Page 83 of Light Leech
“Oh, that’s a given. You know your world, Pet, but you have no idea where I come from. I’m not talking about my forgotten past or whatever you think you might know from your brief interaction with Anton and anyone else you might have met.”
I nodded.
Boyband prodded me. “Du, are you excited?”
“This is serious,” Naoma scolded.
“I know, but it’s still pulse, especially for the lowlifes like us.”
I scoffed. “Says the heir to a SocStan empire.”
“And where did that get me? This is different. I might have visited the Violet District on occasion, but I never got this close with the elites. Don’t act like you don’t enjoy it. All the attention and adoration has to be nice, doesn’t it?”
“Until you can’t go out in the open without a swarm approaching you. Yeah, I got around with a lightguise but that doesn’t prevent the most modded creeps from seeing through it. I won’t lie that undying adoration is nice, but I didn’t care about it back then. Now that I’m out of Reef’s control, I can see that I was a shac to a lot of my followers. Without Reef to back me up, I can’t protect my public image so if I piss off the wrong person, they’ll use social warfare to smear what I have left into disgrace. I can’t say that you have it better because I don’t remember a life out of this, but I would give almost anything to try that right now. Unfortunately, I don’t have that leisure.”
“You could just ditch us all and chase a life alone if you really want.”
“And abandon the only people I know who seem to care for me? Me, Naoma. Not the Neon Idol. I know I could leave and jump back into the life that I had, but, Pet, people aren’t the only reason I’m staying. I’ve seen enough to know that what you are all doing might be the most important thing in the world right now. I’m not going to toss responsibility away for ‘finding myself.’ I have met too many people in the Violet who gave everything away because they wanted to love themself. They gave up family and friends for an impulse. Too many people forget what matters because they want to toss their luck into the race to become someone like me.”
Boyband nodded. “I get it.”
“Sorry. I don’t mean to sound upset. If I did, it’s not because of you. It’s because of the Violet District and the people who only care to see lumen-producing machines instead of people.” She sighed, then looked at me. “But, that doesn’t eliminate all the fun. Ready to go?”
Chapter fourteen
Hydra Girls
We walked through a labyrinth of light and advertisements. Everywhere we looked we saw a skyscraper blocking any view of the distant horizon. Every person I saw wore enough violet light to fuel a Blue neighborhood. The street and sidewalk were full of them, though I felt like I could walk with white socks and not collect a speck of filth. Indigo-wearing chauffeurs picked up hailing pedestrians in skyrides nicer than any I had ever seen. The air was free of exhaust, so unlike every other district and any scent I smelled was the umami of perfectly cooked real beef outside of a restaurant window or the semi-sweet chemical aroma of yet another light-infused salon.
“Try not to act like a tourist,” Naoma said under her breath. “Our pace is already off-putting to enough people and your wide-eyed gaze isn’t helping.”
“Sorry, it’s just, this is so much more than I saw when we met you and Anton for the first time.”
“My old studio was in an industrial area. Still big and full of shops, but this is the heart of the Violet District. This is where people come to socialize, buy, and put themselves on display, hence the pop-up.”
“Then why didn’t you have the ride drop us off right on the venue’s doorstep?”
“Because I’m not looking for more of a grand entrance than they’ll give me. I’ll toss this stupid hat and overcoat once we’re ready to step into action, but that doesn’t mean someone won’t recognize me before we get there.”
“Are we close?”
She nodded. We’ll turn right at the end of the street.”
“Down there?” I said, pointing to a line of people on the right side of the street.
“Yup. The event has already been going for an hour and the line is still that bad. They wanted me to come earlier, but I made an excuse because I did not want to come when that line probably winded down this whole street. The Violet District events are still crowded but are calm and organized. You have to prove your Violet residency for a ticket, so most of these people are the kids of industry titans, celebrities, or some other influencers who have enough lumens to afford a life here.”
“And you think that order might break when you make a surprise appearance?”
She shrugged. “Dropping off of socials and working for Nichley on a mindshow that was never released here might not have been the best for my reputation, but dedicated fans will justify anything I do. So, yes, I expect some people to bother me. I don’t know what to expect. Two of the girls are more enthusiastic than the other.”
“I thought you said they all had one mind?”
“I did, but that mind has its individual portions, like when your mind is different depending on your emotions.”
“Are they really cognitively connected?”
She shrugged. “Some people say it’s just a way to attract attention, others say they’ve bound their neurospaces together, and others say it’s something deeper. I just roll with it. They’re fine once you get to know them, but that doesn’t diminish the initial absurdity.”
