Page 76 of Tethered

Those brown eyes sweep over to rest on me, and even though they tighten with some kind of tension, she still smiles. “Yeah? I want to visit the Domeheart, it looks unreal.”

The Domeheart sits in the centre of the city and is the place where all roads converge. It’s where history is made, where laws are shaped, where commerce thrives, and where my people gather. It also houses the Kora Spire, a metallic glass structure that is both the seat of our government and an atmosphere regulator. It’s beautiful.

“The Grand Concourse sits just below it, and I think you’d enjoy visiting the Mirror Basin. It’s a reflecting pool, and when the bridges are all lit up, it’s like looking straight into the night sky.”

“That sounds lovely,” Marlowe sighs wistfully.

“Decent nightlife too,” Khrys says. “The Suryavans are so laidback, but they really know how to throw a party.”

“Yes, we do,” Maximus smiles knowingly. “Even Jules enjoys a night out when we’re home.”

That incites a round of surprised noises from everyone, and the man blushes to the tips of his ears, elbowing his brother none-too-gently. Devyaan, looking deeply amused, ruffles Julian’s hair.

“A lot more people have started retiring there lately,” Devyaan says. “Good for the economy.”

Marlowe snorts. “My parents would never.”

“Nana and Gramps?” Vee pipes up, not even tearing his eyes from his slate.

“They don’t like ‘different’.”

“Oh my God, yeah. Remember that time I tried to get them to try those noodles? Gramps was so angry.”

Marlowe purses her lips. I’ve picked up the odd mention of her parents here and there, but she never talks about them at length, and she doesn’t give details when she does bring them up.

“Their loss,” Devyaan shrugs.

“You said you were an army brat,” I say.

“Hmm. They met in the military. We relocated a lot, and I went to boarding school in whichever city we were in. My theory is that they’re so intent on old comfortsbecauseof all the new environments we were exposed to. How boring.”

“A boarding school baby!” Beau says.

Khrys raises an eyebrow. “Iwent to boarding school, what are you trying to say?”

Beau holds out their hands in placation. “That those institutions produce some beautifully poised women. Duh.”

Marlowe slips her hands over Vee’s ears. “You’re so full of shit.”

“Did you like any of them?” Khrys cocks her head.

“They were okay, but I’d have preferred to go to a normal school and see my parents more. They certainly didn’t think they got their money’s worth. I like to think I have a pretty successful career, but they don’t agree. Then again, I think I’ve always been a disappointment in their eyes.”

“What more could they have wanted?” I ask, absentmindedly stroking a hand over her hip and drinking up this insight into her life.

“I don’t really know. I just know that I always fell short of their expectations, forever compared to their colleagues’ kids. Asking them what more they wanted from me was always deemed ‘talking back’, so I stopped asking.”

“I missed my ma like crazy when I was at school, but she worked so hard to enrol me. I never felt like I could say that, or tell her that I hated being there,” Khrys says thoughtfully.

“Well, we know not to turn into our parents,” Marlowe murmurs, reaching out to push the curls back from Vee’s face. He’s still lost in his slate, having checked out a while ago. She watches him for a moment. “I need him like oxygen. I want him to be able to tell me anything.”

“Well, as passengers aboard a big metal bucket shooting through space, I’m sure we can all agree that oxygen is good.” Khrys raises her glass, eyes twinkling with amusement. The rest of the crew follows suit, and her lips curve.

I can’t help but laugh and echo the words ‘oxygen is good’ along with Marlowe. The mood has shifted, and her shoulders relax against my thigh. I try to picture a young Marlowe, but my brain doesn’t work like that. All I can imagine is that she’d be friendly with her peers, determined to learn and make the best of her situation. She’d chafe against being silenced, and rebel in small ways. She’d grow into this fascinating, flawed woman.

“What about you, Tanisira?” Khrys asks.

I blink, having missed the segue in conversation. “What about me?”