by Strauss, Lee
Grandpa had responded by increasing the amount of TV ads and billboard space dedicated to broadcasting my face across the nation. It meant that Noah refused to let me out before dark, and even then we stayed in the shadows.
At least with winter approaching, dusk came earlier, so my leash was a little longer. The time arrived for us to leave. I wasn’t sorry to say good bye to the current dive; besides being a hovel, it didn’t exactly hold fond memories for me. None of our motel stays did. And I wasn’t foolish enough to believe that where we were headed would be any better. I braced myself for the worst.
We strapped our meager belongings over our backs and headed out. Snow fell softly, deadening the city noise. Dim street lamps lit the flakes making them look like gigantic puff balls.
Our feet made shuffling noises along the asphalt. I gripped Noah’s sleeve to keep from slipping on ice patches hidden underneath. Noah reached behind him and pulled out a folded piece of paper from his back pocket.
“What’s that?”
“Mary drew me a map.”
“You saw her today?”
His eyes flickered to me and back to the paper. “Yeah.”
We walked in silence as Noah studied street signs and landmarks. It was tough with the dim lighting and more than once he stopped at the base of a weather worn sign in order to make out the name.
We ventured through an area of town that I hadn’t seen before. A shimmering light glowed in the distance, like a translucent sheet over an enormous bed.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“It’s the GAP city,” Noah said, not disguising his distaste. “Life is an ignorantly blissful experience for them, no matter where they’re situated.”
I could see the dark outline that framed the shimmer. The wall. A black emotion I couldn’t quite identify cloaked me. Shame? Envy? Both fused together in a gnarled, evil coil.
I swallowed hard and looked away.
We turned down back alleys like a maze, and I wondered if maybe we’d left too late in the day. The dark of night had fallen, and we didn’t have ComRings to shed light or GPS systems to map our way. It was creepy and I was thankful for the weight of the gun tucked in the back of my jeans.
We’d passed many abandoned factories, but Noah suddenly paused in front of one. It ran the length of a block and most of the second story windows were broken. Graffiti scarred the entire surface of the first level.
“This is it?” I asked. “Are you sure?”
“Pretty sure,” Noah said. He tapped lightly on the metal door, first three times, then two, then one.
I shivered and pulled my jacket more tightly around my waist.
The door creaked open. I expected to see Mary on the other side, but it was a guy. Tall with dark skin and a shaved head. The sleeves of his sweatshirt were pushed up to his elbow, revealing forearms covered in tattoos. He had a swollen nose and a black eye.
This had to be the wrong place.
“Jabez?” Noah said.
The guy nodded and opened the door wide. “Come in.”
I wished I knew what was going on. I eyed Noah imploringly.
“Mary’s in the back,” Jabez said, walking away.
“He’s Mary’s brother,” Noah whispered.
I couldn’t say what I was thinking—that Jabez was scary-looking and that Noah was crazy for bringing us here and why didn’t he tell me about a brother? I shot Noah a disapproving frown.
We followed Jabez through a dark, musky smelling corridor. Paint peeled off the walls and grime had built up in the crevices. I couldn’t believe people could live here, and I expected that we’d be shipping out again, first thing the next day. At least we would if I had anything to say about it.
Jabez opened a door, and we entered a space that had lighting and a little heat. It wasn’t a large room, but the high ceiling made it feel bigger than it was. Throw rugs covered a cement floor and were tacked up on most of the walls. It had an array of mismatched furniture clearly from the previous century, and a couple of floor lamps cast a warm glow. An old TV was turned on with the volume down.
A girl sat on one of the over-sized chairs. She had dark skin like her brother, but lighter eyes and finer facial features. She wasn’t beautiful and I felt a certain sense of relief at that, but she wasn’t ugly either. She stood when we entered. She was average height like me but that’s where the similarity ended. While I was slight and almost waif-like with the recent food rationings, Mary was solid, muscular.
“Jude,” she said. Her lips twitched like she was holding back a smile. “You found it.”
“Thanks to your map.” Noah smiled back in a way that alarmed me. His eyes sparkled like he’d just spotted a beauty-queen. My head snapped back to Mary.
“Good,” she said.
I nudged Noah with my elbow. Had he forgotten me already?
“Oh,” he said to me. “This is Mary.”
“I gathered.” I caught her eyes and said, “Hello.”
Noah continued, “This is Chloe.” We’d agreed earlier that we both needed aliases in light of the fact that, thanks to Grandpa V, want ads with our real names were circulating widely.
Mary gave me a faint nod in greeting, her lips remaining in a straight line,
Great, the friendly sort.
Then Noah added, “She’s my cousin.”
Cousin? When had that been decided?
I flashed him a look and he shot me one in return.
We didn’t appear related and I could only think that he’d said that to separate us somehow. So that he wouldn’t seem taken to Mary.
My heart hurt. I stared at her, trying to see what Noah could see in her, besides the fact that she was an untainted natural, like he was. Maybe that was enough. Maybe that was everything.
I’d never felt so lacking in all my life.
Chapter 19
“Chloe,” Mary said. “You’ll share my room.”
I glanced at Noah before following her to a door off the living quarters.
