The Union

by T. H. Hernandez

  I glance past her at my brother who doesn’t appear amused at all. He doesn’t say anything, but I can see the disappointment in his eyes. What the hell does he want from me? Shit, it’s not like I slack off. I always do my share and then some. So what if I wanted to kick back and have some fun first? Shaking my head and muttering under my breath, I get busy, helping with the rest of the tents and take over the fire ring construction from the younger boys.

  “We’re going to get some dinner,” Ally says to me. ‘Coming?”

  “I already ate. I’ll finish up here and join you all at the bonfire.”

  “Okay…” She drags the word out, as if she wants to say more, but she doesn’t.

  After finishing up, I wander off looking for a place to clean up. I find a spot upstream without anyone around and strip to wash the sweat and grime from my body. When I’m dry, I dress and return to my tent, dropping off my dirty clothes before heading to the bonfire. For opening night, many of the families and sometimes whole towns put on sketches, sing songs, or provide other forms of entertainment that can last until late into the night.

  The bonfire sits in the center of camp in a large clearing. Tree stumps and rocks provide an outer ring with people sitting on them, keeping a distance from the heat. It’s plenty warm out without the fire, but it’s tradition. Kids are jamming food onto the ends of sticks and pushing them into the flames. Sparks climb up into the speckled night sky, and wood and smoke mix with the smell of charred meat.

  My family is sitting together near the picnic grove and I drop down next to Will. “See anyone interesting yet?”

  Even though the sun set hours ago and the fire is throwing an orange glow on everyone, I swear he’s blushing. “Maybe. I don’t know. I guess not.”

  I laugh and nudge him with my shoulder. “If that changes, let me know.”

  Across the bonfire, Dru gives me a little finger wave, and I push up off the ground. “Well, I have, so I’m gonna go visit for a while. Catch you later.”

  I make my way around to Dru, reaching down a hand to pull her up. She wipes her palms on her shorts and inclines her head to the side. “Mom, Dad, this is Cyrus. We met this afternoon. Cyrus, these are my parents, Melody and Atherton.”

  Melody is an older version of her daughter, dark, exotic, beautiful. She reaches out a delicate hand to shake mine. Atherton looks as if he could tear my limbs off with his bare hands, but his smile seems genuine as he pumps my arm. Dru wraps her hand around my wrist and pulls me away from the bonfire. I reach down and take her hand, leading her to a picnic table outside the fire ring. I sit on top, pulling her next to me, our feet resting on the bench.

  “So, where are you from, Cyrus?”

  “A little valley two days from here. What about you?”

  “North of here. This is our first trip to this Summer Fest. We went to one northeast of us last year.”

  “We always come to this one. It’s close and we like it.”

  She trails one finger up my arm. “I’m glad we came to this one.”

  I drop my gaze to her hers, but she’s staring at my mouth. She moves closer and kisses me, wasting no time taking the kiss to the next level. Before I know it, she’s straddling my lap, running her fingers through my hair.

  I reach up and take her hands, pulling them away from my head and setting her back on the table beside me. She gives me a sexy pout, but hell, we’re only ten feet away from over a hundred people. That’s not the kind of kissing you do in front of an audience, much less one made up of young kids.

  Sliding off the table, I take her hand, pulling her with me back to my tent. Our camp site is deserted as I lead Dru inside. Even in the dark I can see her eyes shining. Yeah, this is going to be a good year.

  THE RUINS

  THE RUINS is book 2 in The Union series. The following are the first two chapters.

  Heartbroken, grief-stricken, and wracked with guilt, seventeen-year-old Evan Taylor returned to the Union, leaving behind the boy she loved.

  Now, she and her friends must find a way to do the impossible – warn the citizens of the Union about an impending rebel attack without alerting the government and risking retaliation against her friends in the Ruins.

  When every move Evan makes is thwarted, it soon becomes clear she's being watched. Faced with a daily fight to stay one step ahead of her pursuers, she returns to the Ruins. But life in the Ruins has its own dangers, and soon she’s fighting a different battle – to stay alive long enough to discover the truth.

