Satellite: The Satellite Trilogy, Part I by Lee Davidson Read Free Book Online Page A

fashion trend.
    Excitement fills Clara’s face. “Willow didn’t tell you the best part? We get new clothes whenever we want. Anything!”
    Anna squeals. Apparently, she’s the only other person at the table who gets it.
    “Our assignments allow us to keep updated on all the latest fashions,” Clara says, just like an infomercial host. I can’t help but overhear Clara explain to Anna that she just needs to speak into her closet whenever she wants new clothing.
    I shoot Owen a look that says, Seriously?
    “Dude, I know. They’re all crazy.” He circles his ear with his finger. “If you don’t put in any requests, your closet will be filled with your usual threads.”
    “Thank goodness,” I say in relief. The past few years, I’d been relying on Tate to dress me. She’d drag me to the store when she deemed my tattered clothes “inappropriate.” Now shopping for her , that was worth the trip, especially during swimsuit season.
    Liam interrupts our fashion conversation when he shows up wearing a half-tucked wrinkled shirt as purple as the circles under his eyes.
    “Hey, Liam—this is Anna and Rigby,” I say.
    He flops into a seat across from me and stares down at the table without answering. Clara gives him a sympathetic look and then resumes gabbing with Anna about clothes and bags and whatever else girls talk about.
    Liam fidgets and then pushes himself back up after only a minute. “I’m going to go code again.” His voice is hollow and he slumps back out of the room.
    This time Owen catches Anna’s worried expression. “He’ll be fine,” he reassures her. He pulls a deck of cards from his bag. “I’ll teach you and Rig Sats.” He flashes what I assume is his happy face. “I taught Grant earlier, but don’t worry about him. He sucks bad.”
    “Hey!” I rebuke him.
    Owen shuffles the cards. “Dude, it’s true. You’re terrible.”
    “I just learned!”
    “Then I suggest you practice some more,” he says, dealing me in.
    We play a few games, and I can tell I’m getting better. I lay down my winning hand just as Owen looks at his calimeter. A second later, Clara does the same.
    “Viscal, here we come. See you guys in a few days.” Owen winks at Anna, and then he and Clara join the herd exiting the room.
    Anna pushes up from the table. “I’m going to go practice coding. I get the feeling it’s rather important. See you guys later?”
    Apparently stuck in Perfectland with my new BFFs, I say, “I’m sure you will.”
    Rigby nods his good-bye to Anna. After a few seconds, he says, “So, that Clara chick is pretty hot, huh?”
    I barely hear him because watching Anna skip out of the room gives me an idea. What Willow doesn’t know won’t hurt her. “Yeah, sure,” I answer. “Think I’m going to go practice coding, too, man. I’ll catch you later.”
    Adrenaline pumps through me at the possibility of seeing Tate again, even if it isn’t real.

    I beeline to the coding room to avoid catching even a glimpse of my frame. Sitting cross-legged on a mat, I close my eyes.
    I visualize Tate how I remember her: warm and soft. I can see her in my head—piercing hazel eyes and unruly hair, a thin cotton shirt clinging to her. It doesn’t feel real like before, though. I can’t feel or smell her. She’s just a frozen photograph in my mind.
    After a deep breath, I try again.
    Nothing but my imagination works, and the void in my chest grows impossibly bigger. I take a different approach and picture my bedroom instead—my bed, specifically—and my heart pounds in excitement and relief.
    Tate traces along my torso, outlining muscles that have been absent for so long. I suck in the faint smell of peppermint. She looks up at me like before and holds my gaze. I memorize her heart-shaped face, as if I could ever forget it. Then she destroys me with a kiss. I want to freeze time, to stay with her forever. Like a child, I silently plead to be given this one gift. I’ll never ask for anything