The Sky is Always Bluer

May 22, 2023

Backstory

May of 2023 was a tumultuous month in my life. I left the north of Iceland, moving to Hveragerði. That was not a good idea. I then finally moved back to the city, to Kópavogur. Moving into June, I met some new people who had quite a large impact on my life. In a way, I think I wanted to capture the transformations of my life in a story.

I had outlined this one back in January, but I did not start writing until May nor take it seriously until June. I stopped working on this story around June 10. That is where the events took place leading to me focusing on actually publishing a book: You, Man, Emotion. This story was put aside, and I have no plans to continue it. It has its problems, but the themes are good. I’m happy with the direction I wanted to take everything, but I didn’t have the writing skills to realize my visions or it.

Text

I

The Undercity Celebration

Chapter 1

I sat again in the Lower Sphere, looking out through one of the small windows. There were very few places where I could be alone. And this was the only spot where the lights from the spheres above created a calm and serene environment – not too dark, and not too bright. I enjoyed watching the sand drift by, the occasional creature, or debris. But I didn’t come here to take in the sights. I finally made up my mind: I was going to open the hatch. Whatever it took, however long it took, I had to know what else was out there.

I looked up as far as the window would allow. Everyone was running about, dancing, and playing. It was Festive Week – the first day. It was late, but all the spheres above were set to evening. Out in the distance, far off to the north, was a faint glow, and I made sure to keep my eyes on it as midnight struck. Like always, it went off. At eight the next day, it would come back on, exactly the same as ours… if it weren’t Festive Week. If there was another city out there, why wouldn’t they celebrate it?

Up above, distant figures shifted against the lights. Nobody else seemed to really mind. Getting up, I went over to the hatch. The tiny piece of metal must have consumed so much of our ancestors’ time. Maybe they gave up, or maybe they just chose to forget about it. Nobody ever talks about it, only whispers and rumors. But I knew this was the only chance we had to find some sense of purpose down here. The only stories that have survived are of The Great Ending. So how did we get here?

As I sat in contemplation, the upper spheres slowly faded into darkness. The Lower Sphere remained lit only by the stair lights. I went over to the hatch, touching the back of my hand to the smooth metal plate. While it was no different from so many other pieces of flooring, the hatch was the lowest piece in all the spheres. And according to temperature readings, it was always just slightly colder than the surrounding metal. The biggest sign of something hidden away, however, was knocking on it. It sounded hollow, like there was space behind it – space with air.

Lost in my thoughts once more, quick footsteps by the stairs brought me back to reality. I stood up and tidied myself just in time as Althea came running down. Seeing me standing awkwardly over the hatch gave away what I was up to.

“You really couldn’t find the time for Celebration Day?” She looked disappointed.

“The light went off at midnight, like I said,” I tried to explain. “That can only mean they don’t celebrate like we do.”

Althea just stared at me. “If it is a city,” she said with a sigh, “and why couldn’t it just be, you know, a light? The spheres got here somehow, and it certainly wasn’t in the dark.”

She walked over to me, stopping on the hatch. To my shock, she stomped on it as hard as she could.

“Hey! You’re going to get someone’s attention!”

“Everyone’s gone to bed,” she said with a smile. “Now it’s time to get to work.” Althea took a Scilex from her pocket and unfolded it in front of me before walking off.

“Oh,” was all I could manage. That was the last thing I had expected. I followed her to the table. 

“I’ll take it that you couldn’t find the time for Celebration Day either, then?”

She laughed and turned the Scilex towards me. “We’ll all have something better to celebrate if this works out.”

One the display was the city’s maintenance list. Althea had highlighted a part labeled ML204. According to the inventory, there were thirty-seven in use, and twelve in reserve.

“Maglocks,” she said proudly as she tapped on details. “Thirty-four above, and three in the Lower Sphere.”

