I turned back to Sarah and Nik. Nik was hugging his girlfriend close with an arm slung around her waist, his cheek nestled into her hair. I felt a slight pang at the sight - part of me wanted a relationship like theirs. I wondered sometimes what it would be like: loving someone in that way, devoting so much time and energy to them. Part of me wondered if I would ever know what it felt like.

I shook off my dark thoughts and clasped my hands over my heart, tilting my head to the side. "Aww," I cooed in a simperingly sweet voice. "How cute."

Nik rolled his eyes and Sarah blushed in embarrassment, but both of them smiled widely. They were long accustomed to my teasing.

"Got any plans for the rest of the day?" Nik asked me. I could tell by his careful tone that he wanted some alone time with Sarah.

I grinned. "I'll find something to do." I climbed halfway out of the window before sticking my head back in and raising a warning finger. "But don't have too much fun. Remember, the laundry machines don't work anymore."

Sarah laughed, blushing, and Nik gestured rudely. I merely chuckled and left.

I joked, but not having the machines that almost instantly washed and dried clothes was a huge drawback - along with many other things, of course. So instead, every day with running water was laundry day, and some things, such as bedsheets, simply never got washed.

Once on the roof, I was at a loss as to what to do. I had a few other friendly acquaintances in Rooftop, but none as close as Sarah and Nik.

I lowered myself to the warm concrete, lying on my back and staring up at the blue sky. The only blemish on its otherwise smooth, azul surface was a cloud conveniently covering the sun. Even after all Horizon had been through, someone was still monitoring the weather control system, it seemed - I doubted the cloud was natural.

The warmth soothed me until my limbs began to feel heavy with lethargy. It felt unnatural to fall asleep on the roof, exposed on all sides, but I slipped into unconsciousness all the same.

I was woken as the sun was setting by the growing chatter of voices. Rising and wiping sleepily at my eyes, I saw that a few teenagers were lighting the communal bonfire as a signal.

I yawned, stretching my arms. My power nap had left me alert and energetic despite the darkening sky. It looked like I would be spending the next few hours by the bonfire.

Bonfires had been my favorite part of the Rooftop community for as long as I had been a part of it. Even though I still didn't know everyone by name - we had grown too large for that to be a possibility - I felt a kinship with the kids who gathered around that fire. We chatted and joked, the conversations never growing too dark and our pasts left entirely untouched. Instead, we merely enjoyed good company and warm flames.

I meandered over to the fire, my gaze instinctively scanning the crowd for Nik and Sarah. Finding neither, I sat a few feet away from a couple of girls and stared into the flames.

It was daydreams of the Life Lottery which kept me occupied for a while. When I grew bored, I listened in on other's conversations, intrigued by the small snippets of life I heard. A couple argued about furniture arrangement. A pair of preteen boys furtively discussed relationships. A pregnant girl listed potential baby names for her attentive friend. Had I not known better, I would have thought that the Uprising had never happened.

Finally, I began to grow drowsy. I knew that by the time I had returned to my apartment, I would be ready to sleep once more.

After the horrible stress of this morning - which felt like it had taken place years ago - the relaxing remainder of the day had been a blessed relief. Not even the thought of my early-morning meeting with the Gambler's secretary could summon stress.

Luckily, for my eighth birthday, my parents had given me a punctuality chip now embedded somewhere in my brain. I need to wake up at six, I thought, knowing my mental alarm clock had been set.

My parents are helping me from beyond the grave, I thought as I drifted into unconsciousness.

*

My punctuality chip did not fail me. I woke up early in the morning - at what I knew had to be 6:00 sharp - and dressed in the nicest clothes I had: a plain, unstained top and retro shorts. I only had my worn sneakers for footwear- they would have to do.

The Bev - where I was supposed to meet the Gambler's secretary - was a small coffee shop that also doubled as what people jokingly called a "gas station" - somewhere that served android-specific meals. Essentially, it was a cafe for all of Horizon's life forms. I had assumed that it, like most businesses, had closed after the Uprising. Apparently, I had been wrong.

It had been so long since I had visited The Bev that it took me a moment to remember the way there, especially since I had never traveled there from Rooftop. I finally managed to remember the street name and general direction and was halfway out of the window before I remembered both breakfast and Charlie.

Charlie hadn't returned from his friend's apartment yet, which didn't surprise me - he was probably still sleeping. I crept into the bedroom, where Nik and Sarah were fast asleep, entwined in each other's arms.

I tapped Nik lightly on the shoulder. He cracked his eyes open ever so slightly, groaning as he did so. "What?"

"When Charlie comes back, I need you to watch him for a few hours, okay?" I whispered.

Nik sighed. "You know, there are people my age that I'd actually like to spend time with."

I knew that Nik was only saying that because he was still half asleep, but the indirect insult to my little brother still made my blood boil. "Tough shit," I retorted, turning on my heel and leaving the room.