The Perfect World (The Perfect World Series Book 1) (42 page)

Sahane turned to Cyrus, who said the words with a passion that mirrored her own.

“I understand why people would get upset about it,” Cyrus explained to her, “but that doesn’t give them the right to blame you or your family. They should put the blame where it truly belongs. The armed forces of the perfect world are the ones who destroy the boats. They’re the ones who make it difficult for us to get fish and kill those people who try. We should blame them, instead of blaming one another.”

Sahane nodded. “That’s what my family always says. If we stop fishing, that’s just one more thing they get to take away from us. They’ve already taken away large parts of our country and made it so that we can’t move around easily. If we give them what they want and we stop fishing, they’ll just use those resources to stop us from doing something else.”

“It won’t end if we give up,” Cyrus agreed, knowing from personal experience what the perfect world was like. “It will only end if we keep fighting back.”

“That’s part of the reason I wanted to help you. I want to stop them from killing the fisherman. I want my family’s dream to be free of blood.”

There was a short lull in the conversation before Sahane turned back to Cyrus with a smile and said, “It’s nice to talk to someone else about this. Usually, I only talk about it with Priscilla. And Scott obviously.”

“Obviously, huh?” Cyrus said with some amusement.

Sahane went a little red, but she didn’t deny anything. Instead, she changed the subject. “Looks like Priscilla was right about you.”

Now it was Cyrus’s turn to be uncomfortable. “What did she say?”

“That you were a good listener, and you’d really get where I was coming from.”

“Am I really that different from people who have grown up here?”

“You are.” Sahane nodded. “People who have been living in the domes all their lives, well, they don’t always get why this upsets me so much.

“I think that’s why Priscilla and I have been friends ever since she came to the Pittsburgh Dome. She’s really adamant when it comes to speaking out against the perfect world and the people who give into it too easily. Kind of like you,” she added a little too casually. “Maybe the two of you should get together and come up with some arguments for action whenever we have to answer to dissenters.”

“I wouldn’t want to impose on Priscilla. I know she’s pretty busy,” Cyrus commented neutrally.

If Sahane noticed the dodge, she didn’t make any note of it. “Priscilla is never too busy for people she likes. Your presence would be far from an imposition to her.”

Cyrus was momentarily distracted when the light of the setting sun struck his face. He turned towards the red light and placed his hand by his face to protect his eyes. The color brought forth an image of a certain redhead that he was longing to see again.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he remarked absently.

“You okay?” Sahane asked him with a tilt of her head.

“Fine,” Cyrus reassured her, then he gestured to the remaining guests. “We should probably start mingling again. They did come here to speak to us, after all.”

“I think they’re mostly interested in you.”

“If they’re interested in me, then they should be interested in my team. I wouldn’t be getting anywhere without the rest of you,” Cyrus admitted, waving a hand at Victor and Julian who were loitering in the other corner of the room.

Cyrus stayed a bit longer to talk to Mrs. Inez’s guests, happy to fulfill his promise to Julian to speak with her. Though he had taken care of this matter, the party had brought one more assignment to his attention. Cyrus knew he would need to take care of it soon and hoped that it wouldn’t cost him a good friend.

After Mrs. Inez’s party, Cyrus searched for the right moment to speak with Priscilla. To his dismay, both he and Priscilla were people with busy schedules. Between spending time with his raiding classes, along with his regular course load and Priscilla spending so much time working at her parents’ restaurant, they barely had time for a friendly wave in the off-chance that they did see each other.

A few weeks later, Cyrus finally had his chance when Xavier invited him to attend another party. When he asked whether or not Priscilla would be there, Xavier rather hesitantly admitted she would be. The day of said party, Cyrus steeled himself for what could become a very unpleasant conversation.

When he did arrive at Xavier’s house later that evening, he chatted amiably with those around him while keeping an eye open for Priscilla. During one of the brief moments when he excused himself for a drink, he paused by the refreshment table to do a bit of people watching. The room was filled with people his age, both friends and acquaintances mingling with frenetic energy. Some of them were speaking animatedly with friends while others stood apart from the crowds, lost in a world built just for two. Watching them intently, memories of his many meetings with Melody flooded his vision until all he could remember was the warm feeling of the pair of them together.

