Island of the Sun by Matthew J. Kirby Read Free Book Online Page A

air, Eleanor saw the Golden Gate Bridge, looking forlorn, almost out of place. According to her history classes, it had once been the pride of San Francisco, an engineering marvel spanning a wide bay. But as theArctic ice had taken up and trapped the ocean’s water, coastlines had expanded, and the bay had largely emptied, leaving the bridge a towering monument to all the city had lost.
    â€œAre you sure it’s safe to land?” Finn asked.
    â€œSafer than flying on an empty tank,” Luke said. “We need to refuel or we won’t make it much farther. Speaking of which, I’ve been using my own stash of money, but it won’t last forever. Fuel is expensive. You should try to empty your bank accounts before the government seizes your money. Standard practice with those they’ve branded as terrorists.”
    â€œBut that will alert them,” Eleanor’s mom said. “They’ll know where we are.”
    â€œThey’ll know where we were,” Luke said. “Hopefully we’ll be long gone before they catch up to us. We’ll just have to be fast about this.”
    He radioed the airport, falsifying their identity as he’d done in Fairbanks. Eleanor wasn’t sure how long that charade would continue to work.
    â€œHow many aliases do you have?” Dr. Powers asked him.
    â€œI’ve collected a few in my line of work. Let’s hope they stay untraceable.”
    Even with his confidence, Eleanor found it impossible to relax once they’d touched down. Luke taxiedthe plane to where he could refuel, and Eleanor’s mom got up to leave with Dr. Powers. Eleanor didn’t like the idea of sitting there on the plane, restless and nervous, wondering what was happening.
    â€œCan I come?” she asked.
    â€œI suppose.” Her mom turned to Dr. Powers. “What do you think, Simon?”
    â€œIt should be fine,” he said. “Boys?”
    Finn and Julian decided to stay, and so did Betty, which was probably best to avoid drawing attention, anyway. So Eleanor, her mom, and Dr. Powers left the plane. They didn’t need to suit up, which was a relief; the San Francisco air was cold, but not so cold it could kill them. Out on the tarmac, they turned toward the airport terminal, where Eleanor’s mom thought they would find an ATM, and after a short walk they reached it.
    Inside, the terminal was largely empty, most gates dark and vacant, but there were some travelers here and there, waiting stoically for the few planes that still came and went. They sat watching the TVs suspended from the ceiling, or read books and newspapers. It struck Eleanor that people seemed so able to go on with life as they had known it, even as the Freeze dismantled the world around them. She could only attribute that to the powerful allure of denial.
    â€œThere’s an ATM,” her mom said, pointing down the wide passage between the gates.
    Eleanor glanced up at the TV screens as she followed behind her mom and Dr. Powers. They were all tuned to the same news station, where a pretty anchor was interviewing a man the caption identified as Dr. Pierce Watkins. Luke had called him an old lizard, and now Eleanor saw why. He was bald, with small ears, a sharp nose, and a slight wattle of loose skin beneath his chin. As for being old, Eleanor wasn’t actually sure she could call him that. He looked it, certainly, but he spoke with the animated vigor of a young man.
    â€œMom, look,” Eleanor said. “It’s Dr. Watkins.”
    The three of them stopped to listen.
    â€œI’m not saying the situation isn’t dire,” he said to the anchor. “But I wish to spread a message of hope. I look around, and I do not see a world that is ending. I see a world that is finally coming together. Just look at the wonderful situation in Mexico City. Nations helping nations, neighbors helping neighbors, in the face of a profound challenge. I see people going