Vivid by Ashley Bustamante

Author:Ashley Bustamante
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction
ISBN: 9781621842316
Publisher: Enclave Publishing
Published: 2022-01-24T00:00:00+00:00

12

“This is us!” Blake says as the hover cart stops on a quiet platform outside his subdivision. We unload our suitcases from the back and make our way to the sidewalk. We’re currently on a brief hiatus from school. Normally, these are unwanted for me—nothing but a delay in my studies and my goals. This is the first time the break actually seems like, well . . . a break. Prism has begun to feel stifling, and my self-imposed distance from Elm will be harder to think about here. A change of scenery. Time for things outside of school. This will be good for me.

“Remember when Mom used to always have those little red and blue cookies waiting for us when we got home?” Blake asks. “It used to embarrass me, but now I kind of miss them.”

I laugh. “Your mom has always been so sweet. It’s too bad she thinks we’ve outgrown them.”

Blake’s neighborhood is upscale, with spacious houses and lush landscaping. His parents do quite well on their two Benefactor salaries. It’s one of the reasons they have the space and the means to take me in. We pass a large park with fountains and a small lake. Blake used to beg me to go play there with him, but I usually declined unless I could take a textbook along. As I watch the glittering water droplets spraying into the sunlit air, I’m not sure why I turned down the chance to enjoy it.

There is nothing I can do about the past . . . but I can treat Blake better now. Selene isn’t here to watch me. I can spend time with him doing nothing, and she won’t know.

“Hey, what are you thinking about?” Blake asks. “You’ve got this little smile.”

I berate myself for the feelings that show so easily on my face. “Oh, I was just thinking it will be nice to actually hang out with you and your family for a change. It’ll be good to take a break from studying.”

He widens his eyes in exaggeration. “You want a study break? Is this Ava speaking?”

“Hey, people can change!” I swat at him. If he only knew how much I’ve changed recently.

We turn down Blake’s street at last and make our way to his three-story home. It’s clean and white with a pale-blue trim. As we stand outside the front double doors, the same shade of blue, an anxious knot forms in my stomach. I’m their obligation, according to Selene. I suddenly wonder what they think about having me here every time school is out.

The door swings open before Blake can even ring the bell. “Ava! Blake! Welcome home!”

Blake’s mom, Olivia, sweeps us both into a hug that almost makes me cry. If she sees me as just an obligation, she doesn’t make me feel that way.

“Matthew will be along shortly. I was just getting dinner ready, but let’s get you settled. Blake, why don’t you be a gentleman and help Ava with her suitcase.”

“She’s an Augmentor, Mom.

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