Folio Two, Page Forty-Four (svegra mos droskron tal-dros)

My fingers sweat and I struggled to breathe. I had ceased looking at the screen; involuntarily, my eyes moved to the audiovisual encoder at the center of the wall. Aunt Nikis knew that a Niksubva needed privacy. She never used them, not unless we had done something wrong, to spy on us from afar. I had only ever seen the lid on that eye pull back during videoconferences with my mother.

But now — my heart palpitated —— I wrung my hands together and avoided the urge to kick and scream ——— they had violated so much ———— the eye reflected my own face back at me. From the corner of the screen, I saw a beeping orange indicator.

“Nightofday1840,” I whispered. “Are you there?”

The eye remained mute. Perhaps he only watched me. He must have understood me if he was any good at his job. He must have known.

A new message popped onto the screen.

Someone is watching you.

My hands shook so badly that I almost dropped the keyboard.

If not you, then who?

The screen filled with static. I had only ever seen a device do that once, an old video screen salvaged from Attara. Our history teacher had showed us that for comparison. See how bright Ameisa’s past was in comparison, not having to deal with static television before digital came out. If the Taritit had done one thing, it was to liberate us from the steps between steam power and wired consciousness.

I almost thought I saw someone in the grains.

Nightofday1840 said,

I’m sorry.

The screen went dead.

« Folio Two, Page Forty-Three

Folio Two, Page Forty-Five »