Eden Box Set

by G. C. Julien

  I do know.

  “When that engine backfired and you reacted the way you did,” she continues, “I thought you were a goner. I was sure they’d either lock you up or throw you out of Elysium for being unstable.”

  I open my mouth to say something along the lines of I’m still here, but she lets out a soft sigh so I keep my mouth shut.

  “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  She looks up at me, and this time doesn’t look away. Her eyes move from mine to my lips, and I can’t help but do the same.

  All I want to do is kiss those perfectly plush lips of hers. They’re a light shade of red, and she licks them gently, making them look warm and inviting.

  I can’t even remember the last time I kissed a woman. I can’t remember… I can’t remember anything. I can’t even think. Why am I trying to think?

  Just do it, I tell myself, and without thinking, I move in, pressing my lips against hers. At first, it’s soft and sweet, but then she digs her fingers into my thigh and lets out a hard breath through her nostrils. She slips her tongue into my mouth and makes swaying motions with her head, a steady rhythm that gets me excited.

  Instantly, I go hard, feeling like a virgin teenage boy.

  “Fr-Freyda—” I try. The last thing I want is for her to do something she’ll regret. This feels like it’s coming out of nowhere.

  “Shut up,” she says, pushing me flat on my back.

  Her breath is fast and strong and her kisses are turning into teasing bites.

  Holy shit. Is this happening?

  She pulls up my shirt, slides her hand into my pants, and grabs my penis.

  Everything around me starts swirling.

  She’s about to start teasing me some more, but I don’t know how much more I can handle. I flip her onto her back and climb on top. She lets out a playful, excited laugh.

  She wants this.

  She wants me.

  I want this.

  I want her.

  For a second, we make eye contact, and she stares at me like she’s trying to read my mind. There’s a strong connection between us, something I’ve never felt before. It’s like our bodies are emitting some form of energy and the energy is merging and growing more powerful.

  I smile at her before sliding her pants off with my index finger, tracing her soft skin. She welcomes me by spreading her legs apart, her way of saying, Take me.

  And that’s exactly what I do.

  CHAPTER 27 – LUCY

  “What’s up with you?” Emily asks.

  I must be coming across as PMSing, which might be confusing for her if she hasn’t yet gotten her first period. That’s something I wish Mom had been around to explain to me. But Nola did a good job explaining everything. Plus, living in an all-female society helps with that. In Eden, everyone had access to clean cotton rags for the time of the month.

  I haven’t said a word for the last thirty minutes, so finally, before entering the Library, I let out a defeated sigh and raise my H-Cap into the air. “It’s my stupid H-Cap.”

  “What about it?” she asks.

  She seems genuinely concerned, which I’m guessing means she’s over the little spat we had.

  “It won’t charge,” I say, playing with it in my hands.

  We turn the corner of the hall and enter the Library’s massive archway. It’s constructed of cherry wood and is as shiny as wet metal. The only thing that looks old in this entire place is the Library—not ugly old, but basic old. There isn’t much technology inside the place, and although I love technology, it’s nice to get away from it all.

  It’s the third time I’ve come here, and every time I do, I’m amazed at how huge this place is. Natural light fills the room through the windows overhead, and hundreds upon hundreds of finely polished wooden shelves decorate every wall in sight. They’re all lined up evenly, and on them sit thousands of multicolored paperback books.

  An entire section is devoted to fiction, but for the most part, the books in this Library are works of nonfiction on history, medicine, physics, psychology, politics, and so much more. I keep finding myself in the medical area. Once, I caught Mavis and Perula scanning the shelves. They made their way over to the botanical section, but it was obvious that they were also interested in regular medicine, too.

  Today, I’m not studying medicine. What I need is an answer to fix my H-Cap. Surely, there are several books on electrotechnology. Maybe I’ll even find something specific to H-Cap; it isn’t far-fetched to hope for this. I’ve seen all kinds of instructional booklets and user manuals on the shelves. The other day, an S-MAID Robot user manual was left in the middle of the Library on the carpet floor. Someone must have dropped it, and I assume they’re having trouble with a few of the cleaning robots around here.

