Chaos Theory by Penelope Fletcher Page A

love and success.
    Looking pretty was not the formulae for a lasting
relationship, but it could act as a catalyst.
    Blue had messaged her less then an hour after she’d left the
range and she’d been thrilled. She’d been checking her TalkMe every
five minutes. Despite feeling like a stalker, she’d spent hours
staring at his BeepMe profile, shovelling iced cream into her
mouth.
    Considering how much information the profile could hold there
wasn’t a lot.
    He had one RecRom encounter logged, was four years older than
her modest eighteen, and had lived in Quadrant18 after moving away
from his birth quadrant when he turned sixteen. He’d worked for
Pluto’s for the last two years. He’d spent credits on cosmetic eye
enhancements and not corrective ones. That puzzled her, but the
opticals looked good on him. He had an approved procreation license
too, which was odd for a male. It wasn’t unheard of for
applications to be submitted by females as soon as they turned
sixteen as they took years to process and were valid for a decade.
Many women disliked getting married then having to wait years
before they could take the risk of getting pregnant. The fine for
illegal breeding was severe financially and on the
reputation.
    Kali had one in processing even though she’d already decided
breeding was not for her.
    Completely ignoring Max’s spluttering about how Blue was
strange – normal was so subjective – Kali shot a nervous look at
him. “Do I look okay?” She grabbed her bag and slung it over her
head. The strap crossed her front and the nylon bag sat on her
hip.
    “ Why are your clothes so tight?” Max pinched her sleeve and
rubbed the material between this thumb and forefinger. “Are you
looking to rec?”
    “ Do you think of nothing but sex?” Admitting to herself he was
not far from the truth was discomforting. Kali yanked the fabric
from his grip. “Why are you still here?”
    He sighed. “Curious, I guess.”
    She glowered as she smoothed her top. “We’re going stargazing.
His HoloVid mentioned Quadrant18.”
    “ Stargazing is boring, and Quad18 is dangerous. Already this
isn’t working out.”
    Being so close to the OutRim was dangerous. Criminals and
LoCastes converged in Qudrants17 and beyond for recreational
activities, but Kali took solace that actual crime reported was
exceptionally low. That could be because nobody cared to log the
violence or those subject to it never got to tell the
tale.
    Her life had been sheltered, but she wasn’t a coward. Blue
wouldn’t take her anywhere she could get hurt, Kali was certain of
that.
    She had such a strong feeling about him.
    “ Only you could think of dangerous as boring.” She scowled.
“And I think it’s romantic. I haven’t been stargazing since I was a
minor, and he said he’d bring food.” Kali rubbed her stomach.
“Already this date is going well. I like stars and I love
food.”
    Max leaned his shoulder against the wall and crossed his arms.
He studied her. “Did you tell your parents?”
    She avoided his gaze. “Yes.”
    It wasn’t an outright lie. She told them she was going out out
of respect. She was legally an adult, and they gave her freedom to
do pretty much what she wanted as long as she was sensible. They
assumed it was Max taking her out and that was on them. It wasn’t
as if she was worried they might say something about Blue being
LoCaste. Her parents were the most politically correct and
benevolent people she knew. Kali didn’t want them to worry, or
force her to choose between the date and bending to their
will.
    They could be oh so wilful when they thought she approached
trouble, and Blue had a powerful energy that might set her parents’
protective instincts off.
    “ Did you tell them where you’re going and who with?”
    She glared at Max’s reflection in the VidSee, knowing standing
where he was he wouldn’t see her.
    Her silence was enough.
    He smouldered in silent protest. He would never say a word to
her