Chapter 7
Back in her thirteenth floor lair of shadows, Cereus paced back and forth, appraising me and the owl in my hands. “You have passed the first trial,” she said. So difficult. So treacherous! “But do you think you’ll be so successful with the trials yet to come?”
“A mere trifle for me,” I boasted. And really, was that supposed to be hard? “I witnessed wayward spirits in many a stream, and I surveyed them in their realm. Simply enticing and sealing one was something even a mortal could manage.” I gave my owl a nice squeeze. It really was pleasantly soft.
Come to think of it, having Digitaria compile a plushie Cereus to act as my “familiar” would’ve been such a power move. It’s a shame I didn’t think of it.
“I will remember this bravado fondly when I see you kneeling at my feet,” my fiendish captor gloated. “How will you recall it, I wonder?”
“Saving the world from your tyranny will make every moment that led up to it all the sweeter,” I boasted.
“Cherish those fantasies while you can, my precious little captive. In the meantime… um… ah, yes. I must prepare your dinner. I would advise you to use this time to recuperate. You will surely need it!”
As Cereus busied herself in the kitchen, I spread out on the couch, staring at a TV that wasn’t on. The plant was just… so dedicated to the LARP all of a sudden, it was a little exhausting. I had to admit, though… it was kinda fun. Still, I was going to take the peace and quiet where I could get it. I curled up and leaned into a cushiony corner, sinking into it somewhat. I had my owl pinned between my knees and my chest, and I really just had to hope that the affini preparing dinner for me wouldn’t just see my posture and assume something was wrong.
I mean, maybe I was a little worried. What if future “trials” were just some impossible bullshit? What if I passed them all and then she just decided she wanted me anyway?
For some reason, my cheeks warmed at the thought of her wanting me. Which… wasn’t especially helpful. Just remember, Serenity. Nothing could make it worth it. You’ve let the Dark Lady back into your life, you can’t slip up and lose her now!
From the kitchen I could hear an enticing sizzle start to build. Quercus apparently knew what I liked from… profiles or something, it wasn’t a stretch to imagine that Cereus would as well. I mean, sure, the evil Queen could torment me by making things I very much did not like, but for some reason that prospect didn’t seem especially likely to me.
Unfortunately, life was a cruel joke that my mind was in on, so the sound of sizzling only brought to mind work. The grill sizzling, the screens beeping in my ear, maybe another tone to let me know that the next person in the assembly line was waiting on me. Just enough of the process was automated, just enough to remind us that we were replaceable. They’d had centuries to get our roles down to an exact science, and had managed to cut out little inefficiencies like chatting with your coworkers or having reasons to leave your station.
Whatever Cereus was doing, it was starting to smell good. Way better than work ever had. For whatever reason, the plants were just… better at humanity than humanity. Investing in everyone’s well-being, taking all the little arts and crafts we’d practiced over millennia and showing us how they were really done.
Why? Was it the genuine, unadulterated benevolence they seemed to claim it was? Or was it just some baser desire to exert superiority? What if they got bored of us?
How long would it last?
I was dressed in clothing made by affini tech, awaiting a dinner made by an affini, in a tower block generated from nothing because a plant alien willed it. I, and every other human, was completely and utterly at their mercy. By their own admission they were here to stay for all of time, but I knew better than to trust people at their word.
Fat lot of good I could do about it, though.
Alright, Serenity, you’ve spent so long worrying about the plants since they’re here, now you’re going to worry about what happens if they leave?
It was worth considering!
At some point a vine meandered over in my direction, reached over the arm of the couch I was leaning against, and tapped me on the shoulder.
“Your supper awaits, your darkness,” Cereus called.
Cereus insisted we eat at the table, annoyingly enough. She had offered to seat me on the tall and narrow chair I was sitting on, with no shortage of queenly condescension. I’d waved her off and climbed it like a damn ladder; more treacherous than it should have been, admittedly, because of the Shroud’s tendency to settle itself under my feet. That left only the slight problem of my chair being too far from the table — I could only look on in mild annoyance as Cereus carefully pushed me closer.
The food was, though I was loath to admit it, fantastic. Like, actually spectacular. You wouldn’t think that plants held the secrets to a truly amazing barbecue, but here I was. Cereus watched me keenly as I ate, because of course she did; she herself had a root dipped in some sort of translucent colored liquid.
