Evalene's Number: The Number Series

by Bethany Atazadeh

  But Olive didn’t miss Evalene’s third glance in his direction. “Isn’t he cute?” she exclaimed, lowering her volume slightly, but still loud enough for the tables around them to hear.

  Evalene whispered, “Excuse me?”

  Olive misunderstood. She lowered her voice in imitation of Evalene, but responded with excitement, “I think he’s cute too. I’ve never been in love before, but I think I might be…”

  Gritting her teeth, Evalene glanced around. No one was paying them any attention. She took a deep breath, trying to be reasonable as she whispered back, “It’s not that I don’t think the captain is handsome,” she tried to be diplomatic, reminding herself this was the second person on this ship who now knew her Number. She adjusted her scarf at the thought, “…I just don’t think of him that way.”

  Olive’s eyes lit up as she spoke, and she barely let Evalene finish, “Wait! I was talking about Luc – you have a crush on the captain?”

  “No!” Evalene exclaimed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “I just said I don’t!”

  “But, you think he’s handsome,” Olive said, squinting in confusion.

  “I—I just—It’s none of your business! None of my life is your business!” Evalene hissed, and Olive’s face fell. “No, aghh! I’m sorry!” Evalene clenched her fists. “I just don’t want to talk, okay?”

  Olive stared at her plate. “Why not?”

  “Because how do I know you won’t go tell my personal history to everyone?” Evalene blurted out, all her frustration from the past few days directed at Olive. “How do I know you can even keep a secret?” A not-so-veiled reference to Olive’s recent mistake. Eyeing the door to the racks longingly, Evalene wished she’d stayed in her bunk and suffered through her hunger.

  But Olive shook her head fiercely. “I wouldn’t tell anyone, I swear!” She tugged Evalene’s arm. “Here, come with me, I’ll prove it!” Letting go, she picked up her tray in one hand, beckoning for Evalene to follow with the other. “This way!”

  Rolling her eyes, Evalene trailed after her towards the kitchen window, copying Olive and dumping her tray with the other dirty dishes. She spotted the bald man from earlier at the table right next to her, eating dinner with the small man and a few others. She veered away from him, but felt his eyes boring into her back.

  As she passed, he muttered, “Stupid high Numbers.” Whether he was speaking to his friend or wanted her to overhear, she wasn’t sure. She stayed close on Olive’s heels as they wove through the tables, moving towards the bridge.

  They passed through the hatch and out of the mess deck, the hair tingling on the back of Evalene’s neck at the idea of the big man watching them. She sighed in relief when the door closed.

  She nearly ran into Olive when the girl stopped. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.” She darted away, leaving Evalene to stand in the middle of the bridge.

  As Olive disappeared into the opposite compartment, a few crew members came out of it, deep in conversation. They stopped before parting ways, deep in conversation, not paying her any attention. Evalene felt out of place standing there, worried that she was breaking the rules.

  The hatch opened and shut behind her and the metal door barely registered in her mind until a male voice growled. “It’s the high Number brat.” Evalene spun to face the man, heart pounding. She swallowed at the sight of the huge bald man and tried to stand taller, to act like the high Number he thought she was, hoping it would deter him and he would leave her alone. But that just aggravated him more.

  He approached, leaning over her, close enough that Evalene felt the stink of his breath on her face as he growled, “What makes you think you’re better than me?”

  Wide-eyed, Evalene backed away, shaking her head at the accusation. She almost blurted out that she wasn’t, but caught herself. If he knew that, he could make her life miserable. She was so frightened she couldn’t speak, couldn’t think.

  “Captain says this ‘island’ doesn’t have any Numbers.” He loomed over her, following her step for step. “We’re going to be equals soon. And when we are—” he cut off as Olive appeared through the hatch coming towards them. Evalene appreciated Olive far more than she had a few minutes ago. Because she knew if the man ever did find out her true Number, they would never be equals.

  “Is everything okay?” Olive’s nose scrunched up in concern. Though she hadn’t heard the bald man’s words, the seething hatred rolling off of him was obvious enough to catch even her attention.

