my things?" I call out over the screen.

"Leave them on that table; they'll be waiting for you when you come back from your Plunge." I do as she says and advance to the next cubicle.

Another elderly Undefined woman is waiting for me. She's wrinkled and old with white hair and looks like she's the sister of the Undefined woman from the previous cubicle. This one doesn't even talk. She motions for me to sit with a frown and I meekly obey. First, she folds up the sleeve of my robe until my upper-arm is exposed. She smears disinfectant on me and then she opens a new needle from its plastic wrapping, pulls a small vial from a drawer, and gives me a shot. She repeats this procedure six different times until my arm is completely numb. She gestures towards another door; I hurry out of there before she decides to stick more needles into me.

The third Undefined granny smiles at me warmly, "Sit here, dear, and relax. This will only take a moment."

I sit down; she stands behind me, her fingers cool against my skin as she presses them to the back of my neck. She dabs me with disinfectant that first makes me shudder and then feels cool and pleasant.

And then she stabs the back of my neck. I let out a yelp. The pain vanishes as quickly as it came, she dabs more disinfectant on, pressing down with a cotton ball and tapes it in place. "On you go, dearie. When you clear that passageway, remove the robe and hang it on the peg, and go into the examination stall. Once the light turns green, exit from the next door, you will find your suit waiting for you."

I get up and stagger away. My knees are still shaking from having the microchip planted; I shiver when I remove the robe and hang it on the peg. Risa jumps out of my pocket and onto my bare back. I'm used to this, she's always close to me — we even shower together — and although the water soaks her fur, she never gets wet. Moving the next flap aside I walk naked into a very narrow space no bigger than a changing room in a clothes store.

The walls are metallic and a metal door grinds to a shut behind me the moment I step in. A blue light shines from somewhere, reflected in the mirror-like walls. A robotic female voice says: "PROCESSING."

Powder shoots out of the walls and covers me from all directions, a stream of warm water falls down on my head washing off the powder and then a shot of hot air dries everything up. A gentle metal arm sneaks out from a corner and pokes me here and there. Risa hisses at it, sticking her claws into my back. I jump when it rips off the cotton ball from the back of my neck.

The green light turns on and the wall in front of me slides away. I walk out into a changing room the size of the examination room. There's nothing but a stool with my Lightsilver jumpsuit folded on top of it and a full length mirror hanging on the plastic cubicle wall. It's hard to put on the suit — it sits smugly on my skin, covering me from head to toe with an opening for my eyes and my Jewel. I feel ridiculous wearing it. It's almost as if my naked body had been laminated in shining silver. Other people didn't look quite as ridiculous as I do; maybe it loosens up with time. My head looks terribly small in the suit. I put the goggles on the top of my head and push the flap of cloth covering my mouth and nose underneath my chin so I can breathe properly. Risa drapes her body round my neck like a scarf, laying her head on my shoulder.

I walk out into a room filled with silver bodies. A silver naked-looking Fellin waves at me, I probably look just as naked. I see a silvery Sagastus standing next to a silvery Syianne. I search for Rosalisa but she's nowhere in sight. Fellin is standing next to a man in his thirties with a green Jewel. While I want to go talk to Syianne one last time before we Plunge, the look on her face indicates that now isn't the best time. I head over to Fellin instead.

"Cello," he smiles at me, his expression is cheerful but strained, "this is Gardi, my Guide. Gardi, this is my friend Cello." Fellin's eyes dance in his face, as if he's searching for a way to escape.

I nod understanding his current peril. The man looks like he'll fall over if I blow air at him.

"Nice to meet you, Gardi," I try to say pleasantly.

"Oh, I believe, yes, I believe someone was looking for you," Gardi breathes out in his airy voice.

"Really?"

"Yes, I believe so. He was here a moment ago," Gardi turns a full circle and then just stands there puzzled, forgetting what he was doing. Fellin and I exchange a glance and he pulls me aside.

"He's really harmless, except there was this accident in the green lab that messed up his mind. You know that's what green magic does, right? Mind empowerments, telepathy, mind control and such. So, anyway, he's never been quite all there ever since."

"Don't worry," I assure him, although he's sweating like crazy, "it'll be perfectly fine. I hardly learned anything this week anyway and my Guide doesn't even Plunge anymore. I don't think it's going to be as hard as people make it out. Where can I find out who my partner is?"

Fellin points me in the direction of a couple of screens. One of them shows the lineup of people scheduled to Plunge while the other displays the list of pairings. I skim through the names until I find my own. I turn to the room, "Jika Briggness, is there anyone by that name here?"

A hand rises up into the air, it's missing two fingers. That name sounded familiar the moment I said it out loud. I suddenly remember that I had seen this fellow hours before he and his friends had been attacked by the rioters of the Humane Advocates. I had eaten lunch with him. He grins at me, his teeth too white to be real. He is wearing a black patch over his left eye like a pirate and a thin, freshly pink scar runs across the bridge of his nose.

An eye, his teeth, his middle finger and his pinky, I shudder to think what else they did to him when they lynched him.

"What's the matter, brother?" Jika asks as he comes up to me, patting me on my back, "Don't look so worried."

"Sorry, I just wasn't expecting..."

"Me neither, my brother, oh me neither. I'd never expect to live after I already died."

I have nothing to say to this, luckily, Jika has something to say to me. He hands me a piece of silver cloth, the same fabric of the Lightsilver suit. "Old Flent told me to give this to you," he says, "it's an Alprine carrier. He said to keep her close to your chest, not your back."

It's a small cloth pouch that goes over one shoulder and under the other arm. Risa fits smugly inside, her warm body pressed diagonally across my chest. This is much more comfortable than carrying her in my pocket. Although she can get small, she still remains quite heavy. I should make an Alprine carrier for when I'm not Plunging, wondering if the seamstress would help me with this.

"And I need to ask you for a favour," Jika continues, once I'm comfortably set. He hands me a black velvet bag tied with a string. "This," and then he hands me a stone, "and this. I've got one, you've got one. Even though this is your first time, brother, we have a mission."

"What is this?" I lift the stone, it's not a stone, it's a diamond, the size of a tennis ball. One side is tear shaped and the other is rounded with many circular veins cut into the stone resembling a cauliflower. My knees feel weak; I can't believe I'm holding what I'm holding. It's huge, and heavy. This is what we carry around inside our heads? This is a Jewel? I thought it started and ended with the little tear-shaped diamond on my forehead, but this – this thing's huge.

"It's ash and stone. All that remains of our brothers." Jika says.