A moment popped into my head while I was eating. “There was this time,” I said between bites, “when I was still a kid, where, like. So my mom had just gotten a promotion, so we went to this real fancy place uptown.” I scooped up some pork and rice, chewed, swallowed. “It was suuuper expensive but so so good.” I didn’t want to say this was better, and really, I didn’t completely remember the taste, but I had to imagine it was something like this.
But the more I ate, the more I realized that this was probably better. Sweet and savory in the perfect balance, with a flavor that filled my whole damn mouth and then some. Cereus had somehow nailed the blend of seasonings, as well. Expansive but not overpowering. Damn plants and their mastery of terran arts.
Did the wardship just mean she was going to just spoil me rotten? Or was she trying to lull me into a sense of security? Nice try, if so. The Dark Lady was ever vigilant! The pretender Queen could try to win my loyalty in any way she fancied, but it would never work… I hoped.
Stars, this was so good.
After dinner Cereus decompiled everything and generally left the kitchen and dining area looking like nothing had occurred. Like, they were spotless. I wasn’t sure what was in plant brains that let them unspool into myriad tendrils to tag team the entire cleaning process in a manner of minutes, but it was a little scary.
“What now?” I asked, as she sauntered back out of the kitchen.
“The Dark Lady may use this time as she likes,” the affini said.
“Anything I want?”
“If you use this time to go outside, I’d ask that you be back by 2200.” Cereus considered for a moment. “And do not think you’ll be able to use this autonomy to escape my grasp, little Evernight. My scrying can foretell any disobedience.” Something rippled within her, until a vine emerged producing two bands. Before I could protest, a flurry of motion and vines exposed my wrists, clasping a band on each one. Once set in place, they adjusted automatically until they fit snugly.
“Bracelets?” I asked.
“Power limiters!” Cereus corrected. “I, of course, am well aware of what the Dark Lady of Evernight is capable of. While I observed you, I had these developed in secret. Just try to escape into the night while they’re active! You’ll find very quickly that you are little more than a mortal in terms of ability.”
I picked at them until they sounded a warning beep, accompanied by a flash of red light.
“Don’t think they can simply be removed,” the Queen said. “Powerful magics protect them. More powerful than even you, Evernight.”
Oh no! My imaginary powers! What would I ever do?
“Furthermore!” Cereus declared, with a flourish of her cape, “they will communicate your whereabouts to me at all times.”
Ah. That was the real purpose of them. “So don’t hop on the first train outta town, got it.”
She grinned at me. “You will not like where it leads.”
Before I could head out the door, she stopped me.
“Take your tablet so we may remain in contact,” she said. “And certainly do not be foolish enough to discard it.”
“Alrighty then.” I turned about face, and headed to my room where I left it. She was… giving me more freedom than I really thought she would’ve, to be perfectly honest. I didn’t really have any ideas of where I wanted to go, but it’d be pretty foolish to waste the opportunity. Before I grabbed my tablet, though, I paused.
What if the same thing that happened last night were to happen again? This time I didn’t have any smoke bombs… I mean, my powers were limited by my captivity. Of course, I didn’t even get a chance to use them, the last time.
Well, it wasn’t like they could put me under a second wardship, I reasoned. I grabbed my pad and headed back out into the main room, where Cereus was setting up the TV for some devious purpose. I was about to touch the door before she stopped me again.
“Oh, and, Serenity?” Had she slipped out of character? “Call upon me should you need anything. If someone harasses you… ahem. Should anyone harass my charge, or should she get lost… don’t hesitate.”
“I’ll… try to keep it in mind.”
I spent a good few minutes just leaned up against the railing overlooking what was apparently the third level atrium. There was no shortage of people down there, terran and affini alike, just… enjoying the evening, I guess. Affini, affini and florets, small groups of terrans, very few solitary ones. Basically a microcosm of the city. No one seemed to mind the girl in the starry cloak a couple of floors above watching them.
But that was usually how it started, wasn’t it? No one seemed to mind me, until they did.
Yes, yes, poor Serenity. Brood brood brood brood brood brood brood.
