Dead Girl Running (The New Order Book 1) (13 page)

Liam excuses himself from the crowd. “You ready to run?”

I snort. “Sure you want to leave your fan club?”

He laughs. “You bet. I’ve been waiting all day for this. So hurry up.”

I change fast then meet him back at the front glass doors. Trying not to be obvious, I scan the room one final time in the fading hope that I’ll find a too-old-for-me, split personality, handsome botanical genius. No such luck.

“Should we do the same route as the other day?” Liam adjusts his watch. “Get used to it before we go further?”

“Hey, wait.” I point at his watch. “I want one of those, too.”

He grins. “So, you’ve finally seen the light.”

I shake my head. “I’m simply interested in the extra protein rations. Where do I sign up?”

“See? There are benefits with cooperating with the New Order.”

Liam leads me to the front desk where I rush through the paperwork as fast as I can, slap the GPS watch on my wrist, and head outside. Despite the long bike ride yesterday, my legs feel fresh today instead of tired. Now that we know the route, we run as one, moving in unison until we reach the park. Surrounded by the heady smell of lilacs, I glance over my shoulder, sensing someone is near. A dozen faces stare back, none of them familiar.

“Your head’s spinning like a top,” Liam pants. “What are you looking for?”

“Do you ever feel like you’re being watched?” I whisper.

He shakes his head. “I should’ve known that you spending time with Franco was a bad idea.”

My ears perk up at the mere mention of his name. I try to sound nonchalant. “Why is that?”

“Franco’s a great guy. Don’t get me wrong. I mean, he’s related to me, how could he be anything but awesome? But, seriously, the guy is hyper-paranoid, conspiracy-theory, brainiac-scientist kind of crazy.”

“Really? I didn’t notice.” Oh, yes I did. And Liam forgot to mention Franco’s split personality.

Liam chuckles. “He always thinks someone’s hurting his precious plants, or after his top-secret scientific experiments, or that the environment isn’t clean enough to sustain human life.”

I play Devil’s Advocate. “And what do you think?”

“I think he worries too much. Life is meant to be enjoyed. That’s why I’m training as hard as I can—with your help, of course—to win this race so that my work ethic and athleticism are noticed by those who matter.”

“You really think you’ll get Chosen just by winning this race? That is assuming you can win it. What if somebody’s faster than you?”

We turn another corner and run under the cover of some shade trees.

“Nobody wants this more than I do,” Liam says. “I’ve
got
to see what else is out there. Travel to all the Great Cities. See what life’s like at the top. Don’t you want more than you have now?”

I shrug.

He smirks. “Then what is it that Silvia Wood wants from life? Why are you training for this race with me?”

We pass by the open-air pavilion. A young girl watches us run by, her arm raised up to hold hands with her father. Her mother stands across from them, a camera in hand, and says, “Mila, look at me. Now smile!”

My breath catches in my throat.

That’s what I want. My childhood. All over again, up until it abruptly ended eight years ago.

Liam interrupts my thoughts. “Hey, look who’s here!”

I shake my head, my vision fuzzy for a moment, and I see
him
. Franco leans against the back of the refreshment stand, flipping through what I presume is one of his many treasured books. We turn in his direction and slow our steps. I’m immediately concerned that I may not have put on enough deodorant today.

Liam waves as we approach. “Hey, Franco. We were just talking about you.”

Franco looks right at me. “Yeah, I bet you were.”

My stomach performs a double flip. His gaze sets my face on fire. Yep, I definitely don’t have enough deodorant on for this.

“You should join us tomorrow, man.” Liam punches Franco on the shoulder. “You bike while we run.”

Franco frowns at his cousin. “That sounds sort of lame.”

“Yes,” says Liam. “We need a timer to tell us when to run up-tempo. I can’t figure out how to set this watch alarm to ten-minute increments, and I lose focus if I have to keep checking the time.”

“We need you,” I agree, jumping on board with Liam’s plans. Even if I have to be all sweaty and gross, I’ll grab any opportunity to spend more time with my super-scientist crush.

“Fine.” Franco sighs. “But we can’t do this here in the Arboretum. It’s way too crowded.”

Liam glances at the crisscrossing walkers. “I suppose you’re right. But where, then?”

I instantly devise a plan. “How about the road out to your greenhouse? It’s ten miles long, and there’s hardly any traffic whatsoever.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” says Franco. “But you’ll have to get permission, of course.”

“What kind of running surface is it?” Liam shifts from side to side to keep up his heart rate.

I have Franco’s presence to do that for me.

“Gravel… with a lot of potholes,” I explain.

“Okay.” Liam wipes off his brow. “That should be challenging enough. I’ll put in a request at the gym.”

“Just let me know when and where to meet you.” Franco straddles his bike.

I tighten my ponytail, my mind racing in search of something to say to keep him around.

“What is
that
?” Franco grabs my watch.

Again, an electric shock jolts up my arm, but apparently I’m the only one who feels it.

“I thought you weren’t going to wear one of these.” He scowls.

Liam shakes his head. “Don’t harass her. She’s doing it for the extra protein rations. And she’ll need them with all the miles we’ll be logging.”