I looked around in the dim light: a maintenance panel by the stairs, and a delivery chute across from it. I looked back at Althea. “You can’t say I’m crazy for thinking there are other cities if you’re going to tell me the hatch is actually just a hatch,” I said, glancing around. “I can see plenty of spots to put a lock. And why would they include secret parts on the maintenance list?”

“Maybe it wasn’t meant to be a secret. Or, what if we just weren’t meant to have the maintenance lists?” Althea leaned back, watching me.

I thought about it for a moment. It still seemed too simple. Then again, nobody really knows the politics behind our situation. Most conversations are simply about our situation.

“I guess I never really considered whether it was meant to be a secret,” I said at last. “Our ancestors knew the situation on the surface, so it would make sense that nobody ever thought about leaving.”

“Or they stole it from someone else.” Althea laughed at the idea. “In any case, there’s a maglock here that I haven’t seen. Either the list is wrong, or ‘the hatch is actually just a hatch,’” she said mockingly.

Shaking my head, I picked up the Scilex and folded it back down. “Look, it’s already late,” I said and handed the Scilex to Althea, “but let’s meet again tomorrow. And please put this back where you found it.”

We headed up the stairs and went our separate ways. As I snuck back to my Bubble, all I could think about was how simple our situation could be. I fell asleep asking myself the same question over and over: why has no one ever tried to leave?

I woke up to the morning lights. From my window on Sphere three, all I could make out was murky water quickly fading away into the dark abyss of the ocean. Soon came the familiar clatter from the hall as Hetta slowly opened my door, peeking in through the crack.

“Jatus,” she said, folding the door the rest of the way, “would you care to explain yourself?” She sounded disappointed.

“Explain what?” I tried to sound genuine.

“Explain why you felt the need to skip Celebration Day without telling me or Dannul,” she replied with her firm “mother” voice.

Realizing Hetta wasn’t going to let me off so easily this time, I decided to tell her what she wanted to hear.

“I was just hanging out with Althea… To watch the light go off at midnight,” I quickly added.

“I see.” Hetta gave me a disapproving look and walked off. 

I got ready as fast as I could and headed with them to the Mess Sphere. Dannul merely gave me that same look, and a “Jatus,” to which I replied, “Father.” I could only imagine what Hetta told him.

After a very silent breakfast in the crowded mess hall, I stood up with my tray to make my exit. But Hetta broke the silence:

“We’ll see you tonight for Progress Day. Dannul’s team has quite the interesting presentation you wouldn’t want to miss.”

“Of course. I can’t miss Progress Day.” I tried to give them a reassuring smile before I rushed off.

Chapter 2

The overseer greeted us with his usual excitement and encouragement.

“Today is another tough day, but,” he pointed to me at the end, then everyone else down the line, “you have a duty to perform. Together, we are Foods, and together, we are a team.” He paused dramatically as though we hadn’t heard this same speech a thousand times. “We have fish to gut and stalks to cut. Keep up the good work, and I’ll take care of cleanup myself today!”

Despite the hard work ahead, that was enough to put everyone in a good mood. However, I was assigned stalk duty, and Althea was assigned fish duty – we wouldn’t get to talk. I was sent with Matur and Tralla to the upper tanks.

We made our way up the grated stairs. The hum of the pressure room was slowly replaced by the clanging of our footsteps. Row upon row of modified seaweeds floated in the tanks, ready for harvest. I made sure to take the “good spot” so I could look out at the ocean floor while we worked. It didn’t take long to get lost in the endless, swirling abyss.

“I heard that Metal Reclamation fixed the iron extractors!” came the excited voice of Matur, breaking through my concentration.

“And Vegetation upped stalk growth yet again,” said Tralla proudly from beside me.

“Let me guess, another half percent?” Matur teased.

“Come on,” I joined in, acting like I was paying attention, “half a percent each year adds up.”

“Yeah, give it two hundred years, and we’d already be done!” joked Matur. In what felt like mere minutes, we had already harvested enough for a normal day, although Celebration Week meant double everything.

