Chapter One

SOPHIE

“I’m never getting married, and I’m never going to have children. It goes against everything I believe in, Mother.” I rolled my eyes when she turned her back. “I’m making my commitment today.”

Why couldn’t she get it through her head that I had made up my mind and wasn’t going to change it?

“Twenty-six is pretty young to be deciding such a thing, Sophie. Can you have any consistent beliefs before you’re thirty?” She pulled our lunch out of the fabricator. It never tasted as good as food cooked the old-fashioned way, but it was a lot faster than working in the kitchen. “I’ll be honest with you, honey. You’ve never been in love, and you don’t know what you’re talking about. You might change your mind. I don’t want your future determined by a ridiculous, idealistic club.”

I’m sure she wanted to call Single for Life something else. She’d made it pretty clear she didn’t have any respect for my beliefs. She thought it was a cult or something, which irritated me. It was the furthest thing from a cult I could imagine. It was a group of thoughtful people who were taking concrete steps to deal with overpopulation instead of merely talking about it.

If enough people stopped having children, we had a chance of solving the population crisis. The number of humans on Earth was beginning to exceed the limits of the planet. It was my opportunity to show that I was an adult and that I could make mature decisions, like deciding to join Single for Life.

I huffed impatiently. I felt irritated but determined at the same time. For goodness sake, I’d been working for them for over two years now. That should have given her plenty of time to realize no grandchildren were coming out of me.

“Mother, you can’t argue with the facts. Earth can’t handle any more people. We’re on the verge of exhausting its resources. If we don’t stop having children, we’re going to have to start evacuating Earth. EarthGov is already starting to apply for refugee status on other planets.”

“I know, Sophie. But what’s the point of saving the world at the cost of ruining your life? If you have no descendants, why do you care about the future of the planet?”

“Sometimes an individual has to make sacrifices for the greater good, Mom.”

“Maybe.” She didn’t look convinced. “But does that individual have to be you?”

“If not me, Mother, who?” It wasn’t easy, but I held my temper and started eating my lunch.

She didn’t speak for a while. Finally, she couldn’t hold back any longer. “Not all planets have overpopulation issues. Some are underpopulated.”

“I know. But we’re not talking about other planets. We’re talking about Earth.” I wondered where this was going.

“You could leave,” she whispered.

I was so shocked that I stopped eating. “You want me to go away?”

“Of course I don’t, Sophie. But you don’t always get everything you want. I don’t want you to have to deny yourself two of the most fundamental of human rights — a partner and a child. They can fulfill you in ways you can’t even imagine.”

Something she said triggered a memory: my Mom and Dad watching me open my birthday presents, beaming at each other and laughing together when I opened a box with my puppy in it. I knew she had sacrificed for me and that I brought her joy.

“I know, Mom. It’s not like I don’t want to get married. But we live in desperate times, and it’s not responsible for someone like me to reproduce.”

My mother narrowed her eyes and shook her head. “I don’t understand you, Sophie. And I’d honestly rather lose you forever, knowing you were happy with a husband and a family on some strange planet far away than have you be alone forever on Earth.” Her eyes teared up. “You know how much I would hate to have you go. That should tell you how strongly I feel about this whole Single for Life nonsense.”

No answer would make a difference. We would never agree on this subject, and there was no point in trying to change her mind. If I wanted to stay on Earth, it was irresponsible and unethical to breed. I wouldn’t do it.

When we finished eating, I stood up and put the plate with my unfinished food back in the fabricator for recycling. “I have to go to work, Mom. Thanks for lunch.”

She kissed me and gently touched my cheek. “Just do one thing for me. Think about everything before you make a final commitment.”

“My mind’s made up, Mother.”

“You’re young, Sophie.” Since she was looking directly at me, I refrained from rolling my eyes. “I’m afraid you will regret this.”

“I won’t regret it, Mom. Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”

I kissed her on the forehead and left, getting into a self-driving car parked on the side of the road and programming it for the Single for Life headquarters.

“And before these witnesses…”

My stomach was full of butterflies, and I had a moment of doubt. But as I stared out at the crowd of over two hundred people, I knew I wasn’t going to back down. “I swear I will remain single for life and childless. My actions will help end overpopulation. I swear to...”

Suddenly, my mother’s voice came back to me, making me forget what I was saying. I’m afraid you will regret this.

“...I swear to remain unmarried and barren. I will honor these words as long as I am on Earth.”

The crowd erupted in cheers. They had taken the oath long ago and were here to welcome and support the people participating in the ceremony tonight. I sat down, but the cheering continued.

It was always exciting when one of the six regional leaders took the oath. I had put it off as long as possible, but when I got the promotion, I knew it was time. As the head of the North American division of Single for Life, I needed to lead by example. We weren’t required to take the oath, but it was strongly encouraged.

