Selene had thought Winter's presence and guidance would immediately make all her troubles go away, just as it had in the past, but they still plagued her in every moment. Letumosis, the emperor's illness, and... Prince Kai. She was sick of it all. She wanted to run away from Kai and his sick father and this fabricated plague.

But running is not what a queen does.

Winter had been telling Selene after their conversation in the gardens that she shouldn't let any of it bother her. She was right, of course; things like this had never bothered or brought Selene this down before. Why should it now? Selene wished she knew the answer to that.

•

Selene hadn't had a nightmare in forever. She had always liked to think, somewhere in the back of her mind, that she was invincible to the silly vulnerabilities of most humans, which of course was never the case at all.

Selene's eyes snapped open with a force that almost broke them in two. Her silk nightgown was stuck to her body with a cool sweat, and Selene grabbed her pillow in her arms, slouching down in her bed with her hair tied up in a neat knot.

A burning podship, Earth's oceans hurtling toward her. Thaumaturge Mira's body blackened and charred. Fire everywhere. And heat. Selene could still feel the heat, even now. It was everywhere.

Every time she closed her eyes, Selene could see it again. The entire thing played over and over again like a netfeed on loop, burned onto the back of her eyelids. Selene couldn't breathe.

Before she knew it, Selene had tossed back the covers and pulled on the one set of Earthen street clothes she owned, buried at the back of the closet; a dark t-shirt paired with a sweatshirt and cargo pants. It would be no secret where the beloved queen of Luna went; she still has more tracking chips in her body than she can count.

The husky light of morning shone through the palace's lofty windows as Selene slipped out of her chambers and into the guest wing, prepared for the party from Luna, which ended up much, much smaller than originally anticipated. It was almost lonely until Selene thought about it, and then it was a sort of blissful change from the constantly bustling Artemisia Palace.

Selene pulled up her hood as she stepped into the elevator, commanding it to take her to the ground floor of the palace. The guest wing had a separate entrance in itself for servants and workers, but it was still completely empty in the early morning when Selene strolled through it. She passed through the gardens and out the main gate, where she summoned a hover. She had always found the devices strange and Earth's obsession with them equally perplexing, but she had to admit as the luxury hover whirred over to where she stood that they were quite nice, even with the standards set by Artemisia. She collapsed onto the cool leather of the seats and started to regret the decision to wear the sweatshirt. She had forgotten the summer weather in all its heat, especially in New Beijing where it roasted your bones from the inside. It wasn't hot yet, but she knew that it would only be a matter of minutes before the sun started taking its toll. Still, she decided that it was probably for the better; she didn't think that anyone on Earth would recognise her, but it wouldn't hurt to take precautions.

Selene was snapped out of a dreamlike state of thought when the hover asked her destination with a mock female voice. She was lost for a moment. She didn't know New Beijing in the slightest. Finally, she said, "Just take me around the city," unsure if it would actually do anything, but the motor started whirring quietly as the hover started to glide down toward the city.

Selene reclined back on the seat as the quiet, mellow tones of a soft jazz song started to sound over the hidden speakers of the hover. She had just needed some air. She didn't want to think about Kai. She didn't want to think about Winter. She just wanted to be alone, away from her thoughts, just... Doing things. Things a queen wouldn't do. She didn't feel like being a queen at that point. Just a normal girl.

In the back of her mind, though, there was that nagging voice. Sagging down her heart at every moment of her miserable existence. You're not normal, it said, and you never will be. Give up trying to find peace.

She hated the voice, but it was right.

She should just give up trying to find peace with it. With herself, after everything she'd done. With the life she'd lied herself into, not even regretting it until now, when it was too late. It made her feel heavy. Dead inside. Angry.

Selene suddenly grabbed one of the bottles in the iced bin at her feet and hurled it across the hover. It smashed against the wall and broke into hundred of shards, clinking together and flying everywhere. A long piece of glass sliced Selene's arm, the sleeve rolled up above the elbow, but she didn't even care. Her heartbeat had spiked. Her breathing was ragged. She ripped one of the seat cushions from the sofa she sat on and squeezed it against her chest, closing her eyes with a few choked sobs and calming down.

Deep breaths.

Her heartbeat returned to normal.

Deep breaths.

Maybe she had been wrong. Maybe Winter's presence wouldn't fix all her problems.

Deep breaths.

Maybe she needed to figure them out on her own.

Steady breaths.

Selene commanded the shaded windows of the hover to open for a bit of air, and she was greeted with a sight that surprised her. A bustling marketplace, people already out shopping and sightseeing in the baking heat of the morning. Bright colours and loud noises were everywhere. Selene called out for the hover to stop, enchanted, and leaped out of the vehicle as soon as the door hissed open.  She hastily yanked her
sweatshirt down over her wound and started toward the market.

She was surrounded by colours. By cheerful people. Selene didn't think she'd ever been a part of a crowd this large. Looked down on one, yes. Spoken to one? Of course. But she'd never been surrounded by a group of people this large.

Selene passed by a bakers stand, the aroma of freshly-baked buns wafting by. A shoe stand, a shoemaker yelling out advertisements for their shoes. A vendor selling fresh fruits and vegetables. A mechanic's stand. A tiny stall filled to the brim with toys for children. It was so easy to forget in this place that there was an epidemic spreading faster than a wildfire. That the impending threat of death and suffering was constant and ever-present for each and every one of them. Thinking about it made Selene feel sick.

Suddenly, Selene, her eyes trailing the row of bright colours to her right, slammed right into somebody. She fell backwards onto the pavement, her hands instinctively catching her fall from behind. She felt the steel of her left hand scrape against the concrete with a tinny screech, and assorted fruits rolled all around her on the pavement.

"Ohmystarsohmystarsohmystars I'm so sorry!" A voice sounded in front of her. Selene glanced up at the speaker, a teenage girl maybe a little bit younger than her, a summer dress on and a tiny, pear-shaped android at her side. The girl knelt down and picked up an orange, dropping it in a tote bag on her arm. "I'm so clumsy. I'm so sorry!"

Selene moved to her knees, scooping up an armful of apples and dropping them into the bag. "It was my fault. I was being careless."

The girl paused at the sight of Selene's hand. "You're a cyborg?"

Selene tensed. She hated that word. Why did it even exist? "I suppose," Selene mumbled. "I was in an accident recently."

The girl smiled. "Oh, I just think it's really cool! I'm not- I don't think cyborgs are bad, or cruel, or evil, or whatever. I know they're just regular people, too."

Selene smiled slightly, dropping the last apple into the bag and standing. The girl slung the bag over her shoulder and beamed at Selene. "Thanks so much! My name is Linh Peony, by the way. Pleased to meet you!"