April 18th seemed to come entirely too quickly. The school day went painfully slow, of course all the school days went slowly. By the time I met T, I was ready to fling myself at her.

"I thought you were desperate to get rid of me," T smiled.

"I never want to get rid of you." I wrapped my arms around T's body. I didn't ever want to let go.

Despite the constant disclaimers that the mobile surgical team didn't have appropriate resources, T was as good as new. I looked at her.

"You wear that suit better than me."

T snorted. "Well, mine actually fits me. That helps."

I squeezed her tighter. It didn't feel like anything would be enough. Her suit was hard, like a solid surface. I'd once looked into what went into the suits. It was meant to be shot at. I squeezed her tight.

"Stay safe."

"I will. And I'm coming back to crash your engagement, you hear me?"

I nodded. "Don't you dare be late."

We stood awkwardly. "You're going to have to let go of me, Sonnet."

"I know."

I didn't let go. I leaned my head against her chest. It wasn't until someone in the deep voice that the suit gave everyone reminded us that we were on a time schedule that I let go of T.

T flashed a cute, playful kind of grin. She pulled up the hood of her suit. Her eyes were the only thing that showed through. The whole team dawned dark, tinted glasses.

"You should go back up." T's voice was unnaturally deep. The same as mine had been breaking out of the DUI.

"Can't I watch you leave?"

T looked to the person next to her. You wouldn't have ever guessed this was a team of doctors. They looked like the people the news broadcasters told you to fear. I guess they were. They just happened to also be my friends.

"Go to the kitchen window. You'll see us from there."

I nodded. They turned to leave. I rushed up the stairs, out of breath by the time I made it to the window.

I didn't stop to breathe until I was there. Nothing came for a couple of minutes. The van almost looked like the cars in pictures of before the floods. It never would have been allowed if it actually was. It was powered entirely by clean energies. The specific model they were in had solar panels all over the top. I grinned down at it.

Most delicacies were delivered in vehicles like that. A simple train wouldn't be fit to deliver something with such high demand. To get something with all-natural ingredients was fancy, but to get something with all-natural ingredients in a road-runner, the descendent of the cars that almost ended the world, was truly a mark of status.

The road-runner was stopped at the edge of the property. I looked as it drove out of sight. That was Tyena. I wrapped my hands around the windowsill.

I'd never actually watched T's special hologram. She'd insisted it wasn't anything special. She'd let me keep it, but barely. I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to see it or not.

"Hey, Sonnet?"

Rob's voice echoed. He must've been in the library or parlor.

"Yeah?"

"Do you know where Mr. Luarenz is? I can't find him."

"I don't know. Can't you just ring for him?"

"Could I just--I hadn't thought of that. I'll do that."

"That's good."

Rob's voice was getting closer. I needed to look like I was doing something legitimate. What was something I'd do in the kitchen? Rob had been hitting my cake supply hard. I couldn't go to that. I opened the fridge. The room felt instantly chillier.

I grabbed the milk. No one just drank milk.

"Where are you?"

His voice was dangerously close.

"I'm here!"

I closed the fridge, still holding the cold glass.

"Oh, hey. I leaned into the room."

"Can you pour me a glass too?"

"You want plain milk?"

"Yeah? Don't tell me that's ridiculous too. Where I'm from people just drink milk."

He grabbed the container out of my hands.

"Most people here can't afford enough to just drink milk."

"Perks of being rich."

He started chugging the milk right from the jug. There hadn't been much left in it, but I still couldn't help myself from staring at him.

"So, what are you up to?" He said, cocking his head as though there wasn't a thin line of milk above his lip.

"Just getting a snack." I was a good liar, and I was sure he'd have believed anything I said just then. It didn't seem like he cared much about the answer.

"I was wondering if you'd want to do something... together?"

"Like what?" I didn't want to do whatever it was, but I wasn't about to tell him that.

"I don't know. Go on a walk?"

"I feel pretty tired. Rain check?"

"Oh, okay. But defiantly we will, later, right?"

"Sure."

I turned and walked out of the room. I turned like I was going to my room, but walked straight past the stairs. I slipped out the door to the outside. The outside air was cold, but I didn't care. I couldn't be in that house, not with him. Not with is expectations or his need for love.

I broke into a run. I wanted to run away from it all. I wanted to run to a time before he was there, pulling strings to derail my life.

I was in the city before I knew it, wandering around allies. I would have to go home, eventually. Just not yet. I couldn't yet. I needed some time where it was only my thoughts, not Rob's, not the governments. They couldn't take that from me.

I took a breath of the clean air. I needed something to change. Tyena would be there, I knew it. I'd just have to wait.