The ARC 02: Talented Page 8

  ‘Are you jealous?’ he asks.

  I raise my eyebrows at him in response. ‘Yeah, you got me, totally jealous.’

  ‘No need to be quite so sarcastic…’ He acts like he’s offended, but then laughs. ‘And just so you know, I’d much rather be irritating you than some other girls.’

  ‘Great,’ I mutter.

  ‘Seriously though, are you okay? You really didn’t look okay before.’

  ‘It was just a headache. I’m fine,’ I insist. ‘Do you come to the park often?’ I ask, before he can probe me any further.

  ‘Pretty much every day. It’s a nice place to escape it all.’

  ‘Definitely,’ I agree. It’s the nicest place I’ve ever been, but I’m too embarrassed to tell him that.

  My cuff starts vibrating. I look down at it and see an incoming comm from Lara.

  ‘You going to get that?’ Hunter asks, as I stare at it.

  I shake my head. ‘Nah, I’ll comm her back later.’ The last thing I want to do is have a conversation with Lara about our trip to West Hope in front of Hunter.

  We walk in silence for a while, just taking in the scenery. It’s kind of pleasant.

  ‘What’s it like?’ I ask. ‘You know … being special?’

  ‘Being talented? I dunno. I guess it’s cool being able to do things others can’t. But it just feels natural. Like talking or walking. Just a part of who you are, if that makes sense.’

  ‘How long have you been talented?’

  ‘When I first came up here, four years ago, I was pretty untalented. It just developed as I grew older.’

  ‘I’ve heard you’re going to be recruited.’

  ‘I hope not,’ he scoffs.

  ‘That’s not what you’re aiming for?’

  ‘That’s the last thing I want,’ he says. ‘I’m not getting recruited, and I’m not going to the other side of the river. But, at the same time, I won’t deny who I am and I want to be the best I can be. Part of that is developing my talent. So, I find ways to avoid recruitment.’

  ‘Ways?’

  ‘Ways,’ he says, winking at me.

  I shake my head. Who would’ve thought he’d considered this stuff. ‘You were almost coming off as thoughtful there for a moment.’

  ‘It has been known to happen.’ He laughs quietly at himself.

  When the river appears up ahead I stop. I hadn’t realised how far we’d walked. ‘I should probably head back,’ I say. ‘It seems to get dark so quickly up here.’

  ‘I’ll walk you home.’

  I stare at him, slightly too stunned by his statement to respond. This guy is renowned at school for being a cocky ass and we’ve just had a long, somewhat pleasant, conversation. Now he wants to walk me home? Why’s he being so nice?

  He starts to walk back the way we came. ‘You coming?’ he yells, tossing the words over his shoulder.

  ‘Yeah, sorry.’ I shake off the daze. As I jog to catch up with him I get an uneasy feeling and Sophie’s warning about him comes to mind. He’s being too nice. What could he possibly want with me?

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  ‘Sorry I’m late,’ Lara says, rushing towards me.

  ‘I almost thought you weren’t going to come,’ I reply. It has, after all, been twenty minutes since we were supposed to meet at the small, dingy cafe I’ve been sitting at.

  ‘Sorry, I got held up at home, should we get going?’

  ‘Definitely.’ I don’t want to waste another second, not when today could be the day I find Sebastian. Plus, this place gives me the creeps.

  I stand up, but sway unsteadily on my feet as I take a step towards Lara.

  ‘Are you alright?’ she asks, rushing over.

  I stand still for a moment, before I respond. ‘Sorry, head rush,’ I laugh. ‘I’m fine.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Will you stop worrying? I’m fine. I swear.’

  She holds her hands up. ‘Okay, okay.’

  Lara catches my expression, as I eye the place up as we leave, and laughs. ‘I could probably have picked a better meeting place, but this was the first spot that came to mind. Mostly because it always creeps me out, which is another good reason we should’ve met somewhere else.’ She laughs again. ‘Sorry about that. At least we’re only a few blocks from the wall. It shouldn’t take us long to get there from here.’

