CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Nova
TWENTY-TWO DAYS LEFT
Nothing could’ve prepared me for my debut on every gossip site possible. The story: Castor Fox was my Pain Giver. He’d sought out his match and taken advantage, romantically.
I’d spent the night sick, hurt and crying into my pillow. Estelle hadn’t believed me when I told her I didn’t know. It couldn’t be true. She’d stormed out the same way she’d stormed in.
Now, it was morning, she still wasn’t answering my calls, and I had three minutes before my Molecular Principles class began. I wasn’t going to make it.
I curled up on the couch, unable to move.
The original Starshade article claimed to have a source at Dominion, with no evidence supporting the allegation.
Calls and messages flooded in – news outlets asking for interviews.
Everyone I knew reached out, except Cas.
He had the grace of a communications blackout, whatever that meant.
I’d hoped he’d find a way around it, but twelve hours passed in silence.
He couldn’t be my Pain Giver. It couldn’t be true. I really needed it to not be true.
If Cas were the reason I was in pain, I’d never be able to look at him again. His pain coursing beneath my skin would fuel hate that’d never die, no matter how sweet he was. It was impossible. All the rules and screening requirements in place – this is impossible.
Daddy didn’t argue when he realized I was skipping class. Instead, he left for Caféology to pick up my favorite bananas Foster pancakes. A small gesture that meant so much to me. Mom used to make pancakes to cheer me up. It was why I always made them for Skye.
Leo couldn’t stay – he had an interview he wasn’t able to reschedule.
I told him I was OK, even though I wasn’t.
The article framed Cas as the one taking advantage of me, but the comments told a different story.
I’d been called every name imaginable from here to the stars.
Bitch, gold digger, whore. All the nasty stereotypes that came with being a Pain Carrier: poor, desperate, fodder for the rich.
Her body but his choice became a crowd favorite.
I set all my socials to private and had to block people I’d thought were friends.
It can’t be true. I refused to believe it was true.
Daddy left on the news, and I whispered a thank-you to the stars that I was home.
Protests filled my campus, the Fox Sciences Wing splashed across the screen.
People holding IMMUNE TO BULLSHIT signs shouted at anyone who passed by.
Since that first night at Bay General, I’d seen their aquamarine lightning bolt emblem tagged at the best graffiti spots.
A second set of protestors hurried past – one girl wearing a dress I could’ve sworn was made of aluminum foil, her flare shades shaped like stars.
‘A second flare is coming! We must prepare for contact!’
The camera panned to the sky, the faint twinkle of the satellite lightning grid still visible.
Solar flares happened more often than people realized – somewhere between two to five a day, varying in intensity.
The ozone filtered out anything harmful, and the satellite grid kept the ozone intact.
There would never be another major flare.
The doorbell rang, and I ignored it, assuming it was another family friend being nosy.
Mrs Johnston had already tried to stop by twice, bringing well wishes and support from the neighborhood aunties.
I caught whoever was outside mutter about our lack of a solisRing, and it reminded me of the first time Cas came by.
I pulled back the corner of the blinds. A black SUV with tinted windows sat at the curb.
A spray-tanned woman with a perfectly layered bob and contoured cheekbones stood outside in sweats.
She noticed me watching. ‘Nova Cecilia Williams?’
I froze at the sound of my full government name. The blinds snapped shut. My heart thudded in my chest. I peeked again. Dominion’s logo – a fox tail curled around a capital D – was etched into the SUV’s door.
I cut my gaze over to the woman. What was this?
‘My name is Della Powers,’ she said. ‘Vice President of Communications. I’m here on behalf of Castor Fox.’
I let the blinds snap closed again. Cas hadn’t texted or said anything about sending someone. But he technically couldn’t – even if he wanted to. At best, this was his workaround. At worst … I sighed. Nothing was worse than my current reality.
I opened the door.
Ms Powers offered a disgustingly fake smile. ‘May we come in?’
‘No,’ Daddy answered for me. I hadn’t heard him come in through the back door, but I was grateful he was here. He stood behind me, a retro to-go tote from Caféology in his hands.
‘Mr Fox would like to –’
My heart swelled. Cas. Where was he? My gaze darted to the SUV.