  “So, what do you need?” Emily asks, poking her head around and pulling books out with her index finger to see the covers.

  “Anything on electrical devices or a user’s manual for H-Caps.”

  She nods without looking at me and keeps scanning the shelves.

  “Hey, look!” Emily shouts, and a loud Shhhh, echoes around us.

  She tucks her head into her shoulders and slaps a hand over her mouth.

  “What is it?” I whisper, moving toward her in a rush.

  Did she find a manual? If so, that was fast. But when I reach her side, she giggles and points at the cover in her hands. The title reads, Robots are Taking Over the World, and I roll my eyes.

  “Oh please,” I say. “Apparently, they’ve been saying that for a century and it hasn’t happened. Robots are tools, nothing else.”

  With flat lips, she pushes the book back into its place. “It was only a joke.”

  “Well, the book isn’t,” I say. “Whoever wrote it meant what they said.”

  “How do you know?” she asks. “Maybe it’s satire.”

  Not quite certain how to respond, I stare at her. Being bitchy with her isn’t my intention. I’m scared I won’t be able to fix my H-Cap, and if I can’t fix it, I’ll never see my mom again.

  She must sense what I’m thinking and pats my shoulder. “We’ll find the right book, Lucy. Let’s keep looking, okay? I’ll stop messing around.”

  We scan the shelves for what feels like hours, pulling and plucking at all kinds of different books. Why can’t I find anything? There has got to be something. When I reach the end of one of the massive bookcases, I swing around it to start walking down the next aisle, but I don’t make it very far.

  I’m stopped midtrack when I bump into someone and they drop three books on the floor.

  “Oh my God,” I say. “I’m so sorry.”

  He picks up his books and stands up tall with that familiar sweet smile on his face.

  “All good,” Lucas says.

  “Oh,” I say. “H-hey. What’re you doing here?”

  This time, he grins. It’s like he’s addicted to smiling. “I come here every day,” he says. “I grab a few books, sit by the window, and read through them.”

  I scoff. “In a single day? No one can read that fast.”

  He stares at me, looking confused. “What are you talking about? Of course they can. It’s called speed-reading.”

  I’m at a loss for words. It sounds like a joke. Speed-reading? I’ve never heard of that in my life.

  “I’m not joking, Lucy. How do you think I know everything that I know? I’m seventeen. It’s not like I’ve gone to college or university. I didn’t even finish sch—” but he cuts himself short and clears his throat like he’s already said too much, or like the memory’s too painful to revisit. “I can show you sometime if you’d like.”

  I brush my hair behind my right ear and smile up at him. “Um, y-yeah. I’d like that—”

  “Who’s this?” comes Emily’s voice.

  Lucas’s piercing blue eyes roll toward Emily and he waits in silence.

  Without looking away from Lucas, I say, “Emily, Lucas. Lucas, Emily.”

  They shake hands and bot
h say, “Nice to meet you,” but then an awkward silence weighs us down. Emily clears her throat and keeps walking down the book aisle. She looks back at me behind Lucas and with big bulging eyes, gives me two thumbs-up.

  Fighting the urge to laugh, I look down and smirk at my own feet.

  “That’s not a book,” Lucas says, pointing at my H-Cap.

  I take it out from underneath my armpit and rub my thumbs against its exterior shell. “No, it isn’t.”

  “Do you mind?” he asks, reaching for it.

  I don’t have time to react, so he slips it out from my fingers and examines it.

  “Looks like second generation.” He gently rotates it, inspecting every inch of it.

  I’m not sure what he’s talking about, so I don’t say anything. Then, when he presses the power button and nothing happens, he cocks an eyebrow at me.

  “Let me guess,” he says, “it won’t charge.”

  I nod, though what I want to do is cry.

  “Mind if I borrow it?” he asks.