At the reception, Nora Darwin came up to me and shook my hand. “Sophie McCallistair, that was a beautiful moment. You had such conviction in your voice! Sometimes, people sound like they aren’t sure they want to be here, but your confidence in your beliefs came through loud and clear.”

I beamed at her, still on a high from my public profession. “Thank you, Nora.” Nora had started the movement long ago and continued to lead the entire organization. We had become close friends over the years.

“And congratulations on your new job,” she added.

“Thank you. I can’t wait to get started.”

“Well, about that...” My heart skipped a beat. What did she mean? “The bank will finish processing the bonus into your bank account by tomorrow. I want you to use some of it for a vacation. Take a few weeks off.”

“That will delay my start date.”

“It’s standard procedure, Sophie. You know that.” Shit. I guess I did, but I hadn’t focused on it. “You will be taking on some big responsibilities, and we always require people to have a cooling-off period before they begin their new positions. Don’t you remember when you started as Regional Coordinator?”

Now that I thought about it, I did remember having to take a short leave right after I accepted that promotion. I didn’t want to take time off now. I was ready to start. Earth was in trouble, and I wanted to jump right in and do everything I could to help.

I stepped closer and lowered my voice to a whisper. “Nora, is this necessary? I don’t need a break. I want to start right away. There’s a lot of work I need to do to hit my personal goals.”

She patted me on the shoulder in her most motherly fashion. “I know you’re ready to get started, Sophie. But I’ve seen a lot of people come and go. It’s easy to burn out here, and a short, mandatory leave of absence is one of our requirements. We foresee you having a long and prosperous career with us as long as you don’t crash and burn in your first five years.”

I tried not to show how unhappy I was at this turn of events.

“Enjoy your time off. When you come back, you’ll be rested and ready to start. Why don’t you spend some time off-planet? They say Susohn is an excellent place to visit.”

There was no getting out of it, so I nodded, but couldn’t speak. I didn’t want to cry in front of everyone.

Four hours later, I scanned my retina and waited for the security system to verify my identity before the door to my apartment slid open. After I had walked through, it shut behind me without a sound. “Lock.” The mechanical whirring from the direction of the door indicated I was secure.

I had stood up in front of hundreds of people, and thousands more watching on video and declared my intention never to get married or have children, but this was not how I had expected to feel after taking my oath. When I had envisioned the event in my mind, I had thought I would feel triumphant. I had felt fantastic in the beginning. There was the excitement of declaring something in front of witnesses that I’d always believed in my heart. But in the aftermath, I felt dejected and depressed.

Maybe I did need a break. I stepped out of my clothes and stepped into the ionizer, standing there for the two minutes required for a thorough cleansing. When the timer went off, I got out and walked naked to my bedroom. The days of taking luxurious showers with water were long gone. Because of the wasteful habits of my ancestors, there was barely enough water left for the teeming population of Earth to drink.

I briefly wondered what it was like to take a shower — the kind I’d read about in books. I imagined water pouring over my head, trickling down and slowly heating up my body. That was one thing I might enjoy about interstellar travel; there weren’t water shortages everywhere.

After I dressed in my pajamas, I set my BioScan on the floor and stood over it. It only took a few moments for the device to analyze my body completely. I picked it up and put it back on the shelf. The information would automatically upload to my computer.

I crawled into bed and pulled the covers up around me, opening the BioScan program to check my vital statistics. Almost everything was within normal ranges. My cortisol was slightly elevated, from the stress of taking the vow, I supposed. The software would alert me if there were a significant change in my health that required emergency intervention. For any minor modifications, I had to monitor the numbers myself.

I called out to Teri, my virtual assistant, too tired to even bother swiping at my comm unit. “Teri, I need some help.” The image of a young woman with short brown hair appeared on the floor in front of me. She wore casual blue jeans with an embroidered white peasant blouse. I’d have to see about changing that. I wasn’t a fan of the retro look.

“Good evening, Sophie. What can I do for you?”

“Check my messages and see if Khellen has sent me anything. If there’s a message, play it.”

“No problem.” She tapped her hand on her leg as she waited, accessing my information. I hadn’t had a message from him for over a week. I kept expecting him to communicate at any time.

My patience was finally rewarded, and I could barely contain myself when Teri announced the message. A hologram from Khellen would chase away my disappointment and the uncomfortable feeling I’d gotten after taking the oath.

Teri activated the recording and disappeared as soon as it started playing. It felt like Khellen was sitting on my bed. Technology had certainly progressed from the stilted 3D video files of my childhood to the point where a casual observer would think Khellen was here with me. He sat frozen, waiting for me to speak.

I suppressed the impulse to reach out and touch him. He was only an image, no matter how real he looked. But it didn’t matter; I loved his messages. They were always cheerful and lighthearted. He never failed to make me feel better, no matter what was happening in my day.

