Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Author:Beth Revis
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Tags: Social Issues, Love & Romance, Survival Stories, Action & Adventure, Juvenile Fiction, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Fiction, Science Fiction, Dating & Sex, Adventure, Interplanetary voyages, Fantasy & Magic, General
ISBN: 9781595143976
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Published: 2011-01-11T10:00:00+00:00

34

ELDER

STARLIGHT TRICKLES UNDER MY DOOR THE NEXT MORNING. When I emerge from my chamber, yawning and stretching, I see that Eldest has lowered the metal screen over the navigation chart, exposing the lightbulb stars.

“Hey,” Eldest says. He’s leaning against the wall by his room, staring up at the false stars. He scoots over when I sit down, and I hear glass clattering on the metal floor. A bottle of the drink the Shippers make. Eldest moves to hide it, but he’s too late.

We stare at the lightbulbs.

“I forget sometimes,” Eldest says. “How hard it is. I’ve been doing it... for so long.” He sighs. Although the sharp, stinging scent of the drink lingers in the air, Eldest isn’t drunk. I glance at the bottle—it’s been opened, but no more than a swallow or two are missing. Trust Eldest not to let go of control even in this.

“I know it’s hard,” I say.

Eldest shakes his head. “No, you don’t. Not really. You’re just starting. You... haven’t had to make the decisions I’ve had to. You haven’t had to live with yourself afterward.”

What does he mean by that?

Just what has he done?

And another part of me, the part that’s felt what it’s like to be Elder for sixteen years, not Eldest’s fifty-six, that part of me asks: What has he had to do?

Because I know Eldest, and what’s more, I know the job. And I know why we do the job. Why we live the job. Why we have to.

“It’d be easier, if the Elder before you was still alive. He could take care of you and the Season, and I could take care of—”

“Of what?” I ask, leaning forward.

“Of everything else.”

Eldest stands now, the light of the false stars speckling his body. He looks very old. Much older than I’ve ever seen him before. It’s not years that age him, though.

“I hate the Season.” Eldest’s disgust is apparent in his voice.

I start to ask why, but he’s not looking at me, and something stays my tongue. I wonder—does he hate it because he has no one to mate with? I’ve never seen him look at a woman the way Harley used to look at his girlfriend... the way I look at Amy. Maybe he had a woman before me, for his Season, but she died. Maybe... I swallow. I can’t say I haven’t wondered before, wondered if Eldest was really my—

“Don’t get proud,” Eldest says, interrupting my thoughts.

“Sir?”

“Don’t get proud. You do what you have to do, whether you like it or not. There’s nothing to be proud of, not as Eldest. There’s never a right answer. Just keep them alive. Doesn’t matter how. Just keep the frexing ship alive.”

He picks up his practically full bottle and locks himself in his dark room. The metal screen covers the false stars, and I’m left in darkness too.

An hour later, it’s time for the day to begin. Eldest emerges from his chamber. His clothes are pristine, his eyes are clear, and his breath is fresh.

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