  THE RUINS is the second book in THE UNION series, a young adult romantic adventure set in the near future.

  Chapter 1 - Destiny

  Grief, guilt, heartbreak, fear, loss, and abandonment all swirl in my head, creating a vortex of pain and confusion keeping me awake.

  Three days ago I was planning a future with the boy I love. Cyrus was going to come back to the Union with me. We were going to figure out a way to warn the citizens here or stop the attack. Together. Now his brother is dead and Cyrus stayed behind, unwilling to abandon the rest of his family.

  The scents of honeysuckle and fresh-cut grass float on a late summer night breeze. I stare up at the clouds from the chaise lounge on the balcony. A thick marine layer inched its way in from the coast hours ago, blanketing the sky and obscuring the stars I was hoping to see. With the moon hidden and the Union lights off for the night, darkness envelopes me.

  Over the soft murmuring of desalinated ocean water burbling through the aqueduct, I hear the door slide open behind me and sit up. My bio-dad, Eddie, walks out and takes the spot beside me.

  “Can’t sleep?”

  I shift to my right, giving him more room. “No. You?”

  He shakes his head, his cinnamon-colored wavy hair sweeping across his shoulders. “My grandmother used to say if you can’t sleep, it means you’re awake in someone else’s dreams.”

  That’s a comforting sentiment. Is Cyrus dreaming about me right now? Or is he like me, too afraid of the nightmares to close his eyes?

  Eddie presses his lips together and studies me for several long seconds. “Are you ready to tell me where you’ve really been all summer?”

  His question catches me off guard. I thought he bought my story, the one I told him when I came back. The one Lisa fed him while I was in the Ruins. Posing as me, she texted my mom and Eddie from my tablet with regular updates on our fake adventures sailing off the southeastern coast. When I first showed up here yesterday afternoon, he didn’t seem to care where I’d been or what I’d been up to, only that I was here at all. I’m definitely not ready to have this conversation with him.

  “I don’t know, are you ready to tell me where you were for the first twelve years of my life?”

  He shifts his weight on the chaise next to me and sighs. “I don’t know how many times I can apologize.”

  “You think another ‘I’m sorry’ is going to fix everything?”

  He rubs his palms on his thighs and stands. “You’re welcome to stay here as long as you’d like, but you might want to ratchet the anger down a few notches.” He moves toward the door before turning back. “You’re going to have to forgive me some day.”

  I raise my head and turn toward his dark silhouette. “Why? You think sending me a ticket and letting me hang out with your new kids makes up for everything?”

  “No,” he says quietly, “because hanging on to all that anger and resentment isn’t healthy.” He walks back into the house, sliding the door closed behind him.

  With a heavy sigh, I fall on my back and stare back up into the blackness. Seriously? After being nothing to me for three-quarters of my life, where does he get off being all parental right now?

  My breaths come short and raspy, my arms pumping as my feet pound the earth. Lungs burning, I glance over my shoulder to make sure I’m out of arm’s reach and trip over a tree root, falling to the ground. Lucien stares up at me with unseeing eyes, a bright red stain spreading across his midsection. I push myself up, spinning
into Dantel’s chest. He lurches back, blood pouring from his mouth as I shoot him over and over.

  My own scream wakes me, my heart racing as fast as it was in my dream. A thin layer of moisture coats the lounge chair, as if it’s broken out into a cold sweat, too. The chill is enough to send me back inside to burrow under the blankets. It still feels wrong to sleep in a bed while my friends in the Ruins are roughing it on hard ground. But sleeping on the floor out of guilt is something I’m not prepared to explain to Eddie.

  The remnants of my nightmare continue to haunt my waking thoughts. It might’ve only been a dream, but it’s wrapped in truth, tied with a bow of reality. Rolling to my side, I force my thoughts to something else, to a way to stop a group of unknown rebels in the Ruins from attacking the Union. Without any information on who’s behind the plot, what their plans are, or when it’ll happen, I’m second-guessing my decision to come home. Why did I think I could do this? I am no one. A spoiled Union princess who’s had everything she’s ever needed handed to her.

