-Ky-Tsung-

                                                                

 

     It wasn't until I entered the party with Min-Jung that we realized we had a problem.

All the Cureds brought their pairs. They stood stiffly, side by side, not looking at each other but moving to

the same places together, barely even talking even though the government did assign them to be

married at 21. I looked at them bitterly, knowing that they will never even feel the joy of

marriage or bearing kids.

 

Amor Deliria Nervosa, bite me.

 

"Yeah, so, can we just say our pairs didn't feel like coming because they had homework?" Min-Jung asked in

an annoyed tone. I had to force him to come. Unlike me, he didn't brush his hair or dress up.

 

"I guess. What else can we say?" I bit my lip and looked at the huge boat house of Shi-Kong. She invited my

whole group of Cureds a week ago (that's because her pair was in my group of friends). I've never even been

to a boat house before. Fancy Hong Kong people.  At least my dress suit and pants would at least make me fit

into the crowd.

 

I convinced Min-Jung to come to this party because I told him it would be a valuable oppurtunity to get to

learn more about Hong Kong, but I didn't want to tell him that I wanted to talk to someone in particular.

Not that I knew for certain that she was coming.

 

We entered the massive house after the sun set and when more and more people started flowing in

through the doors. Laughter and chatter floated around, and beer- something that was frowned upon but

was no longer restricted like the Old Days- was passed around.

 

"Want me to get us some drinks?" Min-Jung asked. He looked bored already.

 

"Yeah, I'll be around here," I said vaguely. All the girls freaking looked the same; they were all Asians in

dresses and makeup. I realized that the majority of the Sophomore grade was here, along with a

smattering of popular Freshman and some uncomfortable Junior pairs that didn't look too excited to be at

an underclassmen party.

 

Fifteen minutes passed with no luck. It was getting too hot in the boat house because of too many people and

sweaty dancing. I wanted to get out. 

 

I decided to leave through the front door, pushing through the waves of bodies, when a commotion started in

the center of the living room at the back of the boat house. "Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!" a chanting began. A

circle of ten or so inebriated girls, drunk and giggling uncontrollably, was forcing the mouth of a beer bottle up

to the lips of...

 

Oh, jeez. Chi-Ya Zhou, who didn't look so sober herself.

 

Without thinking, I jumped forward into the group of girls who shrieked even louder. "YOUR PAIRRR," one

burped, then vomited all over the furry white carpeted floor. I nudged Chi-Ya out of the circle of girls and

toward the sliding door that led out to the backyard beach.

 

Risking a glance back, I sighed with relief when I saw that their center of attention was now on a pair that

awkwardly joined the circle, looking uncomfortable.

 

We were almost off the huge porch when Chi-ya swayed and turned towards me, squinting her eyes. "Hi?"

she ventured, her voice slurred. "I'm going swimming," she continued, running towards the beach but ending

up only a few yards off the porch and into the grass. She swayed about, moving her arms. 

 

I hopped off the porch and steadied her. "Whoa there, Chi-ya. Why don't you sit down for a while," I

suggested. I actually didn't know what to do with drunk girls. It's not like Invalids back in my Los Angeles

group had crazy parties all the time.

 

"Ohh nooo, who has time," she looked into my eyes and suddenly shook her head. Her vision cleared a

little. "Oh, it's you. The boy with the sweatshirt." She lazily plucked at the first button of my button-up

shirt. "Going to give me more clothes?" She laughed and walked a few more feet out towards the sand.

 

The ocean picked up some wind and blew her hair back. She raised her arms high into the air and laughed, still

drunk, but it reminded me of another girl who laughed with me back in California.

 

"So... I liked your presentation," I wound up lamely, standing beside her.

 

She made a noncommital sound in and turned to look at me. "Where's your pair?" she asked

suspiciously, her voice still a bit slurred.

 

"Oh, yeah.. um..." I blanked and realized I couldn't even say it. I couldn't say the four simple lying words

"she had to study".

 

She nodded and looked back out at the ocean, ignoring my incomplete answer. "What's it like to be an

Invalid?" she asks kind of loudly.

 

"Shh!" I hissed. Great, why does she have to bring this up now?

 

"Nahh, it makes sense." She laughed ."Love is bad. That's just irony,"

 

To prevent anyone from hearing her crazy mouth going off on a tangent and getting both of us in trouble, I

pointed further down the beach, away from the house. "Well, we should take a walk then."

 

Chi-ya looked at me and giggled. She's so drunk. Oh gosh, I thought.

 

She continues forward, swaying slightly but still walking slowly forward. "You know... you're nice. To me. Are

all boys nice?" she peers at me.

 

I itch my neck and shake my head. "Not all guys are nice," I say honestly.

 

She frowns. "Neither are all girls. Unfortunately."

 

Yeah, common logic rocks.

 

"It would be nice to live in the Old Days. Back in ignorance, you know," she stops and faces me.

 

I nod. "Of course." I avoid her intense gaze and shove my hands in my pants pockets.

 

She reaches her hand out and puts it on my shoulder, cocking her head. "Who are you, Ky-Tsung?"

 

I open my mouth and clear my throat. She drops her hand. "Let's start with you. Who are you, Chi-ya

Zhou?"

 

She frowns and furrows her brows. "Just another girl. But you're not just another boy."

 

What the heck does that mean? I want to ask her. "Okay, then. I saved you from those Invalids last

week. Did you tell anyone?"

 

She sways a bit but she shakes her head. "Not good at all."

 

"Yeah. It's best to just hide things sometimes."

 

We continue walking down the beach, the sound of the ocean waves masking the now-distant sounds of the

party.

 

Chi-ya was the kind of girl that I wanted to get to know better. But if she wants to remember tonight, I

was going to have to do something instead of just walking with her on the beach and talking about life.

I reach into my pocket and pull out my Pod. "Have you ever danced before?"

 

"My friend Yu-Lan dances," she says vaguely. "Why ask?"

 

I scroll through my Pod, picking a slow song. No lyrics were needed. I lower the volume, but even as the

first notes came out as I set my Pod down on the sand, I realized that I was putting us both at the risk of

being cured early if anyone managed to see us alone, dancing.

 

She looks at me as I stand up and offer my hand out. "What are you doing?" she asks in confusion.

 

"Chi-Ya Zhou, may I please have this dance?" I ask.

 

She looks uncertainly at both me and the Pod on the sand, and I'm afraid she's sober enough to piece

together what we were doing.

 

She nods and puts her hand in mine.

 

I pull her closer to me and sway with her to the song. She is still tense, but she lays her head on my

shoulder and breathes in deeply.

 

Behind us, the stars and the moon illuminate her curls. The moment is so perfect that I almost want to kiss

her, but I still think she's not drunk enough to kiss me back. Chances are, she'll probably yell at me, run away,

and never speak to me again, even if she thinks I'm a Cured.

 

Does she? I don't know. I didn't tell her that I had a pair.

 

I hold her tighter until the song ends.