  When the towering concrete slab comes into view, I shiver involuntarily at the sight. The wall is huge with thick rings of barbed wire running across the top of it. Even under the bright sun, that shines high overhead, the wall looks foreboding.

  ‘Why would they put this up?’ I ask Lara, lowering my voice as we pass two older ladies.

  ‘Everyone in the West, East and North of Hope have slightly different mutations, which is the supposed reason they separate us all. Because the mutation is something so new, they want to be able to monitor what is happening and to do so they’ve divided the city.’

  ‘And they built a wall this large to do that?’

  ‘Apparently.’

  As we move closer to the wall, we fall in line behind several people queuing to visit the other side. The line isn’t too long and it moves relatively quickly. Lara continuously twists the bracelet she’s wearing around her wrist. The closer we get to the gate, the more agitated her movement becomes.

  ‘Are you okay?’ I ask her, when we’re a few people away from the front of the line.

  She peers over her shoulder to the others who wait behind us. ‘Can’t you see how tense everyone is?’

  I follow her line of sight. The faces around us are serious, yes, but they don’t appear nearly as tense as Lara is. I can’t bring myself to tell her she’s overreacting though.

  ‘Next.’ A guard at the gate beckons us forward. He quickly passes a scanner over our cuffs.

  ‘Remember to abide by the curfew in West Hope,’ the man warns. ‘You have 24 hours here before you’ll need to report back to the gate and leave or extend your pass.’

  I glance at Lara to gauge her reaction to what the man’s said, but she’s staring straight ahead, refusing to make eye contact.

  Once we’ve been ushered through the gate and are out of earshot I ask her about the curfew. Her answer is lost on me though, as I catch a look at the long line of people queuing to visit East Hope.

  Most people wear clothes that hang loosely off their bodies and everyone’s skin is so pale, you’d swear they only just left the ARC. Too many of the faces that stare bleakly towards the front of the line are gaunt and there’s a sombre atmosphere that hangs like a Lysartium tainted cloud over the crowd.

  ‘Why are there so many people?’ I ask.

  ‘It’s not as simple as getting a scan if you’re from West Hope. You have to answer all these questions and fulfil all these medical requirements. It takes a while, hence the line.’

  ‘Why all the questions? What’s wrong with them?’

  Lara lowers her voice. ‘They look that way because of the mutation, because they’re talentless. Come on, we should get a move on if we want to find Josh.’

  West Hope appears to be very different from the east side of the city. I’m immediately struck by how there are a lot fewer people on this side of the wall, and the whole place is strangely quiet.

  The tall, shiny skyscrapers are quick to disappear from view, and are replaced by short, stone buildings that are crumbling and covered with graffiti. Bits of rubbish become more frequent in the streets, and I can’t escape the bad smells rising from the potholes on the road.

  It becomes increasingly dilapidated until we reach a huge open square that looks onto a pristine, white building. The place is a monstrosity, spanning the distance of several blocks. There are only a few windows visible on the face of it making it appear severe and uninviting.

  The garden surrounding it couldn’t be more different, with open areas of grass and hedges that have been manicured within an inch of their life. It’s a beautiful sight but also incredibly eerie. It is de
adly quiet here, sending shivers down my spine.

  Lara’s eyes briefly flicker towards the large white building before she pulls me in another direction, leading us away. She doesn’t say a word and her pace quickens as we head towards a series of small shops.

  ‘What was that place?’

  ‘The hospital.’

  ‘The way you reacted I could’ve sworn we were walking away from a prison.’ To be honest, I don’t blame her for her reaction. I got a bad feeling from the place too.

  She raises her eyebrows as if to say, ‘who says we weren’t?’ and turns back to focus on the shops ahead. Specifically, she heads towards one of the small restaurants, which has tables out the front with large umbrellas made of faded red material covering them in shade.

  ‘Just try to avoid ever being sick. That isn’t a very nice place,’ she tells me, before pushing through the door to the restaurant.

  There are no customers inside except for a small girl who is sitting up at the bar, at the back of the room. Her face lights up when she turns and sees Lara walking in.

  ‘Lara!’ she squeals. She jumps down from her chair and runs towards us with such speed she nearly falls over as she throws her arms around Lara’s legs.