Tralla groaned as Matur laughed. Her birth father being in Vegetation made her an easy target for us in Foods. I was just happy Matur didn’t pull his usual “you are what you eat” shenanigans.

“At least we’re not gutting fish,” she muttered.

Reminded of Althea, I looked down at the overseer. He was chatting  away with the ground-tank group. For a moment, I thought about excusing myself to find Althea and let her know about my situation with Hetta. I wondered, too, whether she was having problems of her own. Perhaps Tullan was onto her, waiting for the right moment to insert himself into her mischief like usual. The last thing we needed was the threat of being told on, let alone bringing someone else into the mix. I began wondering if anyone had seen us sneaking in or out of the Lower Sphere before. My focus shifted back to the ocean floor as my hands continued their well-rehearsed dance. The banter between Matur and Tralla grew distant as my mind drifted off…

“Jatus!” Matur and Tralla were watching me from the stairs. I was not paying attention. Dropping the stalk I was holding back in the tank, I followed them down.

“What was that about?” Tralla asked.

“Just caught up in the work.” I immediately regretted my silly excuse.

“Caught up in the work,” repeated Matur, “that’s something new.”

The jovial mood was gone, but at least they didn’t press me. The overseer was waiting for us with the ground-tank workers, everyone engaged in disjointed conversations. As we approached, the overseer told us we were free to enjoy the rest of our day. He would clean up as promised. 

Althea and the rest of the fish group were nowhere to be seen, and I had drawn enough attention for one day. Rather than going looking for her, I just went straight back to the Lower Sphere to leave a note.

On the way down, I paid careful attention to the few locks in the city. Fifteen Spheres, thirty-seven locks. Of course each Sphere has a maintenance hatch or two and maybe a delivery chute, but there isn’t much else to lock. I passed by the entrance to the Mechanical Sphere, one of the few locked doors I knew of. All the locks are for safety reasons. Whether it’s moving parts, electricity, or something temperamental like the farm tanks, the only area that’s locked for the sake of restriction is the small Upper Sphere where our electeds work. But even that was because the city controls were up there – emergency overrides, lighting controls, life support… Everything was intentional. And obvious. So where else could that third maglock be? And who had the key?

As I neared the Lower Sphere, more and more people began appearing. They all seemed to be in a rush carrying containers of all sizes. I asked the next mechanic I saw what was going on.

“You’ll find out tonight, but it involves a lot of metal,” she said with excitement. In fact, everyone seemed happy. Matur must have been correct about Metal Reclamation. But that would also mean the Lower Sphere will be busy for quite a while with stock changing. There was no way I could leave a note.

What will Hetta think if I show up tonight, but not Althea? And what will Althea think if I don’t meet her? A sudden sense of dread ran through me. For the first time that I can remember, I felt a sense of hopelessness. I had let the idea of the hatch consume me. I only told Althea about it last week. Nevertheless, it was the only thing I had been thinking about: what’s out there, and what’s our next step. The thought of cutting any more stalks was almost painful.

The stairs to the Lower Sphere were filled with mechanics walking up and down, all so happy and lively. “Hey, Jatus!” they said as they walked by, one by one. I looked down from the first step at the small metal plate: the hatch. “Just wait ‘til you hear what this is all about!” someone called up as I watched. What if I just told them? Maybe they would understand.

“Hey,” I caught Pallar as he walked by, “do you mind if I ask you a strange question?”

He looked at the crate in his hands, then back at me. “Is it about all this?” He motioned down the stairs with his chin.

“Not really. You’ve heard of the hatch, right?” I asked

“Everyone’s heard of the hatch,” he laughed, “don’t tell me you’re trying to open it too.”

“Too? What do you mean?”

“Every once in a while, someone in Engineering gets curious. But everyone comes to their senses once they realize there’s nothing to see out there anyway.” His smile faded as he looked down at the metal plate. “Why are you asking about it?”