Mary’s room was small with two metal-framed, single beds pushed against the walls. It could’ve had a clinical feel, but Mary had made it homey by hanging pictures on the wall and adding a shelf stocked with personal items. Her bed had a purple quilt and a matching throw pillow. A small orange rug lay on the floor in front of it. There was a rolling blind on the window to block the sun, but Mary had added lacy curtains to frame either side.
She saw me staring. “Don’t touch anything.”
I frowned back at her. “I won’t.” I tossed my bag on the other bed. “Thanks for making room for me.” It was a white flag of sorts. I didn’t want her as an enemy.
“There’s a dormitory here. For workers who came from out of town. The beds were left behind.”
So that was where my bed came from. I wondered how many other people had slept in it. Couldn’t be worse than all the motel beds I’d been in.
“The sheets are clean,” Mary added, as if she could read my mind.
“It’s fine.”
I went back to the living area and sat beside Noah on the couch, which it turned out was to be his bed. Jabez wasn’t the hospitable type, no surprise. Mary disappeared through another door, leaving us with her brother.
“How long have you lived here?” I asked him. I worked to soften my features, hoping to invite friendliness.
He stared at me, and for a moment I thought he’d just ignore my question. “Two years,” he finally said.
Two years. In this dump? I kept the smile on my face. “Nice.”
I turned to Noah with questioning eyes. What now?
Mary returned with a tray with a stack of sandwiches on it and a pot with four chipped tea-cups. “It’s just peanut butter and tea.”
“It’s great, Mary,” Noah said. “Anything would be a feast right now.”
I sipped the tea. It was black and strong, but I didn’t complain. “It’s nice of you to let us stay.”
Mary’s eyes went to Noah and she smiled. “I
believe it will be mutually beneficial.”
What did she mean by that? Was that a blatant reference to a plan to pursue Noah?
Noah and I ate politely while Jabez wolfed down most of the sandwiches. I could see why Mary had made a pile. He washed it down with a swig of tea.
“Thanks, Mary,” he said before walking out of the room. I didn’t know if the door led to where he slept or another place until Mary excused herself and followed him. Must be another place.
“So Jude,” I said. “Why did you tell them I was your cousin?”
Noah took in a breath like he needed to brace himself. “I don’t know. I just thought we needed every device to protect our identities.”
“We don’t exactly look like family.”
He shrugged. “Lots of cousins don’t look alike.”
“Fine,” I said between bites. “Are we Morgans or Brodys?”
“Morgans. We need to forget we ever heard the names Brody and Vanderveen.”
“Whatever you say, Jude Morgan.”
When we finished eating, I took a little tour of the room, peeking through the three doors left unexplored. The one Mary and Jabez had disappeared through led to a long hallway. I closed the door thinking I’d check that out in the morning. The other one was a very little kitchen, hardly big enough for one person.
The other two opened up to Jabez’s room which contained a single unmade bed, and a bathroom. Though clean, it was stark and cold. I fetched my toothbrush from Mary’s room and brushed my teeth and washed my face.
I caught Noah’s eye before heading for bed. “Is this our new life?” I asked.
His eyes drooped. “For now.”
I waited for him to say more, but all he did was yawn. I said good-night but it felt so strange to climb into bed alone.
I’m in a closet big enough to be a bedroom. Racks of clothes and shoes line the walls, a well-lit mirror station’s located near the skylight and a cushioned, leather bench is placed in the middle for sitting. I stare at the rows of sundresses, blouses and shorts.
I feel confused. Whose clothes are these? Are they mine? Yes, they are.
I stand in front of the mirror and a girl looks back at me. Who is she?
She’s bald and naked.
To my horror, I realize it’s me. I grab the first thing I can reach and put it on.
I dare to look back at the mirror. The girl now wears a pretty lace blouse and cotton shorts. And miraculously, she has hair. Beautiful, long, blond hair.
My heart slows.
I slip my platinum Communication Ring onto my left middle finger, but it immediately falls off and rolls under the bench. I reach for it, but can’t find it. Panic grips my chest. I need that ring!
Finally, my fingers curl around its cool, circular form. I put it on and stare at it, and my heart floods with happiness. So happy. Tears flow down my cheeks.
I cry and can’t stop crying. It’s okay, though, because I’m happy. So very happy. It’s Liam’s birthday and I planned a surprise party.
He will be so surprised!
I skip down the stairs to check on the progress, but in my hurry, I slam into a body.
“Sorry,” a male voice says.
I step back, agitated. Who is the boy wearing the white tunic my mother makes the male staff wear?
He’s dark, his skin and hair and eyes, yet handsome. And familiar. But a stranger. Do I know this boy? Who is he?
“Excuse me, what’s your name again?” I ask.
I startled awake.
I’d forgotten Noah. A nightmare if ever there was one.
I worked to slow my heart as my mind tried to remember where I was. Right, abandoned factory. Mary’s room.
Her bed was empty.
I dressed and headed for the bathroom. Noah was on the couch, sleeping. I felt irrationally relieved to see him there and resisted the urge to throw my arms around him.
