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I place my palm on the scanner.

The door slides open.

I walk in, my pulse frantic, sweat beading on my forehead.

I brace myself for whatever kind of confrontation I’m about to have with Robert

When I see him, I’m reminded of all the rules I’ve shattered to be with Marek.

When I see him and Ivan in bed together, everything changes.

I suck in my breath, freezing quietly in place. They appear to be asleep, but also very naked.

I turn away, a bit unsure of how to proceed, and let the door close quietly behind me. This… I did not expect this… but suddenly all their time together makes sense. I feel no sense of betrayal. Not from him. Not from me. This is the way things are meant to be. The way they should have been from the start. I’m happy for them. Happy for what this means. In an instant, my nervousness is gone, replaced by an almost overwhelming joy.

Marek may have freed our community from the tyranny of those contracts, but Robert has unwittingly freed me from my guilt. I smile, almost running as I rush to rejoin my partner… my true partner… in the ballroom, and through the empty halls, I sing, “I’m in love with Marek Volkav.”

24

MAREK

“If NASA is to reach beyond the Moon and someday reach Mars, it must be relieved of the burden of launching people and cargo to low earth orbit. To do that, we must invest more in commercial spaceflight.”

—Bill Nye, American Mechanical Engineer

* * *

Cheers and applause. Tears and exclamations. Through it all, anger burns in my stomach and seeps into my blood.

I brought Buddy Fischer here.

I took his money and let him infect all of our lives like the disease he is.

What if there are others like him? Others who have yet to show their true selves?

He already tried to attack Azalea once. I should have handled it then, before it escalated to this.

Time will tell whether this punishment fits the crime. Buddy is not wrong—sending him off alone is all but a death sentence.

I will not say it out loud, for I do not believe I have the right to choose who lives and dies, but death is what he deserves. Not just for Lana’s wounds, but for the craven selfishness and disregard that would lead a man to do such a thing.

I used Buddy as an example. If there are others in this tribe who might value their desires over another’s well-being and autonomy, they should now know such things will not be tolerated.

With my controversial speech concluded, people slowly disperse. Some come to thank me for ending The Lottery rules. Others cast dubious glares at me from across the room. No doubt I will have to endure these contrary judgments for many months to come.

I find myself pacing as I wait for Azalea to return, nervous on her behalf. I do not envy the conversation she must have. I would speak for her, but that would be out of place.

Finally, I see her round the corner from the lift and our eyes meet. She looks at me sweetly, her face stained with tears but her eyes lit with love. She takes long strides towards me, but stops just short of my touch. I fight the urge to pull her closer. To consume her with all my being. To display so publicly in this moment, however, would make my declaration selfish. Azalea seems to understand.

I content myself with studying her beautiful face, and the joy I see there. “I take it you told him?”

Azalea nods. Then laughs. An odd reaction, I think, especially given the nature of the situation.

“I’m sorry,” she says, putting a hand over her mouth and trying to return to a more somber state. Still, her smile persists. “But we don’t have to worry about Robert. He and… well… I suppose I should have seen it coming...”

I raise an eyebrow, intrigued.

“When I went back to my suite this morning...” She searches for the words, and every moment of silence feels like an eternity.