Past Futures by Claudia Corneyea

Author:Claudia Corneyea
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bookclick 360
Published: 2024-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

I only made it a few blocks away before it started to get dark and I got overwhelmed. Everything is different here. Every few feet are some kind of charging station or robotic ticket machines. Cars, trains, and trollies zoom by in an organized chaos that I can’t figure out. I ducked every time a HovAbove drove by overhead and received many dirty looks. Also, my clothes stand out a lot. Everyone wears similar outfits and the ones that are different are so extravagant it barely looks like they’re wearing real clothes. I’ve never been so self-aware before. Once I got the hundredth dirty look, I decided to turn back. I pull my jacket tighter to my body and stare at my feet. Luckily, I just walked in a straight line after I turned left from our block, so finding my way back is easy. Jude was right about my directional issues, though I’d never admit it to him.

I walk up to the house and find Chuck sitting on the front step. He stands up as I approach. His fake smile and outstretched arms annoy me, but I know we must keep the act up. I run up to him and jump into his arms. He picks me up and spins me.

“We don’t have a debugger here,” he whispers in my ear before putting me back down.

I understand what he means. We must keep the conversation superficial while at the house, and possibly wherever else we go.

“I missed you,” he says, closing the door behind us. “Look at your hair! It looks great.”

“Thanks. I missed you too.”

“How was your trip?”

“How come you didn’t tell me how horribly shocking the Capital was going to be?” I ask, actually annoyed. I know we can’t talk about the real issue we have, which is him leaving me after taking the purple strip, so I release my anger through a legal way. “I had no idea it was going to be like that. I would’ve just left my bags at home so I didn’t drag them all over the place! Or you could’ve told me about the wild devices here that help with inconveniences like that. Also, now it seems like all of the clothes and household items I dragged here are completely out of place!”

Chuck looks away from me, understanding that I’m not annoyed that he didn’t warn me, but that we didn’t get to do it together.

“I’m sorry,” he says, looking me in the eyes. “I’m really sorry, Klay. I’ve should’ve just brought you with me earlier. It’s been difficult being here alone.”

I see the truth behind his words. There are bags under his bloodshot eyes and his hair is a mess. I walk over and smooth out the pieces standing out of place. He grabs my hand and holds it. He tries to express what he can without words and my anger towards him softens.

“It was just very overwhelming,” I say, and look down at his clothes. “Looks like you’ve been adapting just fine.

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