Perception
Author: Lee Strauss
Genre: YA Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Mystery
Release Date: September 12, 2012
Description:
Seventeen year old Zoe Vanderveen is a GAP—a
genetically altered person. She lives in the security of a walled city on prime
water-front property along side other equally beautiful people with extended
life spans.
Her brother Liam is missing.
Noah Brody is a natural who lives on the outside. He leads protests against
the GAPs and detests the widening chasm they’ve created between those who have
and those who don’t. He doesn’t like girls like Zoe and he has good reason not
to like her specifically.
Zoe’s carefree life takes a traumatic turn. She’s in trouble and it turns out that Noah,
the last guy on earth she should trust, is the only one who can help her.
PART ONE: ZOE
Chapter 1
I
balanced on my surfboard, right thigh burning and salt water stinging
my eyes, while the best wave of the early morning carried me like a
goddess on a pedestal to shore. My older brother Liam and I shared a
friendly competition, and it gave me a certain, blissful satisfaction to
catch the same wave and to get to shore first.
“Beat ya!” I shouted over the noise of the crashing surf.
Seagulls flocked and circled over us, squawking loudly, adding to the cacophony.
The
sun glistened off Liam’s damp blond curls as he shook them out. His
eyes sparkled as his lips tugged up into a grin. “I let you win.”
“Did not!” I smacked him playfully on the arm. “One more ride?”
Liam
unzipped his wetsuit letting the top half fall down past his waist. He
was in fine form, and I understood why all the girls raved about him. He
was responsible for a long list of broken hearts.
“I gotta get going,” he said, lifting his board.
I fell into stride beside him, my feet sinking into the cold, wet sand. “So soon?”
He nodded, the glint leaving his eyes. My lips tightened into a frown “You’re taking off with Jackson again?”
Jackson
was my boyfriend but lately he’d been spending more time with my
brother than he had with me. It was starting to tick me off.
Liam stared straight ahead. “Lab stuff.”
“What
are you working on?” I rushed to keep up with my brother’s long, strong
strides. He flicked his head, tossing the hair out of his eyes but
didn’t answer.
“Come on,” I knocked into him sideways. “Tell me!”
“It’s just stuff.”
“Just
stuff? Like what? Top CIA stuff? I know you’re smart but I think the
government has been doing a good job without your help.”
I meant it as a joke, but Liam huffed. “It’s just stuff, okay? So leave it.”
I stopped short shocked that he’d snapped at me.
He turned around and exhaled, “Zoe, I’m sorry.”
“Fine. If you can’t tell me, you can’t tell me.”
We
resumed our trek along the beach, and I pushed back my frustration.
Liam used to include me in everything. It was always him and me against
everyone else. Him and me against Alison and Paul, aka our mom and dad.
Him and me against the surf. We were a team. When did we start keeping
secrets from each other? Rather, when did he start keeping secrets from
me?
I re-adjusted my board under my arm. Maybe I could get
Jackson to unzip his lips. Especially if I helped him. He could be
easily persuaded if I poured on the charm. I hated to go behind my
brother’s back for information, but something about all this--this,
whatever it was that Liam was doing--made me uneasy. I couldn’t pinpoint
why, it just did.
We reached our home, a massive glass box with
two floors of windows facing the Pacific Ocean. It was built after the
San Andreas Fault shifted and triggered the Big Quake that, along with
the subsequent tsunami, wiped out ten miles of shoreline.
A nearby white-stucco storage shed housed all our water toys. We stopped there to hang up our wetsuits to dry.
“Thanks
for surfing with me today.” Liam said, smiling at me, back to his
jovial self. “I know it was a sacrifice for you to get up so early.”
I smiled in return. “No problem. It was fun.” Surfing with Liam was one of my most favorite things to do.
“You’re back for dinner?” I asked.
Liam
didn’t know it, but once he left, I’d be spending the rest of the day
preparing for his surprise birthday party. He’d turned twenty-one
yesterday and had celebrated at a bar with his friends. I couldn’t go
because I was underage, and it irked me that Jackson went and that he
and Liam had once again shared a significant moment without me. I took
consolation in the fact that Alison and Paul gave me free reign to plan
this party. My heart beat with excitement, and I couldn’t wait to see
his face when he got home and found the house full of his friends.
“Yeah, I’ll be there,” he answered.
I bit my cheek to keep my voice even. “Good.We’ll see you, then.”
Our
property tiered twice before connecting with the sandy beach. Three
glass doors slid open disappearing into the corner and creating a
wall-less view of the stone patio that encased an eternity pool. Its
waters slipped over the far edge into a waterfall that was collected
again on the second tier.