Franco drops my arm like it’s coated with poison. “I guess everyone has their price.”

I flinch, trying to hide how much his words sting.

“How long will it take for you get permission?” Franco asks Liam.

“Not sure.” Liam scratches his head. “I’ll ask as soon as we get back, so hopefully tomorrow.”

“Let me know.” Franco sets a foot on the pedal. “You know I’ll always help you… even if I don’t approve of what you’re doing.”

Frowning, I watch him leave, the back of his jean jacket shrinking in the distance. “Why is he so mad about this contest?”

Liam sighs. “Ever since my dad died, Franco’s never trusted anybody outside our family. He can be overbearing sometimes, but he means well.”

I bite my lip. “About your dad… I meant to bring this up earlier today, but it’s not like it’s a happy subject… Franco told me that your dad died in that big fire in the Wardrobe District eight years ago.”

For a moment, Liam’s eyes don’t glow with their usual brightness. “Yeah.”

I hesitate a moment before speaking. “Did you know I lost my dad in that same accident?”

Liam’s mouth falls open. “No. I don’t usually talk about what happened because then it seems like I’m just looking for sympathy. But I never knew—I mean, I never expected. Of course, so many people died—”

“Fifty-three.” I hate that number.

He nods. “I’ve met a couple other people whose relatives died, but…” His eyes fall on my scarred wrists, but for once I don’t flinch. I don’t care that he sees them. He raises his gaze, his eyes questioning mine.

“Yes. I did it because I missed my dad. Don’t you?”

Liam shrugs. “Lucky for me, after Dad died, I had Franco.”

“You did?” This I’ve got to hear. I lean in closer.

“Franco saved our family. He gave us his rations. He’d already been working at Plant Production for a few years. He even lived with us for a while, so we didn’t have to move into a smaller apartment. We were lucky to have him. He made sure I would be okay. And so I am. I’ve never felt deprived or”—he glances at my wrists again—“depressed or anything.”

I flush. Too bad Franco doesn’t want to be my knight in shining armor—or a shiny white lab coat. I could so handle that. Instead he makes me feel dirty for wanting more food.

“And I have two sisters, so we had each other,” Liam continues. “You’re an only child, right?”

I nod. “Maybe that makes a difference.”

“Maybe. Plus my mom was really strong through it all. How’d yours cope?”

I blink back tears as painful images flood my mind. Every night, after Mom thought I was sleeping, she’d sob into her pillow, my father’s picture in her hand. She never realized I could see through the crack in her bedroom door. I’d wait there in the hallway until she fell asleep then creep back into my own bed and shiver under the covers.

I straighten my shoulders. “Mom fell apart. I’m the one who had to put us back together.”

“
You?
” Liam can’t help but glance again at my wrists.

“Yeah. Me. That’s why it took so long.”

fter logging a few more miles then cooling down with yoga, I shower at the gym and head for home. Our apartment is filled with the heady scent of tomatoes and melted soy cheese. Ever since Mom rejoined the Orchestra, she’d been cooking up a storm. I take this as a good sign.

“Mom, I’m home,” I call out.

“I’m in the kitchen.” Pots bang and plates clank. She’s really going all out tonight.

I let the gym bag slide to the floor and head in for supper. Mom’s humming and smiling to herself. For a moment, I wonder if she’s met someone new. Can people her age get crushes, too? Why not, I guess? I want her to be happy, but part of me doesn’t want her to forget about Dad. But, then again, if Mom never moves on, she’ll just always be sad.

She pulls out two cloth napkins. “How many miles did you run today?”

“Nine. Trail running mostly, but some on the road.”

“That’s nine more miles than I’ll ever run.” She dishes up a spaghetti-style hot dish. “Dig in. Don’t worry—there’s no protein cubes. I used nuts this time.”

“Franco says everyone will have fish soon. He’s so smart about everything. He’s even helping out on a huge hydroponics project.”

“Oh, that’s right. You had a Plant Production tour yesterday. How did that go? Do you think you could transfer there?”

I shake my head. “I don’t think I belong there.”

Mom pauses mid-step, holding a pot in the air. “Why do you say that? It’s what you’ve always wanted, ever since you were a little girl. You and Daniel used to…” Her words falter.

“I’m not saying I don’t like plants. And the greenhouses were like a dream. Dad would’ve loved them. Beans trailing from the ceilings next to sunflowers two stories tall. It’s remarkable.”

“Then why don’t you want to work there anymore?”

“I don’t know.” I shrug. “Honestly, I don’t. I
should
want to work there.”

Mom frowns. “I don’t understand you.”

“Maybe this won’t make any sense to you, but it hit me while I was there that I didn’t
belong
with all those shuffling white coats quietly working in the humid, hot air. It didn’t feel like home to me. I belong in the cold basement of the hospital. With loud classic rock in the background. With Gus.”

Mom snorts.

“Gus needs me. Besides, as marvelous as all of Franco’s experiments are, the human body is the biggest miracle of all. I love everything about it. I mean, isn’t it amazing how we’re put together? How every organ has a job—the kidneys, the liver, the lungs? And, most of the time, they work in perfect unison.”