Retrospect

Fifteen

   The Butterfly Shop wasn't too deep into the section. On our way there, the people we saw were overwhelmingly rich. A few women passed us that had dresses resembling doves and crystals the size of frogs on their fingers. Not only were the people impressive, but so were the streets.

   The silver sidewalk gleamed in the sunlight and there were so many broadcasts projected clearly onto almost every skyscraper, telling us the weather and what the latest fashions were and where the best places to eat could be found. I couldn't tear my gaze away from it all. Rich beside me was looking up at the towering, steel buildings and I could tell he had never once seen this section from up close, let alone far away.

   The skyscrapers stretched over the streets for forever and the noise of the chatty civilians fought to drown out the broadcasts about me and the grand reward for turning me in. Rich's blue eyes lit up in surprise (and some other emotion I couldn't quite recognize) as he watched the lady on the screen talk about me. Like I was responsible for something as horrible as murdering an entire population as large as the Sera Section's. I strolled alongside him, not paying any mind to the broadcasts.

   Rich, Ana, and I kept our holograms turned on so at least our faces blended in with everyone else's. Our clothes definitely didn't fit the dress code. I smelled of dirty water and smoke, Rich's jacket had a couple of holes in it, and Ana's boots were falling apart. Meanwhile, the people around us wore dazzling skirts and styled hair and smelled of lavender perfume and intoxicating cologne.

   Rich and I followed Ana who turned a corner and stopped in front of a tall building. She turned her head up and then looked back at us. "Alright, so Reeves told me the Butterfly Shop was in Room 767 so you have to request for it. And keep the holograms on," she said, giving Rich an icy glare.

   Ana let the doors open for her as she strode in and Rich and I entered after, warm air greeting us in the lobby of the building. It was humongous compared to the lobby of my apartment complex in the Laurier Section. A giant, diamond chandelier hung up high over the main floor, providing a light that reached the farthest corners of the room. The pelts of a couple animals were sprawled out on the marble and a long desk was in front of the wall before us. Ana walked up to it without hesitation, however, nobody was behind it.

   "Hello, we're here for Room 767," she stated to thin air.

   The wall behind the desk lit up and a hologram of an older lady with thick glasses greeted us. The messages she said sounded prerecorded and fake. "Good morning, welcome to Sera Apartment Building Two. Sorry I am away right now. Room 767 does not exist."

   Ana's brow knit in confusion. She turned to Rich who seemed just as perplexed and shrugged. "How do you get in? Reeves could've at least told me that."

   Ana complaining and pestering Rich was muted from my ears as something dawned on me. I instantly thought of how I had looked up the worker's replica coat back at my old apartment by asking my question backwards. I didn't know what exactly made me think of it and it seemed like a strange idea, but it was worth a shot.

   "767 Moor," I said to the projected lady behind the desk. Ana stopped talking and looked over at me like I was going crazy. The lady nodded, her image malfunctioning and her voice lowering. Her mouth did not match her voice now, as if she'd been hacked somehow.

   "You are free to pass. Knock once when you arrive at the destination," the lady ordered, her projection flickering off and revealing the plain, white wall again.

   Rich turned to me, his wrinkled hologram face impressed. "How'd you do that?" he asked, his mouth partially open in shock.

   The wall behind the desk opened up, uncovering a hidden elevator that whirred to life. I was about to respond to Rich when Ana cut in, pushing me aside to step into the elevator. "Don't inflate her ego," she mumbled.