“The dress suits you,” Ganymede remarked.

  I gazed at my reflection, tracing my fingers down the smooth navy fabric. Good quality, but not expensive or as exquisite as the gowns the Customs would undoubtedly wear. If there was a God out there, I thanked him for the lack of sequins and frills. At least he’d granted me that small mercy.

  To be honest, it didn’t need the frills. Despite its plain cut it was still the most beautiful dress I’d ever worn in my life. Or the only one so, you know, low bar.

  “Thanks Ganymede,” I said, my voice heavy with gratitude, “You really are the best android anyone could hope for. I’m going to miss you when this is all over.”

  He pressed his hand to where his heart would have been if he were human.

  “I think- I think I shall miss you too,” he replied, tinged with a hint of genuine emotion. “Wherever your journey takes you next, whatever life you lead, I wish you the best of luck.”

  He held his arm out like a true android gentleman and I gladly took it, enjoying the last time I would have such an escort. Sure, as a Custom I might get an android of my own, but I only wanted Ganymede.

  He led me down to the ballroom, bowing his goodbye as I joined the ball through the heavy oak double-doors.

  The decorations in the dining room the other day were nothing compared to the banners that now washed the room with every colour and the massive chandelier hung from the high ceiling, all designed to intimidate and awe from sheer size. Carved grapevines snaked up the columns supporting the indoor balcony, where guards were already stationed in navy uniforms with silver buttons running down the front of their jackets.

  An orchestra sat on a raised platform in the corner of the room, blowing their trumpets and trombones in a swinging rhythm that already had me bobbing my head, despite myself, and somehow made me feel less heavy.

  Most people stood by the side, not daring to steal attention away from the more important families entering the room.

  An old servant wearing a red velvet cap stood by the door with a scroll of names, announcing the arrival of all the lords and ladies of Saxanglain, and the kings and queens of the two other countries in the Outlands; Dalriad and Ivernia.

  Dalriad was a supposedly frosty, mountainous country north of Saxanglain, while Ivernia lay to the west, over the short sea to luscious green rolling hills. Niles and I would always talk of fleeing there, but nothing ever came of it. Its mention stirred my usual regret into a stronger concoction, not helped by the name that followed.

  Tillian Sallow, the lord who ran the territory that Vocafeum presided in. I’d never met the man and nor did I want to. His face when he came in was the face of thousands, easily forgettable and not likely to stick in my nightmares.

  Hundreds of guests flocked to the floor as we politely applauded each arrival until the three Triumvirate families started being announced. The top three families chosen to make all the decisions of the country. The other lords and ladies were allowed to weigh in of course, but the Triumvirate had the final say.

  Lady Elexis Fenric was announced first, along with her husband and daughter Vanley and Axelia.

  The two women wore white dresses of different patterns embroidered with threads of gold that sparkled each time they turned to greet a guest. Lord Vanley Fenric had chosen something remarkably understated, a crisp white shirt with green trousers, letting the spotlight fall on his wife.

  The Hammertons were announced afterwards in a spectacle of red, Ariadne looking like a princess with her hair pinned by sparkling silver slides arranged in the shape of a tiara and a crimson gown with the sharpest slit running down her leg. Whoever chose her outfit certainly knew how to send a message and she clearly delighted in the attention it attracted, even as she complained to a few dazed lords about how awful she looked.

  Finally, once the initial chatter had died down, the announcer pressed the trumpet to his lips a final time to announce the Chancellor and his family.

  Elian stepped out with his siblings, looking dashing in a silver waistcoat, his hair slightly tousled, clearly winning in an argument against combing it, but it was hard not to stare as he walked down the marble steps, greeting everyone he passed, a red brooch glinting like ruby over his heart.

  The message he intended was clear, an alliance with the Hammertons, his heart with Ariadne. Whether anyone believed him would be down to his acting, but he seemed quite adept at that.

  His father stood stern at the top of the stairs with Shirley at his side, a red cape across one of his shoulders. The applause grew as the couple stepped down, in awe at the dress Shirley chose to wear. Millions of diamonds sparkled in the chandelier light, forming the material of her figure-hugging dress that flared out at the ankles with a blue feather trim.

