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Authors: Lisi Harrison
Tags: JUV014000
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later, Allie backed away from him and ran toward the beach, looking like Shakespeare’s
Juliet moments before desperately drinking poison.
I know that feeling.
Charlie shuddered, remembering the soul-ripping sensation of ending things with Darwin.
As Allie disappeared down the pebble path toward the dorms and Skye began to launch into another rant about liars, schemers,
and poseurs throughout history, Charlie’s aPod beeped.
SHIRA: I NEED TO SEE YOU ASAP. TAKE THE TRAIN TO THE RESIDENCE.
What now?
Charlie stood staring down at her phone, the now-familiar sensation of Shira-phobia constricting her lungs. Was she getting
busted after all?
Ping!
SHIRA: NOW!
Alpha Island’s translucent train hissed to a vibrating halt in front of her. Everyone called it the bubble train, since it
looked like a giant string of Marge Simpson–style pearls, a line of bubble compartments connected by thin white tubes. The
door to a car whooshed open and a recording of Bee’s soothing British voice said, “Welcome aboard, Charlie.”
Thanks, Mom,
Charlie thought-answered back.
Wish you were here.
“You. Of course. Perfect.”
Charlie jumped, slamming her head against the top of the door frame in surprise. Darwin was slouched in the corner of the
car, looking at Charlie like she was a plate of food left out overnight—definitely gross, possibly salmonella spreading. A
cinnamon-scented toothpick dangled from his pursed lips.
“Ouch!” Charlie rubbed her head. “You scared me!”
“Whoops,” muttered Darwin, staring out the window at the line of Joshua trees on the other side of the train.
“I’m not following you,” Charlie said, doing her best to ignore his tone. She clambered aboard before the train left without
her. “Your mom wants to see me.”
The only place to sit was next to Darwin, and Charlie pressed herself against the wall of the car to make sure there was an
inch of empty space between them. Before their breakup, the seat would have seemed too big for them. Now, the heat vibrating
off his body felt like a warning.
As the train snaked through the campus, the short ride began to feel like an eternity. A pang of longing shot through Charlie,
but she took a deep breath and mentally slapped it down. Would there ever be a time when seeing Darwin wouldn’t make her wonder
how she could have given him up?
“I don’t trust one single girl on this island. You’re all trustbusters. Faking your identities, spying for my mom…” He trailed
off, looking out the window at the tangled forest, as impenetrable as the barrier between them.
“I’m not actually spying for your mom,” she snapped, taking his poisonous bait. “I can’t believe you would actually think
that.”
“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” he said, pulling out his phone and examining the time.
Charlie clamped her mouth shut and sat on her hands, worried that if she lost track of them she would try to touch his shoulder
or run her fingers over the floppy light brown waves of his hair. She couldn’t nurse him through Allie’s betrayal, not when
she’d worked so hard to help the two of them get together. And even though she wanted to tell him the truth about everything,
about the breakup, about Shira forcing it on her in exchange for allowing her the chance to become an Alpha, she knew she
couldn’t. She made a silent pledge to herself: From now on, the only Brazille she was going to kiss was Shira’s butt. Otherwise,
what was the point of any of this?
Just then, the bubble train doors whooshed open and Bee’s voice announced their destination.
Wish me luck, Mom.
Charlie followed Darwin up the walkway to the back entrance, a sliding glass door that led into the kitchen. She stared dejectedly
at the backs of his blue Converse, worn thin at the heels. He slid the door open so roughly she thought for a second it might
slide off its hinges and shatter into a million pieces, but it stayed on its
Juliet moments before desperately drinking poison.
I know that feeling.
Charlie shuddered, remembering the soul-ripping sensation of ending things with Darwin.
As Allie disappeared down the pebble path toward the dorms and Skye began to launch into another rant about liars, schemers,
and poseurs throughout history, Charlie’s aPod beeped.
SHIRA: I NEED TO SEE YOU ASAP. TAKE THE TRAIN TO THE RESIDENCE.
What now?
Charlie stood staring down at her phone, the now-familiar sensation of Shira-phobia constricting her lungs. Was she getting
busted after all?
Ping!
SHIRA: NOW!
Alpha Island’s translucent train hissed to a vibrating halt in front of her. Everyone called it the bubble train, since it
looked like a giant string of Marge Simpson–style pearls, a line of bubble compartments connected by thin white tubes. The
door to a car whooshed open and a recording of Bee’s soothing British voice said, “Welcome aboard, Charlie.”
Thanks, Mom,
Charlie thought-answered back.
Wish you were here.
“You. Of course. Perfect.”
Charlie jumped, slamming her head against the top of the door frame in surprise. Darwin was slouched in the corner of the
car, looking at Charlie like she was a plate of food left out overnight—definitely gross, possibly salmonella spreading. A
cinnamon-scented toothpick dangled from his pursed lips.
“Ouch!” Charlie rubbed her head. “You scared me!”
“Whoops,” muttered Darwin, staring out the window at the line of Joshua trees on the other side of the train.
“I’m not following you,” Charlie said, doing her best to ignore his tone. She clambered aboard before the train left without
her. “Your mom wants to see me.”
The only place to sit was next to Darwin, and Charlie pressed herself against the wall of the car to make sure there was an
inch of empty space between them. Before their breakup, the seat would have seemed too big for them. Now, the heat vibrating
off his body felt like a warning.
As the train snaked through the campus, the short ride began to feel like an eternity. A pang of longing shot through Charlie,
but she took a deep breath and mentally slapped it down. Would there ever be a time when seeing Darwin wouldn’t make her wonder
how she could have given him up?
“I don’t trust one single girl on this island. You’re all trustbusters. Faking your identities, spying for my mom…” He trailed
off, looking out the window at the tangled forest, as impenetrable as the barrier between them.
“I’m not actually spying for your mom,” she snapped, taking his poisonous bait. “I can’t believe you would actually think
that.”
“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” he said, pulling out his phone and examining the time.
Charlie clamped her mouth shut and sat on her hands, worried that if she lost track of them she would try to touch his shoulder
or run her fingers over the floppy light brown waves of his hair. She couldn’t nurse him through Allie’s betrayal, not when
she’d worked so hard to help the two of them get together. And even though she wanted to tell him the truth about everything,
about the breakup, about Shira forcing it on her in exchange for allowing her the chance to become an Alpha, she knew she
couldn’t. She made a silent pledge to herself: From now on, the only Brazille she was going to kiss was Shira’s butt. Otherwise,
what was the point of any of this?
Just then, the bubble train doors whooshed open and Bee’s voice announced their destination.
Wish me luck, Mom.
Charlie followed Darwin up the walkway to the back entrance, a sliding glass door that led into the kitchen. She stared dejectedly
at the backs of his blue Converse, worn thin at the heels. He slid the door open so roughly she thought for a second it might
slide off its hinges and shatter into a million pieces, but it stayed on its
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