The car pulled over to the side. The doors magically opened without me touching anything. I got out and waited for Sydney as she paid with nothing. At least it seemed like nothing. She tapped on her phone a few times on a smooth surface, and the driver gave her a crisp thumbs–up before leaving.

"How did you pay?" I asked.

"Paid via mobile."

I tilted my head. "Meaning?"

She curled her lips inside her mouth and puffed air out of her nose. She grasped my shoulder lightly. "You have a lot to learn."

She didn't have to tell me.

Sydney and I spoke a lot in the car, particularly about her house. Located in a suburban area just outside the city, her neighborhood bloomed with children playing in the tiny cul-de-sac. Laughter filled the air as children raced on foot up and down the streets. There were four houses in the cul-de-sac, and they're identical to each other, each with a cyan exterior and two floors. The grass in the front yards was trimmed to tiny shards, and a neat pavement path led to the stairs going up to the main door.

Even though the neighborhood was small, nobody knew what was going on in each other's lives. People stayed private for whatever reason. It's what Sydney told me, and I didn't care enough to further ask.

She rustled into her pocket and pulled out a silver key to unlock the door. The door opened smoothly without a squeak or noise. Sydney removed her shoes by the small shoe rack adjacent to the door. I followed her lead.

"We can relax for some time. Do you want to freshen up? Like… take a shower or something?" She asked while slowly backing into another room.

"A shower sounds nice. I don't have any clothes of my own."

"No worries, I'll give you some of mine. We'll go shopping sometime this week."

The word "shopping" gave me flashbacks of my time with a certain someone.

I followed her into the open room she walked in. It was a big kitchen with granite counters. There were plenty of white cabinets and draws for appliances and storage. To my right seemed to be a stove, though the surface was flat so I didn't know. I asked Sydney and she told me it's an eclectic stove. Whatever that meant. Across from the stove was a large, silver fridge with paper and pictures of people. I didn't bother asking.

Something caught my eye while observing the kitchen.

"Okay, I'll show you how to use the shower and—what?"

She stopped mid-sentence. I couldn't blame her since she removed something unexpected.

"Your hair…"

"What… this? Oh, it's a wig. I wore it since it looked better with the outfit." She held her long, black hair in a ponytail with one hand.

I took a few steps closer. "It's so curly."

"Oh, my natural hair. Ya, it's high maintenance, but it's worth it."

Her hair curled like springs just passed her shoulders. Some of it covered her right eye while leaving the left unbothered. Did that get in the way of her sight? I didn't care to ask, but that question did circle my head a few times. Her hair was gray like ashes from a fire, and it puffed out, giving it a slight bounce.

"This is your natural hair?"

"The curls, ya. The color, no. I'm a brunette like you, but I've been dyeing my hair this color for a long time."

My fingers smoothly ran down my hair from my ears. It was getting long and well past my shoulders. It was time to trim it. It was something to keep in mind later.

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Sydney clasped her hands and showed me the way to the shower. She gave me a pair of casual clothes and insisted on making me tea. I couldn't refuse tea.

I took a quick fifteen–minute shower and changed into the clothes Sydney gave me. A sudden rush of deja vu hit me while changing. It felt like I was at the tent again for the first time. That thought caused me to stare at the ground aimlessly, lost in my mind.

I shook that thought away. Those days were over. There was no point reminiscing about it.

I checked myself in the standing mirror. I wore a white sweater with one detailed eye that took up the majority of the back, and oak brown sweatpants to complement it. I wasn't too big on style, but this didn't look half–bad. I kinda enjoyed looking at myself.

I looked at my hand in the mirror. It felt uncomfortable showering with the cast. I didn't want to get it wet, so I held my arm out. In truth, I didn't know what to do. All I knew was that it wasn't hurting. I thought about getting it looked at here by a professional doctor, thought that might be a hassle because… well… outsider and all.

