Was Ronan stalking me? I continued staring into the darkness, hoping for another bolt of lightning to catch another glimpse. He was gone by the next strike. I put him out of my mind, plopped down on my bedroom floor, and opened the journal again.
June 19, 2028
We are on a large fishing vessel just south of the Gulf of Mexico. We've made a few stops, picking up people and supplies. We always anchor offshore, so people trying to escape the ash cloud won't bombard us. Dad got off the boat in Venice, Florida, and fought the panicked crowds and looters to get something at a hardware store. He (and a few others) went to shore in a lifeboat and returned on a jet ski with a brown paper bag, a limp, and a swollen cheek. He looked crazed and shut himself in our cabin for hours after. I decided not to ask him about it.
Dinner was served late. Mom told us to eat as much as we could because she didn't know when we'd get our next meal. Nobody said much, as they all seemed to be in different stages of grief. Dad was clearly in shock. Mom had made it to depression, and Paul and I both were in a comfortable state of denial for the moment. I focused on the food in front of me, and that was it! We ate a ton of shrimp, potatoes, bread, and some kind of strong-smelling fish. We guessed grouper. It was battered, fried, and tasted delicious. We filled ourselves to the point of stomachaches.
My stomach rumbled. "Big Adjustment Barrett's" words should have grossed me out, but they didn't. Killing animals for meat was taboo. Something our ancestors did that was cruel, barbaric. When animals were abundant, farmed, and slaughtered in giant factories. I closed the journal and went to bed, a little ashamed.
The next day, I woke early. I walked to the beach before my classes, secretly hoping I would run into Ronan. I would ask him what he was doing outside my apartment in the rain last night. I sat on a small pier near the school and let my feet dangle in the water. It seemed an inconspicuous way to stalk my stalker.
Ronan found me first.
His footsteps came from behind. I snapped my head and saw him, hands in the pockets of his faded jean shorts. I quickly turned away, realizing I hadn't thought of what I might say once I found him. "Hey, Mister Weirdo, why were you outside my building getting pelted by the rain last night? Stalk much?"
It then occurred to me that he might have been there for someone else. Lots of people lived in my building. What if he was coming to confront me for staring at him so long out of my window? His flip-flops smacked against the pier like my heart smacked against my chest. I decided to play it cool, tossing my hair and stretching my arm out behind me in a casual lean. When I put my hand down, I didn't feel the cement pier. I felt—toe. His toe. And I was holding it like a purse strap. I froze.
"Hey Barrett, you got a thing for feet or something?"
Those were his first words to me. I would have jumped in the water and gone under if I hadn't thought it would start boiling from the fire in my cheeks. I pulled my hands back to my knees and sat upright.
"No, I don't have a thing for feet."
"Mind if I sit with you?" he asked.
"Are you following me?" Stealthy.
"Maybe. Does it bother you?"
"No," I said, a little on the loud side. Ronan raised his eyebrows and gave me a half-smile.
"What I meant was … why are you following me?" I corrected.
Ronan sat beside me, swinging his legs over the pier's edge. "Maybe I just like you. Your mom was a Noble, right?" He sat close enough that his leg almost brushed against mine. I inched away, trying not to be obvious about it.
"You like me? How can you know that?" I asked, completely ignoring the question about my mother.
He leaned in and whispered with a wicked grin, "I know enough."
"Last night in the rain was a bit extreme," I said, trying to ignore the way his flirting made my belly warm and fluttery.
"Last night? That wasn't about you," he said, looking down at the water as if closing that discussion.
"What was it about, then?"
"Nothing. Forget about last night."
"I came here to find you this morning. To ask why you were outside of my building, standing in a rainstorm, but I guess I'm wasting my time."
I stood and brushed my hands together to knock off the loose sand. Ronan reached up, took my hand, and tugged, urging me to sit back down. I did. He stared at me but his closeness made me too nervous to stare back. Instead, I watched a small school of fish swim in circles by my feet and wondered what they would smell like if I caught them in a net and threw them on the school's grill. I scrunched my forehead, embarrassed by my own sick thoughts. I glanced at Ronan, who was studying my expression.
"You're also a Noble, right? Like your mom?" He asked.
"I'm not a Noble yet." My mind shot straight to the image of him holding that Noble badge yesterday, glad he didn't know what I was thinking about the fish.
