Alone Again Or | Page 6

like someone had painted the whites black.

Jennifer decided to be direct with him.
"Would you like to have sex with me?" she said. "I'm not a prostitute."
The boy nodded, and Jennifer took his hand. She wondered if he would
be able to lead her back to wherever he slept.
He's really fucking lazed, she thought.
Syd opened the door inside the agency building on his new mate's
dormitory. He'd knocked several times and gotten no answer.
Inside he saw a desk, a bed, and a lamp. There was no carpet or
faux-wood, just brushed metal. It lacked anything soft, comforting, and
the room didn't have a television. There was nothing Syd could see
which could give him clues about his new wife's personality.
Syd wondered if she would miss the place.
He glanced around the room, becoming nervous that he'd gone into
the wrong one. The muscles in his lower back began to clench.
She should be here, he thought, and stepped backwards to read the
numbers above the doorframe.
His backwards step led into a body: a softness and a verbal curse struck
his back. He fell forward, catching his balance inside the room.
"Shit," he said.
He turned around, newly conscious of the sound his hard rubber soles
made on the brushed metal floor.
A girl stood in the hallway looking at him with an eyebrow raised and
rubbing her elbow. She wore a small plaid skirt and a plain white shirt.
"Shit," Syd said again, throwing his hands against his thighs in a
symbol of exasperation, "I was checking the door number."

The girl had soft skin, red hair, and looked his age.
She smiled a small smile and continued to rub her arm.
This was a bad idea, Syd thought.
"Did I hurt you?" he said, stepping forward, "I'm Syd. Has anyone told
you about me?"
She nodded.
"I'm Somnam. I was in the shower."
She held out her hand and they shook.
"They woke me and told me I was getting leeched out," she said, and
smiled again. "You normally up this late?"
Syd smiled but did not respond. He couldn't tell if she was disappointed
or not.
Her eyes caught his attention. They were yellow, with streaks of blue
and green running to the whites.
"I don't like my name," she said, "they name us from a directory here.
It's all random."
Syd nodded. He didn't know what to say.
"Well," he said after deliberation, "are you ready to go? Do you have to
pack or anything?"
Somnam laughed. "I don't own anything. This is a prison."
Syd nodded.
She moved forward, rubbing her body against his and placing an arm
around his lower back. She pulled him close but kept her face at a
distance. Her eyes were bright and neon.

"I'm ready to leave with you," she said.
This is weird, Syd thought.
His mouth tasted like hangover acid.
She's gorgeous, he thought.
He felt guilty and displaced, like he was in an anxious dream.
The hallway was painted brown, with a dull blue high traffic carpet.
Somnam slid her hand down his arm and took his hand. She pulled him
down the hallway, away from the elevator he'd arrived on.
"Can you take me out to eat somewhere?" she said as they rounded a
corner. Syd didn't see anyone else awake, but assumed it was because
of the hour.
His eyes searched the halls; he wanted to know if all the teles had to
wear uniforms like Somnam's, or just the ones who were married.
"Sure," he said, "where do you want to go?"
Somnam laughed and Syd felt an urge to touch the back of her neck as
she led him. It was an animal feeling; he felt aroused by her presence
and saddened at the realization.
"I haven't been outside these hallways in fourteen years," she said.
"I want to say it when we get to the elevator" Somnam said as they
came to another corner in the long string of metal doors.
You want to say what? Syd thought, but kept silent. He planned to do
so until they were outside. Being in the building made him feel shaky
and nervous.
Around the corner was a different elevator than Syd had used to reach
the dorm. A man stood in front of it, armed with a revolver. Syd could
see the man was strong, and he had a face like a bar fight junky.

"Well, well, a midnight requisition," the man said when they neared
him. "I have to say, waking me up to let this one out is a double
punishment. I won't be able to watch her walk to class anymore."
Syd watched the