Beyond

By Analise Quinnell

Jovita Ló-Rran was much more than a petty thief...
...But who doesn’t love an adventure? Thousands of years in the future and millions of light years away, the Ground is probably the worst place to live in the known universe and is definitely the worst part of the city-planet Yilzoc. There is almost nothing Jovita wants more than an escape until she finds adventure in the form of a ring with a pricey reward. Leaving the Ground and her brother, Zoren, for the first time, Jo meets Neo, a boy from the Sky - the highest level of Yilzoc. In exchange for his ring and her accepting an invitation to a dinner party, he agrees to hire a ship and crew for Jo so she can leave the planet, but a chance encounter with the head of the Council of United System sends Jo running from their deal. Jo, Neo, and Zoren join a team of outcasts and runaways on the Cyphris and leave Yilzoc. As they travel through a universe tettering on the edge of galactic war, it becomes clear that Jo is not what she seems. Will it be too late for the others when they learn the truth? Is it already too late for Jovita to escape?

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Apr 13, 2020
• ISBN: 9781728340197

Analise Quinnell

I grew up in a small town in Michigan and am now a University of Michigan honors student. I grew up with books all around me. They were how I learned about my world and taught me to imagine the worlds beyond my grasp. I've been writing since I was eight years old and, even though I am still relatively young, writing is my everything. Fiction is my dearest love and imagination is my greatest passion. These have been my strongest allies throughout the process of writing Beyond.

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© 2019 Analise Quinnell. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue

in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Published by AuthorHouse 12/21/2019

ISBN: 978-1-7283-4020-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-4019-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019920820

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in

this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views

expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Part One Gone

I Stars

II Payday with a Price

III Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

IV Sweetest Farewell

V The Beast Of The Night

VI Careless Adventure

VII A Case of Identity

VIII Run, Run, Runaway

IX Long Live the Queen

X History

XI Death Shall Come Cloaked

XII Loyalty and Liability

XIII Sythe’s Wife

XIV The Worst Goodbyes Are Hellos

XV Final Chapter

Part Two Lost

I The Beginning

II The Death of a Queen

III The Greatest Pain

IV Runaways

V The Queen’s Killer

VI Lady Luck

VII My Brother’s Keeper

VIII The Fate of Enemies

IX Where My Heart Lies

X To Break a Frozen Heart

XI The Motive of a Movement

XII The Death of Peace

XIII A Rock and a Hard Place

XIV The End of One Life and Start of Something New

Epilogue

About The Author

Part One

Gone

I

Stars

Every culture has a theory about stars. Some think they are the souls of the forever gone. Some say they are just flaming balls of gas thousands of miles away. Some think they are gods and others think they are diamonds hung in the sky. To Jovita, stars were what connected all things. No matter where someone was in this vast universe, no matter what species they came from, they all saw the stars. Ever since the beginning, countless millions of trillions of millennia ago, there had been stars and there would be until the universe ends.

Jo had always dreamt of travelling amongst the stars, but she had never left her district of the city of Yilzoc. She would sometimes mention it to Zoren, but he would make it clear that the Ground was the only home they would ever know. The Ground was the lowest level of Yilzoc: the gutter where all the trash ended up. It was filthy and crowded. Not a single surface survived long before it got corroded and not a single glimmer of hope lasted long enough to fight the melancholy depression. Any higher level of the city was blocked from view by yellow smug that left blisters on the skin and blood in the throat.

As the city climbed towards the sky, the corrosion, morosity, and filth all seemed to fade until the highest level: the Sky. People who had fallen to the Ground often said how, if their level was so much nicer than the Ground, the Sky must be made of diamonds and bathed in exquisite beauty. Jo laughed at the rumors and continued on her way, knowing she’d never see the type of glamor they claimed existed on this planet.

