Something We Miss

Chapter 10

Martians knew how to treat a guest, Daisy had to give them that. She met a Martian guard in the commons, dressed in black uniform. He escorted her to the landing pad, where a red ship waited. Her seat was comfortable, and they gave her a drink that tasted like pineapple with the consistency of a milkshake.

She felt only a little guilty she hadn't gone to class.

They blasted off and her heart leapt out of her chest. She felt numb, like she wasn't really going. Wasn't going to ask Matthew for help. Wasn't becoming the politician she dreaded.

Mars wasn't as red as she'd envisioned, more of an orange-ish brown. Judging from the red ship and red interior and red print on the screens, she guessed the color red was more of a trademark than a reality. Maybe that was the reason they didn't have gardens.

Everything there was stone, not that Neptune had them beat by much. It was a deep orange stone, like it had been baked by the sun.

A crowd had gathered on the landing pad, black with red markings, and applauded when she stepped onto the staircase to descend. She put on a wide smile and waved, walking carefully down the steps. This was different.

There was a red car at the end of the tarmac, and her guards ushered her towards it quickly, dispelling the crowd. People shouted at her, not all of it good.

"Will this be broadcast?" she asked one of the guards.

"No one knows you're here," the guard replied. Daisy twisted a strand of her hair around her finger as she climbed into the car. Her blue dress contrasted sharply with the red leather seat.

She didn't know whether to be concerned or reassured.

They drove through the capital city, and her driver seemed more of a tour guide than a military driver. "Kun City almost entirely populated by government workers," he said. "Most Martian citizens live outside the capital. Neptune just has the one city, doesn't it?"

"Yes," she replied, preoccupied.

He continued talking about the way the city was built, and Daisy tuned him out to think. Matthew hadn't met her at the landing pad. He was waiting for her to arrive. He wanted her to see the city. He wanted her to see the military. Dramatic.

The buildings were set close to each other, the streets thin. She noticed a strange darkness in the air, then realized the synthetic atmosphere was tinged with gray, like sunglasses. Red details were set everywhere, the numbers on houses, the street signs, the clothes, the glasses in restaurants, and streaks in the people's trademark thick black hair. The women all looked like Terra, and Daisy wondered if people thought the same about Neptunians. Both Celestials were pretty uniformed genetic-wise.

The palace came into view, directly ahead over the slight incline. The same red as the other buildings, it rose four times as high as any other. Carefully noting this, she realized there were no skyscrapers in Kun City. Nothing about this was a city.

The driver finished his speech. "Gem, huh?"

"Gem," she said blankly. "Where's Prince Solum?"

He frowned into his rearview mirror. "I've never met him. You're to meet one of his staff members where I'll drop you. From there, I don't know where you'll go. Probably tour the palace."

"I came here to meet Matthew Solum."

He slowly raised the divider between the front and back seats, eyeing her carefully until the gap closed.

She sighed and leaned her face against the window, her breath fogging the glass. In another five minutes, they pulled to the front of the palace and a guard opened her door. She stepped out as a tall woman with long, black hair approached her. "Welcome, Princess Edelweiss."