  I punch my pillow and turn to my back, staring up at the ceiling and willing my mind to shut up. But it refuses. Crawling out of bed, I pad over to the window and slide it open before burrowing back under the blankets. Through the opening, I can hear the water gurgling past and finally drift off, lulled by the sweet song of fake nature.

  A steady knocking pulls me from sleep, but I refuse to go without a fight. I burrow deeper under the comforter, trying to escape the relentless assault. When it’s clear I can’t win, I sit up and rub my eyes. “Come in,” I croak, my voice adjusting to being used for the first time today.

  Eddie pokes his head in. “You have a call.”

  With a sigh, I get up, shuffling down the stairs to the great room and pick up the phone. “Hello?”

  “Morning, Evansville.”

  “Hey, Bryce. What’s up?”

  “We’re meeting at Lisa’s this morning. Want me to come get you?”

  “No, that’s okay. I need to shower and eat breakfast.”

  “Do you know where she lives?”

  “Oh…no.”

  “I’ll be by to get you in an hour,” he says, a smile evident in his voice.

  I take a quick shower and dress and startle at the stranger staring back at me from the mirror. My features are the same — wide-spaced hazel eyes that appear brown or green, depending on my mood or what I’m wearing, small nose, full lips — but the short blond hair is still foreign after seventeen years as a redhead. So are the muscles and tanned skin from spending my days working outside in the Ruins all summer.

  I apply some product to my hair, trying to get my curls to behave and slip my feet into flip flops before bounding downstairs. It’s too quiet in here, Eddie and the kids must have gone out. A plate of muffins sits next to a fresh pot of coffee. I pour myself a cup and grab a muffin. When I slide my finger along the edge of the counter, it lights up, displaying the central controls. I swipe a few times, selecting a music channel.

  The front door opens, and two giggling children spill into the apartment, followed by Eddie.

  “Eban!” Quinn, my almost two-year-old half-sister yells, running into the kitchen and shoving a fist full of crushed flowers into my hand. “For you.” A smile splits her face, her pale blue eyes wide.

  “Thank you.” I say, scooping her up for a kiss.

  Eddie reaches into the cabinet above the refrigerator and hands me a small glass vase. The tension hanging between us is heavy and ugly, but I don’t know what to say or do to diffuse it. Our problems are not going to be fixed with a word or simple gesture. I put the flowers in the vase and add water, setting it on the counter for Quinn to see.

  “Pwetty.” She nods her head with enthusiasm, her red curls bouncing, which makes her nod harder until she giggles.

  A knock at the door indicates my escort is here. I kiss the top of her head and high-five my half-brother, Liam, before heading to the door. “Be back later,” I call over my shoulder, slipping out the door before Eddie can ask any questions.

  Chapter 2 - Playing a Part

  Bryce and I walk down the path from Eddie’s apartment to the commuter station. The Western Province is so different from where I grew up in the East. Everything here is so pristine, new, white, clean, the only color coming from the flowers and plants. By contrast, the Eastern Province is dark and rich, like an old city with a storied past.

  We cover the distance in silence. I’m still pissed at him for lying to me about everything from his name to his career. The fact that the smugglers he was investigating kidnapped me isn’t something easily forgiven.

  We hop a northbound train, grabbing seats in an enclosed area, giving us some privacy. Bryce stares out the window and I stare at his profile, trying to decide exactly how I feel about him today. I settle on still royally pissed off but no longer homicidal.

  “How’d things go last night?” he asks with a lift of his brow after he catches me staring at him.

  “Not well.” I shift and twirl a piece of stitching that’s pulled loose from the seat. “Eddie asked me where I’d been the past couple of months, and I lashed out, basically telling him he didn’t even have the right to ask the question.”

  “Ouch.”

  “He can’t just show up when I’m nearly grown and decide it’s time to be a father.”

  Bryce grins, and I realize he was just teasing me.