‘Apologize? Explain how this happened?’ Daddy scoffed. ‘He’s not welcome here.’
‘Daddy.’ I placed a hand on his shoulder.
Ms Powers remained unfazed. ‘We can speak in the car, if you prefer.’
I nodded. Cas and I needed to talk. Preferably without Daddy ready to take his head off.
I convinced him to wait for me in the kitchen, then kicked on some slides and followed Ms Powers outside.
I didn’t care that I was in sweats, an oversized hoodie, dried tears on my cheeks.
I needed this conversation. I needed to hear from him directly what had happened.
Whether it was true. What happens next for us? For me? I knew part of that answer.
A chauffeur opened the door, gesturing me inside without a word.
I glanced from the bald Black man in a tailored suit and dark shades to the empty seat inside.
Two rows of seats faced each other, and I couldn’t see the far side.
I’d expected Cas to greet me. When I slid into the back seat I understood why he didn’t.
I held back my surprise. ‘Mr Fox.’
‘Ms Williams.’
Albert Fox sat with his chin held high, the buttons of his silk dress jacket undone. Ms Powers slid in beside me and the three of us were alone in the SUV, the partition drawn up.
‘It’s unfortunate this is how we’re meeting, but with such a damning headline making the rounds, we need to find a way forward that is agreeable to all parties,’ said Mr Fox.
I tensed, shifting in my seat. ‘Does Cas know you’re here?’
‘No. This conversation is on behalf of Dominion and will need to remain between us.’
Heat flushed up my neck. I didn’t like that I was alone, but that was my fault, not Cas’s. Plus, I’d told Daddy to stay in the house. I tried not to let my imagination spiral about why Mr Fox was here. Deep down, I knew. I just wasn’t ready to accept it.
Ms Powers unlocked her solisTablet, her fingers tapping across the holoscreen.
She turned it toward me. The first thing I recognized was the Dominion logo again, this time above the words Freedom System Pain Carrier Agreement: Nova Cecilia Williams. The hairs on my arms rose.
I focused on my signature at the bottom.
‘I need you to read this part right here.’ She highlighted several lines of fine print.
I enlarged the text with a quick pinch-and-open motion.
‘As a Pain Carrier, I respect the anonymity of the transference process. I will not, under any circumstances, seek the identity of my Pain Giver (as outlined in Section Four: Definitions). I will not engage in any communications or have direct contact. Failure to comply may result in fines and felony charges.’
I swallowed hard.
Please, please, please.
I repeated the word in my head, refusing to let my fear coalesce into a coherent thought. It wasn’t true. There were millions of people registered in the Freedom System. There was a proximity requirement in place. This couldn’t be real.
‘I didn’t seek out my Pain Giver. And I still don’t know –’
‘Those fines can reach as high as ten years’ worth of your Freedom System payments,’ Ms Powers interrupted.
‘In your case, that would come close to – if not exceed – half a million dollars. Then there’s the jail time.
Five to ten years. How would Skye feel about her big sister leaving her behind?
She might finally see the life you’ve worked so hard to shield her from.
With your father just shy of qualifying for disability due to his arthritis, he won’t be able to fill your void.
Oh, and Leo – well, reputable construction work can be hard to come by with a felon in the family.
Though under-the-table pay is always an option. ’
I jerked back. ‘How do you know those things?’
I wanted to run, screaming, but stayed put. I had to know why she and Mr Fox were here, what they were insinuating. I needed to hear them say it.
Mr Fox remained silent as blue light erupted across my skin.
Of course I’d have a hellflare now. I clenched my jaw, refusing to show the pain – physical or emotional.
I didn’t know what would happen if they realized I could feel the disease, and I wasn’t about to give either of them the satisfaction.
Ms Powers plucked her solisTablet from my hands and navigated to a photo. The holoscreen filled with the image of Cas and me outside the spa, his lips pressed to my forehead, a hellflare glowing at my temples. ‘You revealed your Pain Carrier status to Castor Fox yesterday evening.’
My bottom lip quivered, and I bit down hard to stop it.
‘Castor Fox is your Pain Giver,’ she continued. ‘And you, Nova Williams, have violated the terms of your contract. In addition to this photograph, you failed to list Castor Fox as a known associate within the Freedom System.’