Chapter #10

   That night after her first day working for the masters, Bluren's feet were heavy with exhaustion. As 700 had escorted her back to her quarters that night, she had said that The Masters would give her her first task to complete the following morning. Bluren wondered what they would assign her to do. She lay over her bed with her eyes closed, mentally turning over the events of the day. The food had both pleased her then disturbed her. The freedom to freely invent all day was wonderful. This whole place was strange, unlike anything she had ever experienced before.

   Bluren was pulled from her mind by soft knocking on her door. She jumped up to peer through the peeping latch. Through the slit in the door, she saw two strikingly blue eyes smiling intently at her. Startled, Bluren jumped and slammed the peeping latch. Her heart was pounding, and her mind was bouncing around trying to figure out who that was. Not 700, she couldn't look into the latch. Who else? The mechanical boy? No, his eyes were two different shades of blue.

   Cautiously, Bluren opened the spiraling door. A second later she was engulfed in a huge fuzzy embrace. What made it fuzzy, was the curly mop of hair that surrounded the beaming face of none other than Tara. "Tara!" Bluren exclaimed "How did you get here?" She was grinning at the sight of her friend. "Well, it took quite a bit of persuasion." Tara explained "But I finally convinced the entrance guards to let me bring you your mail in person." She dug through her lumpy mail bag, and handed her a stack of advertisements.

   "Tell me everything!" Tara said, sitting on the bed and patting the spot next to her for Bluren to sit down. "Well" Said Bluren, and continued to tell Tara about the events that took place since she got the invitation.

   "Wow.... And they just gave you all this stuff?" Tara said, gesturing to Bluren's spacious room. "I guess." Replied Bluren "But I still don't know exactly what I'm doing here. 700 said that I am to build things for the masters. I'm not sure if I have any choice in what I build for them, if I can eventually go back to the beach, or what..." They sat in silence for several seconds, before Bluren spoke again "700 also said that I have some sort of appointment this week, in the medical apartment this week." Tara suddenly jerked her head up and exclaimed "Do you have any idea what the appointment is for?" In a strained, suddenly worried, voice. Bluren was caught off guard by Taras sudden alarm. "Why, no, not really. I can't remember why I didn't ask 700." She really was racking her brain to think of the reason... It all seemed fuzzy.

   Tara gripped Bluren's wrist, and forced her to look into her eyes. "Wait. Bluren-" but she was cut off by a light tapping on the door of Bluren's room. Tara's eyes darted from the door and back, but she ignored the tapping, which grew louder and more impatient with each tap. Tara was talking fast now "Bluren, how long do you think you have been here?" What? Why was Tara asking this? Bluren had told her that she had been working for... For... A day? Three? With sudden realization, Bluren's eyes filled with tears caused by panic and confusion. The tapping was pounding now, and someone on the other side of the door was yelling something, a voice to deep to be 700's. "Tara," Bluren choked "What's going on? I can't remember how long I've been here." Tara spoke in a low whisper "Bluren, this is bad. You have been here for a little over a week, and I'm sure I'm not mistaken that that scheduled appointment in the medical apartment already happened."

   There was a huge bang, and when Bluren and Tara looked up at door a long crack had formed down the middle. "Tara, you have to get out!" Bluren yelled as the next deafening bang came splitting through the air "How?!" Tara yelled. Another crack brought down a corner of the door. Through the hole in the door, could be seen the enraged face of a front door sentinel. "Bluren Steelman." He said with frightening calm "Open this door."