"And you're happy about that? Having a Noble future? Even after your parents—"
"Of course, I am." His question took me aback. No one had ever asked me that before. It’s not like any of us had a choice in our community placement. I finally locked eyes with him. "It's what anyone in Nuevo Leben would want—to be important, revered. Why do you want to know?" I asked, crossing my arms.
In the distance, the school began buzzing with student voices. I was late.
"Damn, you need to go," Ronan said. He stood and offered his hand, which I took. When I got to my feet, we were face-to-face, too close again. His blue eyes were like lasers, slicing through me, searching for some deep, dark secret. I stiffened, glued to the spot.
"We'll finish this later."
"Finish what?"
"I need to talk to you about something. Something urgent, but it looks like now isn't the right time." Ronan nodded toward the beach where Jensen was jogging our way.
"You mean about something other than 'you like me’?'"
Ronan smiled again and leaned down so his lips were at my ear. "Will you meet me here after sunset?" he whispered, and my knees went rubbery. I managed a small nod as Jensen’s voice interrupted the moment. “Barrett!” he yelled. My breath caught, and I turned to Jen. Ronan stepped aside, and I made my way up the pier. I looked back, wanting to ask Ronan about the Noble badge right then, but before I could, he winked and dove into the water. Weirdo.
Jensen noticed the spring in my step as we met at the end of the dock.
“You’re in a good mood,” he said.
“Yeah, I suppose I am.”
Jen looked extra good today. He was wearing my favorite orange and brown t-shirt, which clung to his chest in just the right way. I told myself that was the reason for my good mood, but Ronan’s face kept flashing in my mind, making my face feel hot.
“Was that Ronan guy bothering you again?” Jen asked.
“He’s not bothering me.”
“Then what does he want?”
“I honestly don’t know.” It wasn’t a lie. I didn’t buy his liking me bit, and I had no idea what he really wanted to talk about. I suspected it had something to do with the Noble lockdown, even if it made no sense that Ronan would be involved with Noble affairs.
Jensen scowled but let it go because Alicia was standing on the good table by the water waving her arms at us. She looked a bit like a stick drawing with bushy black hair. Beside her, a tall blond girl I’d never seen before winked at Jensen and motioned him over. Jensen waved back and took off. I kicked at the sand in jealousy, and it blew into my face, causing me to bat at my eyes and spit. Well, that ought to get his attention. Thankfully, Jensen didn’t even notice. He was too busy jogging over to the girls.
“Hey Barrett,” Alicia said. “Have you met Tia yet? She moved here from Brazil last week. She’s going to work as a cook at the school.”
“Hey, nice to meet you,” I lied, half looking at her, and half looking at Jenson looking at her. I could just imagine Tia standing by the cabana in her bikini top, skin aglow, spatula in hand, serving Jensen grilled pineapple with a side of sexy smile.
“Nice to meet you, too,” she said. “I was just telling Alicia we moved because the water plant in our village isn’t functioning at full capacity. We were lucky to get a spot in Nuevo Leben, but I miss home. It’s crazy that so long after the Big Adjustment, most people still won’t drink untreated water. I would, but my parents are very strict about what I put in my body.” She ran her hands down her slim torso, drawing Jensen’s attention to her slight curves.
Tia droned on about her family and her old village. Tossing her shiny, golden hair around like it was on display, and we’d all shown up to gawk. I tuned her out and only pretended to listen. Jensen hung onto every word, and I rolled my eyes at Alicia, who gave me a pitying smile and whispered, “I need to talk to you. In private.”
I didn’t want to leave Jensen alone with Tia, but he was walking on his hands like an idiot, showing off.
“Ugh,” I said, turning back to Alicia, mad at myself for letting jealousy put me in such a funk.
“Come on,” Alicia dragged me to the water’s edge. She looked all around us, ensuring we were out of earshot from anyone else. “Did you hear about the three Nobles who went missing last night?” She asked when confident that our conversation wouldn’t be overheard.
“What? No. The lab was locked down yesterday, but no one would give me any details.”
“I thought you might have heard more since you’re a Noble.”
“I’m not yet.”
“Close enough,” she said, as I glared at Jensen again. He was laughing with Tia, his back to me.
“Anyway…” Alicia continued, drawing out the word to snap me back into the conversation, “They were two environmental scientists and a hydro-engineer.” My breathing stopped.
