Neverending

28

It's not Seb.

'Suzie!' Even so, I am overwhelmed to see a face I recognise. Has it only been three days since I saw my people?

Suzie leans forward for a hug. I catch her familiar scent, which instantly reminds me of Seb. 'Tinder,' she says, sounding genuinely relieved to see me. I've never been quite sure how much Suzie likes me and how much she tolerates me because of Seb. It's not like she's ever tried to come between us, but you know how with some people it just clicks? And then there's the rest. Suzie and I... we're in that camp.

Suzie steps back to look at me. 'Are you ok? Where's your dwelling?'

I look at my wristband. 'It's, uhhh... Adrastea.'

'Ohh, the Birch!' Suzie sounds impressed. 'How did you manage that?'

This is what I mean. Somehow, Suzie manages to load some judgement into a very innocuous question. I try not to let irritation creep in. Am I not good enough for the Birch? I catch myself being ridiculous.

'I, well. I don't know, to be honest. I just went where I was told.' I laugh, and get a strained one in return.

It's obvious that I'm looking over Suzie's shoulder. 'Seb's not here.'

Disappointment washes over me, making me feel suddenly exhausted.

'But come in, Jesus! My manners.' Suzie steps back and I follow her into the hallway. I immediately see that their dwelling is a lot smaller than mine. 'Come on. I'll get you some coffee.' I wander after Suzie through to the kitchen space. She rustles around, producing a plate with some nice-looking things on it. I slide onto a bar stool that's more comfortable than it looks. The coffee machine starts percolating, reminding me I'm still carrying my level oat.

'I have some coffee, Suze, but thanks for the snacks.' Suzie nods at me as she carries on. 'So, how have things been here?'

'Oh, you know. It's kinda weird. But compared to out there,' Suzie directs her thumb back towards the front entrance, 'I'll take it.'

I furrow my brow. 'Do we actually know what's going on? I mean, Chaos Level Three? That's some serious shit right there, isn't it?'

Suzie pauses, raising her eyes to the ceiling. She looks at me. 'I don't know, Tinder. I've heard things - around here, mainly. But has anything actually happened? Have you seen anything?'

I compile a list: Strong winds; a pack of dogs; maybe the thing that hit my car. It's not really adding up to an apocalypse, if I'm honest. But then, how far in advance would we realise something was up? I'm assuming City Hall has statisticians and data scientists trend-spotting things way before any of us would notice.

I shrug. 'Hmm, I guess not really. The only reason I'm panicking is because of these.' I hold up my phone, the chaos icon still flashing in the bottom corner.

'Exactly that.' I can't tell whether Suzie is worried or not. She wears a permanently laid-back expression. 'Anyway, we're safe here. It's the best place to be. If anything did happen.'

While Suzie pours herself some coffee, I think about what she's just said. Conspiracy theories? Sure, it's crossed my mind. It's hard not to, pop culture being what it is. But being in the middle of a potential apocalypse makes it a lot harder to be objective. 'What have you heard, Suze?'

She pulls up a stool opposite me and places her coffee between us. It's bitter aroma smells enticingly good. I take a sip of my level oat. It's a very, very good coffee.

'This and that. That this is just a massive storm. That we're hours away from Level Four. That Goliath has almost completely disintegrated.' I flinch at this. That geoshield is pretty much the only thing stopping us from actually melting. Suzie carries on. 'And then, there's the one where absolutely nothing is happening and that this is all some sort of elaborate drill.'

'A practice? Can they do that?' Even as I say it, I know how naïve I sound. Suzie smiles at me. 'They can do whatever they want.' I watch Suzie's eyes travel to her right hand, where a circle is drawn around her wrist. Something that Twins do daily to, you know, show up for each other. I know Suzie is crazy about Seb. And I've never seen Seb so in love with anyone. But still, there's something in how she is speaking that makes me think that part of her wishes she wasn't so... beholden.

I think about the conversation I'd had in my head with Juliette countless times and I have some idea why, even when you're very sure you love someone, having to decide your future so quickly and with so much finality seems a bit rushed, and unfair, and... unnecessary. I think for the hundredth time about whichever group of people mandated Twinning and how they essentially took away most of the organic development of a relationship because data showed it benefitted both mental health (equals money saved) and the structure of society (policing reduced). Restricting humans' free will - at least, to a degree - for the sake of the bigger picture. Not for the first time, I sigh and mentally shrug my shoulders. It is, as they say, what it is.

I have no idea if that last one's true but either way, the fact that it's not that much of a stretch is itself an indication of the occasional strangeness of our society. 'Jesus, Suze. It feels pretty messed up.'

'Doesn't it just?' Suzie finishes her coffee and wanders back to the sink. She spends some time looking out of the window framed by countless tiny plants. I move my head a little so that I can see outside, too. I almost gasp. The ocean?

I walk over to window.

Outside, barely a kilometre away, powder-white sand dunes undulate under a sky so pale, there's almost no difference between the two. Separating them are waves, endlessly rolling towards us. It's the most beautiful thing I've seen since... well, I don't remember seeing anything like this before.

Suzie reads my face. 'I know,' she says. 'That's why we want to stay.'

'But -'

She laughs. 'It's not real, Tinder!' Again, I hear something in her voice. 'But go and feel the sand between your toes.' She motions towards a glass doorway, round to the left of the kitchen area. 'It might as well be.'