  “Everything’s fine,” he growled at Olive without looking at her, pinning Evalene in place with his glare.

  “What’s your name, sir?” Olive asked him. Her etiquette soothed him somewhat, and as he turned to her, he grew more civil.

  “Talc,” the big man replied.

  “Nice to meet you, Talc.” Olive smiled, genuine and open, disarming him the way only she could. His return smile appeared uncomfortable and out of place on his surly face, but he ceased to loom over them, settling back into a less threatening pose. “Are you exploring the ship? Or have you already seen everything?”

  “Just been here and the food, mostly,” Talc mumbled, his face returning to its naturally sullen state.

  Nodding, Olive spoke up so that the two crew members nearby could hear. “These are my friends, Clay and Larimar.” When the two men looked up, Olive waved for them to come over. “This is Talc,” she told them. “He hasn’t had a tour yet.”

  The words seemed to have an underlying meaning between the girl and the crew members. Something shifted in their relaxed posture that suddenly made them more alert, watchful. “Is that so?” the lighter haired man said, clapping a hand on broad Talc’s back. “We’d be delighted to show you around.” The second man, whose long, dark hair hung down his back, neatly held in place with a cord, nodded and angled to face the bald man in such a way that he ended up between Talc and the girls. The two crew members’ light prodding was all it took to lead Talc away, and the three men moved back towards the mess deck, leaving Evalene and Olive alone.

  Olive waited until the men were out of sight and the metal hatch noisily latched shut before she said, “You okay?”

  And Evalene nodded, although she felt far from it.

  “That happens sometimes,” Olive said, moving behind the spiral staircase that Evalene recognized from first entering the submarine. “People are excited to get out of Eden, sometimes they handle it poorly. Just let the crew know if you ever have any trouble.” Her calm demeanor eased some of Evalene’s fears. As long as she stayed in areas with crew members, she would be safe enough. Spending time with Olive didn’t seem like such a bad idea now, and she willingly followed the girl towards the metal wall of the submarine.

  Olive spread her hands out along the sheet of metal behind the spiral stairs. The wall was smooth except for nail heads every few feet attaching each sheet of metal to the next. She was feeling for something.

  Out of nowhere, the wall opened. First a crack, then, as Olive pushed the slab to the side, it widened into a makeshift doorway.

  “Hurry, hurry!” Olive squealed, grabbing her by the arm and yanking her through the door into the dark space. Sliding the wall closed behind them, Olive shut them into pitch-black darkness.

  Heart beating fast, Evalene panicked. She swung her arms wildly, trying to find Olive, who had let go. Her right arm smacked hard into something solid and unyielding with a thunk, and she yelped in pain.

  “Shhh!” Olive’s voice came from somewhere a few feet in front of her. A second later a crackling sound came from the same direction. Olive held two plastic sticks. They were thin, clear tubes full of some kind of liquid that lit up as she cracked the outer shell. The light grew wider and brighter as she continued to bend them until the two sticks lit up the area surrounding them.

  Evalene rubbed her hand where she’d smacked it on a large wooden crate next to her, feeling foolish for panicking now. They were surrounded by miscellaneous crates and containers in all differe
nt sizes. It was just a storage room.

  Olive moved towards one of the shorter crates and sat on it, leaning back against the taller crate behind her, and setting the glowing sticks on a table-height box nearby. “Welcome to my lair,” she said with a grin. “Have a seat.”

  Evalene moved to sit on the edge of a short box on the opposite side of the light, as close to the sticks glow as she could be.

  Olive gestured to the room and smiled at Evalene. “This is one of my secrets,” she said.

  “Ahh,” Evalene said, understanding now why they were there.

  Crossing her legs under her skirt, Olive settled in comfortably on the wooden bin. “I’ve been helping Captain Jeremiah and Luc bring refugees to the island for over a year now. I help all the women adjust to life on the island, including trips back from Eden. And I love meeting new people,” she smiled, talking with her hands, full of exuberance. “But, I’ve never shown anyone else this room. I know it’s just storage, but this is where I come when I want to be alone.”

