Species Traitor: A Science Fiction Dystopian Novel by Kate Mary (universal ebook reader .TXT) 📗

any real concerns I had. We were safe inside these walls. The mayor had promised, plus there were guards. The mob wouldn’t risk it.

I focused on my surroundings as my sister and cousin went about their very loud reunion. Streamers and garlands in multiple colors had been hung from buildings and walkways, brightening the city even more than it usually was. They flapped in the breeze, their fluttering joining a chorus of other noises. Music from drums and flutes and stringed instruments I couldn’t name, singing and laughter, and the buzz of dozens of voices rose into the sky to create a symphony of cheer.

“It’s so beautiful.” The sound of my sister’s voice pulled my attention her way. Ione’s arm was still around her, but they were standing side by side as Lena studied the District in awe. “It’s so clean. So nice.”

“It is, isn’t it?” our cousin said, smiling.

A few days had passed since I’d seen her, and even though I couldn’t put my finger on what it was, something about her was different. Her hair was the same, her dark curls piled on top of her head in a messy imitation of a bun, and her hazel eyes just as brimming with hope for the future, but something had shifted. I could feel it deep in my bones.

As if sensing I was watching her, Ione turned to look at me, her already wide smile growing. There was a flush to her cheeks that made it seem like she was glowing, and I might have been imagining it, but she looked curvier than before. Maybe Veilorian cooking was fattening her up.

“We should go to the city center,” she said. “That’s where the celebration is.”

“I can’t wait,” Lena wiggled out from under Ione’s arm and grabbed her hand. “Will I meet your husband?”

“Of course,” our cousin said, laughing.

She jerked her head, indicating I should follow, and started walking. Lena was at her side, skipping happily the way she used to when she was little, and despite the suspicion swimming through me—as well as the tightening in my stomach that told me something big was about to happen—I found myself smiling as an image of a much younger version of my sister popped into my head. Lena in a blue dress that had once been mine, the skirt swirling around her while she spun in the living room, her dark ponytail twirling as she did.

My life had never been an easy one, but I’d done whatever it took to make sure hers had been better. Including not complaining when our mother forced me to quit school. Had it not been for Lena, I might have fought the change, but the thought of my little sister losing the hovel we called home had been enough to make me give in. Our mother wasn’t much of a role model—hell, most of the time I felt like an orphan—and it had fallen on my shoulders to take on the burden, which I had done willingly. All for Lena. Everything I’d done over the last sixteen years had been for her.

The sounds of the Landing Day celebration grew louder as we walked, and my thoughts shifted from my sister to the party. It was the first time I’d been inside the walls on Landing Day, but not the first time I’d gotten a glimpse of the festivities. The hover cameras had been on hand every year to broadcast any images they could capture, but thanks to the walkways hovering over us, I’d gotten little more than glimpses. Now, though, I found myself engulfed by the festivities as we stepped into the center of the District. Veilorians were everywhere, laughing and dancing, dressed in their finest hand-me-downs and adorned with flowers—some from our planet and some from theirs. They wore markings as well, intricately drawn lines and swirls in dozens of different colors that ran up their arms and necks and faces, turning the city into a rainbow.

“What do the markings mean?” I asked Ione, nodding to a nearby woman. She had flowing lavender hair and turquoise eyes, and swirls moving up her arms in shades of pink and black and yellow.

“They’re traditional Veilorian markings, used to celebrate the achievements of the past year.”

“They’re beautiful,” Lena said, her voice full of awe.

They were, but that was nothing new. At least not for Ione and me. My sister, however, wore the expression of an explorer who’d just discovered a lost artifact of unimaginable value. I remembered the feeling well from my first visit to the District. The awe that this place could bring had been overwhelming, and Lena wasn’t immune to it. Not that I should have been surprised. My sister had always liked nice things, and the District was nicer than almost everything in the human part of the city.

“Rye!” Ione called, waving her hand over her head as she lifted herself up on her toes.

The few inches did little to make her seem taller amidst these giants, but her husband had no problem spotting her. He smiled as he headed our way, pushing through the crowd.

Lena’s eyes grew impossibly round. “He’s so handsome.”

“All Veilorians are good-looking,” I said with a laugh. “It’s probably one of the reasons some humans hate them.”

My sister nodded but didn’t tear her gaze from Rye as he bent down to kiss his wife. When he turned to look at me, his smile was equally open and friendly.

“Ava.” He focused on my sister. “And this must be Lena.”

My normally confident sister flushed and looked away, mumbling something that got lost in the noise of the crowd.

Ione said something to her husband I couldn’t catch, and he chuckled.

“Let’s get some food,” was all he said.

The Veilorians must have saved up their rations for months to create the feast we found on the other side of the square. Roast chicken and rabbit by the dozens, vegetables in creamy sauces and mountains of rolls. Even what looked like cakes, although where they managed to