Read Online Intermix Nation by M.P. Attardo - Free Book Online Page B

raised on.”
    Nazirah looks again at Adamek, still
absorbed in his book. “It’s simple,” she says. “They don’t.”
    #
    Half an hour later, Lumi and Taj leave to
grab dinner. Nazirah and Cato linger behind. The sun is fading,
covering them in a cool orange glow. The grounds are almost
entirely deserted, as most of the rebels and children have
meandered inside. Glancing casually at the picnic tables, Nazirah
sees that they are unoccupied and covered in dark shadows.
    Nazirah basks in the last rays of light,
resting her head beside Cato and closing her eyes. The sound of
Cato breathing puts her mind at ease. She doesn’t know how she
could have done any of this without him. Her stomach turns at the
thought of his family, whom he left on bad terms to come here. Cato
never talks about them. Or maybe she just never asks.
    Nazirah gets a sudden stroke of brilliance.
She sits up, a quirk of a smile on her face. “What?” Cato asks, all
too familiar with that look.
    Nazirah doesn’t answer him. She hops up,
brushing the dirt off her shorts. The wind has picked up, and her
loose top blows everywhere. She smiles down at him, offering her
hand. He warily grabs hold of it, standing. “Come on,” she teases.
“I have an idea.”
    “Which is?”
    “Trust me?”
    She is grinning widely now. Cato slowly
nods, a smile of remembrance appearing on his face. Nazirah
playfully grabs his hands. She begins walking backwards, pulling
him forward with every step. Then she stops.
    “We’re here!”
    “Really, Irri?”
    Cato watches in increasing recognition as
Nazirah walks through the small gate in front of them. This is the
only area of the grounds still bathed in an orange glow. The
abandoned swing set that Nazirah has led them to shines like a
beacon.
    “Don’t be such a baby!” Nazirah laughs,
walking over to the closest wooden swing. “We haven’t done this in
years!”
    When Nazirah and Cato were younger, they
always used to ride their bicycles on the rundown boardwalk in
Rafu. They would peddle hard, racing to the swings at the end of
the beach. Nazirah always won, much to Cato’s chagrin. On the sand
dunes, they would swing for hours, daring each other to go higher
and higher, until someone eventually either chickened out or
accidentally launched off. Nazirah can’t recall why they stopped
doing that.
    Nazirah hops up onto one swing, standing on
the flat wooden board. It creaks slightly and Nazirah gently tests
the rusty metal chains, making sure they will hold her weight. She
starts swinging, feeling light, suddenly in a great mood for no
good reason at all.
    “And I’m the baby?” Cato asks dryly.
    Her laughter rings out like a dozen tinkling
bells, completely infectious. Without another moment’s hesitation,
Cato stands on the swing to her left, beaming. They swing for a few
minutes, not competitively like they used to as children, but just
enjoying each other’s company. Nazirah’s hair whips everywhere,
wild copper highlights ablaze in the setting sun. “Would be nice to
have an ocean to look at right now, instead of just concrete,” she
says, breathless. Cato doesn’t respond. Nazirah looks at him
questioningly. He is staring past her right shoulder, visibly
upset. He isn’t laughing anymore. “What’s wrong?”
    Nazirah turns her head and she has her
answer.
    Adamek stands not ten feet away, leaning
lazily against the chain-link fence. His book is closed. The fading
sunlight highlights his cheekbones and glitters in his emerald
eyes, making him look not entirely human. He clearly moved from the
picnic tables awhile back in order to catch the last rays of
reading light, and has been watching them the entire time. Watching
her the entire time.
    Nazirah is shocked that she didn’t notice
him, when he has been so close. And she is angry, because he has
seen her vulnerable. Quick as a flash, Cato is off the swing and
standing menacingly in front of Adamek. Cato is a head shorter, but
he is fearless,