For the moment, I took a closer look at my so-called “power limiters.” They were thin bands of… something. Plant matter? The same stuff the affini made all their tech out of, I guess. It looked like the kind of thing that shouldn’t stand up to a little pressure from a knife, but I could only imagine what the things would do if I tried that.
“Oh, hey!” someone said. After jumping at their intrusion, I slowly turned to face them. It was that girl from yesterday, the one who’d complimented my Shroud. She looked so… proper, compared to me; dark hair done up in a smart ponytail, a simple skirt and blouse combo instead of what, uh, I was wearing. She was, like, definitely cis, too. Definitely probably cis. I guess plant hormones were so good though that passing was easier, so, uh, I could’ve been wrong.
“U-uh, hi,” I managed to stammer out.
“Do you live here?” she asked. My eyes drifted towards the door to my right, the place that I was, in fact, living in.
“Do you?” I asked back. She shook her head.
“Just visiting a friend,” she explained. “We’re gonna hang out together. Her… owner seemed cool with me staying over too, if I wanted.”
“She’s a floret?” was the first thing out of my mouth.
The girl chuckled. “Yeah, but I knew her from before all that. I was a bit weirded out, but she seems kinda happier this way, y’know what I mean?” I just stared at her dumbly for a few moments. “But what about you?” she continued on. “You here because you live here, or some other reason?”
“Wardship,” I muttered. She chuckled again.
“Damn, they got ya, huh? Being good for your ‘ffini?”
“Just… doing the best I can,” I sighed. This girl didn’t need to know about our ongoing LARP.
“Wait wait wait, is the wardship why you’re dressed up like this? Something they put you up to?”
“No! Uh, no,” I said. “I just, uh… I just like it.” I stared intently at a particularly interesting piece of floor.
She grinned at me, and, uh, stars. “There a story behind it?”
Was there ever. “Uh. It’s, uh, a long one.”
“You’ll have to tell me sometime,” she said, while I just sort of quivered on the spot. “It’ll probably have to wait, though, since my friend’s gonna start wondering where I am. Oh, I’m Alayah by the way. Ridiculous name, isn’t it? So 22nd century.”
“Um. Serenity,” I said. “My name! That’s my name. Serenity.”
“See, that’s such a better name! It’s so… timeless.”
“Picked it myself,” I nervously chuckled.
“Oh, got a name change? That’s so cool!”
Who was this Alayah? Why was she so enthused by all my stupid little words? Anyway, I’d never actually gotten around to a formal name change. I’d never had the time. When the affini came and asked me if I was ________, I’d told them I preferred “Serenity,” and that… was that.
“Um, thanks.”
Alayah grinned at me one more time, but was making ready to leave. “Well, I gotta get going, now, but it was cool meeting you! Maybe we’ll run into each other again?”
“Oh, uh, maybe…” I murmured. She gave me a little wave before heading off. “Um, bye,” I said, once she was already gone.
Okay. Okay. BREATHE, Serenity. She was gone, you survived.
I survived? I survived. Stars, why was she so friendly? That being said, when she asked me if an affini had dressed me like this, I thought I was going to die. Affini assumed I was a floret, humans… were never going to understand, were they? Even the polite ones. Hell, I’d probably scoff if some stranger ran up to me claiming to be the ultimate grandmaster of something or another.
But if that was the case… what was I doing?
I sat down and leaned back against the railing. I was still very early on in terms of the Dark Lady’s revival. She was still a novelty. Soon enough, though, people, meat and plant alike, would really start to wonder just what I was doing, still wearing that silly thing. And it’d only get worse from there. They’d think me weird, maybe obnoxious. Give it a while and they’d start to get confrontational. “The hell are you still doing, you jackass? Take that shit off and grow up.” And the affini? “Oh, petal, are you still not a floret yet?”
But it was worse than that, wasn’t it? She’d been back a day and then it had all fallen apart. Take the Class D and confess your sins. Oh, sounds like it’s time for a wardship! You dirty feralist.
My bracelets beeped, and a light on them flashed yellow. Why? Why were they doing this?
And why had the affini told me to put on the stupid cloak and then punish me for it? What did they gain?
A pet.
B-but they could’ve chosen anyone.
But it’d be so much more fun to break someone with delusions of grandeur.
But I never FUCKING HURT ANYONE!
