* * *
SUMMER 2066
The first time I saw Liam was in a berry stand on the way to Uncle Tody’s farm. I was carrying two punnets of strawberries to the register when a tall guy with pale skin, ruddy cheeks and a shock of tight black curls called out. “Hey, nice strawberries.”
He winked at me as he walked, his eyes never leaving mine till he strode into a cherry display, knocking the produce to the floor. I giggled, seeing only his mesmerizing hazel eyes and boyish smile.
Flustered, he crouched, picking up the cherries while I paid for the strawberries.
“Don’t mind Liam,” Thelma chortled, bobbing her grey curls toward the boy. She’d been running Uncle Tody’s Silver Street stand since she was a teenager. “He’s got more bravado than brains.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I replied, taking the paper bag.
Walking slowly down the aisle toward the prone figure, I crouched in front of him and smiled alluringly. “Nice cherries,” I purred, plucking one from his open hand and placing it in my mouth. Rising with deliberate grace, I walked out of the shop without looking back, feeling his eyes on my golden sundress all the way to my parents’ car.
The memory made me blush. That girl was a far cry from the young woman I’d grown into over the summer. Everything I did before spending summer in Vidámpark had been about being ranked number one and being what everyone wanted me to be. But in the weeks since returning to Tealé, I’d been looking at the world differently.
The ranking system promised safety and opulence for number ones, but I’d never felt safe in my rank. The government touted The Pageant as the ultimate stability and hope for a bright future, but what if you hated the male elected to be your partner? Being number ones didn’t make Oliver and me compatible, and it certainly didn’t make me happy.
All those discrepancies had inspired me to end my relationship with Oliver. I was finding courage to forge a path toward happiness, whether Liam wanted to go on that journey or not.
Celestial Page 16