Instead I trotted softly, not wanting to wake him. I stared at the chipped tiles of the shower stall, the soap scum that ran down the sides and the mineral-caked, plastic curtain pushed to one side. I was desperate enough for a shower to overlook the squalor and wanted something to wash the residue of my dream away.
I squealed as tepid water hit my head, its low pressure taking forever to get me thoroughly wet. I borrowed a little of the shampoo and soap that was there, and quickly rinsed off.
I dressed as fast as I could in order to preserve whatever body heat remained. I watched my tired image in the mirror as I brushed the knots out of my hair. I didn’t think I would ever get used to my shorter brunette look.
I ran fingers through it and whispered, “I am Chloe Morgan.”
I found a loaf of bread and the half-empty jar of peanut butter in the kitchen and made myself another sandwich. I hoped we’d be able to do better than this for meals. The cupboards were disconcertingly bare.
Noah stirred but didn’t wake when I went back into the living area. It was the only room that had a heater, and I stood in front of it, wondering where the electricity was coming from. If Mary and Jabez had to pay utilities, they couldn’t be squatters. Unless they were stealing it from somewhere?
I decided this was a good a time as any to go exploring. I eased the door open that led down an empty hall. It was more inviting in the daylight, but still cold and eerie. I wrapped my arms around my chest and shivered.
Signs of the former factory life were everywhere. Hallway windows revealed offices, a dining hall and large rooms with machinery. I couldn’t tell what had been manufactured.
In the middle was a courtyard, empty of everything except snow.
I stopped short when I heard noises. Voices? Maybe we weren’t the only ones squatting here. My heart sped up and I was tempted to turn and bolt back to Noah.
More sounds. Pounding and shuffling. I turned a corner and spotted a door that was cracked open. This hallway didn’t have windows and I couldn’t see inside that room.
My curiosity spurred me on. I crept quietly and peeked in.
It was a gym, the kind boxers trained in. It too had the appearance of being abandoned. Old lockers hung open on broken hinges, empty. Worn kick bags hung in the corners from the ceiling. Dust swirled in the air, made visible by the light pouring in from a row of high windows.
The ring was intact and obviously in use. Jabez and Mary were sparring in it.
Chapter 20
I turned back before they spotted me and practically jogged down the hall. I ran through the door into the living quarters and almost slammed into Noah.
His eyes were wide with concern. “Where were you?”
I paused to gain my breath and my dignity. “Just exploring.”
Noah let out an exasperated sigh and ran a hand through his hair. It was much longer and shaggier than the hair that he’d had in my dream this morning.
“Don’t worry,” I said. I gently stroked his arm. “I’m not going to run off again.”
His shoulders relaxed. “Okay. Good.”
“But I do have a lot of questions, and you’d better tell me the truth.”
“Fine. Can I do a coffee run, first?”
I was dying for a coffee. I nodded, and Noah put on his ball cap. He really did look like a different guy with long hair, a cap and a scruffy beard. Soon I’d be sharing my hair ties with him.
I huddled under the covers of my bed while I waited for him to return. The shivers gradually resided and I wasn’t sure if showering had been worth it or not. I had time to take in the room and my gaze landed on a framed photo on the shelf. Younger versions of Mary and Jabez stared back. Two adults stood behind them, smiling. Their parents, I presumed. I wondered what had happened to them.
I heard Noah call for me.
“That was fast,” I said when I joined him in the living area. Then again, he wasn’t taking time to visit with Mary anymore.
“There’s a coffee shop nearby.”
He removed a bagel from a bag and then handed the bag to me. There were thr
ee more. Of course, we were now a group of four. Even though I’d already eaten a sandwich earlier, I found I was hungry again. I took my bagel and coffee and sat on a chair across from Noah.
“What’s the story here? Who are Mary and Jabez, really?”
Noah swallowed before answering. “They’re just people like us, trying to get by.”
“Like us?” I arched an eyebrow. “As in on the run?”
“No. As in trying to survive.”
“How do they survive? I mean, do they work?”
Noah eyed me over the rim of his coffee cup. “You know there aren’t any jobs.”
“Don’t avoid my question. How do they pay for the electricity? Their food? Where do they get money?”
Noah hedged and I had a feeling it had something to do with my recent discovery.
“Do you know that Mary’s a boxer?”
Noah’s head shot up.
“I found the gym. Mary and Jabez were sparring.” Which on reflection explained their buff physiques.
Noah sipped his coffee and set his cup down. “They run a virtual fight club. It’s how they make money.”
My eyes fluttered. “I don’t understand.”
“The ring is rigged with sensors. When similar sensors are attached to a boxer it’s possible to fight another boxer in another ring, as long as that ring and boxer have the same sensors. Bookies take bets. The fighters get a cut.”
But Jabez’s bruises were real. “How do they get hurt, then? Aren’t they just beating air?”
“I wish. The virtual images form a molecular structure that imitates real mass. It’s like you’re boxing another human.”
I drank my coffee, trying to absorb this concept. “Does Mary fight as well?” I asked.
“No. So far it’s just a cock fight.”
I still didn’t understand why Mary and Jabez would let us live off them, unless…
My stomach dropped. “You’re not going to fight, are you?”