Read LONTAR issue #1 for Free Online

free," she said, avoiding his eyes.
    Of course. For the elect.
    When Feisal was at a door, she said: "See you at work," not looking up. In this way she passed from his life.
    *
    "Exciting times," said Joshua the next day. He leaned over the walls of Feisal's cubicle and picked up a stick of his keropok lekor . Joshua was one of many obstacles on the long hard path to achieving affability.
    "Oi," said Feisal automatically. "What's so exciting?"
    "You didn't hear?" said Joshua. "See lah, when you skip out on office breakfasts, you miss all the news."
    "Xinya's left, is it?"
    Joshua was disappointed. "Hai, if you knew already, say lah! You know why she went?"
    Feisal shrugged. He was acutely conscious of the skin on his face. It was important that it should not wrinkle, that his face should not be betrayed into any kind of expression.
    "Official line is she's been posted to Region because of urgent business need," said Joshua. He lowered his voice. "But they all were saying actually it's the authorities request, one. Xinya was caught in flagrante with a lower-station person."
    "What was she doing?"
    " Flagranting , lah," said Joshua. " Bangsawan like her, must be she really overstepped the line. They only send elect overseas as a last resort."
    Something was wrong with Feisal's eyes. He couldn't make out the images on the screen before him. He moved a style element a few pixels to the left to make it look like he wasn't really listening.
    "Can't believe Xinya risk it like that," said Joshua. "She seem so sensible. This kind of thing can really mess up your life. No more housing grant, no pension, children not included in the school quota. Private sector also won't touch you if the admin blacklist you already. Like that, it's like you never pass the exam in the first place."
    "We are OK, what," said Feisal. "Who needs to be elect?"
    "We're OK because we're used to a shitty life," said Joshua. "Once you're elect you don't want to stop, one. At least Xinya still has a chance. If they're sending her overseas instead of downgrading her, means they're going for reeducation. If she's smart, she'll hang on to her special rights."
    "She strike me as being smart."
    "More than that. Xinya's ambitious," said Joshua. "She told Shazrina she didn't plan to spend more than one year in this company. Too small for her. Oh, you won't see her giving up her future for some random rakyat . Pretend only she doesn't want to excel. Underneath she's like all the bangsawan ."
    No , thought Feisal. There was something restless about Xinya, a striving quality, but she dreamed of different things. Not the upward climb, but the meandering path, curving into the unknown distance.
    "Is it?" he said. "She seem laid back. But I don't know her well."
    "If you survive the screenings to get to uni, you're not going to be laid back, one," said Joshua. "She's very clever, she won't show people she's ambitious. But at end of the day these people all want the administration job, the car, the housing grant. I'm just surprised she was so careless to let herself get caught. You never know people, ah."
    "Yeah," said Feisal. "Who knew."
    *
    The details of what had happened to Xinya filtered down to Feisal over the next few weeks. There was no mention of his name, or indeed much curiosity about who the rakyat was who'd caused her fall. To Feisal's surprise it was assumed that anyone of a lower station would leap at the chance of a liaison with a bangsawan . The scandal was that Xinya had been willing to lower herself in that way.
    It appeared that the state Family Planning Unit had slipped a word to management: the company must be alert to prevent undesirable fraternising among its staff. Foreign businesses could not expect to succeed in the New Federation without a firm commitment to local values.
    Worried about its tax rebates and state subsidies, management had acted swiftly. Xinya had been called into the big boss's office and given the kindest of lectures. ("She finished