“Seeing all the mechanics just made me curious”, I lied, unsure of what else to say.

Pallur just laughed again. “Nothing but the ocean and the city!” he quoted and went on his way.

Such was our motto: another way of saying that all we have is each other and all we need is each other. That must be why nobody else cares. What more do they need? There’s nothing to be gained from the hatch. But why am I the only one not satisfied with what we have? Disappointed and confused, I headed to the library.

“Jatus!” Venna smiled. “What can I do for you?”

The doors to all four Scilex rooms were shut. Today was not going very well.

“I was hoping to do some research on the city. Would you happen to know how old it is?”

Venna thought for a moment. “Well, if we started counting ninety-two years ago…” She paused, looking off into the distance. “We know there are at least two generations before that, that’s a common question…” she trailed off.

“Can it really be any more than two-hundred years old?” Even if I knew it was, I never grasped the significance of its age.

“Well, our ancestors only left the stories of The Great Ending. They didn’t mention anything about time.” She turned around and opened a drawer, pulling out a stack of paper. “I know Rorin was curious about the city’s age, too.” She spent another few minutes flipping through messily-scrawled pages before finally pulling one out and setting it on the counter.

“This was his analysis,” she said, turning the page towards me. She pointed to each line as she explained. “Seventy-three counted years – at the time – two known generations, oldest person was eighty-four, remembers someone dying at ninety-seven when he was around thirty, city is minimum of two-hundred years old.”

“Is this all in the Scilex database?” I asked, gesturing towards the stack of paper.

“Not all of it, but the important bits certainly are.”

Even though she spent over fifty years collecting knowledge as Librarian, Venna’s confident answers were always inspiring. I felt this was the perfect opportunity to press for more.

“Also, do you know anything about other cities?”

“Well, it’s certainly possible for others to exist. Nobody knows what the light is, after all.” I was amazed at how matter-of-fact she was. It made me wish I worked in the library.

“But nothing is mentioned in the stories? No tunnels or connections, or even the hatch?” Saying the word made me feel embarrassed – like bringing it up was disrespecting her role.

“No cities, no tunnels, no dates, no places, nothing. Just plain and simple facts until we started counting,” she replied while slowly shaking her head. “And don’t think the hatch will have any answers,” she gave me a knowing look. “However old the city is, we’ve made it this far without any breaches.”

I thanked Venna for her help and returned to my Bubble. Hetta would be home soon, and I did not want to be late. Back in my room, I watched the sand drifting by the window. I couldn’t help but let my imagination run free: that out there, in front of me, on the edge of the blackness, could be an entire city like ours. The entire ocean, however big it is, could be filled with cities. They could all have a hatch lost to history, hiding a series of tunnels connecting us together. Or there could be people on the surface who survived The Great Ending, completely unaware of our existence. The possibilities are endless. Now after talking to Venna, a disturbing thought  came to mind: what if the surface is habitable? If nobody knows how long we’ve been down here…

I clutched at my hair and stood up. I have responsibilities and people I care about. These ideas can’t ruin my perception of the world. There’s no need to think about what else is out there, just like Pallur said. We’re happy. We’ve never even had a problem before. We’re one big family, all my mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters – we’re doing everything right this time, giving humanity an actual chance.

I paced around my room, my head in my arms, pulling at my hair. If anyone saw me, they would think I’d gone mad.

How quickly everything turned upside down. That meaningless piece of metal. I only just resolved to open it. Now I can’t stop thinking about everything that doesn’t matter. I returned to the window.

The front door opened and closed. I had already changed into my formalwear in the hopes of appeasing Hetta. She didn’t check on me, but I heard her door close. In just thirty minutes, Progress Day would officially begin. Regardless of whatever was going on in my head, I was genuinely curious to know what Dannul and Life Support had to present. If it weren’t for the fact that Althea was probably preparing her getaway while I waited for Hetta, I might have even been excited for Progress Day as a whole.

