Perception (5 page)

My pod reached the
gate, and I manually instructed it to find a parking pad. “Um, I'm a little
busy, you know, with my brother missing and all that. Alison's a wreck. She
can't be left alone.”

There was an
uncomfortable pause then Jackson said, “Yeah, I'm sorry. It's not like I'd
forgotten Liam was missing. It's just, I thought it might be good for both of
us to do something fun to take our minds off it. Worrying isn't going to bring
him home any faster.”

“What
is
going
to bring him home faster?” I heard that tense edge in my voice again. “He has a
chip. Why haven't the authorities found him?”

Another hard pause. “Good
question. I wish I had an answer for you.”

“Me too. Look, I have
to go. Thanks for the invite, but another time.”

“Yeah,” Jackson's
voice had cooled. “Another time.” He signed off without saying good-bye.

After parking my pod,
I made my way to the gates, keeping my head low not wanting to run into anyone I
might know.

The queue that exited
Sol City moved quickly since scanning was not required to leave. Still, the
realization of what I was about to do made my blood rush. My concern for Liam
was the one thing giving me the fortitude I needed to leave the safety and
comfort of Sol City.

Turning right outside
the gates instead of left paid off. I soon found myself in a busier, business
section where pushing through mobs and bumping casually into strangers was
unavoidable. The outside lacked the wide streets common to Sol City and had a
higher population density. The earth was home to nine billion people, most of
whom lived in mega cities not unlike this one.

I felt lost in the
crowd, but in a way, I also felt safer because of it. I was physically transformed
and walked the streets of the outside like I'd done it a million times.

Now that I was on the
outside, I had to start thinking like one of
them
. Even though everyone
in Sol City called the area beyond their gates “the outside,” this region had
an official name: Los Angeles.

I was in LA
surrounded by naturals, and naturals, I'd determined, were a peculiar breed. My
nose was assaulted by the strange scents of various smoking materials and road
side food kiosks.

All traditional
ethnicities were mingling together, as if they didn't even notice the
differences in their skin tones or the color of their hair or if they were old or
fat.

When nothing terrible
happened in the first twenty minutes, I started to calm. I paused to take a
better look at my surroundings. Tall modern buildings of glass and steel mixed
in with heritage buildings from the turn of the century. They were features Sol
City lacked since it was only a couple of decades old. Grandiose digital and
holographic billboards dotted the streets, high and low, and flashing, rotating
images advertised everything from business prospects to the latest trends in
cars and fashion to every kind of new technology.

The whole affair was
overwhelming. How would I ever find one boy in this cauldron of people?

I was about to call my
venture a failed experiment when I spotted the old clock tower Noah Brody had
rallied in front of in the distance.

Traffic moved quietly
but quickly, either propelled by solar electricity or along magnetic grids like
the transit pods. I headed to a pedestrian bridge that would take me closer to
the clock tower and grabbing the rail, I rode the moving stairs upwards, trying
not to get annoyed as people pressed against me.

Once down the steps
on the other side of the roadway, I scanned the groups of people loitering
around the clock tower. I could see now that it was attached to an old church.
Stucco had fallen away in places baring the brick exterior underneath. A number
of stained-glass windows had been boarded up, and I could tell it was no longer
in use. Nearby there was a fountain where teens lounged on benches, eating and
drinking and talking loudly.

I scoured the crowds
hoping to spot that brilliant red hair. Instead of Dexter, I found Noah Brody.
His attractive body rested casually on one of the benches. A couple of girls
sat on either side of him, giggling at something he said. He laughed, too, and I
was surprised to see him do something other than scowl. The girls played off
whatever witty thing he must’ve told them, flirting openly.

I inched closer,
thinking maybe I could position myself near enough to hear what they were
talking about. I shuffled in behind a couple who were holding hands, still
nervous I might reveal myself. Maybe my disguise wasn't as great as I thought.
The couple made a sudden right turn, and I froze. I was directly beside the
bench. But Noah had disappeared; only the girls remained.

He wasn't the one I
was looking for anyway, so I stepped backwards, craning my neck and searching
for the boy with red hair, when I bumped up against someone.

“Oh, sorry,” I said,
turning around. Then I let out a soft gasp.

Noah Brody stood
directly in front of me, his right hand holding a newly opened soda can away
from his body.

“Watch where you're
going,” he sputtered, our eyes catching for a moment before he glanced over my
shoulder.

Had he recognized me?
His expression gave nothing away. He stepped around me, leaving me standing in
his wake.

I was hit with a
sudden inspiration. “Wait!”

Noah turned, his face
sullen. “Yeah?”

“I saw you on TV.”

His body stiffened.

“I thought you were
great,” I added quickly. “I totally agree with everything you said.”

I tensed as Noah
considered me, his eyes narrowing in what I now suspected was his signature
look.

“Really,” I added,
just in case he still doubted me. “Those GAPs are junk.”

“Who are you?” he
asked.

I swallowed. “I'm
Chloe Morgan.”

“I haven't seen you
hanging around here before.”

I hadn't thought of a
back story. He was waiting, wearing that narrow glare again. I muttered, “I
just moved here.”

“From where?”

“Uh, New San Diego.”

“New San Diego?”

I crossed my arms,
rousing up all the attitude I could muster.

“Yeah, you got a
problem with that?”

I hoped that was the
end of the inquisition. I remembered how he had responded to those flirty girls
and decided on a new tactic. Flirtation was a skill I possessed. I tilted my
head and offered a shy smile and mild batting of the eyes.

Noah returned a
careful grin.

“No, that’s cool. Why
don’t you come with me? I’ll introduce you to my friends.”