“Hydro-engineer? I probably work with them.” The news made me furious that Cal and Miriam let me walk out of the water lab without extra protection. There were only a few Nobles who were hydro-engineers in Nuevo Leben to begin with. “How do you know this?”
“Promise me you won’t be mad at me for what I’m about to tell you.”
“What the heck is going on, Alicia? You’re scaring me.” The surf rolled over our feet, and I backed away from the tide. Alicia stayed put, wiggling her toes down into the wet sand.
“Okay. Here goes.” Her cheeks puffed as she forced a sigh. “You know how I’ve been career training after school to work in trade negotiations with my brother Tommy?“
“Yeah …”
“Well, that’s not exactly the truth.”
My eyebrows rose to the top of my forehead. “You lied to me?”
“It’s not that simple, and you better not repeat what I’m about to tell you. Swear to me, Barrett.”
“Fine, I swear,” I said, crossing my arms. “Now tell me what’s going on?” I tried to swallow my hurt and not let my face show the betrayal I felt. Alicia was my confidante. We’d shared everything since we were toddlers, and never kept secrets from each other, especially as consequential as this.
“My brother and I are part of a secret network. We communicate and work with other villages all the way up to Old North America. Word is the Nobles have been abducted to help establish a new society somewhere else.”
“How many people know about this?” I asked.
“Not many, and my brother would kill me for having this conversation, but I can’t keep it from you because we’re going on a mission to bring them back. If something happens to me, I need my best friend to know the truth.”
“A mission? When?” My hands began to tremble, and I bit my lip to fight tears.
“Not sure exactly, but I’ve been instructed to be packed and prepared for a quick departure. They should’ve known that I’m a terrible secret keeper, and I have no idea why they chose me. But I couldn’t leave without telling you. Besides, you’ll know about it all soon enough. After your Noble induction ceremony.” She dropped her eyes with a slight grin. Yes, she was sorry for lying to me, but I could tell she was proud of her position. I pulled her into a hug, not sure what to say.
“Does your brother know Ronan Altkind?” I asked finally, releasing Alicia from my grip.
“I think so. Why?”
“No reason,” I said, immediately sorry I’d brought him up. “Who are the missing Nobles?”
“Don’t know. The Network is keeping their identities a secret for now,” Alicia said.
“That’s smart. We don’t want any of our neighboring communities to see their abduction as a weakness in our village.”
“You already sound like one of them, Barrett,” Alicia said, “Noble all the way.”
I scrunched my face at her, thinking I’d be happier living out my chef dream with Jensen. The dream Tia was currently ruining for me.
“So, is there anything else I should know about all of this?” I wrapped my arms around my middle, trying to hold in my feelings.
“Besides the fact that I’m terrified?”
I nodded.
“Only that the Network leaves Nuevo Leben all the time and goes to unsettled places,” Alicia continued, “Also, there are members from the communes and mountain tribes, and we’ve always been warned not to associate with outsiders.”
“True, but we do supply them with clean water and medicine, so they need us. I don’t think they would hurt you,” I said calmly, but inside I was panicking for Alicia. I’d heard rumors of other groups outside of Nuevo Leben. Vicious. Uncivilized. Why had Alicia been chosen for such a dangerous position?
“What else does the Network do besides rescue abducted scientists?”
“I’m still in training, so I don’t know much other than they help protect Nuevo Leben.”
“Isn’t that why we have guards on the walls?”
Alicia smiled and linked arms with me.
“Come on, Barrett, we both knew I would be assigned to security or trade once I turned eighteen. I’m not the chemistry whiz you are. I know it will be difficult, but I guess this is how I can best serve our community. Besides, I’m stronger than I look.”
I seriously doubted that. Alicia flexed her free arm, and a teeny tiny bicep popped up.
“You’d better not leave without telling me.”
“I promise to tell you everything when I find out. Let’s talk later.” She cut her eyes to Jensen and Tia. He had his arm around her shoulder, and they were walking into the school building.
“Look at them,” I said.
“Yeah, that happened fast, huh!”
“Whatever. I can’t worry about Jensen and Tia right now.”
Alicia leaned her head on my shoulder. “No, we have bigger things to worry about.”
We grabbed our school things and headed into the building, too. I wanted to ask Ronan about all of this tonight. My gut told me it would surprise him, but I couldn’t. I’d sworn silence to Alicia.