Soon enough, my door cracked open and Hetta’s head appeared.

“Are you ready to go?” she asked.

“Yes. I’m looking forward to Dannul’s presentation.” Saying it out loud actually did make me feel a hint of excitement.

Hetta grinned and folded the door open. She stood with her hand still on the frame. Our eyes met and she quickly looked away. I knew what was coming.

“Did you invite Althea to our table tonight?”

I felt my face turning bright red.

“No,” I instantly replied. I got up and brushed past her, hoping she wouldn’t see.

I heard her characteristic “I see,” from behind followed by her footsteps in toe as I stepped out into Sphere three.

Everyone was leaving their Bubbles and heading to the Mess Sphere. As bad as I felt for leaving Hetta in the rush, I was not in the mood to talk about Althea – whether about why we’ve been spending time together, or whether I had feelings for her. I absolutely did not want to think about whether I had feelings for her.

The Mess Sphere was already dimmed to evening and decorated for the event. Everyone spoke in soft yet urgent voices, creating an air of excitement and anticipation. Looking around, I saw Tullan with Ardur and Laratha. No Althea. All I felt was anxiety.

Hetta wasn’t far behind, though she was happy to talk with everyone along the way. I sat facing the viewing platform. Through the murky water, I could barely make out the soft glow of the Lower Sphere – until Hetta sat across from me.

“Everyone says to expect good things tonight!” she said in a hushed voice, leaning forward.

“There’s always something good on Progress Day,” I whispered back.

“Oh, just wait and see!” Hetta was in quite a good mood.

On queue, the lights dimmed and the presentation stage lifted up on the opposite side of the Sphere. To my surprise, Dannul came on stage. I glanced at Hetta; she was beaming. Everyone fell silent.

“Today is our celebration of progress,” Dannul’s voice filled the Sphere, “and there are some excellent achievements being announced next, as I am sure everyone has heard rumors. But first, on behalf of Life Support, I would like to begin tonight by announcing a child lottery.”

Everyone gasped. He hadn’t even given the usual introductory  pleasantries. In silent panic, heads turned in every direction. Shocked at this myself, I joined in looking to see which tables had empty seats. I couldn’t help but notice all the stares at Althea’s table. Hetta just smiled at me when I looked back to her.

The space filled quickly with whispers, growing to a constant murmur. Before anything else could happen, Dannul chuckled and continued on.

“No, there haven’t been any casualties,” he paused, letting the room return to silence. “I’m happy to share that Life Support has improved the scrubbers. Along with last year’s climate improvements, we believe it is finally time to welcome number five hundred and one!”

Hetta was quick to stand up and clap, and everyone followed suit. As far as I knew, this was the first time the population ever changed. I didn’t know if a precedent was about to be set, or if this was simply an extraordinary event. Thinking of an extra set of hands in Foods, though, made me hope this would happen again.

“Those eligible are simply asked to follow standard procedures. The lottery will conclude at the end of the week.” With that, Dannul stepped down and came to our table.

The remainder of the event was the usual blur. Metal Reclamation finally had a plan to repair broken metal parts. Vegetation increased kelp growth by three percent – a major letdown after thinking all growth would increase. The only other noteworthy news was a new food process in the works, something about sugar isolation.

After the final presentation, a few tables began filtering out. While Hetta and Dannul continued talking about the importance of increasing the population, making sure I knew how I could be affected, I excused myself. Throughout the evening, I had been watching Althea’s table. Tullan was already gone, and I wanted to check the Lower Sphere before Ardur and Laratha also returned to their Bubble.

Following the flow of people back to Sphere three, I split away unnoticed and crept towards the Lower Sphere. It was almost midnight. If nothing else, at least I could watch the light again. Reaching the stairs, I took one step down and immediately heard a rustling from the now chaotic arrangements of storage crates.

“Althea?” I whispered. Silence. Maybe she didn’t hear me.