The feeling vanished as Priscilla stepped into his line of sight. She was studying him and smiling that endearing smile. His nerves started acting up a bit, but he didn’t turn away. He knew that now was the time to do it. Unwaveringly, he strode up to Priscilla and said, “Hey.”

“Hey, you,” she replied as her long, dark hair waved behind her. The scent of a flowery perfume hit his nostrils. “What’s with the serious face? You thinking about our training or something?”

“No, not exactly,” Cyrus said. “Listen, I want to talk to you. Is there somewhere we can go to talk in private?”

Priscilla’s face fell into a mask at the words. He couldn’t tell if she was happy, sad, angry, or well, anything. After a pause, she simply said, “Let’s go to the balcony.”

Cyrus nodded, and they took off. Briefly, Cyrus thought he saw Xavier watching them, but he ignored it. If Xavier wanted to know what happened, he could ask either one of them for himself.

Priscilla opened the sliding screen door and stepped outside onto the balcony with Cyrus following close behind. He shut the door behind them, and they both walked up to the railing. Cyrus placed his hands on top of it, and Priscilla turned her back to the railing and leaned against it. After a moment of silence between them, Priscilla said, “Well, what is it you wanted to say? It isn’t nice to keep a lady in suspense you know.”

“I just wanted to ask you something.” Cyrus looked Priscilla in the eyes. “Why are you helping out with the raiding team?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I want to know your reasons for it,” Cyrus said, choosing his words carefully. “Are you doing it because you think it’s right or are you doing it for me?”

Priscilla met his eyes and didn’t look away. “Both, but mostly for you.”

“Because we’re friends?”

“Yes, although I want to be more than that.” Priscilla took one of his hands in hers and squeezed it. “When I first saw you, I thought there was something special about you. I couldn’t put my finger on it then, but after seeing you struggle against the politicians to get the raids started and how you just kept going, even after it was rejected, I knew my first impression was correct.

“For so long, we who have lived in the domes have become comfortable with our lives. We do the same things that those before us did, keeping to our illusion of complete safety. Years pass and everything remains the same. Everyone just accepts it because that’s the way life is. That is until you arrived.”

Priscilla clasped his hand tighter. “I know this sounds strange, Cyrus, but from the moment I saw you, I thought you looked alive. So many in these domes have forgotten how to live, Cyrus. They need people like you around them to remind them what life is supposed to be. It shouldn’t stagnate and stay the same for years and years with no change. It should continue to develop and never settle for mediocrity. That’s what I see in you.” Priscilla leaned closer to him. “That’s why I want to be with you.”

“You think too highly of me.”

Priscilla rolled her eyes. “None of that modesty crap. You deserve to be praised for bringing all of us together and planning to do something about the perfect world. There are so few people who would dare to do what you’ve done.”

“Perhaps, though I don’t think any of them has my reasons.” Cyrus sighed. Priscilla looked at him curiously, so he said, “Why do you think I’ve been trying to get the raids started again?”

“To help save the people who are still stuck in that horrible system, right?”

“That would be the broad gist of it.” Cyrus freed his hand from Priscilla’s and laid it down at his side. “The truth is, I’m doing all this to save a friend of mine. A woman who I haven’t been able to get out of my head since I was just a child. Someone who I see behind my eyelids every time I close them. Someone who I don’t feel I can live without.”

Priscilla dropped her gaze from him and stared at the ground sadly. “I see.”

“Do you think less of me for this?” he asked as she pinned her gaze on the ground.

“No,” she said softly, “it doesn’t change my opinion of you. To do all this for someone you love is just as admirable.” Priscilla looked back up at him, and he saw a bit of wetness in her eyes. “I hope she deserves it.”

“Listen, Priscilla, I didn’t want to hurt you by telling you this, but I also didn’t want you to go on a raid to obtain something that I can’t give you. I can’t give you what you want, and I don’t want you working so hard under false pretenses.”

Silence fell between them as Cyrus waited for her to say something. When she gave him no response, he asked, “Do you want to quit the raiding party?”

