Phantom Universe (31 page)

1200-1300 Lunch

1315-1515 Laws: Environmental & Societal

1530-1730 Space Exploration

1715-1815 Dinner

A smile breaks out over her face—this is the most exciting thing
ever
. So much better than the boring subjects that Landon used to teach her on the Cosmos. Not that she doesn’t appreciate everything he’s done for her. Without him she wouldn’t know how to read and write. Regardless, she’s absolutely thrilled and can’t wait to show her schedule to each of her friends as they come to join the line for breakfast.

“
How did you end up with all the cool classes and I get English?” asks Lucy with a frown as she reads over Summer’s schedule.

“
Hey, be happy,” grumbles Jaden. “I got Aerospace Engineering. I mean, really? Does it look like I want to be an engineer? Plus, I’m horrible at math. They should have added that to my class schedule.”

“
Whoo hoo!” exclaims Rob as he rushes toward them. “I’m taking Popular Music in 2210! Maybe they’ll let me play a guitar—provided they give me one.”

Summer stares at her wrist again and frowns. She’s not sure why she received the schedule she did.
Maybe I’m not good at anything so they just stuck me in random classes
.

“
Dude, I’m taking Military Science and Leadership,” says Avery with a scowl. “The upside is that I’m taking Film Studies!”

“
Yeah, I guess it’s pretty cool I’ll be taking Animal Production and Lab,” says Lucy, smiling slightly now. “Maybe there will be horses involved!”

“
Wait,” says Jaden quickly. “What does ‘Film Studies’ mean? Will you be watching movies every day on one of those holographic things?”

“
One can only hope.” Avery beams.

“
Computer Science doesn’t sound as exciting anymore,” mumbles Jaden. “What do you have, Summer?”

Summer holds out her wrist while Landon says, “It’s the same as mine.”

“
You’re taking Pop Culture? Me too!” squeals Jaden.

“
I think we all are,” says Rob, holding his wrist out to her. “Though mine’s in the afternoon.”

“
Space exploration? Whoa! That’s so cool,” says Jaden. Her brown eyes twinkle excitedly, and Summer grins.

As the line outside the cafeteria moves, Summer can’t help but search for Gage again. She focuses on the area around the Leaguer building. Her gaze lands immediately upon two figures on the stairs: Kayla in Gage’s arms. The sight stings Summer so harshly and roughly that she feels instantly sick. Frozen in place, she turns away and closes her eyes to try to erase the sight from her mind. Someone bumps her as the line moves forward, and her eyes fly open. All of her friends stare at her curiously, and then over her shoulder at what she can only assume is Gage and Kayla. Summer can’t take their pitting stares and runs from the cafeteria line. Landon’s voice is lost in the crowd as he calls after her. She doesn’t stop running.

CHAPTER
34: SORRY

16 years old

Summer slams into people as she takes off through the courtyard. Why did she ever trust Gage? Why does she ever trust anyone? The only person who’s always been there is Landon—and she knows he’s pursuing her through the crowd at this very moment. She feels like she can’t stop, though. He breath is shaky at best, and her nerve is about to get lost in the throng. Her heart? It’s stuck in her throat with her stomach, all jumbled and screwed up. Two hands grab her suddenly and yank her from the path she’s taking.

It’s Violet, the girl with the purple butterfly tattoo under her eye. Summer’s gasping for breath as Violet’s hands grasp her harder and shake her. The side where Blake held onto her yesterday is even sorer today, and Violet’s violent shaking sends shooting pains down her nerves. Summer’s blonde hair shifts into her face and scary, ice-blue eyes bore into Summer’s from underneath the fray. She’s not sure if she can take a punishment or beating of any kind right now, so her legs go out from under her, and Violet loses her grip.

“
You think you’re so special, don’t you?” spits Violet, towering over her.

Summer curls into a ball, shaking and waiting for the first slap, or kick, or whatever it is she has in store for her. She’s been doing so well since she’s been here, but is afraid it’s all about to swirl its way down the toilet.

“
But look at you, all pathetic. Stay away from Appleton—he’s Kayla’s man! If she dumps Carter then he’ll be all mine. So back off!”

“
Summer!” shouts Landon as a circle of people begin to form around her. “Stop! Don’t do it!” He’s screaming now, his voice loud and echoing. The people around her grow deathly silent.

Summer’s doing everything she can to stop herself from crying over Gage. She doesn’t even care what’s to come, and then she hates herself even more for falling so hard and so fast for him.
I’m so stupid! What was I thinking? This isn’t some fairytale. This is real life and I was dumb enough to fall for the handsome guy, with his stupid hypnotic eyes, and his stupid imperfect bump-nose, and his stupid, soft lips. It’s all just so . . . stupid!

“
Let me go you freak!” bellows Violet.

A hand gently touches Summer’s arm. “Ducky? I’m so sorry.”

So he saw? She glances up at him, gulping to try to stop herself from crying. Landon’s brown eyes are soft with sorrow, and the lines of his face are downcast. Behind him, Rob and Jaden have pulled Violet away from her.

“
She didn’t hurt ye, did she?” asks Landon carefully while inventorying her for any cuts or bruises.

She shakes her head and reaches for him, needing the comfort of her best friend. As Landon pulls her into a hug, voices erupt behind the wall of people. Through the forest of legs she can see them part as a Leaguer breaks through. She doesn’t look up as the boots of the Leaguer stop only feet away from them.