In complete contrast, the streets of the Ground were crowded with all kinds, from merchants selling trinkets and homegrown foods to people just coming off Elevator 32 to their doomed fate of life on the Ground, which they promptly turned their noses up at. Among this chaos of bodies walked a rather petite girl who only stood out for her human appearance and bright, blue hair. Everything about the scene seemed mundane. They were just people trying to survive the worst fate they could imagine, condemned for the crime of poverty. Of course, the city was hardly void of action…at least, for the thieves.

Jo ran her hand along the side of a Gretian merchant cart. The Gretians were a race of large, parchment-skinned, and slimy people. They were often as round as a pie and twice the size of a human, such as Jo, who was the strange alien. Despite their appearance - Jo thought they resembled a description of a being from the legends on her aunt’s planet called a troll - they had an excellent green thumb, ironic as they only had two pincher-like fingers on each hand. Jo had a feeling it had more to do with the nutrients in their slime than their delicate touch. She didn’t stop to examine the food, but let her hand slip over a pink, spiked flower bud. A second later, it and Jo were gone. The Gretian shouted after her, pushing his stand over to chase her. She tossed the flower bud into the air and a hand reached up to catch it. The man with curly, blonde hair and enticing blue-green eyes somewhat hidden behind his glasses looked over and rolled his eyes at Jo. She just smirked. The two moved towards each other as they pushed through the crowds.

All this for a scrap? Zoren asked, studying the fruit that fit perfectly in the palm of his hand.

Have to eat something, Jo said with a grin.

I doubt you could help yourself if you tried.

That’s why I don’t try.

Something wrapped itself around Jo’s ankle and pulled her foot out from under her. She landed in a puddle of orange mud on the hard road. Jo winced as she tried to recover her breath and sat up. The thing that had grabbed her was one of the twelve tentacles Gretians had instead of legs. She grimaced at the slime that was covering her pant leg.

"That isn’t yours, laisterret," the Gretian said in a low, gruff voice.

Oh, there’s no need for foul language, Zoren said with mock disapproval.

Pay for what you have taken! The Gretian demanded. Or she pays the price.

You see, we really would…but we don’t have anything to pay with, Jo said.

Then perhaps your life will do, the Gretian said, taking a gun out of his pocket.

Jo’s reflexes were faster. She pulled herself into a ball, taking a knife from her back pocket as she did. She stabbed it into the tentacle that was holding onto her. The Gretian screeched in pain, releasing Jo and dropping his weapon. Zoren pulled Jo to her feet. She grabbed the gun and ran back into the crowd, smiling to herself when the Gretian’s howls of indignation didn’t fade until she turned onto another street.

They ran until they reached a door tucked away in the thin, dark alleyway that the crowds didn’t even seem to notice. Zoren pushed the door open, knowing the locking mechanism had long since broke, and held out a hand to catch the small, metal knob that fell from the top of the door frame as soon as it opened. Jo was about to follow when something caught her eye. It wasn’t very often that there was anything shiny or new on the Ground, so the glint from the concrete stood out like a diamond in coal. She picked up the small object; it was a ring. On the silver band was a shape with two parallel sides and two sharply jagged ones. In the center of that strange shape, an L was engraved.

"Looks like we might be able to buy a meal or two," she said walking through the door that Zoren held open for her and throwing the ring into the air only to catch it again.

Perhaps be more careful with it then, Zoren said, putting the metal object back above the door.

Since when am I careful with anything important? Jo teased, setting it down on the counter.

I’ll take the couch tonight, Zoren said, ignoring her comment.

You always do, Jo sighed, knowing from years of experience that there was no arguing with him.

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The beep of the cleaner trucks blared through the walls of the small apartment, the machine itself shaking the ground and anything on it. Jo groaned and rolled over in bed. She was close to falling back asleep, slowly adjusting to the movements. The shaking stopped with a loud thud and a sharp screeching. A final jolt shook Jo off the edge of her bed. Her wrist cracked awkwardly against the hard floor.

