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a certain number of people, so births are carefully controlled to balance the need for population replacement with resources. Even considering the youngest teens, there are few girls close to Raid’s age. It’s not as if he has the whole universe to choose from.
    “Well, there’s Emie.” Raid’s dark eyes examine my mouth in a way I find entirely too inviting.
    “Hey, wait a minute.” Kam drops the game controller he’s been fondling.
    I make a face at Raid. “Emie’s spoken for, and you know it. Kam will knock your head off if you make a move on her.”
    “Damn straight,” says Kam.
    Raid strokes the line of my jaw with one finger. “Chill, dude. I’m just revving Ann’s engines.”
    “And talking about me like I’m not here,” says Emie. “So sweet. Thanks.”
    I look over at my friend. It’s true her boyfriend would likely deck Raid over any flirtation, but I’ve often wondered if Emie and Raid weren’t the better match.
    I’ll miss her when I leave Eco. The one person I can talk to about anything. But maybe my leaving will benefit her—Raid’s certainly a better boyfriend than Kam. Emie will have more options once I’ve shaken the dust of this rock off my feet. I smother a twinge of jealousy at this thought. I know I like Raid a little too much for my own good, but I can’t allow my feelings for him to alter the trajectory of my life. “Anyway, since it seems the parents have invited guests to dinner, I’d better go and clean up.”
    “Thanks for asking, but I think I’ll skip it,” says Emie, after a glance at Kam. “We’ve got plans.”
    “Plans? On Eco?” I shake my head. “What—a walk under the moons and then a romantic evening playing holo games with all the other people under twenty?”
    “No.” Emie’s dark eyes flash. “Plans. You know. Jeesh, Ann.”
    “Yes, plans.” Raid catches me by the wrist and pulls me close. “The kind of plans we should be making.”
    I press the heel of my free hand into his breastbone. “You wish.” I push him back, twisting my other hand so he’s forced to release my wrist. “You people. All you think about is screwing around. Don’t you ever want to do anything else, anything more?”
    “What the hell else is there?” Kam flops back onto the cushions next to Emie.
    I suck in a deep breath. Much as I hate to admit Kam’s right about anything, he’s spoken the truth. What the hell else is there?
    “There has to be something,” I reply, talking to myself as much as to the others. “There just has to be.” I reach out and take Raid’s hand. “Sorry, but I gotta go. Catch you later maybe?”
    His eyes are shadowed beneath his dark lashes. “Sure, whatever.”
    I turn on my heel and leave before he can say anything else. Before the hurt in his eyes can make me pause.
    There must be more. Somewhere, far from here, there is something more.
    And I will find it once I can find a way to get myself, and my family, off Eco.

 
     
    The first thing I notice when I enter our tiny dining and living area is my mother’s pink dress.
    Mom traded two bins of tomatoes and a holofone for that dress. She only wears it on special occasions. I wouldn’t have thought dinner with the captain of a trading ship would merit such attention, but I guess I was wrong.
    The pastel dress clings to my mother’s curves in a way that draws most men’s eyes. Connor Patel, owner and captain of the space trader Augusta Ada, is no exception. His gaze focuses on Mom like a laser, taking in the voluptuous figure that’s perfectly proportioned to fit her petite frame. Tara Cooper is the most beautiful woman on Eco—a fact she uses to her advantage whenever possible. Her blond hair, cut short to halo her heart-shaped face, accents her hazel eyes and makes her appear years younger than her actual age.
    She’s as lovely and delicate as the butterflies I’ve only seen on holodiscs. But I know all too well the razor-sharp mind lying beneath that golden cap of hair.