The Sun Dwellers

“Do you want me to participate?” Roc asks, a kind offer, one I know I must reject.

“Thanks, but no. All your information is secondhand, whereas I’ve experienced it.” Roc nods, as if he already knew what my answer would be and agrees: it has to be me.

“We shouldn’t linger too long,” Adele says softly, pushing me to get started. She slides her hand into the space between us, palm up. An offer.

I meet her eyes, thankful for the gesture, and then place my hand atop hers, embarrassed by the moisture on my skin. I take another deep breath but it catches as a lump forms in my throat. My body’s rebelling against me, I think.

“Where do I start?” I say under my breath, trying to gather up all the crap in my mind and turn it into a coherent thought.

“From the begi

Yes. The begi

My fifteenth birthday. My father’s gift. Not a new sword or a trip to the Sandy Oasis or a new dress tunic, but a revelation.

“The day I turned fifteen,” I start, “was one of the worst days of my life.” I look around, checking for reactions. The faces are like stone, frozen on me, not giving away anything. Even Trevor’s managed to suspend his amusement for the moment.

“I woke up ready for a day of presents and cakes and a party, but instead, my father was waiting by my bedside. ‘Today I have something to show the entire family,’ he said. ‘Something you’ll all one day be a part of.’ By that point in my life my father and I had already grown miles apart, but I didn’t hate him. Not yet. Not until later that day.”

I pause, breathe in, breathe out, choose my next words carefully.

“None of us knew what to expect—not even my mom. Killen was excited, only thirteen at that time, I was curious but wary, and my mom was very quiet, like she knew something bad was coming. My father was himself: stern, gregarious, intimidating. ‘After this you become a Nailin,’ he said to me as we left the presidential buildings, slapping me on the back. He didn’t ask if I wanted to be a Nailin.

“A black car took us through the city, past the statue of the first Nailin President, past the shopping district, past the train station, until we reached an ordinary black stone building in a corner of the capital that I’d never seen before. The security was the tightest I’d ever been subjected to. Even with my father in the car, they searched it, checked all of our identification, as if we were somehow Nailin family look-a-likes. It was crazy. It’s the type of thing that would normally set my father off, but he was calm and patient through the entire thing. He even said that all the procedures were to be strictly enforced, no matter what, under his orders.”

“Why all the rigmarole?” Trevor asks.

“There was something hidden inside that no one could ever know about—not even the security guards. Even my father’s family didn’t know about that place, at least not until that day. Only my father’s most trusted advisors and top scientists knew about it. Oh, and those sun dwellers, moon dwellers, and star dwellers who were recruited to participate in the project.”

“Project?” Adele says, her hand tightening on mine. “What project?”

“And since when was your father interested in input from moon or star dwellers in anything he did?” Trevor asks.

I put a hand up. “Please. I’ll get to all that in time.”

Adele murmurs, “Sorry,” while Trevor leans back and motions for me to continue.

“Where was I? Oh, yes, security. We weren’t done yet. After parking the vehicle in a covered lot full of black cars, we went through a physical pat down by a guard each, a metal detector, and then a chemical identifier. And that was before even entering the building.

“Once inside, we filed down a hall, and then rode a lift to the eighteenth floor, which was marked as RESTRICTED on the panel—my father had to use a key to access it.

“The eighteenth floor was like nothing I’d ever seen, full of men and women in white coats ru

A few eyebrows go up, but I rush on, not wanting any questions just yet. “One of them—a bald guy with a nametag that identified him as Dr. Markus Kane—recognized my father and came to greet us. He introduced himself, welcomed us to the Nailin Center, and then led us through a maze of desks and expensive-looking lab equipment.

“A door at the other end of the floor provided access to this crazy bridge. It was glass on all sides, including the floor and ceiling, and shot out of the building, high above the edge of the city, and disappeared into the side of the cavern. I was so shocked at the feeling of flying as we walked through the glass passage, I didn’t notice what was at the other end until we were right on top of it.”

“Let me guess, another bald white-coated scientist?” Trevor says, curling a lip.

“Close. A vault, complete with a card reading device and a little black panel that read fingerprints. Like I said before, this place spared no expense on security, and we were apparently headed for the most secure area of all.”

“And you say the vault led into the side of the cavern, as in out of the city?” Adele asks.

“That’s right,” I say.

“So basically a hidden cave on the outskirts of the city.”

“That’s correct. The only way in or out of this cave was through the black building and the glass walkway. Anyway, the scientist inserted his ID card in a slot, stuck a finger on the reader, and then turned a huge wheel, which opened the door.

“The cave was completely different to the eighteenth floor. The walls were rough, the lighting dim, and only three people ma

“Although Dr. Kane introduced them to us, I can’t remember their names anymore. But I can remember what they did. They controlled access to the Cylinder.”

“The Cylinder? What is that—like a big tube?” Trevor asks.

“Pretty much,” I say. “But a big freaking tube, made from concrete. It rose from the floor all the way to the ceiling. There was a hatch cut into the side of the tube.”

“So they had three people just to control access to this tube thingy?” Adele asks.

“That’s right. I’m sure they did other things, too, but if anyone was scheduled to use the Cylinder, I guess these people would be there. Before we entered the tube, we were each given metal bracelets to wear on our arms. They snapped on our wrists, clasped so tight we couldn’t move them at all. The only way to get them off was with an electronic device that controlled the locking mechanism.”

“What were they for?” Adele asks.

“They told us two things: First—to track us. Second—as a symbol of our authorization to enter the next secure area.”

“Another secure area?” Trevor says. “This all seems just a little over the top. Even for sun dwellers.”

“It was pretty nuts to me too,” I admit.

Tawni asks her first question: “Why would they need to track you?”

“Everything was just very controlled. They wanted to know where everyone was at any given time. In case anything happened, I guess.”

I look around, glad everyone—except Roc, who’s just watching, his lips pursed—is engaged and participating. Somehow hearing other people’s voices is helping with my nerves. I’m in a rhythm now, the words flowing freely, my mouth on autopilot. My heart rate has even slowed to a seemingly normal pace. But as soon I realize I’m closing in on the moment of truth, my blood starts pumping again, and my chest vibrates to the thud, thud…thud, thud…thud, thud…of my beating heart knocking against my bones.

I continue slowly, trying to delay. “We went into the hatch and the door closed behind us. My mother had been silent for most of the trip, until now. ‘Where the hell are you taking us?’ she said. It was the first time I’d ever heard her curse, and I could feel a surge of anger, or maybe fear, coming off of her.”