Stupid, good-for-nothing… she said, her voice trailing off into a slur of incoherent curses in an odd language.

She quickly threw on her worn, brown boots and the jacket-vest hybrid that hung loosely around her torso, already wearing her brown capris-length pants and a short-sleeved shirt made out of the same material, which neglected to cover a portion of her abdomen. Strands of bright blue hair fell in every direction from the hairstyle she’d worn the other day: a braid that encircled her head and split into a ponytail only half-pulled through the hair tie on either side of her head. It looked messy, but no more so than the rest of her appearance. She snatched her weapon from under her pillow and looked to Zoren, who was putting on the jacket he had been using as a pillow, already wearing his boots as though he had expected to have to get up and hurry out in the middle of the night.

"Time for work, im hijeaea?" He asked with a playful smile that Jo easily returned as he grabbed two sacks and handed one to her.

"What else, im jeaeo?" She said, grabbing the metal object from above the door so she could open it and they could leave.

The truck was just outside the alleyway and already had a crowd of scavengers pushing each other around the abandoned heap of smoking, groaning parts. Jo and Zoren joined them, prying up sections of the machine’s covering and stuffing whatever pieces looked least corroded and most helpful into the pockets of their jackets, cargo pants, and satchels. Jo kept an eye on what anyone near her grabbed to make sure that it wasn’t worth swiping. The scene only got more and more crowded and the cleaner truck, which was a sort of arched shaped and stood just over twice Zoren’s height, was no more than a pile of pieces. Jo looked up to the top of it and saw the open hatch to the driver’s console.

Think you could give me a hand up? Jo asked, nudging Zoren so he saw the hatch.

Are you insane? Zoren asked.

You’ve known me for years, Jo said. Of course, I’m insane.

Zoren shook his head but cupped his hands to give her a boost. Jo stepped up, using his hands, and stuck her foot between a pair of bars that composed the exposed skeleton of the truck, pulling herself up to the smooth, untouched, higher section of the truck where she was able to reach the ladder that led to the truck’s control room. She climbed up the ladder and dropped through the open hatch into the room inside. She doubted any of the controls would work, but the buttons and wires were rare parts that would sell for a good price, especially since the amateur rummagers never seemed to learn that the trucks caught fire as soon as the core power charges were reached. No one was stupid enough to risk being inside the cleaner trucks when that happened.

Zoren dropped into the room and the pair of them began tearing apart the control panel, taking as many intact parts as they could in the least amount of time possible. Just as Jo was nearly content with her heavy pockets and nearly full sack, the room began to flash red, a procedure to alert the driver of danger no matter how dismantled the truck was.

We’ve got to go, Zoren said, pulling Jo away from the controls. You go ahead. I’ll be right behind you.

I’ve heard that before, Jo said.

We don’t have time for this, he said, seemingly calm despite the urgency of his words. Just go.

Jo pulled herself up the ladder with as much speed as she could manage, skipping every other rung to waste less time. She let herself slide down the side of the machine, pushing herself away from it before she could reach the exposed skeleton and gears of the lower half and landing on her hands and knees a short distance away. Zoren landed behind her, helping her to her feet and pulling her into the alley seconds before the truck erupted in a fiery explosion. Jo laughed as Zoren half guided and half pushed her away from the damage the truck had caused.

"When was the last time something like that happened to us?" She asked as though it was all a joke and they had never been in any real danger.

She set her bag down on the table and emptied her pockets. Zoren added his assembly of random parts to hers.

A while, he said. But I would appreciate it if you took your safety a bit more seriously.

We are not doing this again, Zoren, she said.

I’m not doing anything, he said innocently.

You were about to lecture me on how I used to be careful and full of hope and blah, blah, blah, Jo said. I don’t want to hear it.

I wasn’t going to mention it, he said. But since you have…

Jo rolled her eyes and sat down dramatically on the couch with her arms crossed.

