A/N: Hello everyone! I am so pleased to be able to share this story with you! If you aren't aware, this book is a sequel to my novel The First. If you haven't read The First, I would highly recommend checking it out first! ;) Then come back here to continue the story!
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08 - 13 - 2084
C A D E
The heavy downpour is strangely comforting. Despite the cold that seeps through the cracks in my uniform shirt, I embrace it. The steady patter against the shuttered windows is a sound I've come to associate with peace and quiet. And since I don't often get that around here, I cherish it.
Unfortunately, today it doesn't mean privacy or peace and quiet. I hunch down further in my seat, my elbows propped against my desk, unable to help the feelings of dread that wrap around my stomach. The voice of Mister Solgard drones on about the history of the Federal Reservation of America, and other boring topics. By now, I've completely zoned out of his lecture due to the impending bell. One glance at the clock tells me I've got two minutes left before the man in the suit will be here: 1558.
Students scramble out of their seats the moment the bell screeches, all except for myself. I watch them frantically race out the door to freedom. Then I'm alone except for Mister Solgard, who ignores me as he cleans up.
A single knock on the classroom door has me straightening. I swallow, unable to keep my hands from balling into fists. The man in the suit stands there, silent, waiting for me to get my butt off the chair.
I take my time gathering up my books, notebook, and pencil before piling the supplies into my bag. For a moment, I contemplate the likelihood of success should I try to jump out the window instead. I glance longingly at the shuttered glass, wishing to be anywhere but here.
A low clearing of the throat tells me my time is up. I shoulder my bag and trudge behind the man in the suit, down the halls and to the front door of the Anchorage Harbor Boy School. The wood paneling tries so hard to make it feel old and safe, but the feeling is lost with the multitude of cameras and locks on every door.
The man in the suit turns expectantly, standing by the door with his arms crossed. I give him a look that conveys all my annoyance before grabbing the filtered fabric mask from my pocket and securing it over my face. He nods in approval.
We hurry down the steps of the school to the waiting vehicle, the rain pelting our backs. The fog is so thick that the man in the suit is forced to drive slower to avoid causing an accident. Which is fine by me. I slump down in the backseat of the vehicle, yanking the mask off my face. I pull out my buds and A-book. Music flows through the buds as I situate them in my ears and shut my eyes. The steady beat of the music drowns out the pounding of my heart.
Over six hours to prepare for the impending weekend at home. Six hours before we leave Anchorage behind and enter Fairbanks.
The man in the suit wakes me up when we arrive. The rain has stopped, but everything is a big, mucky mess. I follow the man in the suit up the front walk towards my house, although I don't really feel like it's mine. I've never felt that way, thanks to my mother.
She isn't waiting at the door to greet me, so I slide past the man in the suit and run upstairs to my old bedroom, where I'll stay for the next forty-eight hours. Hooray!
...Not.
The door handle to my room jiggles when she knocks, almost an hour later. "Come out of your room." The order is formal, as everything she does is.
YOU ARE READING
The Second
Science Fiction[ Sequel to The First ] Gis has escaped Ilene Lestat and her horrific experiments, along with the help of the program director's son, Cade. They have finally found peace in the quiet suburbs of Minnesota, Province Two. This miracle in human cloning...
