I stare at him with an expression that can’t help but come across more than a little insulting. “Um… this is my bed.”
“Oh.” He jumps to his feet. “Yeah. Sorry, man. I didn’t mean to intrude or anything.”
“Then you shouldn’t barge into someone’s room.” He laughs. He thinks I’m being funny.
I keep my eyes pinned to his face. “Did Alkine send you?”
He walks to the far window, dodging piles of clothing on the way. An agent like him probably has a mass clean room, probably folds his sheets with a straight-edge. “It’s a beautiful afternoon up at Lookout Park, Fisher. You shouldn’t be cooped up in here.”
I glare at him. Does this guy realize where I just spent my morning? I’d point it out, but I don’t think the irony would phase him.
After another moment at the window, he turns back to me, his crisp suit at odds with the clutter around him. “Let me walk you to lunch.”
“That’s okay. I’m already meeting-”
“No,” he says. “I insist.”
“You know, there are privacy laws. Breaking into someone’s room and-”
“Privacy laws?” He chuckles. “On Skyship Academy? Good one. They told me you were a joker.”
“I’m already meeting friends.”
He shakes his head. “I insist.”
I scoot away from him, fingers forming fists. “What are you gonna do?”
Agent Morse holds his hands above his shoulders in innocence, that perma-smile still affixed to his face. “Whoa, calm down little man. I’m not here to hurt you.”
Little man? Any chance of me listening to this guy is blown as soon as I hear these words. Tells me all I need to know. He’s like all the others. Patronizing. He thinks I’m a kid. Maybe I should break a Pearl in his face and see if he still thinks I’m little.
He crosses his arms. “The Captain told me you’d have this reaction.”
“Wonderful.”
His posture eases. “He asked me if I would kind of, well, check up on you. You know, like a mentor program. He knows the way it’s been between the two of you recently.”
I stand and grip the door handle, seconds away from slamming it shut in his face. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“It’s not a punishment.” He eases closer. “And it doesn’t mean you’re a… loser or anything.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“It’s just that you’ve got a different situation going on. And sometimes it helps to have someone to talk to. Someone who’s a little older. Someone who’s been through things.”
My grip tightens. “You’ve got no idea.”
“So fill me in. Over lunch.”
“I already told you. I’m meeting people.”
His brows raise. “I’d like to meet them, too.”
I shake my head. “No way. The moment we step out that door and people see me walking around with someone like you, they’ll think something’s up. Like, that you’re walking me to the brig or something.”
He sighs. “You really think people don’t know already? Do you think the other students in Dr. Hemming’s lab this morning didn’t realize you were gone? Attendance hasn’t exactly been first rate this term, has it? People know something’s up.”
My shoulders tense. “They don’t know all of it.”
“No. You’re right. Hell, I don’t know all of it. But I know you’re different. I know that something happened back there on the Surface that changed the way we think about Pearls, and the way the Captain thinks about you. And, if I can be frank, from the rumors I’ve heard floating around the ship, you’re lucky that Alkine’s letting you stay onboard like this, protected.”
I scoff. “Lucky.”
“Yeah,” he replies. “If I’m being honest. But I’d like you to prove me wrong. I’d like to discover that the file I read about a funny, good-hearted kid wasn’t just a lie. He’s in there. I can see him.” He sighs. “Just give it a chance. It’s like a big-brother thing. You’ve always wanted a brother, right?”
My heart sinks. “What did you just say?”
He shrugs. “A brother. Like, big bro… toss the antigrav ball around and hang out.”
That’s it. Screw the people outside. I don’t care how they look at me, or what they say. Nothing can be worse than this. Without responding, I head into the hallway and slam the door before Morse can follow. Then I run, and I don’t stop until I reach the stairwell.
– “You look terrible, mate. What did they do to you?”
That’s Skandar Harris. Always tactful, always there to pick you up. Eva would say that he’s too dim to be deceitful or manipulative, but I don’t believe that. He sits across from me at the canteen table. His uncombed brown hair is tangled above his head, like usual.
Next to him is Eva Rodriguez, a firm, steady voice even when I don’t need one. We’ve had our moments-we still do-but I think I trust her. I trust her enough, anyways. And compared to me, with her cropped, battle-ready hair and buff arms, she’s mass good at this Skyship Agent stuff. She’s the kind of student Alkine likes, and she’s saved my butt on more than one occasion.
Agent “Big Brother” Morse didn’t follow me up, thankfully, though it’s only a matter of time before he corners me again. Especially if Alkine told him to.
Lunch is some sort of potato mush, halfway between a soup and a paste, with bread. It’s bland, even with a fist full of salt mixed in, but I’m not paying much attention to it. Food’s been a problem ever since we crossed the Pacific. It’s mostly the same stuff every day, cans from deep within our rations storeroom, the odd crate our agents bring back from the States.
We sit at our old table, the one we always stole in Year Nine. It’s lopsided, but pushed far into the corner of the room, shielded by rows and rows of students and faculty. Hopefully it’s isolated enough to keep Morse from finding me. The din of the crowd is sort of comforting. I feel like I can blend in and disappear for once.
Eva sighs as she drags a spoon through her bowl. “At least they’re letting you move around the ship. Class this afternoon?”
“I don’t think so.” I take a sip of water.
“That’s a shame.”
Skandar leans forward, whispering. “So did you really break it? Like, yank it from the reactor and give it the big explosion?”
I nod. “Right in Alkine’s face.”
Eva chokes down a spoonful of the paste. “Probably not the best way to endear yourself.” She winces. “My god this is revolting.”
“It was satisfying.” I shrug. “Kind of.”
She sets down her spoon and rests her elbows on the table, leaning closer. “Listen, Jesse. You know I have your back, whatever you do. But we really need to sit down and brainstorm some better ideas. There’s got to be an effective way to look out for the other Drifters that doesn’t cause this kind of chaos.”
“Lights flickering off for a couple of hours is hardly chaos.” Skandar rolls his eyes. “I was asleep. I didn’t even notice.”
I nod. “If Alkine would stop using Pearl Power, everything would-”
“You know that’s not an option,” Eva interrupts. “He’s doing what he can.”
“You didn’t meet with him after Seattle. You didn’t hear the way he was talking, like we were gonna bust past the Skyline and take on the Unified Party until all the Pearls were broken. Project Pearlbreaker. That’s what he called it. What a joke.”
She grabs her spoon and attempts another go at the mush. “Military operations are always dependent on-”
Something flashes red. My vision blurs and I feel heat in my chest, like I’m back in the reactor chamber with the spinning Pearl. I close my eyes and the image of a coastline spreads across my consciousness. It’s as clear as if I’m standing there, right in front of the water. I hear the waves crash against the rocks, smell the gritty saltiness in the air. But I’ve never seen this place before. It’s barren-no people or grass for miles — and flat.
Another flash of red and my eyes fly open again.
Eva gapes at me. “Are you okay, Jesse?”
I nod. “Fine.” But even as I respond, the coastline lingers in my mind.