I know things can’t go back to how they were, but you could at least make an effort, Zoren said.

‘Make an effort’? Really? And how much of an effort do you suggest I make to forgive that sort of betrayal? She asked coolly.

You don’t have to forgive anyone, Jo. But don’t lose yourself. I promised Gra-

I know damn well what you promised! And you know exactly what happened. Just because you came back does not change what I’ve been through! Jovita violently snapped. "It does not change the fact that my brother...that you...it does not change anything."

Zoren sat next to her and held her comfortingly. She let him even though she was rigid with emotions she had promised herself she would never feel again.

I know it doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t change what I did, but I did it to protect you.

And I would still tell you what I told you years ago. It would have been better if you didn’t.

Zoren looked at her grimly with pain hidden in his stone-cold expression, but Jovita pulled away and went back to her bed.

Never again, Zoren promised quietly. It won’t ever happen again.

No, it won’t, Jo said in complete sincerity. "Because I would kill half the universe in cold blood before I let them win."

47724.png

Jo left early in the morning with a few pieces of the truck in her jacket pockets, planning to cross the alleyway and make a deal with their neighbor. Something caught her eye as soon as she got out the door. It looked like most of the Wanted posters that plastered the corners and intersections of the Ground. It had a picture and posted reward, but the image wasn’t of a person. It was of a small ring with an odd-shaped crest and an L engraved in the center of it. Jo barely looked at the image for a moment before recognizing the ring, her eyes nearly immediately skipping to the reward. Fifty thousand DPEs: the currency used on most planets in the Council of United Systems’ domain. That would pay for a lot more than one or two meals...it would pay for a lot more than any amount of junk pulled out of the cleaner trucks.

She tore the poster off the wall and slammed the door behind to the small apartment as she held the poster up for Zoren to see. He took it from her and looked it over.

Fifty thousand DPEs, she said. "Fifty thousand, Zor!"

You haven’t lost the ring, have you? He asked, half-teasingly.

Ha, ha, Jo said, a sarcastic laugh.

This could help us get off the Ground, Zoren said.

Something serious came over Jo.

I thought you said there was no leaving, she said.

It’s rare, but not impossible. When opportunity presents itself, you cannot ignore it. Though his words said one thing, Jo felt like they meant another.

And do you feel like sharing whatever opportunity you think we have?

Not particularly, he said.

Well, even if you’re keeping secrets, whoever’s looking for this ring isn’t, Jo said. They’re desperate.

It was very apparent that whoever was looking for that ring wanted it...and fast. So, naturally, Jo left it on her counter for a week.

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Just as she expected, the reward on the poster went up a few hundred every day, until it reached 55,000 DPEs. Jo went about her usual business, selling the parts she and Zoren had taken from the cleaner truck and buying small meals with the income. She and Zoren took anything else they needed, too fast to need the gun most of the time. But a smug grin crossed Jo’s face every time she passed one of the reward posters and saw that her prospects had increased. There was one thing the rich knew how to do better than anyone else, and that was waste money.

The pair came home every night to find their cupboards once again empty and pull the bag of scrapped parts out from under the bed so Jo could take a portion of the parts across the alley to the mechanic who had bought them off her since she’d figured out that the parts were easy to get and easier to sell. A week after the cleaner truck had broken down, Jo pulled out the bag only to find a handful of loose wires and buttons from the controls. It wasn’t enough to make any sort of profit off of without quantity. As it was, they could afford one...maybe two small meals off it. Jo took the entire satchel and walked slowly across the alley, thinking melancholy thoughts about how she’d have better liked it if she could make the parts last a bit longer so she could extort a few hundred more from whoever was looking for the ring before having to settle on the already hearty reward.

