City Center, The by Simone Pond Read Free Book Online Page B

for the smell, but appreciated the warm mug in my freezing hands.
    “I’m Lillian. And this is Rags,” I said to the group standing around the fire.
    John pointed to the young guy. “This is Aaron, you’re probably the same age.” Aaron glanced up and looked at me. My stomach flipped over. He was so cute. I turned away, afraid he’d notice my cheeks blushing. I took a small sip of the piping hot coffee and gagged. The sharp bitter taste was too much, but I wanted to look mature, so I forced it down.
    “We’re going to hike north to a location where we can set up headquarters. It’s a big hike, and will take most of the day. But it’s a safe zone and only five miles from one of the plantation sites we’ll be shipped off to.”
    “Plantations?” I asked.
    “Where we’ll be put to work to supply food for the elites and their families.”
    “Why are we going to work for them? I thought we were escaping.” I was confused. Also, I wasn’t too keen on working for the elite class. The group of untouchables who owned the government. The ones behind the economic collapse. The elites were the jerks that wanted to kill off 90% of the human pestilence, as they called us, so they could have the planet to themselves. They orchestrated and initiated the plan to obliterate everything, so yeah, I didn’t want to work for them.
    “The plan is to pose as farm workers so we can infiltrate the system and gather intelligence. In the meantime, we’ll learn how to farm. While we’re working, we’ll squirrel away seeds, equipment and livestock. Once we gather a hearty supply, we’ll hike farther north and build our own free community.”
    “But working for them ?” I asked.
    “We have two options. We can either go to the emergency camps and be forced to finish the construction of the new Los Angeles City Center. Or work on a plantation. At least on the plantation we’ll have fresh air. And opportunities to build underground networks in the surrounding areas.”
    John finished addressing the group. I stood by the fire trying to tolerate that awful cup of coffee. I was supposed to be planning my sweet sixteen party, not discussing the end of civilization with a bunch of strangers.
    Aaron must have seen the fear in my face and came over. He took the disgusting cup of coffee from my hand and wrapped his fingers around mine. I loved him for comforting me in that desperate moment.
    “Come with me,” he said.
    He led me down a narrow path toward a peak, to get a clear view of the Pacific. We sat on a giant boulder and stared at the ocean. The one remaining thing the elites hadn’t destroyed. The salty air brushed against my face. I scooted closer, making sure our hips touched. I needed to feel another person. I watched Rags sniff around some shrubs. I realized that she and my Mom were my only physical contact in months. Sitting together on that peak, everything looked normal—just a young girl next to a cute boy, hoping he’d like her enough to kiss her. Then I remembered why I was there.
    “These last couple of years have been rough on everyone,” Aaron said.
    “We lost so much. I wish my sister and Dad could be here with us,” I told him.
    “We lost everything so fast. My Mom took her own life after my two older brothers were shipped off. And for what? Everything’s gone. Our families. Neighbors. Our entire past is gone. I don’t know about you, Lillian, but I’m going to fight back. No matter what it takes, I won’t let them win.”
    “But how do you fight something so huge?”
    “It’s gonna take a lot of work, but I have faith.”
    Aaron’s courage inspired me. I made a silent promise to fight. We had lost a lot, but not everything. There was still some hope. The elites might have robbed us of that for a little while, but we’d continue onward and get it back. We’d survive.
    Back at camp, everyone packed up his or her gear. Before we started our hike, we stood around the fire and John addressed the