Read Online The Refugee Sentinel by Harrison Hayes - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Harrison Hayes
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castrations afterwards, Colton. No more curfews and no more disappearing species.”
“Just a few million Silver-Spooners with an irrevocable sense of entitlement, tasked to rebuild our world.”
“Stop being such a child. Vote Sacrifice if you hate voting earmark so much.”
“Which is what you’d have me do.”
“Law requires you to vote one way or the other,” she said.
“If Defiance Day is this humane process, why do you need my Sacrifice to save your daughter?”
“She’s your daughter too. Whom you almost killed before her first birthday.”
“I can always count on you to remind me.”
A noisy breath through the nose. “You win. OK?” she said. “I’m begging you. I’m not telling, I’m begging. Do you realize how hard this is for me?”
He did. The Sarah Perkins he used to know was the one on top. Always. An oversized painting of “La Niña,” the sole Columbus ship to survive the journey to the New World, hung in her lab. The words of the Great Explorer were etched on it, “All my life, I’ve been chasing the Sun. Now I’m going to catch it.” She was born a Sun-chaser. He suspected she married him to have a child and keep colonizing the unknown, through Yana, long after her own death. Now Columbus was begging him and he hated having pushed her so far.
“I’ll think this over. How do I get a hold of you?”
“The number I’m calling from should be on your Caller ID. I’ll make sure I call you too.”
The phone went dead. She was getting good at hanging up without giving him the chance to say goodbye.
two years and forty nine days till defiance day (15
Wet hands covered Colton’s face and closed his eyelids, forcing the high-noon sun to dip into darkness. A giggle tweeted from behind and made him jump in the chair. “Guess who?”
He turned his head, but the wet fingers stayed on. With purpose, he grabbed the foreign hands, their skin smooth and supple against his grip, pushed them away and saw her. The motley eyes, the tear-shaped bob like a blonde Afro, the dimpled smile stretching from side to side. He stitched the parts together and gasped at the full picture.
“Sylvya?”
The snickering exploded into laughter. “Hello, my love.” She stood before him, in the Seattle downtown library, with wet hands, which he had forgotten to let go. She leaned in and kissed his mouth, making a noise and prompting several library patrons to look their way. Colton shook his head, as if she had slapped his face instead of kissing it. He set her hands free and she hugged him hard.
“I’ve missed you,” she said in his ear. “Don’t run away anymore.” She held him for another second before letting go.
“Could we sit for a moment?” he said. “Better yet, let’s go to the lobby. This is the quiet floor.”
“A boy scout as always. But who’ll take care of you, Mister?”
He left the question unanswered, grabbed her hand and led her out, under an increasing hail of disapproving glances. In the library café, they sat at a corner table, him holding her hand all along, as if she were a child.
“You’re visiting Seattle, of all places?” His eyebrows formed an arch with a tip in the middle of his forehead.
“I’m not visiting, silly. I am relocating.” She yodeled the last word with Christmas-like cheer. “The kids and I arrived from Las Vegas, last week. The one-hour bus ride from the airport took almost a day because this city has one highway left that’s not under water. And don’t get me started on the curfew checkpoints. Why are you guys so anal up here? The bus made five checkpoint stops.” Her smile pushed through the annoyance. “But that’s not important. Seeing you makes it all worth it, in the end.”
Colton’s mouth twisted. “You decided to take the kids and just leave Vegas?”
“I didn’t just leave,” she said, slapping his shoulder with a hand. “I’m not such an airhead. After evaluating my life options, I chose to move to Seattle and
“Just a few million Silver-Spooners with an irrevocable sense of entitlement, tasked to rebuild our world.”
“Stop being such a child. Vote Sacrifice if you hate voting earmark so much.”
“Which is what you’d have me do.”
“Law requires you to vote one way or the other,” she said.
“If Defiance Day is this humane process, why do you need my Sacrifice to save your daughter?”
“She’s your daughter too. Whom you almost killed before her first birthday.”
“I can always count on you to remind me.”
A noisy breath through the nose. “You win. OK?” she said. “I’m begging you. I’m not telling, I’m begging. Do you realize how hard this is for me?”
He did. The Sarah Perkins he used to know was the one on top. Always. An oversized painting of “La Niña,” the sole Columbus ship to survive the journey to the New World, hung in her lab. The words of the Great Explorer were etched on it, “All my life, I’ve been chasing the Sun. Now I’m going to catch it.” She was born a Sun-chaser. He suspected she married him to have a child and keep colonizing the unknown, through Yana, long after her own death. Now Columbus was begging him and he hated having pushed her so far.
“I’ll think this over. How do I get a hold of you?”
“The number I’m calling from should be on your Caller ID. I’ll make sure I call you too.”
The phone went dead. She was getting good at hanging up without giving him the chance to say goodbye.
two years and forty nine days till defiance day (15
Wet hands covered Colton’s face and closed his eyelids, forcing the high-noon sun to dip into darkness. A giggle tweeted from behind and made him jump in the chair. “Guess who?”
He turned his head, but the wet fingers stayed on. With purpose, he grabbed the foreign hands, their skin smooth and supple against his grip, pushed them away and saw her. The motley eyes, the tear-shaped bob like a blonde Afro, the dimpled smile stretching from side to side. He stitched the parts together and gasped at the full picture.
“Sylvya?”
The snickering exploded into laughter. “Hello, my love.” She stood before him, in the Seattle downtown library, with wet hands, which he had forgotten to let go. She leaned in and kissed his mouth, making a noise and prompting several library patrons to look their way. Colton shook his head, as if she had slapped his face instead of kissing it. He set her hands free and she hugged him hard.
“I’ve missed you,” she said in his ear. “Don’t run away anymore.” She held him for another second before letting go.
“Could we sit for a moment?” he said. “Better yet, let’s go to the lobby. This is the quiet floor.”
“A boy scout as always. But who’ll take care of you, Mister?”
He left the question unanswered, grabbed her hand and led her out, under an increasing hail of disapproving glances. In the library café, they sat at a corner table, him holding her hand all along, as if she were a child.
“You’re visiting Seattle, of all places?” His eyebrows formed an arch with a tip in the middle of his forehead.
“I’m not visiting, silly. I am relocating.” She yodeled the last word with Christmas-like cheer. “The kids and I arrived from Las Vegas, last week. The one-hour bus ride from the airport took almost a day because this city has one highway left that’s not under water. And don’t get me started on the curfew checkpoints. Why are you guys so anal up here? The bus made five checkpoint stops.” Her smile pushed through the annoyance. “But that’s not important. Seeing you makes it all worth it, in the end.”
Colton’s mouth twisted. “You decided to take the kids and just leave Vegas?”
“I didn’t just leave,” she said, slapping his shoulder with a hand. “I’m not such an airhead. After evaluating my life options, I chose to move to Seattle and
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