  Raising an eyebrow at the idea of Olive wanting to be alone, Evalene bit her lip to keep from smiling. She took in the storage room, observing how it was narrow but stretched the length of the bridge. That explained why the bridge appeared smaller than the other rooms – it was split in two. “Why are you showing it to me then?”

  “Don’t you see?” Olive grinned, making dimples on her cheeks. “I can keep a secret. You can trust me.”

  Evalene felt herself warming up to the girl. She sighed and gave in, “What do you want to know?”

  Olive swiveled to face Evalene eagerly. She tapped her chin in thought, studying Evalene. “How about what happened to your face?

  Crossing her arms, Evalene leaned back into the wall. Did the girl mean the newest cut on her forehead, or the fading yellowish-green bruises around her eyes from Daeva? She tried to decide where to start. She didn’t want to talk about Kevra. Touching one of the bruises, she felt the lump under her skin, and said, “This happened about a week ago.”

  “Did you trip and fall?”

  “No.”

  Olive was persistent. “Someone did that to you?”

  Evalene just nodded.

  Shaking her head, Olive said, “I hope you gave them just as good as you got! I know how to fight as good as any boy, I could give you some lessons if you want!”

  Squinting at her, Evalene wondered just how different life was on the island. “You really don’t get it,” she said, more a statement than a question.

  “Get what?” Olive’s eyebrows bunched together in confusion.

  “I’m a Number 29. I’m not allowed to fight back. They can do whatever –” Evalene voice was hard and cold as ice, as she slowly repeated the word, “whatever they want.”

  Olive’s face paled, even in the dark candle-lit room. She grew smaller as she comprehended Evalene’s words. “Anything at all?” she whispered.

  “Anything,” Evalene confirmed.

  Not meeting her eyes, Olive stared into space and whispered, “What if they steal something from you?”

  “It’s theirs,” Evalene answered simply.

  “So they can hit you and you can’t even fight back?”

  Evalene nodded.

  Olive looked like she wanted to ask more questions, but Evalene didn’t want to talk about Daeva. Or anyone back home. She took a deep breath and let it out. “You don’t want to know about my life.”

  Olive nodded thoughtfully. “I promise I’ll be more careful. But I do want to know about your life. You’re my friend. You have to be able to trust your friends.”

  But that just made Evalene think of Kevra.

  Olive hopped off the crate, moving to the false wall that she’d used as a door. “Dinner’s probably ending,” she said, cracking it open to peer out into the bridge. “I need to check on the other women. Let’s go back to the mess deck. They’ll be putting on a movie soon. Maybe they’ll play one of the old-world ones they found on the sub – those are always a hit!”

  Evalene wasn’t interested in a movie. She’d slept the whole day. Now, though it was late, she was wide awake. As they snuck back out onto the bridge, Evalene stood lookout in the dim orange light while Olive pulled the wall back into alignment. Evalene waited until it was closed, amazed at how the opening was undetectable once shut, before she said, “Thanks, but I think I’ll stay here for a bit. Or maybe explore, if that’s alright...” The mess deck was where Talc had disappeared. She wanted to go the opposite direction.

  “Sure, I remember my first day on Vicky, lots to see,” Olive said with a grin, circling around the stairs towards the door to the mess deck. Evalene realized she meant the HMS Victorious and decided this was her favorite nickname for the old sub yet. On the other side of the stairs, Olive stopped. “You want me to come with you?”

  Evalene shook her head. Talc was probably watching the movie that Olive mentioned. She’d rather explore in the other direction and avoid him. “No, thanks… I’ll be okay. Talk to you later?” she finished lamely.

  Olive nodded and moved to open the mess deck hatch. She twisted to look back at Evalene as she did. “You’re going to love the island! We’ll hang out again tomorrow and I’ll tell you all about it. I’ll wake you up for breakfast!” And with that, she disappeared through the door before Evalene had a chance to argue.

  Standing still for a moment, Evalene turned towards the opposite door in the bridge, where Jeremiah had disappeared earlier that day.