  I’d never seen anything like it.

  Photographers started snapping in abandon, rushing to get the pictures off in time for tomorrow’s newspaper issue. I had no doubt it would make the front page.

  The Chancellor faced his wife, kissing her on the cheek, and the cameras went wild.

  As the applause faded out, John marched in front of the orchestra on the raised platform, and the lights dimmed, plunging us into darkness with only the blue light of the holographic sculptures to watch.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome, one and all. Tonight is truly a momentous occasion and I’d like to welcome you all to the Estate as not just my friends, but brothers, and sisters. Together we’ve made the world as close to perfection as we can and I believe that’s worth celebrating.”

  Gasps filled the room as the light of the sculptures shifted to a giant hologram illuminated in front of him, spelling out ‘welcome’. He threw off his cape and the gasps turned to a low buzz of murmurs rippling through the audience, dazzled by the display. I had to hand it to him, he knew how to work a crowd.

  “Now, thanks to our lovely newspapers it’s no secret that my staff of scientists have perfected the art of time travel. But now, now it’s time to use it for good and change the world for the better. Think about it. Every mistake human civilisation has made erased with a single time jump.”

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  He gave a small jump and the hologram changed to images of people dying. “All the great atrocities, pandemics, wars, natural disasters, every single imperfection gone.”

  Victorious music swelled to accompany the images on display. A soldier sheltering an elderly lady from an explosion, another soldier saving a family trapped on their roof to escape flooding, and so on, so on.

  I trusted Niva more than I did the Chancellor, and her rules about time travel were quite clear.

  The past couldn’t be erased, only slightly altered.

  But none of the lords and ladies, kings or queens seemed to know or care, being swept away by the canvas of heroism the Chancellor was painting over their eyes.

  “Perhaps we could even undo the Lion Legion’s vicious attacks meant to force us into compliance and cowardice. I’m sure you’ll all join me in sending out thoughts and prayers to those who have suffered as a result of their cruelty. To them I say I understand your pain and rest assured there will be justice.”

  He pointed a finger at the hologram now displaying the symbol of the Lion Legion.

  “This rebel group is run by Relegates who wish to destroy our perfect way of life and they must be crushed and stomped out like the insects they are. They have forfeited their place among our just and prosperous society and must be dealt with accordingly.

  In response to the attacks, my Government and I set about outlining a new initiative to avoid repeats of such tragedy. It is my deepest pleasure to announce that research from the Relegate Project has allowed us to create a procedure which will make Relegates better contributors to our society. This procedure rewires their brains and fuses their body to machinery that trusted citizens can control. This will give the Relegates purpose in their lives and fix their flaws, improving our society even further.”

  The people in the room nodded their approval.

  Only the ones who failed the project were meant to be converted, but the way the Chancellor was taking made it seem like he wanted all Relegates converted.

  I suppose Daniella had tried to warn me but crap.

  “I thank your support and co-operation during this experimental phase and am excited to create a perfect world with you. Thank you, now let’s have fun!”

  Rapturous applause filled the room with a chant growing among the lord and ladies. It was hard to make out at first, but soon the message became clear.

  “A perfect world. A perfect world. A perfect world.”

  The whole room joined in apart from Elian, who’s face flushed darker with worry as the chanting grew, building to a crescendo.

  “A perfect world. A perfect world. A perfect world.”

  It wasn’t hard to understand why he was worried. I was worried too. Because when people said they wanted a perfect world, it hardly ever meant they wanted it to actually be perfect. No, when people said they wanted perfection they were saying they wanted flawless. But there’s no such thing as flawless when it comes to humans, and as a world vastly populated by them, a quest for a flawless world would always be doomed.

  The Chancellor was teasing them with power, fuelling their fear, and fear was all that was needed to turn people against each other. Against us. Against Relegates.

  I grabbed the polished buffet table at the back of the room, leaning against it for support when a gentle hand brushed mine.

  “Don’t turn. There are too many eyes,” Elian whispered, the corner of the table between us. I hadn’t even noticed him move.

  Music broke up the chanting and it wasn’t long before the gem covered lords and ladies prowled around the room, wild cats covering up their hunger for power with civility.