  ‘Hey Mia,’ Lara responds, smiling and patting her on the head. ‘Are you in charge of the place today?’

  ‘Uh hu,’ the girl replies. She stands back and looks at us seriously. ‘Can I take your order?’

  Lara laughs. ‘Is your brother around?’

  ‘Josh!’ Mia yells, running towards the back of the restaurant. ‘Your girlfriend is here!’ Lara immediately begins to blush when she hears this.

  ‘Which one?’ a guy yells back.

  ‘The one you’re in love with,’ Mia says, covering her mouth in an attempt to hide her giggles.

  The guy, Josh, emerges from the kitchen. He’s wearing an apron that’s covered in flour and has a huge smile plastered across his face. ‘Hey Lara,’ he says.

  He opens his arms, as though to give Lara a hug, but then stops dead in his tracks and looks down at the flour on his apron. His smile quickly turns slightly devious and he rushes her, pulling her in for a massive hug.

  ‘Josh!’ she yells, squirming to get away from him and the flour that coats her outfit. Her struggles only make him hug her harder and neither of them can stop laughing.

  When Lara finally pulls away she thumps his arm hard. ‘You’re such a dick.’

  This only makes his smile broader.

  ‘Elle, this is Josh.’

  ‘Hi,’ he says, turning and offering out his hand to me. ‘What brings you guys over here?’

  I look to Lara for guidance on what to say. She’s quick to jump in with a response. ‘We’re looking for Elle’s boyfriend and we were hoping you could tell us if he’s here in West Hope? His name is Sebastian Scott.’

  I leave the quip about him being my boyfriend alone. I don’t know what we are—or were. I should be feeling excited to hear Josh’s response but, since arriving in West Hope, I’ve been praying I won’t find Sebastian here after all.

  Looking at Josh, he obviously once had an extremely athletic build that is now diminishing. Mia looks like she’s never had the chance to grow big and strong. She’s so tiny I worry how easily she could get hurt or sick. I wouldn’t want that for anyone, let alone Sebastian. I’d rather not find him at all if it meant he could stay healthy.

  ‘I haven’t heard the name.’ Josh replies. ‘He’s not at school but that doesn’t completely rule out him being in West Hope. Have you thought about contacting M?’

  ‘Who’s M?’ I ask.

  Josh glances at Lara and she gives the tiniest shake of her head. ‘Someone who could help,’ is all he will say.

  I study Lara’s face, which is void of any expression. She’s holding something back from me, but I have no idea what it could be.

  ‘If he can help, can I meet him?’

  ‘It’s not that simple,’ Lara explains. ‘M isn’t someone you just meet up with. We’ll have to send a message through to him and hope he’ll get back to us. Josh can you do that?’

  ‘I can go now if you like?’

  ‘Would you mind?’ Lara asks him.

  ‘What do you think Mia? Would I mind?’ he turns and asks the young girl.

  Mia enthusiastically shakes her head.

  ‘I guess I don’t mind then. Mia you’re in charge. Girls, feel free to help yourself to something to drink. I’ll be back in a few.’ He peels off his apron and tosses it across the back of one of the bar stools before heading out the front door.

  I follow Lara to sit at one of the booths by the window while we wait. Lara begins to play with her bracelet again and her attention is focused on the world outside the window—not that there’s all that much going on out there.

  ‘How do you know Josh?’ I ask her.

  ‘I knew Josh and his sister when we lived in the ARC,’ she says, continuing to stare out the window. ‘They both came to Hope before me. Mia first, then Josh.’

  ‘How did you find them when you got here?’

  ‘Purely by accident. I came to the west to arrange a meeting with M, to try and contact my dad in the ARC, and bumped into Josh.’

  ‘Were you able to talk to your dad?’

  ‘No,’ she says. ‘Even M has his limits.’

  ‘Which are?’

  She smiles. ‘I’m sure he’ll be able to help you find Sebastian.’

  I try to get her to open up more about what she means, but she completely shuts down. Her answers leave no room for conversation, so I slouch back in the chair and wait for Josh in silence.

