Eason’s soft words came as a shock to her. She had expected a definition – she knew all the definitions for the different emotions. The Major had taught them to her, although they had never meant anything to her. Thinking of the Major brought a sharp memory to focus. Nyla gasped.“What is it?” Eason asked.Keeping her eyes squeezed shut, Nyla stepped back in time. “There’s a moment – I think I know what you’re talking about.“Well, tell me about it,” Eason directed softly, his tone still light. Nyla could hear him move closer.“I was younger, much younger. It must have been right after I joined the military. The Major had been gone for several days, and Sergeant Ryan had told me to stay in my tent until he returned. Early one morning, the Major walked back in, back before he was supposed to be. The moment my eyes landed on him, I felt like everything was right in the world again, as if the

The tightness in her chest increased. Nyla didn’t know what it meant, but she wanted it to stop. It was hard to get a full breath of air.The obvious solution, the one that would make Eason and Mason feel better, was to just leave. But there were two problems with this plan: first, she had nowhere to go. She knew once she got out of the city and into the wild, she’d be fine, but getting there would be the issue. The second was Edmond had told her not to leave the house. The best she could do, then, was to stay up here in her room, out of their way.Around noon, Eason tapped on her door. “Can I come in?”“Yes.”What does he want with me?Eason stepped inside and surveyed her sitting on the grounds. “I came up here to check on you,” he said.Nyla nodded. “Thank you. I’m alright. I think Mason is the one that needs comforting at the moment.”Eason sighed. “S

Edmond was waiting for Nyla when she came downstairs the next morning. “I’m driving the three of you to school. Eason and Mason are already in the hovercar.” He turned on his heels and started down the hall. Nyla trailed after him. Edmond had never shown any interest in the day-to-day lives of his children, at least for as long as she’d been there. She slid into the back seat next to Eason who gave her a worried smile.He knows something is wrong, just as I do. The moment Edmond closed the driver’s side door, the real reason for the trip emerged. “Now listen,” Edmond demanded, giving his daughter a particularly nasty look. “Today is essential to my campaign. Eason, you will not leave Nyla’s side, even to use the restroom. Mason, I know you aren’t in the same classes, but whenever your paths cross, you will greet Nyla pleasantly.”Mason gasped. “You’re asking me to commit soci

“How can you do that?” Sarah demanded, stopping her twirl to rush at Nyla and look intently at her mouth. “Smile, I mean. You shouldn’t be able to.”Nyla sat down and grabbed the sack lunch Eason offered. “I don’t know. Eason taught me how to do it by explaining to me what happiness feels like. Since then, I’ve been able to smile when I want to.”“Nyla,” Eason hissed. “I don’t think this is a good idea.” He jerked his head in Sarah’s direction. “You can’t trust her.”“I can hear you,” huffed Sarah. “And you can trust me.”“I trust her,” Nyla surprised herself by saying. She just had a feeling that everything would be alright with Sarah.Grinning victoriously, Sarah inched closer to inspect Nyla’s lips. “Happy? So that means you can feel happiness?”“Yes.”“W

The door opened, startling her. “Oh, there you are. Come in, come in.” Edmond ushered her inside. His tone was perfectly pleasant, no hint of anger remaining. The sudden change in him made Nyla uneasy. “Sit,” he directed her to the chair in front of his desk. Nyla sat.Without preamble, he said, “You did well today, Nyla.”Nyla stared at Edmond stunned, forgetting that he expected a reply. After several moments she hastily said, “Thank you.”With a great sigh, he settled himself into his chair. A self-satisfied grin appeared on his lips. “I’ve leaked the events today to the media. Your lack of response when attacked has garnered intense sympathy. One of the students took pictures, and we’ve been able to retrieve them and slip them to the media as well. My campaign has recovered from the backlash of your introduction, and the MRP approval rating has gone through the roof. In fact, my entire campaig