Earthquake by Aprilynne Pike

Author:Aprilynne Pike [Pike, Aprilynne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2014-07-30T23:00:00+00:00

“There you are,” Daniel says after I spend ten minutes donning a hazmat suit, being doused with disinfectant, and traveling through two air-locked chambers.

“I’m sorry,” I say, sliding onto the stool I made very good friends with yesterday. I neglect to tell him the reason for my tardiness: too much time spent dawdling with Logan. Okay, kissing Logan. I’ve realized that I can’t face the virus without him.

“Don’t be.”

I dismiss his words as polite niceties until he lays a gloved hand on my arm and says, “Really, Tavia. I know you’re taking the need for a vaccine as seriously as I am, and if you feel that you need an extra hour or two of sleep, I’d rather wait than miss something because you weren’t alert enough. I trust you to be the judge of your own state,” he says, then turns serenely back to his microscope.

“I had to get breakfast,” I blurt, needing some kind of excuse that doesn’t have anything to do with sleeping. I’ve committed myself to curing the virus, but I won’t let Daniel tarnish the minutes I spent drawing strength from Logan’s arms. “Daniel?” I ask, not only to change the subject but because it’s been bothering me. “Why do they keep bothering to redecorate the atrium every day?”

In the process of grabbing some breakfast—which was the truth, or at least partially—I took a few moments to check out the new decor as I ate a warm sesame bun coated in sugar. The theme today was ancient China, and beautiful golds and reds filled the towering walls in the form of paper lanterns and dragons and butterflies. Painstakingly painted scrolls at least eight feet long hung from one wall, and enormous vases graced nearly every corner. A huge dragon’s head arched majestically over the biggest alcove.

Instead of being filled with amazement and appreciation, it all made me angry.

“It doesn’t matter what kind of fantastic world the decor of the main atrium mirrors,” I say hotly. “We still exist in the real world. The world where people are dying by the thousands. Why are we wasting our time and resources on interior decorating?”

Daniel smiles in a way that manages to be both kind and patronizing at the same time. “What do you suggest they do, Tavia? Go mop sweaty brows of doomed patients and risk catching the virus themselves? We’re all waiting for you before we can act.”

I turn my face away, hating that I should have realized that.

“And in the meantime, what does it hurt to instill a sense of normalcy and keep everyone busy? Do you understand?”

“Yes,” I mumble.

We work silently for a long time before Daniel says, “I heard you went to go see your old friend last night.”

My head shoots up. “Are you watching me?” Again I wonder if I really am free here. Even if they are letting me roam about of my own volition, is it truly freedom if they also monitor my every move?

“I watch everyone, Tavia.”

“Not me,” I say without really thinking.

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