  “Lying doesn’t come naturally to me.” I shrug. “So, I lapsed into doing what I do best, antagonizing him. How do you do it?”

  “Do what?”

  “Lie to people so easily. About…everything?”

  The grin slides off his face, and he becomes suddenly fascinated by his knuckles. “It’s like playing a role. Were you ever in a school play?”

  “Yeah, once. I played a toothbrush in an oral hygiene production.”

  He laughs. “Well, it’s sort of like that. You become this other person and play a part.”

  “I guess.”

  “It’s not easy, but you find ways to be as truthful as possible. Like embellishing or half-truths. Instead of telling your dad, I mean Eddie, you were kidnapped and taken into the Ruins, say you were exploring. It’s both plausible and mostly true.”

  “It’s okay to call him my dad, you know. I call him Eddie, but technically, he is my father.”

  The train slows, pulling into the station, and I stand to follow Bryce through the crowd as he guides us to the stairs. He leads me down a couple levels and out onto the main sidewalk. The structures here are concrete and glass, providing more of an urban grunge feel in stark contrast to the pristine white stucco where Eddie lives.

  Bryce navigates an alley between rows of buildings, stopping at Lisa’s place, which resembles a box with windows. She’s in a bustling area of the borough with everything she could possibly want located within a few short blocks of her apartment.

  Bryce knocks, and Lisa flings the door open seconds later, her blond hair tumbling past her shoulders. She squeals when she sees us and wraps her arm around my neck in a hug, her other hand gripping an oversized magenta coffee mug.

  Still in pink flowered pajama pants and gray tank, she kicks the door open wider with her foot so we can enter. Her apartment is a cube of space with rustic wood floors and narrow windows set up high in bare concrete walls. A Japanese shoji screen sits in one corner hiding what I assume is her bed. A red fuzzy couch sits in the center of the space flanked by a pair of saffron colored armchairs with a cobalt acrylic coffee table in the middle. Along the side wall is a galley-style kitchen, and four teal padded barstools are pressed up against a narrow island, forming an eating area.

  “This place is great, Lis,” I say, looking around. “Like a box of crayons threw up in here.”

  “I know.” Her dark eyes shine with obvious delight. “My parents surprised me with this as a graduation present. It’s small, but it’s mine.”

  Part of me is envious. I’d love to have a place of my own like this. And I guess I co
uld’ve, if I’d figured out what to do with my life and applied for an internship somewhere. Instead, I’m stuck living with a man I barely know who just happens to have spawned me.

  Colin saunters into the room from what must be the bathroom — the only door in the entire apartment other than the front door. He plops onto the couch and stretches out his lanky legs, propping his feet up on the coffee table. His dark messy hair is even wilder this morning, spilling into chocolate-colored eyes, tangling with bushy eyebrows.

  I take a seat beside Colin and rest my head on his shoulder. He kisses the top of my head. “Morning, EvTay.”

  Bryce sits in one of the armchairs, which have bizarrely long seats, meaning either his legs will stick out straight in front of him, like Quinn when she sits on the couch, or he needs to slouch back so his feet can reach the floor. He chooses the latter.

  “Hey,” Lisa calls from the kitchen area. “How’d it go with Eddie last night?”

  “I got into a fight with him,” I mumble. She lifts an eyebrow, and I blow out a steady breath. “Yeah. He asked where I’d been over the summer and I asked where he’d been for most of my life. Not one of our better father-daughter bonding moments.”

  She studies me for a long moment before smoothly changing the subject. “Do you want some coffee?”

  “Always,” I say, taking the plum-colored ceramic mug.

  The front door opens, and Jack sweeps in, carrying a bag of what I assume are baked goods based on their heavenly yeasty aroma. He gives Lisa a light kiss, but it’s enough that Colin’s jaw clenches in response. We swarm the island to find fresh bagels and cream cheese. Colin, Bryce, and I take ours back to the living area to eat.

  “So, what’s the plan?” Lisa asks around a mouthful of bagel.