“
Flower?” The voice is soft, quiet, and uniquely Gage’s.

“
I’m really thinking that’s not a good idea,” says Lucy from somewhere to her left. Summer can’t even build up enough courage to look up at him and is resigned to stare at his boots.

Landon’s neck strains as he glances up and behind him. “Lucy’s right.” Landon’s voice is hard and livid. “It’s really
not
a good idea.”

“
But—”

“
Don’t,” says Lucy sternly to Gage.

Landon stands and brings Summer with him, his arms never letting her go. “Let’s get ye some water, okay?”

Summer nods and finally looks up into Gage’s face. He’s obviously torn on what he should do; concern and distress flare in his eyes, and a frown dominates all the contours of his face, pulling them down into a look of misery. A couple of tears escape her eyes, and she turns away quickly, not wanting him to have the satisfaction that he could make her spill her weakness so easily.

“
Remember what I said!” shouts Violet as the crowd parts to let Landon and Summer through.

At the back of the crowd, Kayla stares at them with a smug smirk curling up like a snarl, completely eclipsing her features and turning them into something animalistic. Summer’s stomach heaves, and she gets sick all over Kayla’s shoes. Kayla jumps back quickly and screams, “Ew! You freak!”

Several people around her laugh, and Summer can’t help but feel some pleasure over it. Lucy races up to them and takes Summer’s hand. “Best payback ever,” she says. “I think breakfast is in order—we have to fill your stomach back up and find a way to cheer you up.”

Summer walks through the line in the cafeteria like it’s not real. She scans her wrist, holds out her plate as food’s dumped on it, and keeps walking. She follows Landon outside to a corner near the electric fence that hums with power. No one says anything, not even to each other, and not even Rob who’s always so full of insults. A few insults might actually cheer her up right now. She doesn’t eat any of her food, only moves it around. Her stomach just can’t handle it.

Landon leaves Summer with Lucy as he checks out the boards in front of the cafeteria building for where their first class will be. When he returns, he informs them all that the majority of classes are in the Leaguer building, though last night they extended the fence to include another two buildings on the other side of it: Cherry Hall and Edward Complex. Now the Leaguer’s building is in the middle of the camp.

Before they part ways, Lucy surprises her by giving her a hug. Lucy isn’t like other people—Summer can tell how genuine of a person she is and already considers her a friend. “I’m here for you, even if you just want me to talk your ear off or not say a word. Anything,” says Lucy sincerely. “And I’m sorry.”

That’s what they all say. . . .

CHAPTER
35: CLASS

16 years old

To enter into the Leaguer building you have to scan your wrist or else the doors won’t open. They don’t want anyone entering unless they have a class in here. Fusion Energy in 2210 is her first class. Summer and Landon walk down a long hallway; their classroom is about halfway down. Before they reach it, Summer catches Gage standing at the other end, watching her intently. Landon glares at him and wraps an arm around Summer, pulling her into the classroom. They both scan their wrists as they enter. There are very few seats, and most of them are already filled. They sit in the very back—which is only the sixth row.

A subject that Summer would be intrigued by goes unnoticed as she doodles on an Astropad that’s been provided to each student at the beginning of their first class. It’s a tablet-like computer where you can write or type on a touch screen keyboard. Summer used one in the hospital so it isn’t anything new to her, but the other students are fascinated and have to go through a thirty minute lesson to learn how to work them.

A few times she swears she sees Gage walk by, along with other Leaguers—which shouldn’t be abnormal since this is the building most of them stay in. But what is abnormal is that they constantly peek their heads into the classroom, scanning the rooms like they’re searching for someone in particular. This is also strange since they can track every person behind the fence right now. She hates the feeling of someone observing her. It’s become a regular occurrence lately, and she doesn’t like it anymore now than she did before. She’s the observer, not the other way around.

Before she knows it, Landon’s dragging her from the classroom to go to another building, scanning their wrists again as they exit the classroom and again as they exit the Leaguer building. The next class is History and Pop Culture in Cherry Hall. This is also a subject she’s highly interested in, and yet another she doesn’t pay any attention to. Instead, she writes Gage a letter, then erases it, and then writes another one. She does this through the whole class, each one full of different emotions. Angry, pleading, upset, you name it . . . she probably feels it.

Before the class lets out, she writes Landon a note on her new Astropad. It says, “I’m going to eat lunch in my room today. Alone . . . please.” She scoots it over to him. She just needs time to think without the interruption of the snobs from Beverly Hills or the sure to be upbeat conversation her friends will try to push onto her.

He reads it quickly and then glances up at her, reading her face. He makes an internal decision and then writes quickly across the surface of the Astropad. He passes it back to her, and she reads it. “Want me to walk you to your room?”

She shakes her head—she just wants to be alone. Weird, considering all the times being alone was the scariest thing on the planet.

CHAPTER
36: FLAMES

16 years old

Creamy mashed potatoes, beef that she’s pretty sure is actually mow and a green vegetable that looks like rubber. Summer’s plate of food is heavy and she knows it won’t all be eaten. The doors to the Outlander’s rooms all have locks, but no one has the keys so no one locks them—unless they know how to pick the lock, which she doesn’t. Unlocked doors always make her nervous.
You wanted to be alone
, she reminds herself as she walks down the lane between buildings D and E. She reaches room number twenty and hesitates before opening it. After a deep breath, she turns the handle and steps inside.