She pushed open Tibor’s door. The purple, amphibious figure lifted his head with the quick reflexes of a cat. His eyes gleamed a silvery color in the light from the doorway before gently fading back into their usual mauve color. His thin tail, with a flat arrowhead shape at the end of it, flicked from one side of Tibor’s cluttered workspace to the other as though it had a mind of its own. The Zaflargli were usually regarded as an elegant and exquisite species. Tibor didn’t seem much affected by his species’ reputation.

Tibor’s workspace took up the better part of his living space. He had several desks, all of which were covered in wires and scraps from machines. The further into his lair Jo went, the more junk she had to kick out of her way until she was trudging through it, trying to find exposed patches of ground to step on. There was a small hammock hanging in the corner, not far behind where Tibor stood, and a small fridge beside it. Whenever he wanted a decent meal, he would come to Jo and Zoren’s apartment, which was rather nice compared to his. She might even cook for the three of them...if Tibor brought the food. Tibor and Zoren got along, but Jo often carried out most of the transactions. She and Zoren expected that Tibor had a bit of a thing for her. Jo always got the better prices. She and Tibor didn’t make a half-bad team either; the thief and the vender of stolen goods.

Finally reached the last of your stock? Tibor asked, eying Jo’s bag greedily.

Another truck is bound to break down soon enough, she said. Besides, you have plenty for now.

Then why should I take what you’re offering? He asked, his tail flicking.

I saved the best for last, Jo said, rather smugly.

She dropped the bag onto the table. Tibor eagerly started rummaging through it. A slow grin came across his lip-less mouth. Out of everything that comprised his clutter, wires were the rarest, and the most vital at times.

Thirty, Jo said, naming her price.

No way! This is barely anything, Tibor said.

Well, if you don’t want it… she said, reaching to take the bag back.

Tibor quickly wrapped his long, thin fingers around it.

Fifteen, he offered.

Twenty-five, Jo countered.

Twenty.

Fine, she said, much to Tibor’s surprise. She usually held out a bit longer but even she knew the worth of the wires was limited.

He grabbed a small pouch of coins and ran a finger over them as he counted, then dropped a handful of silver hexagons into Jo’s open palm. Her fingers closed around them and she stuffed them into a pocket. She nearly reached the door content with her profit, but her hand brushed something inside the inner pocket of her jacket and her grin turned to a look of consideration. She turned back to Tibor and walked to the table, casually pulling herself to sit on the corner where there was the least clutter, half facing him and half facing the corner of the room. She crossed her legs and slowly pulled the gun out of her pocket as though she were holding a gift…a gift with a price tag. Tibor looked at the weapon, half in awe and half concerned for Jovita’s unpredictable manner, as she turned over it in her hands.

I need a power source, she said. One that will last for a while.

How much can you pay me? He risked asking.

Twenty DPEs, she said simply as though she’d pulled the number out of thin air.

Tibor chuckled and shook his head.

And how much charge do you have? He asked.

No idea, she said. She held the gun readily in her right hand, not pointing it at anything…yet. Do you want to find out?

So, twenty DPE, the cost of an overpriced bag of wires, for a charge worth over ten times as much?

One with renewable power.

Even with the weapon she was pushing it.

Where do you think I would even find something like that?

I know you have connections to the black market. Don’t play dumb with me, Jo said.

Even if I did have what you’re asking for, twenty isn’t worth a fifteenth of it and we both know you won’t shoot me, Tibor said.

You sure? There was something unnatural in her voice that made Tibor want to question his reasoning, but he held onto his assumption.

Don’t forget that we’ve known each other for years, Tibor said. I know Zoren won’t be too happy with you killing someone.

You don’t know a thing about me. Zoren doesn’t control me and I don’t do things based on what he’d approve of.

Sure, Tibor said, unconvinced.

If you’re so positive I’m no danger to you, look up my name.

What?

You have access to the database. Look up my name, she repeated.