  I’m about to argue that it’s mine and I’d never let anyone borrow it when he adds, “I can fix this for you no problem.”

  My jaw drops and he laughs at what I’m assuming is the face I’m making.

  “It’s pretty common,” he says. “I’ve fixed hundreds of little electronic devices around Elysium. There are certain components inside that were fried by the EMP, and all I have to do is replace the part.”

  I’m about to ask him how many spare parts he has when, as if reading my mind, he says, “And it’s pretty easy to replace parts when you’re the one who makes them.”

  “You make the parts?” I ask.

  He shrugs modestly. “Yeah. It’s not that hard. I mean, Vrin’s given me access to all her labs, equipment, and tools.”

  I don’t know what to say. How does a seventeen-year-old know so much? I’m going to be seventeen next year, and now, I feel like an idiot. The most skill I have is my ability to mix a few potions and tell someone to drink ginger tea if their stomach is upset.

  This guy knows everything… What am I doing with my life?

  “Sorry,” he says. “I’m not trying to brag at all. That’s the last thing I want to do. I love this stuff. I like to be kept busy and I like to work.”

  “You’re smart,” I say, and it sounds stupid coming out of my mouth.

  He shrugs with one shoulder. “It’s not about being smart,” he says. “I’m resourceful. And in a world like this, you have to be resourceful and you have to be the very best version of yourself if you want to survive. The way I see it… if I’m really good at something, I become indispensable.”

  I arch an eyebrow wondering if he thinks I’m dispensable.

  He quickly raises both hands and says, “I don’t mean it to be offensive. Look, I-I’m gonna stop talking now since I keep putting my foot in my mouth. Can I please fix this for you? It would make me happy.”

  “Sure,” I say. “I mean… I’d appreciate it.”

  He sighs and presses the H-Cap against his chest. Behind him, Emily is waving at me to come join her, so I step away from Lucas as a way of saying, I have to go.

  “Thanks, Lucas… for doing this for me. It means the world.”

  “It’s my pleasure, honestly,” he says. “I’m sorry if I was offensive in any way. I think you’re incredible. I’d never want you to think that I believe otherwise.”

  Incredible?

  I smile. “I’m not offended.”

  He lets out a long breath and bows his head. “Okay, good. And I meant what I said. If you ever want to learn how to speed-read, I’m happy to show you. I’ve seen you in here with medical books. I could show you how to finish them within a few hours.”

  I’m too stunned to say anything. The thought of being able to devour a book in a few hours blows my mind.

  “Just think about it,” he says.

  “N-n-no, yeah. I mean, yeah,” I say. “I’d love to.”

  The corner of his lip reveals his sharp canine tooth and I can’t help but stare.

  “Lucy!” Emily hisses.

  “I’ll, um, catch you later,” I say.

  “See you later, Lucy.”

  My name sounds so good coming out of his mouth. He has a deep voice, though not too deep, and every time he talks, I feel calm. I step away before I make some cheesy comment or make a fool of myself. I’ve never felt this way around anyone before, and it’s freaking me out.

  “Check it out,” Emily says, pointing at one of the Library’s oversized windows.

  I stare through the glass and into the courtyard.

  At the very far back, Freyda is swinging a stick over her head, around her shoulders, and straight into the faces of men trying to take her down. It’s obvious by all of the weaponry and wooden targets around her that she’s training—not fighting.

  “Holy shit,” I breathe.

  The best version of yourself, I think.

  I turn to Emily, our noses nearly touching. “How would you feel about learning how to fight?”

  CHAPTER 28 – EVE

  I stare at the coffee table in silence, analyzing every inch of Elysium’s blueprints.

  Though I enjoy having someone nearby to obey any command, I miss being alone. For the last few weeks, Mary-Anne has followed me throughout all of Elysium. Today, however, she is attending a friend’s wedding celebration.

  It makes me sick to my stomach to think that a woman from Elysium would be willing to marry a man… After everything they’ve done.