  He returns almost an hour later and Lara’s attention returns with him.

  ‘How did it go?’ she asks, as soon as he enters the restaurant.

  He shakes his head sadly. ‘All I could do was send a message through to him. I’ll let Lara know what he says when I hear. Sorry I can’t be more help.’

  ‘No, it’s okay. Thank you for trying,’ I say.

  ‘Anytime. Do you girls want to stay for some food? I was thinking of whipping up my mean vegie pasta for the restaurant tonight.’

  ‘Thanks Josh, but we should probably head back now,’ Lara says.

  Josh’s face falls. I’m surprised Lara isn’t more keen to stay. It certainly looks like Josh was hoping she would. Instead, we both begin to move towards the front door.

  Josh grabs Lara’s arm, stopping her. ‘Can I have a quick word with you before you go?’ he asks, the playfulness gone from his voice now.

  She slowly nods her head and follows him out back. They’re only gone for a little while, but when Lara comes back she is even more distracted and quieter than before.

  ‘What did he want?’ I ask her, once we’ve left the restaurant.

  ‘Just to see how I’m going. He worries about me.’ Given Josh’s condition, he appears to need more worrying about than Lara, but I get the feeling there’s a lot more than I’m aware of going on beneath her cool exterior.

  ‘I’m sorry we couldn’t find out more about Sebastian,’ she says.

  ‘It’s okay. I just hope he’s not over here. I hate to think of him becoming sick like everyone else.’

  Lara watches me uneasily. ‘Elle, if he’s not here then it’s likely he’s in the one place you can’t go.’

  ‘North Hope. Why won’t they let us go there?’

  ‘Because it’s against the rules.’

  ‘But why?’

  ‘Because it’s dangerous. Look, Josh wasn’t certain he’s not in the west. Sebastian could still be here. Let’s just exhaust all our options before we worry about the north, okay?’

  ‘Like the south side of the city? Could he be there?’ I ask.

  ‘Nobody lives there. It’s just a bunch of ruins from before…’ Lara’s voice trails off and she falls silent as the hospital comes into view again. The place isn’t quite as deserted as before, but is still shrouded in the kind of silence that leaves you feeling cold. />
  There’s a line of people leading out from one of the side entrances. They’re too far away to see their faces clearly, or to overhear any of their conversations, so I have no idea why they’re there. Lara’s gone so quiet I doubt I’ll be able to get a word out of her until we’re on the other side of the wall, let alone answers about why so many people are lining up outside the hospital.

  As we move further away from the hospital, I glance back over my shoulder at it and shudder. Sebastian may be in a more dangerous part of the city, but can it really be worse than here?

  CHAPTER NINE

  ‘Hi Elle,’ Cathy calls out when I enter through the front door.

  ‘Hi Cathy,’ I reply, following her voice into the kitchen. She’s busy, bent over the stove cooking. I’m hardly surprised. Cathy probably loves cooking as much as she cares about her children. I’ve barely seen her out of the kitchen since I arrived.

  ‘Did you have fun with your friend?’ she asks, looking at me over her shoulder.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘What did you girls get up to?’

  ‘The usual girl stuff.’ I grab an apple from the fruit bowl and head towards the living room. I hate lying to Cathy, and I’m too distracted to be even slightly convincing about it right now. I haven’t been able to get the idea of going to the north side of the river out of my head. It has kept me preoccupied all afternoon.

  I know Lara said it was dangerous, and maybe she’s right, but I can’t fathom where else Sebastian could be. It’s the only option I haven’t explored and I’m just wasting time if I sit here and do nothing.

  Anything could be happening to him over there and the longer I put if off the more likely it is I’ll be found out. I’m almost certain Mr. Kale is already suspicious I’m completely normal. I need to do something while I still can. Who knows what they’ll do to me if I’m found up here without any mutation?

  I enter the living room and Beth is sitting on the couch staring out the window. The TV is on, but her mind looks as though it’s miles away.

  I almost turn and walk straight back out. I hate being caught alone with her. It’s always so awkward. I want her to be the friend I once had and I get so disappointed every time she brushes me off.