The Chapter With A Time Skip

Today was the day.

Liane finished her breakfast and handed the dishes off to HH. She was still a tad glum about the drone's new paint job and the loss of its googly eyed face, but it was a far better option than losing the drone all together. She had already left her old home and all her possessions—including her beloved tree, Oaken—behind to further conceal her true identity from the System. HH was all she had left. She had only been allowed to keep HH under the condition that it also receive a new identity, which for the most part just meant a new paint job.

While HH washed the dishes, Liane did her stretches. When the drone finished its chore, it joined her for morning exercise. She wasn’t a fan of the exercise routine Aurelia had prescribed for her, but after keeping up with it for several weeks now, she had gotten used to it. After all, no matter how young she felt now, her body wasn’t as young as it appeared. If exercising staved off the return of the constant aches and pains of old age, she would do it. And she would do it every day without fail.

Next, Liane showered, then dressed without even blushing at her own reflection. She smiled to herself, having finally acclimated to seeing herself naked.

Right on schedule, CP1 appeared from seemingly nowhere. It had no doubt been watching her every move since she last saw the drone before falling asleep. Liane held out her hand and CP1 dropped a palm sized box into it.

“Where do you get these packages everyday anyway?” Liane asked.

“Delivery drone,” CP1 said.

“You mean to say a drone delivers them here so that I can then deliver them to Claire?”

CP1 bobbed up and down.

“Well, that’s not efficient.”

She pocketed the package then made straight for the garage where her cumulusboard waited.

“I’ll be back later, HH,” she called as she passed the kitchen.

HH turned toward her. “Goodbye. Have a sa—” The drone drifted into a wall and clattered to the ground.

“You okay, HH?”

The drone popped up from the ground. “I am undamaged.”

“Watch where you’re going next time, yeah? Bye now.” Liane waved as she slipped into the garage. Another clattering sound followed her through the door before it closed. She shook her head and ignored it.

The cumulusboard approached Liane the moment she entered the garage, eager as ever to lift off. She strapped on her helmet and stepped up onto the board. By now, she had gained enough proficiency with riding to be able to stand. She could even manage a few tricks. Minor ones, admittedly, but she was proud of herself.

With CP1 in tow, Liane floated up through the open ceiling. It was time for the next part of her daily routine, making a delivery to Claire.

Unlike most days, today they flew toward the city instead of Claire’s farm home. It turned out that Claire could have her packages delivered pretty much anywhere, which meant she and Claire could meet anywhere, and today they were meeting at The Snowflake.

From above, it was easy to see how the shopping mall had gotten its name, it looked like a snowflake. It had six identical branches that expanded out from the center; each branch had smaller branches expanding from the main ones; and to top it off, the entire enormous structure was made of glass that glittered like ice crystals. And if Claire was to be believed, it was even more awe-inspiring from the inside.

Liane knew the top floor famously held a full, extensive, entirely indoor amusement park and the bottom floor supposedly held such an array of restaurants that one could eat at a new one for each meal every day of the year and still not visit them all. Her knowledge ended there, though. Numerous floors lay between the top and bottom, and each one was just as vast and supposedly just as impressive.

Liane landed her cumulusboard outside the mall entrance. The Snowflake loomed before her. She gulped. It wasn’t quite as tall as the nearby skyscrapers, but it was far more expansive, and that didn’t even begin to describe the inside. It was obvious it would take days, if not weeks, to explore a single floor, let alone the entire thing, and the crowds of ghosts mulling about didn’t increase its appeal. But it was too late for regrets, and she was the one who had suggested a visit to The Snowflake in the first place. Remembering the sparkle in Claire’s eyes when she had brought it up, she couldn’t possibly back out now.

Liane exhaled a frosty breath to steal herself, then started working her way through the crowd of ghosts. For the most part, they automatically parted ways for her, but it didn’t really matter since bumping them held no consequence; she simply passed through them. She knew from experience not to simply walk straight through, though, you can’t always see what’s on the other side of a ghost till you run into it. And all the ghosts being dressed up for winter made it more likely they were hiding things for her to crash into.

Liane entered the mall and was immediately overwhelmed. It was a city unto itself, a city within a city. The central area was open, allowing a clear view straight to the glittering glass ceiling. Innumerable shops formed the walls of the central corridor, but alleyways leading deeper into the complex interrupted the veneer at regular intervals. Standalone shops—many with roofs, gardens, and all—made the main floor causeway feel almost like it was outdoors. Overhead, walkways extended through the open air connecting opposite sides of the mall and to independent floating buildings. On each level, Silent hovering trains followed the curve of the mall’s topography as they floated passengers to the far reaches of the mall and back.

Considering it again, overwhelmed didn’t do justice to how Liane felt, she was drowning.

She squeaked when someone grabbed her hand.

“Liane!” Claire said, her shining visage appearing out of the blue. She pulled Liane through the crowd to a spot out of the way.

“I saw you freeze up in the entrance there,” Claire teased. “Not so good with crowds, are you?”

“No, I mean, I’m fine with them. Usually. It was just this place plus the crowds. I’m good now.”

Claire’s expression softened. “Are you sure? How are you feeling today?” she asked.

Liane knew she was referring to the lie CP1 had told her on the day they first ‘met.’ When CP1 had forced her to make a quick exit, Aurelia had directed the drone to claim that Liane had a chronic illness and sometimes needed to return home swiftly for treatment. It provided a perfect excuse for CP1 to interrupt when Liane was failing her mission to get Claire to retract her restraining order, or when she was on the verge of accidentally revealing her real identity.

Liane smiled and shrugged off Claire’s concern. “I’m fine, really, and you know, you don’t need to ask me that every time you see me.”

Claire crossed her arms. “I’m allowed to care about my best friend. I reserve the right to ask about your health whenever I please.”

“Have it your way.”

“Then we’re in agreement.” Claire suddenly gave Liane a hug. “It’s so good to see you again.”

Liane rolled her eyes but smiled in spite of herself. “You say that like it's been ages since we last met. You saw me yesterday and the day before that and the day before that and so on.”

“Yes, but only because you keep making deliveries to me,” Claire pouted. “Stupid System. I want to be able to see you whenever I like.”

“Griping about the System again?”

“No. I’m just concerned that I won’t be able to see you if you get sick and can’t make deliveries.”

“That won’t happen, but if it does, you will just have to get a job and deliver packages to me instead.”

Claire’s eyes lit up. “That’s a great idea. I’m going to remember that.”

“Speaking of deliveries, here is your delivery for today.”

Liane produced the small package and handed it to Claire. She opened it and took out a pack of chewing gum.

“So now you're making me deliver gum?” Liane teased.

“Hey, it’s small and easy to carry around. Besides,” Claire popped a piece in her mouth, “if we finish this pack, I can order it again tomorrow. Have some.”

Liane chuckled and took a piece for herself, then she and Claire made their way to the top floor amusement park. It was time to began their father daughter date, and if luck was on her side, by the end of it, Claire would have retracted her restraining order and Liane could finally reveal the truth. Today was the day.