I slowly descended the stairs and noticed a crate covering the hatch.

“Althea?” I said again, now a little louder. Nothing. I walked over to the hatch.

Standing over it, I pushed the crate aside. The hatch, inconspicuous as ever, had the slightest scratch illuminated by the stair lights. A scratch that wasn’t there before. I bent down for a better look, running my finger over it. Nobody else would notice or even care, but I imagined this was part of Althea’s scheming.

I walked to the window. It was too murky to make out the Spheres above. Out in the distance, the mysterious, dim light followed its schedule. At exactly midnight, it went off while the glow from the lights above remained on evening. I let out a sigh while thinking of what to say to Althea. Then I heard another rustle. Someone else was here. And if it was her, she wouldn’t be hiding.

“Hello?” I called out, not trying to be quiet.

Another rustle followed by an empty box hitting the floor.

“I knew it!” Tullan ran out from the mess of crates. “Althea would never feel sick for so long!”

So that was her excuse.

“What are you doing here?” I’m sure Tullan got a thrill from the look on my face.

“Where were you guys yesterday? And why did I see Althea coming from down here? And what are you doing here?”

I didn’t blame Tullan for his curiosity or for being suspicious of his blood sister. But as bad as I felt lying to him, his curiosity would be the end of our adventure with the hatch.

“I noticed the light in the north doesn’t follow our Celebration Week schedule. Althea and I were just keeping an eye on it in case it’s another city.” I tried to maintain a neutral tone.

“Another city?” Tullan’s eyes lit up, and he ran over to me by the window. “Did you see something?”

“No, but we thought it would be worth keeping an eye on.” My strategy seemed to work so far: tell everyone about the light, and shift the focus away from the hatch.

Tullan continued staring out the window.

“How would you see anything with all the muck?” he asked.

Of course it would be Tullan, a child, who figured me out. But that gave me an idea.

“That’s what we’re doing! Waiting for a clear day to see what’s out there,” I said with maybe too much enthusiasm.

He looked at me. I could see it click for him as his face filled with awe.

“Can I help? I can watch the light too!”

I really messed that up. Now Tullan would have all the more reason to lurk around the Lower Sphere. I thought for a minute. How can I keep him out of this?

“Actually, Tullan, we can’t let anyone know about this. ‘Nothing but the ocean and the city.’ If we attract any attention, they might block off the window to keep us from causing trouble.” At least that was partially true.

“Aw, but I want to see another city.”

“Don’t worry. Althea will let you know if we see something. And you need to get back before anyone gets suspicious.”

He pouted and ran off. That seemed to sort him out, but now I really needed to talk to Althea. 

This time, back in my room, I fell asleep wondering who I was becoming, spinning stories for the people I care about so I can chase a pointless dream: dismissing Hetta, dragging Althea into this, and now her family. What am I doing?

Chapter 3

I woke up late. The lights were already on Day. Outside, the ocean was calm and quiet. A large squid drifted by at the edge of the light’s reach. I hadn’t seen one in quite a while.

Pulling myself together, I got dressed and grabbed a calorie bar. I assumed that Hetta and Dannul had already gone off to meet with the other parents for Youth Day planning. Being a Saturday, this was the perfect opportunity to find Althea. Tullan would be busy with the day’s activities too; I was already feeling better before even leaving my Bubble.

Everyone else appeared to be busy already. The walkways were all empty save for the occasional straggler. Walking to the library was a serene experience. Apart from the occasional murmur from down a hall, I was left with only the sound of my footsteps and the soft hum of life support. All the windows showed the same scene: rocks and sand in a warm, gentle glow with the occasional fish drifting by in the distance.

Resting on the ocean floor, the Spheres, for all their complexity, really were beautiful. Light poured out from windows, large and small. The weathered, green shells making up the city seemed vibrant and alive under the day’s conditions.

