We lived in broken buildings by the sea in a fortified oasis. The village functioned, protected, thrived, but I couldn’t stay. Not anymore. Not after Ronan. A lump formed in my throat as I strode down the sandy road—possibly making the biggest mistake of my life.
The constant hum of generators sounded in the distance as I arrived at Alicia’s house. Humidity hung heavy in the air, and the familiar smell of mildew piqued my nose. No one said hello or spent energy on small talk. Alicia’s older brother, Tommy, stood by the window looking out, his backpack propped against his legs, three times the size of mine. What did he have in there that I didn’t? I’d stuck to the list. I should have at least brought more than one change of clothes. I’d never been out of the village before, so packing for a trip was not exactly in my skill set, especially a trip to the wastelands of Old North America. And with that thought, a familiar prickly panic crawled over my skin, causing my heart to thump against my chest.
“Alicia,” I said, motioning for her to follow me into her room.
“I don’t know if I’m ready for this, Barrett,” she said before I could speak, “And why do you have that ugly yellow backpack?”
“I’m coming with you, but I don’t think I packed enough. I need to borrow a few things.”
“Okay,” she dragged out the word after taking a moment to scrutinize me. I placed my hands on Alicia’s shoulders. “Don’t argue. My mind is made up.”
“Fine,” she said, “but just a warning, Tia is coming, too ... with Jensen. They’re in the living room. I hope that won’t be an issue for you.”
“Ugh, it’s fine,” I said, my body shifting to a defensive posture.
“How are you going to watch him with another girl the whole time we’re on this mission?” Alicia asked with sympathetic eyes. I shrugged my shoulders, still convinced that Jenson would bore of Tia any time now, and realize he loved me.
I combed through Alicia’s clothes, but she was the shortest, skinniest teenager in Nuevo Leben, so I only got away with a pair of ratty sweatpants that had worn-out elastic. They would give enough to fit me. I pulled down two colorful scarves that were hanging in her window and ransacked her bathroom for a bar of soap and a hairbrush. Alicia came in with alcohol and bandages.
“Hey, that’s a good idea to pack first aid,” I said.
“Yeah, I don’t have a full kit, but at least it’s something.”
Satisfied with my pilfering, I returned to the main room. Jensen, the boy I’d spent my whole life loving, was there with his new girlfriend, Tia, who was sitting on his lap. Their foreheads were pressed together, and they giggled like they weren’t about to go on a mission for the Noble Council that would likely result in all of our deaths. I wanted to go to Jensen, put my arms around him, and beg him not to go. Instead, I dropped my bag, so it made enough noise to snap them out of their sweet little moment.
“What’s wrong with you?” Jensen asked.
Tia stood up and gave me a dirty look, then crossed her arms and popped her hip to the side. She was on to me.
“Nothing,” I said. “Just getting my mind ready for the mission.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, eyeing my backpack. “You can’t go.”
“Well, I am going.”
Jensen scowled but said nothing else about it. Tia stood between us—her back to me—blocking Jen from my view. Ugh, she was a nightmare!
“Is everybody ready?” Tommy asked and hiked his mega-pack up to his shoulders. “Say your goodbyes to civilization. I can promise you won’t find any luxuries outside of Nuevo Leben.”
“We know, Tommy, and we can handle it,” Alicia said. She was tiny, but tough. I feared a little less for her, but only just.
Tommy and Alicia led us to the north edge of town. I had no idea where we’d meet the others, but it didn’t matter as long as Ronan was there.
Ronan. Even thinking his name sent shivers down my spine.
Tommy unlocked a small gate hidden in the northern wall. I crawled through with a scarf over my head so the guard wouldn’t recognize me. Technically speaking, I wasn’t supposed to leave with the Network. Though my status allowed me to go in and out of the village, my recruitment for this mission was off the books. Once outside the village, Jensen pulled me aside.
“What are you doing? You need to go home.”
“I have to go, Jen, you don’t understand.”
“You’re acting crazy, Barrett. You’re a future Noble.”
“And I will be when we get back,” I said and ran to catch up to the group.
I wanted to tell Jen about my separate mission, but Ronan said not to tell anyone that we were using the Network mission as a cover. Besides, telling Jensen would be selfish. I didn’t want to add to his stress by sharing my agenda. I had Ronan for that. My stomach flipped. Where was he anyway?
Alicia must have sensed my inner ramblings because she linked arms with me and gave me a shoulder nudge. Jensen stormed by me and took Tia’s hand. I made a face at their backs.
“You two won’t be trouble, will you?” Alicia asked.
“No,” I grumbled. “We’re fine.”
I needed to stop fixating on Jensen and Tia and focus on the journey ahead. We walked down a rubble-covered road leading away from Nuevo Leben. I tried swallowing the lump in my throat, looking back at my village getting smaller with every step. My home.
We rounded a corner, and a group came into view, hovering around two decrepit-looking flatbed trucks, packed and ready to go. Where was Ronan? A week ago, he was a complete stranger, and now I needed him as much as my blood. He was giving me a chance at seeing my mother again, a possibility I never imagined.
One Week Earlier
“Hey, Barrett, come on!” Jensen said, barreling through the doorway. “I want to get the good table by the water. Have you seen the surf today?”
