Kerra and Jared stepped into the grocery store, the fluorescent lights flickering overhead. Jared's eyes darted around, trying to make sense of the signs above each aisle and the labels on the produce bins.
"I can't read any of this," he said, voice low.
A middle-aged man stacking cans glanced over. "It's Zo-pak now. If you're staying in Cascadia, learn it."
Jared gave a short, disbelieving laugh. "A whole language in five minutes? Not possible. I've lived in this country my whole life—"
"The laws have changed!" the man snapped, voice splitting like dry timber. "Get with the new program. Aka-pak is dust now compared to Zo-pak." He turned back to the shelves, dismissing them.
Jared guided Kerra down another aisle. "Probably new management," he murmured, like a man explaining snow while standing in a blizzard.
Kerra nodded. Her eyes scanned over foreign labels, unable to distinguish butter from margarine in the dairy aisle.
At checkout, Jared set their sparse haul on the belt and pulled crumpled dollar bills from his blue jeans pocket.
The cashier slid them back. "We don't take Sudan notes anymore. New currency only—change went through last month."
Jared's jaw slackened. "This is legal tender. It's all we have."
"Policy," she said, not unkindly, but final.
Before he could argue, the automatic doors hissed. A uniformed officer stepped in, eyes locking on them.
"Report came in," he said evenly. "You were heard speaking Aka-pak. Correct?"
Jared blinked. "We're not fluent in Zo-pak. We never learned it."
The officer nodded. "Non-speakers require orientation. Mandatory. You'll come with me."
Kerra's hand found Jared's wrist. "Is this really compulsory?"
"Yes," the officer said, gesturing toward a military-style van parked outside. "It's part of the national integration program."
Reluctantly, Jared and Kerra followed him out of the store. As they climbed into the van, Jared caught sight of a crowd gathered near the public library. Flames crackled from a bonfire, and people tossed books written in Aka-pak.
His stomach lurched. He shut his eyes and took slow breaths, trying to steady himself as the van pulled away.