March 23rd 2273Today, I woke up.It felt like barely a moment had gone by since I was frozen, but apparently it was over two-hundred and fifty years. Two-hundred and fifty years since I'd said goodbye to my husband and son.Now I was sat in a small room, dressed in a skin-tight leotard that somehow kept me warm despite being thin as paper. Now I had to try and adapt.I woke up only half an hour ago. Apparently I’d been in surgery for several days, but I’d been woken slowly, my body now perfectly healed.They’d tried to prepare me for this. For waking up and everything feeling surreal. It hadn’t worked, not one bit. But the nurse had been nice, offered me a drink, some clothes, and waited nearby while I got dressed, answering my questions.I’d gone to sleep one day, unable to move my entire body. Within fifteen minutes of waking, I’d dressed myself. It felt like a miracle, but my emotions hadn’t caught up. Instead, I sat in a chair, waiting.In a small bag at my feet I already had a bu

The calm Yaru expressed had finally begun to settle on me as well. I sat in front of him, sipping tea and wondering when my first lesson would begin. And what it might entail.Yaru had been almost silent since I’d confirmed I would become a courtesan to pay back my debt. Several times he’d glanced at me, but for the most part he stared into the nothingness of air, his face thoughtful.With nothing else to do, I found my mind wandering, starting to think about when I might have to begin. Would it be that night?My stomach churned and I shuddered. This drew Yaru’s attention, but he merely raised his eyebrows and waited for me to speak.“How big is my debt?” I asked, not ready to talk about the finer points.Yaru pulled a thin, transparent rectangle from inside his robe. As his fingers swiped the surface, a liquid inside coloured and formed a detailed screen like those of the tablets that had existed when I’d been frozen.After a little tapping and swiping, he brought up a view that inclu

“Which way will Daniel be?” I asked when Edward and Jake both looked to me. There was no way I was going to stick around and let them ogle me or make any more moves. “I’ll show you,” Jake said, motioning for me to follow him. I tried not to show my relief as I let him lead me down several corridors, deeper into the building. He remained silent, letting me look around. Not a single soul lingered anywhere I could see, all the other women gone from the room they’d lounged in before. Near the back and up a small flight of stairs was a large room. One end was decked out like an office, a desk with several chairs at it. Bookshelves lined the wall behind the desk, and a large screen showing stats and schedules was fixed to the desk’s left. The other end of the room featured several low sofas and a cushioned mattress. It was the epitome of comfort. Daniel sat at the desk, another crystal device in his hands. The second he saw me, he looked up and grinned. “Thank you, Jake. You can go bac

A knocking sound dragged me from my dreamless sleep. I blinked, confused by the orange canopy above me for a few seconds.When my memories came flooding back to me I groaned.“Auralia, you alright?” a female voice called from the other side of my bedroom door.“Yes. Coming,” I replied, hoping I was loud enough to be heard. Even if I wasn’t, my visitor couldn’t get in. After crying for almost an hour the night before, I’d decided to wedge a chair under the door handle and prevent any late-night intruders. There was no knowing what sort of ideas the other courtesans, or worse, the bodyguards, might have.When I reached the door, I noticed the chair wasn’t perfectly where I’d left it. It had slipped, no longer preventing the handle from turning, but still preventing the door from opening.I took a deep breath, as much to calm myself at the confirmation someone had tried to enter my room as to prepare myself for the day and whatever it brought with it.My guide from the night before stood

Yaru’s bubble car came to a slow stop outside a large sky-scraper, every surface glinting in the sunlight. He got out, holding a hand out to me to help me down onto the pavement. I hesitated, suddenly far more aware of my semi-nakedness than I had been before.“Come on, my dear. We don’t want to keep them waiting,” Yaru said, his words calm, as if he hadn’t noticed my reluctance, but his eyes said otherwise. At least he was an understanding mentor, even if he was likely to put himself first.After taking a deep breath, I gave him my hand and stepped out of the car. A red carpet stretched out before us, sheltered by the building’s awning until it led inside the doors. Men in uniforms stood either side of the door, glasses over their eyes hiding what they were looking at.I tried not to show my nerves as I walked beside Yaru, matching his slow pace. At first I wasn’t sure I managed it, but I caught sight of my reflection in the highly polished glass. My jaw dropped. I was a walking work