The bracelets beeped red, and I felt a pinprick. Of course these fucking things would just… drug me…
And now I didn’t know what I’d been so upset about. Why was my face wet? Okay, I’d been crying, I guess. Cool, cool…
The door in front of me opened. “Serenity?” Cereus was standing there, looking worried. “Your bracelet activated. What happened?”
I looked back up at them. “Tried to use my powers, duh.”
“Tell me what happened, Serenity.” Cereus sat beside me on the oversized couch while I idly pet my owl.
“You went and drugged me, apparently. I want the counteragent.”
“It was my mistake not telling you that the bracelets could do that, and I’m sorry,” Cereus said. “But please, can you tell me what upset you in the first place? Was it another sophont?”
I shook my head. “Just me.” Cereus didn’t say anything, apparently waiting for me to elaborate, so I did. “Just found it a bit odd you plants would be so interested in bringing Evernight back, just to take away my independence a day later.” It was just a matter of fact. No need to raise my voice or anything, I had just made an observation.
“Serenity, those two things are unrelated.”
“No, no, definitely related. You read my stories, so you know that Evernight doesn’t always sit well with authority. So I guess you go and figure, ‘let’s let this girl have her day of fun, and then we can shut her up before she does anything subversive.’ It was clever, really. Maybe I should just be honored that you found me that much of a threat.”
Cereus shook her head. “The wardship was for no other reason than our collective realization that the periodic wellness checks were not enough to properly see to your needs.”
“I must be really high maintenance, huh.”
“You were hiding your pain, your fear, your anxiety. Hiding them from everyone you could,” Cereus said. “Even before we came to Earth. Am I right?”
“What, you want me to go back in time so I can bitch to my roommates that work sucked?”
“We can only focus on the present and future, Serenity.” Vines were massaging my shoulders, which was… fine, I guess. “And we want you to understand that you don’t need to hide anymore.”
“Bring back the Queen, she was more fun,” I muttered. Cereus looked away briefly. “I mean… sunset.”
“No harm will come to my precious Evernight,” the Queen said. “She has fought so hard on behalf of everyone… but the time has come for her to put some of that effort towards herself.”
“Your words are wasted on me, pretender. You should worry for yourself, and for how I will dispense justice when I break free.”
Cereus didn’t understand that I needed to hide. To not become a pet. To not lose my job. To not be eaten alive by my classmates. It was only when I couldn’t hide any longer that everything fell apart. When I broke instead of bending.
Evernight was supposed to keep me from breaking…
“It is evident that my charge has the weight of the world on her mind,” Cereus said. “But she must understand that the sharing of feelings can help to distribute the weight.”
Even the Queen was so eager to dissect my headspace. It would’ve been aggravating if chemicals swirling around within me would’ve allowed it to be. Instead it was just… whatever. The fact that she took my silence as an invitation to continue was fine too, I guess.
“I’m offering the Dark Lady a chance to empower herself. The burdens of the mind are limiting, like a ball and chain. Allow me to bear some of its weight.”
I looked at her, and my gaze then drifted automatically to her quartet of eyes. “Why would my adversary make such an offer? It can only be steeped in deception.”
“It is a matter of pride, my dear Evernight. I wouldn’t dream of facing you in any state other than your maximum potential.”
My response was to shove my shackled wrists in her face. “Then explain these.”
“They are a pragmatic measure, my dear charge. I would hate for you to stumble into the ultimate confrontation before you are ready,” Cereus said.
“The Queen contradicts herself as she hides her true motives,” I scoffed.
“The Queen” arose from the couch in one fluid motion, drawing up to her full height. “I cannot and will not tolerate the undue misery of my subjects. You call me your adversary and that is a role I am happy to play should it bring you peace of mind.” There was an extra note in her voice, one that layered it, made it surround me. “Make no mistake, your darkness. Even your submission will be an act of joy. Pass or fail, you will be completed. I will allow nothing less.”
Darkness had fallen outside and no lights were on in the hab. Her eyes were aglow, and they dominated my vision. I could only cower, back away until the couch wouldn’t allow me to go any farther. She was so Big, and I was so small. It was all her game. It all ended the moment she chose. Evernight could do nothing… not against this. Say the word, Serenity. Just say the word and she’ll back off.
B-but what was the point… an affini was an affini. She wanted my subjugation.