Tibor raised an eyebrow, not knowing what she expected him to find. He shuffled through the mountain of parts on his desk until he found a dark pad with a cracked screen and improvised wiring exposed on the back. His odd fingers danced across the screen, and then his eyes scanned over the results of his search. He lowered the tablet to look back up at Jovita, who was now obscured by the barrel of the gun. He pulled open a drawer and took out a small device, the same color as the weapon. Jo took it, ignoring his horrified expression. She found the panel where the charge attached to the side of the gun and slid it into place, admiring the now-complete weapon.

Thank you very much, she said distractedly as she hopped off the desk. I always knew you were intelligent.

I take it I won’t be seeing you again, then? He asked, forgetting the money she owed him.

It’s been fun, she said with a mock salute, letting the door close behind her.

Tibor looked back at his tablet. She was right, he had no idea who she was. Jovita Ló-Rran was much more than a petty thief.

II

Payday with a Price

Where are you going? Zoren asked.

Jo froze, steps away from the door. It was early enough that she expected him to be in a deeper sleep. She was fully dressed with the gun and ring in her pockets. Zoren sat up on the couch, still a bit groggy with sleep but alert enough that, if Jo were someone looking for a fight, the fight would already be over.

Just getting a head start, Jo said with an innocent smile.

Head start to what?

Nothing big, just getting a little cash for breakfast. Ask the neighbors in a couple hours, Jo said, going over to him and kissing his cheek. Like you said, when the opportunity presents itself…

She opened the door, caught the metal weight, and tossed it to Zoren with a grin before slipping outside.

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Yilzoc was divided into fifty-eight sections, and every section had a single elevator. The elevators were the only way to get from one level of the city to another. Like everything else, the capsules that whizzed through the clear tubes, only went up to come down. No one in the city could climb the social hierarchy; they could only fall down it. The small area cleared of buildings around Elevator 32, which was a thirty-minute walk from Jo’s apartment, was one to be avoided. On any level above the Ground, being anywhere close to an elevator was a condemned fate. Those on the Ground were simply aware of the depressing mood of hopelessness. While crowds of solemn faces drifted away from Elevator 32, Jovita stared up at the empty column that encircled it in a quiet excitement. She could almost see the shine of the upper layers of Yilzoc.

She went to the terminal that encircled the elevator and pushed through crowds of all types of people. There were some who turned their noses up at every stench that Jovita had grown so accustomed to and others who held their few belongings or families closely, silently resigned to their new lives. Jo pushed past them all to the empty space in front of the terminal that had a single word above it, the paint chipping and cracked with lack of upkeep. Jo looked at the old sign and thought it might be the most wonderful thing she had ever seen. Leaving. She was leaving and she would never come back. She didn’t care if she and Zoren was the poorest people on Level Two. She was never going back to the Ground.

There was no one at the terminal when she got there, but one of the attendants quickly scrambled over, a concerned look plastered on her face. The attendant, the name Ezri written on the pocket of her shirt, had a rather thin and lanky figure coated in a thin layer of peach fuzz. She wore the same uniform as the others, a dull, red jumpsuit with all of her brown hair tied back except for her bangs, which were short enough to expose her eyes, which she had five of, each small and circular with only irises and pupils. The scattered eyes took up half of her elongated face. The other half was occupied by her mouth and jaw, which resembled that of a marionette. Her mouth was little more than a slit just under halfway down her face and there was a small outcropping of bone that fell from both ends of it to her chin. When she spoke, the area enclosed by mouth and bone went outward rather than down.

"I’m sorry...tihc. Ezri’s jaw clicked as her mouth fully shut. You can’t be back here...tihc...I can direct you to navigation if you need assistance...tihc."

I can pay my way up, Jo said.

"That is highly unlikely...tihc."

Jo held the ring out for the attendant to see, then stuck it back in her pocket. She pulled a folded paper out of another pocket with the image of the ring and the reward.

I believe someone up there is looking for this, she said.

Ezri opened her mouth to speak and closed it with another tihc.

"One moment...tihc," she said, taking the paper from Jo’s hand as she hurried away.