Even the library was calm and empty when I arrived. Venna was nowhere to be seen, and only one Scilex room was occupied. So long as Althea’s schedule wasn’t ruined by our recent adventures, I had hope the day would indeed go well as I knocked on the closed door

“Yes?” came the familiar voice.

Without saying anything, I opened the door. Althea spun around with a look of terror that quickly turned to relief.

“Don’t scare me like that!” She glowered at me.

“I’m sorry I didn’t make it last night. Hetta was getting suspicious,” I said as I closed the door behind me.

Althea rolled her eyes and turned back to the Scilex.

“There’s also Tullan.” Althea immediately spun back around. Again with the glower. “He was in the Lower Sphere. He said he knew you were up to something, so I told him we were just watching the light in case it was another city…” I hesitated, unsure of how she would react, “but I told him not to say anything or else they’ll cover the window.”

“That’s better than nothing,” she said in a dejected tone. “At least there’s not too much anyone can be suspicious of in the first place.”

I thought about mentioning Hetta’s comment of inviting her to our table. But I didn’t think that would accomplish anything.

“Anyway, you missed out. Look at this.” Althea pulled up a screen filled with swirling lines and colors.

“Is that supposed to be art?” I asked, genuinely confused.

“It’s the maglock field,” she answered. “We can figure out the key’s field and copy it onto a new key.”

I stared at the tangle of lines. I never thought about how the keys worked. Or the locks for that matter. The only thing I even knew about magnets was from our old sprouting system. Thinking about it a little more, I grasped what exactly Althea had accomplished.

“Wait, are you saying that you found the maglock? And a way to open it?”

“I did say you missed out,” she smiled. “Festive Week is a good time for sneaking around.”

“So you stole a Scilex – twice now – did you sneak into Mechanical too?” I was scared to know what caused the scratch I saw.

“I may have borrowed an instrument or two, and I may have nearly broken a few things. But I worked it out. Having a Scilex is helpful.” She seemed proud.

Everything was going too well. Though Althea had a point: what is there for anyone to be suspicious of? The worst we could possibly do, in anyone else’s mind, is break some equipment.

“Do you really think nobody else has tried this before? You’re making this sound too easy.” 

“Like I said before,” she replied confidently, “who’s to say anyone wanted to leave? Our ancestors built this place, after all. They wanted to be here. I’m sure they didn’t want people messing with the hatch, but who would go chasing after The Great Ending?”

“If that’s what really happened,” I countered.

“Always with your great ideas,” Althea chuckled and gave me a sorry look. “We’re sitting on the bottom of the ocean with no other people we know of. Either we evolved from fish a little too quickly, or we came here by choice. But forget other people, and forget the surface. I just want to know what’s behind the hatch.”

She had a point. She always has a point. That didn’t change how I felt, though.

“You can’t tell me you’re not curious. You really don’t want to know if the light is another city or if there’s anything on the surface?”

“Maybe if it changed anything, but this is our world. What would we do on the surface? Who would we be? That’s what the ancestors say in all the stories: be happy with what you have, and be human. Or else there won’t be any humans left.” Althea sounded very serious.

“If…” I was going to question whether the stories were true again, but I thought better.

“If what?” She was annoyed.

“I just thought you wanted to get out and see things for yourself.”

“I am curious what’s out there,” she said, her expression softening, “but I’m not about to give anything up to find out.”

I didn’t say anything more. Althea returned her focus to the Scilex, and I watched her dig through Engineering documentation for a while. Eventually, we made plans to meet. Nobody had expectations of us for Youth Day, and Tullan would at least be busy. I was happy to have a plan but disappointed that our motivations weren’t as similar as I originally thought.

I opened the door to find Venna back at her desk. She looked up with a warm expression.

“Jatus! I hope–”

Althea then stepped out after me.

“Oh, hello,” Venna gave us an inquisitive look and returned to her reading. Althea and I exchanged glances. It’s a good thing Hetta doesn’t frequent the library.