The 716 by S.J. Pratt

Author:S.J. Pratt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: YA, YA sci-fi, young adult science fiction, science fiction books for girls, science fiction books for boys, feminist fiction, nz fiction
Publisher: S.J. Pratt
Published: 2022-03-07T11:00:00+00:00

Impressive.

The Glass Ceiling. 9pm tomorrow.

Bring an open mind.

CHAPTER 33

Andy awoke to someone bursting through his bedroom door. He knew instantly who it was, her heavy footsteps barely muffled by the carpet as she walked to the curtains, pulled them back, and blinded Andy with sunlight. Blinking open his eyes, he saw his sister, Lily, wearing a satisfied smile.

“I’ve always wanted to do that,” she said.

Andy groaned and rolled over, burrowing into his covers. He didn’t know what time he’d got in last night, but it was late. Late enough to give his statement to the Protectors, clean up, journey home, and spend hours staring at his bedroom ceiling, alone with his circular thoughts.

He’d saved Meliora’s most eligible bachelor—who was also Olivia’s brother—from hypothermia. And he’d fallen for Olivia harder than he ever had before, only to discover she had a boyfriend.

A cold draft hit him as Lily pulled back the covers. “Is that pudding on your shirt?” She recoiled and held her nose. “It stinks!”

Andy sat up, stretched his arms above his head, and grabbed the coffee out of Lily’s hands. He glanced at the shirt he’d forgotten to get out of last night. “Yup.”

Andy had missed Lily so much since she had left for boarding school. He’d missed her even more when she decided to stay for summer school so she could graduate earlier. Overachiever. They’d talked sporadically, weeks passing without a chat, but seeing her now, with her loving laugh warming the room more than the sunlight, it felt like no time had passed and they simply picked up where they left off.

A few weeks ago, she showed him her new pink hair. It was back to normal now, that brilliant orange that ran in their family. Unlike Andy’s mop of curly hair, Lily’s was straight and framed her round face. She wore high-waisted houndstooth pants and a floaty black top, looking years older and more sophisticated than when she’d left eight months ago. But Andy could still see the mischief in her eyes.

A beep sliced through the momentary silence, followed by the whir of a motor starting.

“RAY!” Lily yelled, jumping over TextSkripts, blankets, and clothes to RAY’s charging station on the windowsill. She was used to Andy’s room being a mess—it was the one place in the house he didn’t have to do chores. His father encouraged him to keep it tidy, of course, saying that it spoke of a man’s character. Andy decided messy suited his character just fine.

The little orb blinked his biomimetic eyes, letting off beautiful bronze beams of light when he recognized Lily. Aside from Aunt Kaylee, Lily was the only one in the family who accepted RAY and treated him like a person, even though he was a bot. Andy’s mother had gone so far as to ban RAY from the house. She preferred to have conversations with someone who wasn’t going to spontaneously explode, she had said, though Andy always thought it was because RAY was a reminder that Andy was talented, potentially more talented than her.

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