  “So it was all a lie,” I croaked out, my voice barely holding together. “The Relegate Project was never about making us Customs. Why would he do that? Get our hopes up only to bring them crashing down again?”

  Elian took a deep breath.

  “History belongs to the people with the best stories, and unfortunately my father’s quite the storyteller.”

  In the centre of the room John turned his back on a member of a lesser family in favour of Atticus.

  “When he wants to be, anyway.”

  At this point the table was the only thing keeping me standing.

  “So what happens to us now? What did he mean he’s going to give control of us to suitable citizens?”

  “Nothing,” he said, the strength in his voice unwavering, “Nothing is going to happen to you. I will do whatever it takes to stop Relegates being converted. Every problem has a solution. Every single one.”

  “Of course there’s a solution. I just thought we’d have more time.”

  “We?”

  “The Lion Legion.” There was no point hiding it now. “They’re breaking out all the Relegates from the institutions.”

  He forgot not to look at me as he stepped away from the table, and I risked doing the same.

  “Do you have any idea how difficult an operation like that would be? It’s impossible.”

  “Every problem has a solution, right?”

  He arched an eyebrow.

  “They were wise words.” I shrugged. “I know I’m playing a dangerous game, but I have to believe we can pull this off. Obviously you don’t have to help, there’s no reason you should–”

  “Not exactly no reason,” he interrupted.

  My breath hitched, but there was no time to dwell on what that meant.

  “I won’t ask you to be involved, but I’ll be damned if I let the Chancellor go through with whatever he’s planning.”

  He stood there in silence, contemplating every scenario, every risk and reward. This time when he looked at me, he did it on purpose, his eyes shining with a profound intensity.

  “Ayla,” he began softly, “I promised you wouldn’t ever go back there.”

  By now, I knew what promises meant to him, and how heartbroken he’d be if he had to break this one.

  I squeezed his hand for a daring second.

  “I know,” I replied, “But I don’t really have a choice. Not if I want to live with myself.”

  “Do you have any idea what they’ll do if they catch you?”

  Bless him, his face looked as scared as I felt. I made sure I didn’t give anything similar away. We couldn’t both be scared.

  “Of course, but you won’t let them make me a victim, will you? You’ll tell them my name was Ayla Pickering and I got sent to the institution for chromosomal abnormalities when I was born. You’ll tell them I loved old songs and dreamed of a world far kinder than this one. That I fought hard for it to the end and was brave and strong.”

  If he could do that, it didn’t matter what they did to me. I could endure anything as long as there was someone out there who believed I could be brave. I wasn’t, to be clear. I was a coward who couldn’t bare to confront the darkest parts of herself, but for the purpose of legacy, for the good that might come after me, I could pretend I was.

  A girl with ebony hair, eyes like ice and a stash of freckles came between us. Probably for the best, as people were starting to look and the sad sheen in Elian’s eyes looked set to protest what I was asking of him.

  “I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” Ariadne cried out. “How are you? I would offer to dance but I’m so clumsy, and you probably need your toes.”

  “I’m busy–”

  Elian saw the Chancellor’s glare the same time I did, somehow clocking everything from all the way across the room. In one swift movement he straightened his back into someone I didn’t recognise, a man I could see being the next Chancellor.

  “But,” he gritted his teeth, “I suppose it can wait.”

  As he led her to the dance floor, I heard her voice chirp out, “Isn’t that great news about the Relegates? They’ll finally get to be safe under more personal care and be useful at the same time. It’s killing two birds with one stone!”

  The music drowned out his reply but his face looked unimpressed, to say the least, as Ariadne took his hand and danced flawlessly.

  I wondered whether this song would be the one he proposed to, and then wondered why the thought bothered me. Given the task I was about to embark on I decided it best to ignore it. This might very well be the last time I saw him and I didn’t want to ruin the moment by having feelings.

  I glanced at the grandfather clock to see Galton staring straight at me with a smile. Did some twisted part of him, the part that saw straight through me to my deepest fears and insecurities, know what was about to happen at Vocafeum tonight?

  I went to get a blueberry milkshake from the bar and sipped it on the way outside, pretending not to notice his piercing gaze tracking my every step.