Read Online Empty Streets by Jessica Cotter - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jessica Cotter
Ads: Link
public schools that students attended to a voucher system with Sims machines and shuttles to small public buildings." Eri shrugged innocently.
Her mother sighed with relief. "Oh, well, I think my parents were the first to actually use the Sims on a full time basis. Your great-grandparents were using computers, but not simulators, to attend some classes online, although most classes were still face to face, I think."
Eri nodded. "So, do you get a check each year from the state government that you then can spend on software upgrades or course tuition for me and Ezra?"
Her mother shook her head. "We enrolled you through the Sims and the money just goes directly to the software company. Why?"
"No reason, I guess. Just for my report." Eri shrugged.
"Well, find some sources about that stuff, don't quote me." Her mother went back to working on dinner.
Eri heard a shuffle up the stairs and Ezra appeared, looking exhausted and vacant. His eyes drifted in her direction as he headed to the stairs.
She hadn't even noticed him downstairs on the Sims machine. She peered after him as he trudged up the stairs.
"Mom, does Ezra seemâ¦weird to you?" Eri hesitated bringing his behavior to his mother's attention.
"No, Eri, he is a teenage boy. They are designed to be weird."
Eri walked across the kitchen and living room to look up the stairs, just as Ezra turned the corner into the hallway. She padded up the stairs behind him.
When she got to his bedroom, he was already lying face down on the bed, sprawled out. Eri sat on the floor next to him and touched the hand that hung out over the side of the bed. His room was dark, the only light seeping in from the hallway.
"Ez?" Eri whispered.
He didn't answer.
She raised up on her knees and leaned towards him, brushing his curly hair off his forehead. His eyes opened into tiny slits.
"Hmmmm?" he mumbled.
"Are you okay?" Eri whispered at him, trying to look him in the eyes.
He didn't answer. Eri waited, putting a hand on his back.
Finally, he shook his head, his eyes closed.
"No? You aren't okay?" Eri's heart beat hard in her chest.
Ezra opened his eyes and looked at her, and Eri shrunk back from him. His eyes were black circles in his head, with grey smudges all the way around them. His hair was plastered to his head in sweaty patches. He was too skinny, too frail.
He reached his hand out to her and she grabbed it. He turned his hand in hers and she looked down at his hand, palm up. On his palm she saw the characters AWTEW11209. He looked at her one more time and then turned away, curling up on his side.
Fighting tears of worry, Eri left the room. What were the characters on his hand? She bit her lip as she thought. Was he sick? It was almost impossible for them to get sick since they were never physically in contact with anyone and their parents had to go through a viral and bacterial screener before they left the factory. Maybe he was just tired.
Eri joined her parents for a cold meal that no one looked very interested in. Her previous hunger had left her. She noticed her mother picked at her food without ever looking up. She caught her father looking at her a couple of times. He didn't speak to her.
"If you are up when your brother gets up, make sure he eats some of this. I will leave it on the counter." Eri's mother took Ezra's plate and placed it on the counter.
Eri nodded. "I have a study group that is meeting this evening, so I am going to go log-in."
Once downstairs, rather than plugging into her own machine, she sat in Ezra's. Even though he was younger than her and late to puberty, he was still several inches taller than her. She sat in his seat, leaning forward, hoping the machine would not identify the differences in their stature. It was illegal to log on to a Sims as someone else.
The Sims software did retinal scans randomly to verify who was signed into the machine. There was usually a small beep, then everything would freeze and she would see a red line
Her mother sighed with relief. "Oh, well, I think my parents were the first to actually use the Sims on a full time basis. Your great-grandparents were using computers, but not simulators, to attend some classes online, although most classes were still face to face, I think."
Eri nodded. "So, do you get a check each year from the state government that you then can spend on software upgrades or course tuition for me and Ezra?"
Her mother shook her head. "We enrolled you through the Sims and the money just goes directly to the software company. Why?"
"No reason, I guess. Just for my report." Eri shrugged.
"Well, find some sources about that stuff, don't quote me." Her mother went back to working on dinner.
Eri heard a shuffle up the stairs and Ezra appeared, looking exhausted and vacant. His eyes drifted in her direction as he headed to the stairs.
She hadn't even noticed him downstairs on the Sims machine. She peered after him as he trudged up the stairs.
"Mom, does Ezra seemâ¦weird to you?" Eri hesitated bringing his behavior to his mother's attention.
"No, Eri, he is a teenage boy. They are designed to be weird."
Eri walked across the kitchen and living room to look up the stairs, just as Ezra turned the corner into the hallway. She padded up the stairs behind him.
When she got to his bedroom, he was already lying face down on the bed, sprawled out. Eri sat on the floor next to him and touched the hand that hung out over the side of the bed. His room was dark, the only light seeping in from the hallway.
"Ez?" Eri whispered.
He didn't answer.
She raised up on her knees and leaned towards him, brushing his curly hair off his forehead. His eyes opened into tiny slits.
"Hmmmm?" he mumbled.
"Are you okay?" Eri whispered at him, trying to look him in the eyes.
He didn't answer. Eri waited, putting a hand on his back.
Finally, he shook his head, his eyes closed.
"No? You aren't okay?" Eri's heart beat hard in her chest.
Ezra opened his eyes and looked at her, and Eri shrunk back from him. His eyes were black circles in his head, with grey smudges all the way around them. His hair was plastered to his head in sweaty patches. He was too skinny, too frail.
He reached his hand out to her and she grabbed it. He turned his hand in hers and she looked down at his hand, palm up. On his palm she saw the characters AWTEW11209. He looked at her one more time and then turned away, curling up on his side.
Fighting tears of worry, Eri left the room. What were the characters on his hand? She bit her lip as she thought. Was he sick? It was almost impossible for them to get sick since they were never physically in contact with anyone and their parents had to go through a viral and bacterial screener before they left the factory. Maybe he was just tired.
Eri joined her parents for a cold meal that no one looked very interested in. Her previous hunger had left her. She noticed her mother picked at her food without ever looking up. She caught her father looking at her a couple of times. He didn't speak to her.
"If you are up when your brother gets up, make sure he eats some of this. I will leave it on the counter." Eri's mother took Ezra's plate and placed it on the counter.
Eri nodded. "I have a study group that is meeting this evening, so I am going to go log-in."
Once downstairs, rather than plugging into her own machine, she sat in Ezra's. Even though he was younger than her and late to puberty, he was still several inches taller than her. She sat in his seat, leaning forward, hoping the machine would not identify the differences in their stature. It was illegal to log on to a Sims as someone else.
The Sims software did retinal scans randomly to verify who was signed into the machine. There was usually a small beep, then everything would freeze and she would see a red line
Similar Books