Khellen was about my age and too handsome for his own good. He had brown hair, a cheeky grin, and eyes a peculiar shade of green that no baby on Earth had ever possessed. He had sent pictures of himself water skiing, swimming, and diving. I knew he liked the water, and all the physical activity gave him a toned body with washboard abs and well-developed biceps.

Frankly, the pictures made me envious. Water sports were little more than fairy tales on Earth. The oceans were so polluted that no one wanted to go into them. Any fresh water was reserved for drinking. I couldn’t imagine having so much clean water that anyone could just play in it. It seemed wasteful.

“Hello, Khellen.”

The hologram responded immediately. “How’s it going, Sophie? I hope you’re doing better than I am. You know how my mother has been pressuring me to get married? It turns out she was right. I probably should have made more effort to find a mate earlier.” His voice trailed off as he looked away from the camera. “I turn twenty-five in a couple of weeks. If I’m not married by then, I’m going to have some problems with the law.”

This message wasn’t cheerful at all. Khellen lived on Biyaha, where even though they had modern technologies and conveniences, their traditions were as old as the planet itself. Like Earth, Biyaha had a population problem. But it wasn’t an overpopulation problem. It was the exact opposite. Their population started declining a century before. The government had passed laws encouraging people to have children in order to protect their future. At first, they gave parents monthly stipends for each child. When that wasn’t enough, they enacted more draconian policies. Everyone who could bear children was required to get married by the age of twenty-five.

Khellen had told me that most got married as soon as they reached the age of majority, which was sixteen on Biyaha. Many young people didn’t even have jobs because they could support themselves and their families on the government money. Instead, they chose to have more babies. Khellen had friends only a few years older than him with as many as six children. The government required couples to space their children at least two years apart because they didn’t want the women weakened from too much childbearing.

The hologram had paused because its sensors showed I wasn’t listening based on my eye movements, body language, and unresponsiveness. I thought about what Khellen had said. If he wasn’t married by his birthday, he would become one of the disappeared. I shivered at the thought. No one was sure what became of people who vanished after their twenty-fifth birthday. There were rumors, of course. Death, torture, and breeding farms were some that Khellen had mentioned.

I had never thought he might become one of them. It couldn’t be that hard, could it? Get married. That’s all he had to do. He had no choice but to bow to the pressure his mother was putting on him. And I surely didn’t blame her. I didn’t want Khellen to disappear and never be seen again.

I had a feeling he had been searching for a woman who would be his perfect wife. Based on his worried expression, he hadn’t found her yet. He had confided in me that he wanted to marry for love, but the government policy requiring marriage by twenty-five meant it wasn’t always an option. Get married and breed. Those were the rules. Contraceptives were illegal on Biyaha.

I gazed at his unhappy face, wishing I could see him in person. Khellen was my best friend even though I had never been in the same room with him. We had encountered each other as teenagers at a virtual reality dance and had started corresponding soon after. We had been messaging each other for years since.

The hologram sensed me looking at it and resumed playback, but rewound a few seconds from where it had left off.

“If I’m not married by then, I’m going to have some problems with the law. The police will come and take me away. You know as well as I do what will happen after that. I won’t be able to message you anymore, that’s for sure, Sophie.” He looked troubled, and his eyes lowered again.

I had never seen him act this way before.

“I should get married, right?” His odd green eyes stared into mine, or at least it felt that way.

“Yeah, you should, Khellen. Getting married can’t be as bad as whatever the government does to those who don’t comply.” I spoke as if he could hear me.

“I know I should. But I don’t feel like that would be the right thing to do, Soph.” He stared off to the right as if he were thinking. “I’m going to hold off as long as I can. I’ll figure something out.” He paused to add quietly, “I wish we could talk.” He held up his hands, a ghost of his usual grin on his face. “I know, I know, intergalactic vid comm rates are astronomical.”

I nodded.

“Still…” He looked up then, and he must have been looking directly at the camera because his eyes stared right into mine. “I wish you were here.”

The hologram winked out, leaving me bereft. I lay down, my heart so heavy I thought it would sink to the floor — until I had a thought that lifted me back to a sitting position.

Khellen wanted me to come to Biyaha. I had two weeks off. And Nora said I should go off-planet.

Excitement set me tingling. I would go and visit him. We would finally get to meet, and I would convince him to get married so his government wouldn’t knock him off or do whatever they did to those who broke the rules. I couldn’t bear the idea of him disappearing. His messages brightened my days more than I wanted to admit. I couldn’t take it if the holograms stopped one day.

I started getting excited. I was going off-planet for the first time in my life. Then I would come back and start my new job. Khellen would be married, and I would be single for life.

Both of us would get what we wanted.