But the Queen’s posture collapsed, despite my not saying anything. Her shoulders drooped, and she cautiously leaned forward. The meaning was obvious — she thought me too weak for anything else.
“Serenity,” Cereus said. Some motion of vines turned on the lights, leaving me only more exposed, curled up into a ball at the far end of the couch. My bracelets beeped yellow, apparently on standby to drug me EVEN MORE. “Serenity, I’m so sorry…”
It was so damn pathetic. I was so damn pathetic. There was one thing holding me back from complete collapse, and that could’ve only been the drugs already in my system.
It was… calm down, Serenity. Calm down or the things on my wrists would release more. They’d sedate me until nothing was left. They’d…
Stop. Just stop. Stop thinking, stop doing the things they could take advantage of. Vines were massaging me again, putting my traitorous body on pins and needles. Forcefully dragging me away from the edge I’d nearly hurtled off of.
“Safe now,” Cereus said. “You’re safe now.”
Finally, I let words creep out. “I’m nothing. Nothing at all. Evernight is dead.”
Cereus physically recoiled at that, but her vines didn’t stop their ministrations. “And why do you say that, dear?”
“It’s over,” I said, not really feeling anything as I did so. “She can’t… she can’t beat you.” I closed my eyes and brought my knees closer to my chest. “I’m out of my depth.”
“You don’t need to ‘beat me,’” Cereus said. “That’s what the trials are for.”
I looked back up at her, dully trying to hold onto anger. “T-then what the hell is that ‘ultimate confrontation’ you were going on about?”
Cereus looked aside. “I… find myself improvising quite a lot, as much as it shames me to say it. I’m… still new to this wonderful inner world of yours, and I fear I infringed upon your space as I tried to find mine.”
Huh. Multiple times in one day I’d gotten a plant to admit fault. That seemed unusual. This time though I could sort of identify with where she was coming from.
“You might suck at it at first,” I said, but I wasn’t trying to be demeaning or anything. “You get so involved making a cool character that you forget to think about what works for the story.”
“I will set the Queen aside to better help with your well-being,” Cereus said.
“Don’t you dare.”
The plant looked at me in honest surprise. “Serenity?”
“No one’s ever… tried to do that for me, before. No one ever tried to engage with the character,” I said, recalling Evernight’s first iteration. “At best I’d get weird looks. I… I don’t know what I even would’ve said or done if someone came up to me and declared themselves my rival.” I chuckled and shook my head. “I probably wouldn’t believe them, at first. Probably would’ve assumed it was some elaborate plot to ruin me in front of the whole damn school.” A third vine came to pat me on the back.
Cereus brightened. “You like the Queen, then?”
“She’s a little basic,” I confessed. Cereus drooped. “But!” I added quickly, “she’s got a ton of potential.” I considered for a moment. “It’s admittedly a bit scary. There’s a big unknown in there, with her character being written by a giant plant alien from distant space, y’know what I mean?”
“I believe I do,” Cereus said. She had her tablet out, and was taking notes. “But I have a feeling that it might have little to do with my being an affini. Every villain the Dark Lady has fought against was penned by you, and now that one isn’t, you are unsure of where it could lead.”
“It’s… yeah, there’s that.” For all I knew, Cereus had a biological imperative within her to make me a floret and wouldn’t stop until it was done. “I’m scared of what could happen. But at the same time… I think I actually had fun today.”
I could see the briefest hints of wide-eyed joy on the affini’s face before she recomposed herself. I waited for her to say whatever affini-type thing she was going to, whether it be something about my care, or well-being, or whatever.
“I had fun as well,” she said instead. I looked at her. She looked at me.
“That’s… um.” I wasn’t sure what to say. “I… I’m glad. I-I mean it would suck if, y’know, you were just doing this to please me and didn’t, uh, didn’t actually, um, enjoy it.”
“Playing a role is fun!” Cereus said. “I feel… powerful, like I’m the captain of my own ship, or, or like… I’m the kind of respected oldbloom who could capture the imaginations of those around me.” Stars, she was such a dork. “Do you… have any pointers for character building?”
I smirked. “You wish to know what I know?” Cereus nodded. “Then one must adhere to the words of the classics. Hab AI! Turn on the television!”
“Sure thing, cutie!” the AI chirped back.
“Cereus, why does it talk like that?”