  She couldn’t picture where Luc had said this door led. Her hands started sweating. What was the worst that could happen? They couldn’t kick her off the ship. She’d paid for passage. Well, she supposed they could. But they were heading away from Eden. If they did kick her out it would be onto the island, which was fine with her.

  Breathing shallowly, Evalene cracked open the door and peeked inside the unknown compartment. Noise assaulted her senses.

  20

  Jeremiah’s Offer

  S TANDING IN OPERATIONS AT the instrument panel, Jeremiah ran his crew through a routine check, supervising as one of his officers gave the crew commands. He stood against the back wall. The soft whirring of the machines was a constant background noise.

  “Reverse course to the right using a twenty-five-degree rotor angle,” Welder ordered. As Officer of the Deck, he was in charge of this room and all the men in it, standing in the middle. Panels covered every surface of the room, all with different equipment. Three men sat at the monitors near the front wall with two more standing behind them, and all devoted their full attention to the indicators on the screens. The sound of the high-pitched sonar bouncing off the ocean bottom and echoing back to the ship pulsed regularly.

  Clay sat at one of the monitors. He repeated the order back to Welder, word for word with one addition, “Reverse course to the right using twenty-five-degree rotor angle, Sir.” On Jeremiah’s left were more panels, also covered with buttons, levers, dials, and more monitors. To a passenger, it might appear overwhelming, but each crew member knew exactly what they were doing, well-trained and comfortable after the last two years, working together in unison.

  Jeremiah trusted them completely. This drill, just like the others they did daily, were mostly for muscle memory. But also to keep them sharp for battle stations and evasive maneuvering, if they ever were detected. It was unlikely anything other than another submarine could detect them while submerged, but if they did come under attack, his men would be fully prepared.

  He simply observed while Welder continued to give orders. The hatch clicked softly behind him, and Jeremiah turned to find the door cracked open just a few inches, just enough for him to recognize Evie’s face, staring with wide eyes at the mass of panels and screens. The moment he saw her, she ducked back and the hatch began to close.

  “Evie, wait,” Jeremiah whispered, hoping the crew wouldn’t notice. “Come in, please.”

  The door paused an inch before closing, then slowly swung back open. Evie stepped up to th
e threshold, but stayed outside.

  “You’ve found the control room,” Jeremiah said.

  She blinked, nodding, and copied Clay. “Yes, Sir.”

  A hint of a smile lifted the corners of his mouth. Angling his body sideways, he leaned toward her and kept his voice low. “I’m putting the crew through their paces. Give me one moment.” She nodded again.

  Jeremiah wanted to catch Welder’s eye to let him know he was leaving, but didn’t want to draw attention to Evie’s presence, for her sake. Welder was focused on the screens. “Steady course one eight zero.”

  This time Flint repeated the order back to him. “Steady course one eight zero, Sir.”

  Out of the corner of his eye, Jeremiah noticed Evie watching closely, so he leaned over again to explain, “They’re doing a check to see that everything is functioning properly.” A second later something metallic shifted and fell to the ground, making a huge racket. “And also to make sure everything is stored correctly.” His lip twitched, holding back a smile.

  His men argued with each other over whose fault the loose item was, looking to their captain as they did and spotting Evie for the first time.

  Welder finally glanced back and Jeremiah tilted his head toward the exit. “Let’s leave them to it,” he said to Evie.

  She backed up as he stepped over the threshold out into the bridge, letting the door to Operations close behind him. Strolling through the bridge towards the mess deck, he asked, “Did Luc give you a tour of the lower level yet?” Evie shook her head shyly.

  As they entered the mess deck, he moved past the chow line, the microwaves, and the TV, to the opposite corner where a railing stuck out over an empty corner of the room. He knelt to grasp the handle on the floor and pulled up a hatch to reveal a set of stairs going down. “This leads to the lower deck,” he said, holding onto the railing as he made his way down the narrow, steep rungs, more like a ladder than an actual staircase.

  For a second, he thought she wouldn’t follow, but then her feet began to descend after him. She modestly held her skirt close, which left her with only one hand to hold the railing for balance, slowing her down.