Priscilla’s eyes narrowed at that and she walked right up to him and gave him a hard punch on the arm. “Of course not! Who do you think I am?”

She brushed her long hair back over her shoulders and put on a confident expression. “I’m not going to abandon all of my friends and throw away my beliefs just because of a little heartbreak. I’m a grown woman of the Pittsburgh dome and a free woman at that. I will not just go home and do nothing because somebody dared to tell me the truth.”

Priscilla clapped him on the shoulder. “No, Cyrus Wright, I’m afraid it takes more than that to get rid of me. You won’t get off so easily.”

Cyrus felt incredibly relieved and the warm smile he gave her was genuine. Priscilla had a truly amazing spirit. He was sorry he couldn’t give her what she wanted. She seemed to guess his thoughts because her smile was just as warm as she turned away and walked back towards the sliding door. Right before she opened it, she said, “I’ll respect your feelings Cyrus.” Priscilla looked at him over her shoulder. “If you love her, then I won’t come between you. I will fight with you to free her.”

“Priscilla,” Cyrus said and then paused, hoping he could say the words right, “I may not be the right person for you. I can tell you that one day some guy is going to look at you and really see you. Then you’ll be the only thing he sees from that day forward.”

Priscilla’s eyes showed a touch of uncertainty. “How do you know?”

Cyrus shrugged. “I’ve gotten to know you. That’s evidence enough for me.”

“Careful with that,” Priscilla said as she opened the sliding door a crack, “I might just fall for you all over again.”

She winked at him and disappeared inside, leaving him alone with his thoughts. Cyrus hoped that he hadn’t caused her a lot of pain with what he had just told her. Still, part of him knew there was nothing to do about it. It was better to tell her now rather than have her continue to pine for something that wasn’t going to happen. Sighing, he turned back to the railing and gazed at the scenery, dreaming of holding Melody again.

When it started to get a bit chilly, Cyrus went back inside to rejoin the party. He noticed that Xavier was talking with Priscilla and they seemed to be at their normal banter. He was glad for that.

Cyrus’s green eyes also caught a glimpse of Scott standing very close to Sahane, holding her hand. He whispered something in her ear, and she went a little red and nodded. The pair disappeared to a different room of the house looking for a bit more privacy. Cyrus grinned, promising to tease Scott about it when they got home.

The party went on well past midnight, but Cyrus left a bit early, tired from the intense training of the day. As he laid down on his bed for the night, he stared up at the ceiling. His  thoughts drifted to Melody, as they often did these days. He wondered what she was thinking about, stuck in the perfect world that seemed light years away from his warm, comfortable bed. He wondered if she thought about him the way he thought about her.

The thought had occurred to Cyrus before. Typically, he was able to brush it away without a single doubt. Tonight, he found, was different. His mind inevitably wandered to Priscilla and the way she had looked at him. The way she had genuinely cared about him and how, in spite of not wanting to hurt her, he couldn’t return her affection. Part of him thought that it was unfair, but the rational part of him knew he couldn’t help what he felt.

What if Melody doesn’t love me the way I love her? Cyrus let his mind wander into territory that he hadn’t wanted to think about. What if she’s moved past that time we shared when we were kids?   

The young man let his mind mull over that uncomfortable question until finally it came together for him.

And if she doesn’t? Isn’t that her choice to make? Would you only save her so that she could love you?

The very idea disgusted him, and he banished it from his mind. Rolling onto his side, he stared out the window of his bedroom into the dark night sky.

No, of course not. I want to help her get away from that terrible place. Her and others like her who are trapped in a place that they despise, but can’t leave. And … And if she doesn’t love me anymore, it’s fine. It would be enough to know that she was alive in a place where she could use her ideas to make herself happy. Even if it wasn’t with me.

Cyrus felt an odd sense of peace creep over him.

I won’t give up on her until it happens. But, if it does, it’s okay. It will hurt for a time, but I’ll live with it. If that’s what she wants.

Cyrus stayed awake a moment longer, wondering if Melody was perhaps gazing out at the same night sky. Then he closed his eyes and went to sleep.