He motioned to the
girls that he was leaving. They gave me a sharp look before following behind. I
wondered what it was about Noah Brody that had them jumping at his beck and
call. He led them under an ancient highway overpass, the kind that used to be
traveled on when old fashioned automobiles still ran on fossil fuels. Back when
there was still plenty to be had. A rusted out car lay discarded in the ditch,
overgrown with weeds. I had only seen restored versions in one of Sol City's
museums before. A MagLev sky-train hummed as it floated along tracks high
above.

It turned out this
was the long way to the back of the old church, which could've easily been
mistaken for a junk yard. More rusted relics and other sorts of trash littered
the way. A doorway was hidden by overgrown bushes, and if it weren't for the
narrow worn path through the tall grass, I'd have never guessed it was there.

Noah cracked the
heavy door open just wide enough for us to squeeze inside, and I was relieved
that the other girls were with us now. It would've been insane for me to follow
a strange boy into a place like this alone. Not that what I was doing right now
wasn't crazy.

It took a moment for my
eyes to adjust from the bright daylight to the darker room. Shafts of light
streamed through broken stained glass high above my head, and dust swirled in
its rays. Most of the pews had been removed but a few were left, moved out of
their straight lines into a crooked circle. A wooden cross hung from the
ceiling over an altar, but any other religious relics that might have once had
a home here were gone. A lone guitar was propped in the corner.

Two guys were
sleeping on the pews and Noah kicked one in the foot. “We got company.”

The nervous three-ring
circus that had been going in my stomach jumped a notch. I was the company. The
game was on.

“Everyone, this is
Chloe Morgan. She just moved here from New San Diego.”

“Hi,” I said trying
to imitate the slouched, bored look of the two girls who immediately took up
residence on the same pew as Noah Brody. Not wanting to be the only one left
standing, I slipped into the nearest pew. I noticed the absence of red hair
with a sinking heart. What could I possibly learn about Liam's disappearance
here?

Noah pointed to the
skinny brunette and announced, “Beth.” Then he nodded to his other side, where
the blonder, tall girl leaned up against him. She could've passed as a GAP if I
hadn't known she was a natural. “This is Katy.”

They grunted at me
like I was an irritating wad of gum on their shoes. The guys however, sat up
and eagerly gave their names along with an appreciative look.

“Brian,” a heavy-set
guy about my age announced.

His hair was buzzed
short, and reminded me of a peach. He blushed when he smiled at me. The other,
lanky boy beside him leaned forward planting his bony elbows on his knees. He
was all folded up like a praying mantis.

 “I’m Anthony.”

Both boys grinned
like happy dogs with a new bone dropped in their dish. I felt a certain
satisfaction that disguised as a brown-eyed brunette, I still attracted guys,
even weird ones, though for some reason I didn't seem to have this same effect
on Noah Brody. From the looks of things, he had his share of girlfriends, and besides,
what did I care about what he thought of me?

I was here to find
Zack Dexter.

“So,” I started, “when's
your next rally?

Noah's eyes narrowed
again. “What do you really know about our cause?”

I gulped. I was sure
he knew I was a fake. I crossed my legs to keep my knees from shaking. “Well,
to be honest, not a lot. Like I said, I saw you on TV. I thought you were cool
and I'm new here. I'm just looking for people to hang out with.”

Noah stared at me and
his dark eyes felt like soul scanners. What would he do if he discovered that I
was a GAP? That I was really Zoe Vanderveen? I hoped the fear I felt creeping
across my chest wasn't obvious.

“I'm glad you're
being honest, Chloe. Honesty is really important to us.” He raised his arms and
clasped his hands behind his head.

He was mocking me.

“So, how should we
answer her?” he said to the room. “When should the next rally be?”

The arrogance
radiating off this guy was blinding. I tried not to roll my eyes.

Katy said, “There's
always a crowd at the open market.”

Brian scoffed. “Of mostly
old ladies. We need something bigger, like the mayor elections.”

“But that's a month
away,” Katy whined. “The market is open every day.”

“We could just do the
sky train station again,” Anthony said, directing his comment to Noah. “Always
a captive audience there.”

Noah dug for
something in the front pocket of his jeans. My eyes bugged when I saw what he
had in his hand. A coin. Real money. Did that mean Noah didn't have a chip? Was
he one of those?

“Heads the market,
tails the station.”

He tossed the coin
into the air, caught it with his right hand and slapped it on the back of his
left. “Tails,” he announced. “The sky train station it is. How about this
evening, at eight?” His gaze fell on me. “Does that work for you, Chloe?”

I nodded. Not that I
intended to come back to these nutcases.

Noah’s attention was
drawn to his ring. He tapped it and a small head and shoulders image of an
auburn-haired girl dangled in the air. Noah stood as he shut the image off and
strutted to a dark corner for privacy. I couldn't help but wonder who the girl
was. His call reminded me that I'd ignored two indicator vibrations after
leaving Sol City. When I tapped my ring I saw I had two missed calls from
Alison. Nothing from Jackson, which irritated me. I thought he'd at least call
to apologize.

“Has anyone seen Dexter?”
Beth's question grabbed my attention. A tingling sensation exploded in my
chest.

Katy shook her head. “He's
been working a lot lately. Speaking of which, I have to get ready for my slum
job.”

Noah came back to the
circle just as my ring buzzed again. Alison. I couldn’t keep ignoring her.

“I have to go,” I
said, stepping in behind Katy as she prepared to leave.

Noah shrugged like he
couldn’t care less what I did and went back to his spot by Beth. Fine. I didn’t
care what he did, either.