Near Future 1: Awakening by Randal Sloan Read Free Book Online Page A

was a short drive, and he finally pulled into the front of the athletic dorm at the school to let her out. Caitlyn had probably wanted him to help her into the dorm, but luckily a bunch of her friends were waiting and they all gathered around her, so he escaped.
    Zeke was totally distracted; he kept thinking of Miranda. There's something special about her . He really wasn't listening to Emily as she talked about something on the way to their dorm. Finally, Emily looked at him and said, "Ok, brother. I know when you are only pretending to listen to me. What's up with you?"
    "Sorry, I was just thinking about other things." Zeke parked their vehicle and said, "Let's go, Sis. We've got a VR call to make to Mom and Dad." He started off, with Emily tagging thoughtfully along behind him. She was not fooled; she knew when something was going on with him, even if he wasn't talking about it. She would have to work on him, but she always figured him out. Trying to remember what had occurred to distract him, it suddenly dawned on her what might have happened. While they were at the hospital, Zeke had stopped to help the girl on crutches that Caitlyn had almost run into. It had been a couple of minutes before he caught back up to them. She would have to follow up on that, she thought. This whole business with Caitlyn was her fault, and it certainly wasn't working out.
    #
    Caitlyn had been having a really tough day. First the physical therapist had told her that there was no way she could even practice with the soccer team with her ankle injury. He went on to say that she needed to stay off it as much as possible to let it "heal." He didn't understand that she had a big game coming up, and she really needed to practice. Then there had been the incident in the hallway which had irritated her, when the girl in the hallway had made her hurt her ankle, then didn't even bother to say she was sorry. But the thing she was really the most upset about was Zeke. He seemed to be completely zoned out, especially on the way back, and she couldn't seem to get through to him.
    Caitlyn had admired Zeke for some time, but they seemed to run in different circles. It wasn't that Zeke wasn't athletic, because she had seen him playing sports at times, and he was really good. But he was also very smart, and she admired that in him. She had seen him at their soccer games and he seemed to be cheering them on enthusiastically. But then she had the opportunity to spend time with him, when Emily had "volunteered" him to carry her to the therapy sessions. She had thought she was making a connection with him, at least on the way over there. He had even agreed to go on a real date with her sometime later after she was over her ankle injury.
    She would have to keep working on it. She was usually able to get what she wanted when she set her mind to it. Maybe when she got back out on the soccer field. She would just have to work even harder at her game.
    #
    Over the next week, Miranda continued to "run" into Zeke several times, although never again quite as literally. She had learned in talking to him that he was a self-proclaimed computer geek, a student at the nearby Space Academy. One day, she noticed he was drinking a cup of coffee, and without thinking she said, "Oh, that smells so good. I think I like to drink coffee, if only I could remember for sure."  
    About that time Emily came up to Zeke, "Caitlyn has gone to X-Ray. When she is finished we will be ready to go." She stopped, looking at the two of them. "So how about introducing me to your friend," she said pointedly to Zeke.
    "Sorry. Miranda, this is Emily, my sister. Emily, this is Miranda Summerlin. She is a patient here at the hospital..."
    Realizing her poor brother was stuck, Emily quickly chimed in, "Miranda, I am glad to meet you. My big brother is a good guy, but he's not much of one for conversation, although it looks like you have pulled him out of his shell."
    At that Zeke tried to do his turtle