I raised my hair to look at the forehead wound. There was a mark that ran across the side of my forehead, close to my temple. The scab was a darkish red and a little crusty. No point fiddling around with it.

I went down the white, winder stairs. The floors creaked with each step taken. It reminded me of my cabin back in the outside world.

Sydney met me in the kitchen, where she greeted me with a small mug similar to what I would drink tea in. It rested on top of a white saucer with floral decorations around the edge.

"Be careful, it's hot."

I blew on the drink multiple times before taking a sip. It had a pleasant flowery taste with some nutty toastiness underneath. Though it was extremely hot, it went down my throat smoothly.

"This is pretty good," I said.

She slapped the top of the counter. "Glad you like it. After you finish your tea, we have to go and meet someone."

I raised both brows. "Meet who?"

She sighed as though she didn't like her thoughts. "Someone. You are not in the Ionian system. I have to talk to him, and after a few calls, you and your friends will be fine."

I took a quick sip before asking another question. "What is the Ionian system?"

"It's a database with every Ionian citizen. It consists of a person's medical records, social security number, criminal history, and all that fun stuff. In short, you don't have any sort of identification. We will go to this guy, and he will make a few phone calls for you and your friends to obtain an ID. That ID confirms who you are as a person. It's really important in case you get into a sticky situation."

I understood part of what she said, such as confirming who you are as a person. Other than that, I was as lost as a blind child in the middle of a forest.

"How will that guy do it?" I asked, skeptical about the process.

"He's a very powerful man. I'll leave it at that. It's best that you don't know too much. I don't want to spoil any bright images you have of the city."

I took another sip of my tea, somewhat ignoring those words. I was confused as to why she would spoil anything, though I didn't ask.

She leaned with an elbow on the counter. "What's with the hand?"

I glanced between the cast and her. "Torn tendon and a glass stab wound."

She winced with sympathy. "Ouch. I bet it hurts."

"No," I said, shaking my head. "Some lady gave me something… a serum, I think… but it doesn't hurt. She did say the pain would come back in 96 hours. That was around 20 hours ago… maybe… I'm not sure."

"You received a pain nullifier? 96 hours, four days, that's a heavy dosage." She tapped the counter before opening the nearby pantry and scavenged for something. She sighed and closed the pantry before opening the drawer underneath. A smile returned on her face as she pulled out an 'L' shaped device. "This will help you heal faster. Take off the splint."

The device was red with a coned tip. I'd never seen it before, but then I remembered where I was.

I did as she instructed. The pain lingered, though it was minimal. I faced my palm upwards for her to see.

"What is that?" I asked in obvious curiosity.

"Nathan, my brother, used to work as a doctor before quitting his job and opening a restaurant. This right here is one of the few things given to him as a "good luck gift." It is a nano-tech administrator. Nanotech, or, nanobots are tiny micro–bots. Like molecular-sized robots that are programmed and controlled to do specific tasks. These, in particular, are programmed to heal wounds such as damaged tissue. When I administer the nano tech, it will bind the tears in your tendons, and also eliminate any infection caused by the glass. It will sting, but nothing like a little character building. For the recovery, it'll take a week, maybe two at the most. As for the pain, well, you have a pain nullifier, so you should be fine. Any questions?"

I did not understand a single word she said. That being said, I shook my head and told her to proceed.

I sat on the sofa with my palm out while she kneeled. She held my wrist with the device angled more upward. White and light blue stuff sprayed out of the device, almost like a waterfall.

Sydney wasn't lying when she said it would sting. I groaned with my eyes narrowed. It was less painful and more irritating. Thankfully, the process took a quick two seconds. She grabbed a fresh pad and placed it on the wound, and rewrapped the splint.

I grabbed the back of my hand and winced.

"Ya… it wasn't too bad."

"Good." She said while getting up. "We should get going."

Oh, right, she knew an important person who could help me.

I stood as well. "Let's go."

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