Jo watched as she picked up an old model of a phone and dialed. Ezri said something, but Jo couldn’t exactly make it out. Ezri was silent, then spoke again, then was silent for a longer period of time, then spoke only to be apparently cut off and nod. She came back to the terminal at which Jo had waited, tapping her foot impatiently with her arms crossed.

"The elevator will take you up to Level 560…tihc, Ezri said. There you will meet Mr. Larsson, and he kindly requests that you speak to no one before him…tihc."

Ezri opened the door to the small waiting area that stood between Jo and Elevator 32. For the first time in her life, Jo hesitated. She shook her head at herself and stepped through the door. As soon as the elevator had spilled its occupants out into the streets of the Ground, the walls swung around to produce an opening for Jo to enter through. She was barely inside when they spun again, closing the capsule completely.

Jovita looked at the outer walls of the clear tube that went straight up into the sky. They were covered in a plum-colored fungus embedded with lime, bioluminescent specks. It was so clouded that she could barely see the Ground beyond it. The elevator shot upward, the acceleration hitting Jo like a physical impact. She caught herself on the rail that encircled the large, empty area. Every few seconds the elevator sped past a platform on which the next level stood. At first, the speed was so significant that Jo could barely focus on one thing long enough to see any of the levels. She saw the amount of fungus on the wall steadily decrease and caught glimpses of buildings, which looked the same for the most part. After the first fifty levels, each of which passed with increasing speed, she could see a gradual change. First was the cleanliness of the buildings, then the styles worn by the people, then the use of technology. There were levels, between Level 330 and Level 455, where the change was more dramatic. There were still the general outlines of the buildings and walkways between them, but instead of the shining windows of apartments, there were smaller buildings, large enough to fit apartments three times the size of Jo’s inside of them. They started out close together but grew further apart and larger as the levels passed by, until the houses were eventually several stories high with yards the size of the parks Jo had seen several levels below.

After the largest houses, there was a gap between levels that was larger than any she’d seen before. Above it, there were buildings that looked even more beautiful, more extravagant, and wealthier than anything Jo could imagine existing on the same planet as the Ground. The buildings themselves were pieces of art, not to mention the fountains, sculptures, and potted trees, whose silver trunks grew in all sorts of twisted shapes and the leaves, which looked more like large diamonds than leaves, hung off the branches. The levels were larger than any of the others before them. Some of the apartments, the smallest of which looked twice as large as the mansions and three times as tall, weren’t even for living in, but purely to waste money on trinkets. There were only a few slim pockets in the ground that looked down on the lower levels of Yilzoc, and no one seemed to bother to notice them. They were barely visible from the higher levels, where the platforms served only as roads for the flashy vehicles that hovered in the flowing traffic which moved as smoothly as though each person had perfectly coordinated their travel plans.

As Elevator 32 slowed, nearing the top of the city, the terminals that encircled it at every level morphed into a grand structure. Jo felt like a column had fallen down and swallowed her, obscuring her view of the city and replacing it with a grand station, which only became grander as the elevator slowed even more until it stopped. When it did, the full effect of the change in atmosphere should have fallen on Jovita. Her ears should have felt swollen, and her stomach and head should have felt oddly light. Her lungs should have tried to take steady gulps of the fresh, clean air, but struggle to breathe. Instead, she simply seemed to sigh and immediately adjust. She didn’t know how many levels there were on Yilzoc, but she could easily guess that there were no more than five hundred and sixty.

The walls of the elevator began moving, turning to reveal the opening through which she could leave. She quickly straightened up and made sure the ring was in the pocket hidden inside her jacket. She rid any expression of awe from her face and replaced it with a swift, cold stare, her hands stuck in her pockets, seconds before the door was fully open. She walked out into the grandeur of the lobby, with sunlight brighter than Jo had ever seen streaming in through the glass walls and a massive, crystal chandelier hanging from the center of the high ceiling.