  That’s unimportant—soon, I will be the one who dictates whether weddings are to be held at all. And if I’m to eventually become leader of Elysium, it’s important that I know every corner. Returning my focus to the coffee table, I can’t help but wonder: how did they miss this? How did they not know that this coffee table—a secret map of Elysium—existed? Perhaps back before the war, it was intended to be secretive.

  Gazing around the bright-lit room, I wonder who used to reside in this Monarch Suite, before Elysium. A man. It had to be. Disgusted, I wipe my palms against the pants of my legs. It’s irrational—no way have germs survived over six years—but I can’t resist the movement. It soothes me.

  So many details cover the screen: elevator counts, room dimensions, doorway entries, room numbers. For fun, I tap my finger against one of the bedroom numbers and a screen is projected into the air:

  Felice Ramsay

  Room 703

  Above this text is a picture of the woman with dark skin and light gray eyes; I don’t recognize her, which means she’s one of Elysium’s women. Does this mean I have access to locate anyone? Frantically, I start selecting various rooms one at a time and different names and images pop up as fast as lightning.

  Where’s Freyda? Lucy?

  Does this table also possess voice recognition technology? All of a sudden, I feel watched. Are there cameras in my room? No, there can’t be. Nayma specified that Elysium’s cameras are limited to common living spaces and that privacy is always respected.

  No one knows what you’re doing, Eve.

  Returning my attention to the blueprints, I whisper, “Find me Lucy Cain,” and to my surprise, the table listens. A soft beeping sound is emitted before Lucy’s picture flashes up in front of me.

  She looks exactly like her mother, with long red hair, fiery green eyes, and an awkward expression that sits somewhere in between a smile and a frown.

  Lucinda Cain

  Room 591

  She’s growing up so quickly.

  I stare at her for a moment until all I see is Ophelia. Then, angrily, I say, “Find me Freyda Mills.”

  Her image flashes before me, along with her room information.

  Freyda Mills.

  Room 570

  It appears that most of my women have ended up on the fifth floor. I suppose it makes sense to keep the majority of them together.

  I reach for Freyda’s face and my finger distorts her beauty, making one eye break apart. Why has she
not yet forgiven me? She’s always been my rock. I need Freyda… I need her more than anyone.

  You don’t need that bitch, Eve.

  Swallowing hard, I slap the air across her face and the image vanishes.

  You have hundreds of women lined up to follow you.

  Out of curiosity and out of a need to distract myself from emotion, I locate my room. It’s amusing to see it from an aerial view. Everything is drawn out: the common space, the kitchen, my bedroom, the bathrooms, and even my bedroom closet. What surprises me, however, is the additional room I know nothing about. It’s drawn beside my bedroom, directly behind my closet. Is it additional storage space? Or is this a mistake in the blueprints?

  I slap the air at the corner of the table to turn off the display. The last thing I need is to accidentally leave it open for someone to see should they enter my room. Memorizing what I can of the map, I enter my bedroom and open its closet doors—two solid wooden slabs leading into one of the largest walk-in closets I’ve ever seen.

  My white outfits hang at the far right and underneath these, my red heels, stilettoes, and boots. I have no intention of wearing Elysium’s common blue attire.

  The rest of the closet is bare, which is precisely how I like it. I stare at the side walls, the corners, the ceiling, and then the very back wall. According to the map, an entryway should be somewhere at the back.

  I walk through the closet, brushing my fingers along the walls.

  Is there a button? Or, is this also controlled by voice recognition?

  “Open door,” I say loudly, but nothing happens. Frustrated, I start prodding and pulling at anything I can find. “Come on. Open up.”

  Still, nothing happens.

  Perhaps the map was wrong and is unreliable. It may have been drawn out but never built. I lean my back against the wall and, out of frustration, allow my head to hit the drywall several times.

  Without warning, the wall behind me trembles and splits right down the middle revealing a large opening. It’s dark—so dark, in fact, that I can’t see anything.