April was a Flower Girl.

 

With Eleos’s blessing, her little shop had been placed in a lovely location near the tube station in Village Green, only a day’s ride to Capitol.

 

She arranged bouquets beautifully and knew the genetics of hybrid roses by heart. Most of her friends thought she was lucky, so it’s no surprise that she never told them how empty her life’s work had become.

 

Eleos had judged her as a child, looked into her heart, and told her flowers were her future path. So Eleos had spoken, and she had obeyed.

 

Yet in the slow afternoons at the flower shop, the hours stretched thin. At night she lay awake for hours, eyes open in the dark, dreaming of dancing.

 

Her best friend Elisha was a dancer. April would watch her perform at the Village Green Amphitheater and be enthralled. “How do you do it?” she asked more than once. Elisha always said the same thing. “Practice. Lots of practice.”

 

So it was a great surprise that one day, after a few too many drinks, Elisha finally opened up.

 

They lay sprawled on the dorm floor, backs against Elisha’s narrow bed, an empty bottle of plum wine between them. April’s head buzzed pleasantly, and Elisha’s cheeks were flushed, her dancer’s posture relaxed.

 

Elisha tilted the bottle, found it dry, and set it down too hard. Glass clinked. “Do you like what you do?”

 

April blinked slowly. The question hung there between them.

 

After a beat she whispered, “Not really.”

 

Elisha let out a small, melancholy laugh. “Me neither.” She flexed her bare feet, wincing as she did. “Every day it hurts. And I’m still… not good enough.”

 

“Oh, no!” April exclaimed. “You’re a wonderful dancer! I’ve never seen anyone dance as beautifully as you!”

 

Elisha sat back, and a tear fell from her eye. “I have.” She sat there silently for a long moment.

 

Suddenly, she slammed her hand down hard, knocking over an empty glass. “I have!” she said bitterly. “Our troupe went to Capitol for the first time this past New Year’s Day to see a performance by the Capitol Dancers, and they were wonderful. I’m not boasting when I say this, but I’m the best dancer on our squad, and I will never move like those girls can.”

 

“All these years following Eleos’s command. It was all for nothing and I’m just tired of it.”

 

April took her friend’s hand. She knew how she felt, at least about her life’s path.

 

“I’ve never told anyone, but I don’t even like flowers anymore,” she said quietly. “They’re pretty. But after a decade of wiring stems and making the same arrangements… it all just feels empty and pointless.”

 

Elisha gasped. “I never knew that. All I ever wanted to be was a Flower Girl. Peace and quiet. No blisters, no pain, and no one judging me every second of my life.”

 

They stared at each other, the absurdity sinking in. Two blasphemies laid bare between them.

 

April’s voice dropped lower. “We’re idiots. Here we are coveting each other’s cages.”

 

Elisha gripped her hand hard. “Then let’s ask to trade them.”

 

Both girls sat quietly for a moment. This kind of talk was forbidden and dangerous. No one questioned the decisions of Eleos. It was almost unthinkable.

 

“I’ve heard of people asking for reassignment. My Aunt Leela did. She’s a Morals Matron, or well, she used to be.”

 

April’s eyes widened. “What happened to her?”

 

“Well, all we know is that she isn’t a matron anymore. She’ll be in solitary until next quarter and then get reevaluated, I suppose. But don’t you see that our situation is different?”

 

April smiled and nodded. “I see a certain logic in all of this. I’ve wanted nothing more than to dance my whole life, and all you’ve ever dreamed of are flowers. No one will be cheated of their life goal if we can just exchange places. It’s so simple.”

 

* * *

 

The two girls sat quietly outside the huge double doors leading to the Chamber of Audience. They were surprised that their request to come before Eleos had been granted so quickly.

 

At the appointed time, a chime sounded, and the doors swung open. The Speaker of Eleos stepped through the doors and approached them.

 

“Elisha 15678, the All-Powerful Eleos has granted your audience. Do you swear to abide by His decision?”

 

Elisha stood and nodded before following him inside.

 

April waited patiently in the spartan antechamber for her friend to return. The ceiling rose high above her, lost in the glow of the ensconced artificial lamps.

A heavy silence had dogged them since they entered the temple, reigning over the vast structure.

 

Now it broke. A ragged scream rang out, followed by a fading cry. Then the silence returned, swift and absolute.

 

That was Elisha! she thought. All her fears and worries came rushing back. What have we done?

 

An eternity passed before the gong rang once more and the doors swung open. Elisha stepped out, flanked by the Speaker and an attendant, her eyes unseeing and her countenance unreadable.

 

Forgetting the protocol, April rushed forward, and the attendant quickly moved to restrain her. “What did Eleos say? Did he refuse?”

 

The Speaker unrolled a filmy printout bearing the bold seal of Eleos on the back.

 

“By command of our great and benevolent AI Eleos, Elisha 15678 has been reassigned. Her new path is in her blood and follows the line of her crèche mother's sister, who is now imprisoned and awaiting judgment."

 

Elisha said nothing but moved toward her friend.

 

The attendant continued. “From this day forward, she will be an honored Morals Matron. Her first assignment is to take the former Flower Girl, April 45650, into custody for blasphemy and covetousness.”

 

Elisha grasped April’s arm, her hand as cold as ice. As she began to pull her away, Elisha said, “Eleos has spoken.”