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It was about another month before they were ready to head out. They mostly
abandoned the old house how it was, though of course, they pulled the door
off of the hinges, and replaced it with a much cheaper one that Vith cut
himself. They got on the road, and started walking. Isavet spent most of the
trip in the cart, holding baby Leif, while the others walked. Vith would go
off on his own to scout ahead or hunt, and then catch up with them later.
Maybe he isn’t going to leave the simulation after all.
After several days, they felt as though they had traveled far enough. They
weren’t looking for some kind of paradise; just a nice patch of land to call
their own, where they could put down new roots. They found a clearing that
had seemingly been untouched by man. It sat up against a ridgeline, so it
was well-fortified on one side already. It was perfect. It was far enough
from others that they could start over, but not so remote that they were
entirely unprotected from invaders. What mattered was that it was closer to
the border of the next dome, which was where Ronan would be headed
eventually.
Ronan leans their special, expensive door up against the face of the ridge.
He stares at it with a smile on his face while Vith is starting to unload
the supplies. “Thank you for making me bring this. We’ll build a bigger and
better house this time; one more fitting of this door.”
“I’ll help,” Gia says. “A woman can get her hands dirty, even in these
times.”
“Of course, she can,” Ronan replies with a hearty laugh.
“I can help too!” Isavet exclaims. She’s playing a game where she taps Leif
somewhere on his body, like an ear or a shoulder, and tries to teach him to
match it on her body. He’s surprisingly good at it. He gets it right
a few times, and gets really close for the rest. He already understands body
parts. That’s some high-level stuff for his age.
Ronan starts to think about young Leif. Like Talus, he will grow up in this
world, under this dome. Are they doing him a disservice, keeping him from
seeing the outside world? Is that what happened to Talus? Would he have
turned out differently had Mayumi been more honest about what she wanted out
of life? Well, if she had been honest, Talus never would have been born in
the first place, so that is an impossible question to answer. They also
agreed to put all that behind them anyway, so he should really be focusing
on the family that he has left.
Gia frowns at him. “I know that look. I know what you’re thinking about.
He’s not going to grow up to be like him. He’s a completely different kid,
born under entirely different circumstances. We will still need to litigate
that when we get out of here.”
“I know,” Ronan agrees. He lowers his voice “I just want him to be happy. I
want him to have a choice. This should be against the rules. Having a kid in
a simulation should not be allowed, so people aren’t burdened with these
questions.”
“Are you regretting having Leif?” Gia asks in a whisper.
“No, of course not. I just...what if Talus’ behavior had nothing to do with
his genetics? What if this place made him that way? And what if the same
thing happens again? He got sick. He almost died. That could mess anyone
up.”
“He won’t remember that,” Gia assures him. “He was far too young. He still
is. He will have a very happy and safe childhood.”
“I hope you’re right,” Ronan says. “I hope you’re right.”
She wasn’t, and he didn’t.
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