🌑

“I guess somehow I feel safe around them,” you say.

“I think they’re a little scary,” Zeta says. “But I get it though, I’ve heard they had a hard childhood.”

“I heard they grew up in a cult,” says the voice of your classmate Ida, poking her head in between you from the table behind you.

“I heard it was the government actually,” says Kaz, next to her. “Whoever it was, they say they put implants in their body. They’re a cyborg.”

“Oh come on,” you say. “They’re just a normal autistic enby who’s a little asocial...”

“Believe what you want, at your own risk,” Ida says.

“Last week you were trying to tell me 7 was experimented on as a child. Do you have some weird story for every transfem in our class?” you say. “What’s mine?”

“It’s tame,” Ida says. “You’re dating an older girl who goes to another school, right?”

“She’s only like .58 years older...” you say.

“So it is true!” Kaz writes something in his little notebook.

“Enough of this.” You pick up your tray and stand up, heading outside.

“Hey, wait Aydan!” Zeta follows you.

🌑

The rest of the day was typical--long, slow, scorching Earth summer heat. Finally your last class is dismissed.

“See you tomorrow Aydan!” Zeta says, heading off to the bridge across the Luna river.

You turn the other way and walk around to the back of the academy campus, where a concrete wall separates Translunar Academy from the neighboring School for the Deaf. At a certain spot, a huge tree on the other side reaches over the wall. You check your terminal--2024-12-16 16:25:46. It’s about time.

You hear her from the other side, climbing up onto the tree. Seconds later she drops down right next to you, landing gracefully. She adjusts the dark sunglasses resting on her ears and brushes the leaves out of her black hair--in a long braid as usual, out of her way--and off of the purple jacket of her school uniform, and the black skirt below it, coming to below her knees.

You tap her shoulder and slide down her arm--she takes the back of your hand as you sign her name sign, “Akiko!”

She touches your shoulder and you take her hand when it reaches yours. She signs, “That softness can only be Aydan.”

You both pull each other closer and embrace. You look around you to see that you’re alone, then kiss her. As you’re pulling way, she takes you by the skull and kisses you again.

You take her hand to listen and she signs, “How was your day?”

Switching roles again, you answer, “Boring as ever. These classes feel so surface-level. They have the most powerful computers money can buy, but it always feels so trivial, like I want more than they can give me.”

She signs, “You just aren’t made for this world, Aydan.”

You look up at the wide blue sky.