She quickly spotted the solitary figure of a clearly skeptical man waiting close by. He looked more human than not. His skin was several shades darker than hers, but barely contrasted in comparison to the vast shades of skin, feathers, and scales that existed on Yilzoc. He looked at least several inches taller than Jo, with a much broader figure. He wore loose pants made of a simple-looking, navy-blue fabric that was nearly entirely concealed above the knee by his robe-like suit, which was a light enough shade of grey to be mistaken as white with a hint light blue, and had a hem which seemed cut into a large point from the back on either side, loosely overlapping. The entire thing seemed to wrap around him, up to the collar, where one side met and half covered the other before both faded into the shoulders and long, loose sleeves. It looked more like glorified pajamas than anything esteemed to Jo.

The man’s hair was long enough to have a bit of wave in it, but not enough to be messy. Even its light brown color, which somehow perfectly matched his skin tone, seemed to give the impression of elegance. There was the slightest shadow of a thin beard lightly painted on the edge of his gracefully angled jaw with the slightest hint of a goatee and a transparent mustache above his curved lips. Jo’s eyes finally met his sepia irises, an odd parchment-gold color. His eyes seemed to be appraising her with as much strange, ill content curiosity as hers did him.

Did you purposely dress in such scraps to embarrass me? He asked in a voice that was both soft and severe.

Sorry, but I didn’t have anything else to wear, Jo said unapologetically. If you’re embarrassed, maybe you shouldn’t go dropping family heirlooms.

There was a flash of aggravation in his eyes. Jo slowly and casually began walking around the room, as though she were studying it and comparing it to whatever expectation she’d had. The man’s eyes followed her.

No one ever said anything about an heirloom, he finally said.

You didn’t have to. There’s an ‘L’ on your broach. She nodded to the silver button pinned over his heart. You value that ring, if you’re willing to pay that much to get it back, and you, no offence, clearly have no idea what you’re doing, she added offensively. He half glared at her indignantly as her path morphed into a tighter circle around him. So, what’s so urgent?

I beg your pardon?

Your price has gone consistently up for nearly a week and then you double the difference. Whatever you need it for is soon, so I’d wager having it so close to you and not knowing how to get it is agonizing, Jovita said, leaning closer to him to taunt him before pulling away just as he tried to turn towards her.

I don’t even know if you really have it, he said coolly.

You know they wouldn’t have let me up if I didn’t prove my claim.

The elevator shot downwards, making the man cringe. Jo’s theory that he didn’t want anyone finding out he’d lost the ring was supported by his jumpiness. She had a sneaking suspicion that she’d stand out more than a Gretian in the pristine world that this man seemed to live in.

What’s your name, pretty boy? Jo asked, playing on his already apparent indignation.

What? He asked, his attention quickly turning back to her.

A name. It’s easier to deal with someone when you know their name, she said in a moment of sincereness. Or I could keep calling you ‘pretty boy.’

Neo, he said quickly, not wanting to imagine her doing anything else to aggravate him. What’s yours?

Not important.

What level are you from?

Why does it matter? Change how much you have to pay me?

Neo was silent.

It does, doesn’t it? Jo realized, her grin only growing. Level 559.

Liar.

Cheat.

Both looked intently at the other, daring the other to break the silence first.

Where are you from? Neo asked.

District 32, Jo said, stating the obvious, then sighed at Neo’s displeased glare. The Ground.

So, sixty-five thousand, he stated his most recent price, ready get the money from his pocket and be done with it.

No, Jo said, halting his hand.

You don’t want the money? He asked.

Oh, I never said that. I want what you offered your equals for finding it.

Why should I do that?

Because the only difference between me and them is where I live.

Neo bit the inside of his lip in consideration.

I’ll give you half of it. It’s much more than I offered the Ground, he bargained.

No, Jo said. "Pay me the full price or I go back home and you’ll have to come find me, on the Ground, with a better offer