“Nope!” I didn’t surf, so I didn’t pay attention to such things. “But I’ll race you,” I said, pushing past him.
“You’re on, Girly!” Jensen winked and took off in the sand. I almost had him beat when a flash of light caught my eye, causing me to trip over a piece of driftwood. I ended up face down in the sand. Wiping and spitting sand from my mouth, I looked for the source of the distraction but couldn’t find it through sandy vision.
“Hey, are you alright?” Jensen asked, breathless with laughter. I threw handfuls of sand at him. He picked me up, but instead of putting me on my feet, he threw me over his shoulder and spun me in circles.
“Put me down before I throw up,” I argued.
When I was back on my feet, we claimed our spot with our notebooks and shoes, and took our lunch bags to the grills. Our school was once part of a resort, so our cafeteria is really a seaside cabana. We have class in the old conference rooms and banquet halls. It’s been that way since the Big Adjustment. That’s what they decided to call the event that led to the fall of an entire civilization—the Big Adjustment. Like it was no more than an inconvenience people had to work around.
Since we were first on the beach, Jen and I got our lunches on the grill without having to wait in line. My stomach growled, and Jensen snickered at me. We shared fresh bread, sliced zucchini, tomatoes, and seaweed salad. I always let Jen take a larger portion since he outweighed me by at least fifty pounds.
After we ate, Jensen pulled off his shirt and headed to the board rack. Alicia turned up and joined him. They hit the waves before we had to go back to class. I stayed dry to study.
I was about to open my textbook when the shiny thing caught my eye again. I scanned the crowd—nothing out of the ordinary—but someone was watching me. I could feel it. Then, an outline appeared against the glare of the sun. Tall. Imposing.**
Goosebumps prickled through the sweat on my arms. The shadowed figure turned the shiny thing over and over in his fingers, causing me to squint. It looked like a Noble badge. I climbed on a rickety picnic table to get a better look. A gust of wind stirred up beach sand, stinging my legs. I brushed it off, blocked the sunlight with my hand, and saw clearly—Ronan Altkind. Wild blond hair, tan skin, and tattoos in places I don’t even want to mention, or so I’ve heard. What’s his deal? He hasn’t been to school in at least three years.
The hair on my neck stood on end as his eyes locked onto mine. I couldn’t look away. He wasn’t smiling, and my brain sent off warning signals. I tensed up as he strode toward me with the shiny thing in his hand. It was gold and oblong, definitely a Noble badge. Where would Ronan Altkind get one? I wasn’t sure he even lived inside our village walls. He was practically an outsider, definitely not a Noble.
Out of nowhere, I was showered with seawater. Jensen grinned as he shook his wet hair from side to side. I smacked him on the shoulder, happy to break up the bizarre staring session with Ronan. Alicia wrung her hair out on the sand.
“What does he want?” Jensen’s eyes cut over to Ronan. He positioned himself between us.
“I don’t know,” I said. “Nothing, I guess. He’s walking away.”
“Good. That guy is a straight-up freak.”
Alicia nodded in agreement with Jensen, then said, “Hey, I’ll catch up with you two later. I’ve got to meet my brother before class.”
“Sure,” I said. “Everything okay?”
“I guess so,” she said, jogging away. “If not, I’ll tell you.”
“That was weird,” Jensen said to me after Alicia left.
“Yeah. Why is Tommy here at school?”
I glanced back at Ronan. He was standing in the surf, looking down, hands in his pockets.
“Come on, Barrett. Let’s go.” Jensen tugged on my arm and sprinted toward the school. It wasn’t like him to be in such a hurry to get back to class after lunch. He really wanted to get my attention away from Ronan—and he did. I ran behind Jensen, admiring his tanned legs and muscled arms in his tank top and shorts. His wavy black hair brushed his shoulders. Oh, how I wanted to run my fingers through that hair.
“You going to get rations after school?” Jensen asked when I caught up.
“I have to work at the water lab. Will you get mine pretty please?” I batted my eyelashes at him, trying my best to flirt.
“Still got sand in your eye?” he asked, poking his finger at my belly to tickle me.
“No,” I said, wiggling away from him.
“Yeah, I’ll get yours, too, your Noble Highness.”
“I’m not a Noble yet,” I said.
I didn’t know why Jensen teased me about my position. His brother Nick was a Noble, one of our best doctors. Besides, he knew I’d rather join the workforce like him. Jensen’s path was sea farming, and I wanted to be a chef. We used to joke we’d run a café one day like people had before the Big Adjustment. Rations were fuel for my creative forces in the kitchen, and Jensen knew every variety of edible kelp and algae in our stretch of ocean.
“Thanks,” I added.
“For what? Making fun of you?”
I shook my head at him with a stupid grin. “For agreeing to get my rations, dummy. You know I don’t trust Anna to handle rations yet, and Grandma has a hard time carrying the boxes up the stairs.”
“No problem.” He winked, and my stomach fluttered.
I looked back at the beach as we got to the doors. Dark clouds billowed in the distance, and waves crashed against the shore. Ronan had his icy blue eyes fixed on me again—a stark contrast to the approaching storm. He sat in the sand with a strange expression on his face. Was it concern? Interest? My stomach clenched, but I held his gaze.