Liam strode into the house, through
the living room and down the hall to his bedroom at the back, his wet
shorts dripping on the glossy white tiles.
I tightened the towel around my waist and climbed the open-slat staircase to my room.
As
I passed the maid, Saundra something, her brown face blanched. She
stumbled slightly before grabbing the rail and catching herself.
“Excuse me,” she said softly at my astonished look.
The
woman really didn’t look well, and I was thankful for my enhanced
immunization. I was glad I didn’t have to worry about diseases brought
in from the outside.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She nodded weakly, and proceeded to clean the rails.
A trill of anticipation reclaimed my thoughts. I couldn’t wait for tonight.
The
door beside my bathroom opened into a second room, a walk-in closet big
enough to house another bedroom set. Racks of clothes and shoes lined
the walls, a well-lit mirror station was located near the sky light and a
cushioned leather bench was placed in the middle for sitting. I stood
in my closet and stared at the rows of sundresses, blouses and shorts.
What to wear?
I
settled on a lace blouse and cotton shorts, then went to take a
luxurious shower, rinsing the sea water out of my long, blond hair. I
leaned into the built-in seat that was designed specifically for my body
height and shape. Laser lights mapped my head and twenty-eight silicon
fingers reached out to massage my scalp while shampooing and
conditioning my hair. Most days I had to watch or I’d doze off, but
today I was excited. I commanded the water to turn off as soon as the
rinse was done.
When I was dressed and my hair combed out and
tied back, I slipped my platinum Communication Ring onto my left middle
finger. I tapped it which produced a holographic image of my phone apps
on my palm. I touched the clock icon and holographic digital numbers
appeared in the air.
Ten already? Where did the time go? That was the thing with summer holidays; every hour ran languidly into the next.
I
imagined the cook and her crew were busy preparing for the party in the
kitchen. I’d requested fresh sea food and simulated roast, fresh fruit
and vegetables, an assortment of fancy chocolates and baked items plus a
three-tiered, surfer-themed birthday cake.
I skipped down the stairs to check on the progress, but in my hurry to the kitchen, I slammed into a body.
“Sorry,” a male voice said.
I
stepped back agitated. I recognized the dark-haired boy wearing the
white tunic my mother made the male staff wear. He was the maid’s son.
He held a wet mop in his hand, and I figured he’d been cleaning up Liam’s spotty water trail.
He
stepped politely out of the way, but the expression on his face was
stoic. Even though he was clearly from the outside and the help, I still
expected some small sign that what he saw when he viewed me was
pleasing. A twinkle in the eye, a slight upturning of the lips. These
were the responses I got from all the boys. The straight ones, anyway.
He
wasn't especially attractive but I didn't see people with his
appearance very often. He had eyes the color of imported coffee beans
and skin like caramel candy. His nose was wide and his jaw-line sharp. I
was suddenly intrigued by him and surprised myself by thinking he
looked exotic.
“Excuse me, what was your name again?” I asked.
“Noah.”
Right. I remembered now. I waited for him to say something, but he stayed quiet.
Footsteps echoed from the hall above. My parents spoke together, their muffled voices floating across the high ceilings.
“Do other maids send their sons to do their work?” Alison's voice had a brassy tone that carried through the cavernous space.
I
felt a flare of red creep up my neck when I realized Alison was talking
about Noah. My eyes darted to his, but he kept his averted.
“He does a good job,” Paul responded. “That's the main thing. Besides you know they need the money.”
“So we're charity now?”
“What's wrong with a little charity? Besides, they're not just anybody.”
“I don't care. I still don't trust him.”
I
was mortified. My feet felt cemented to the floor and I didn’t know
what to say. Anything would come off as trite since nothing I could say
could undo what Noah had heard.
“Did you know the Pikes have a
household robot now?” Alison, again. “Apparently it’s very efficient,
and at least Mary doesn’t have to worry about things going missing.”
Noah’s
jaw tightened and he turned his back to me. He attacked Liam’s dried
and dusty water spots aggressively and soon had disappeared around the
corner.
“Zoe?” Alison click-clacked down the wooden stairs. She
wore a pale yellow pant suit and high heels even though it was Saturday.
She was in-between careers now, having spent the last fifteen years in
law. She barely looked thirty years old and with lots of time ahead of
her, she could do anything. Probably several things.
“Mom! You have to keep your voice down. How many times do I have to tell you your voice travels in this glass box?
“Oh.” She looked mildly shaken. “No matter. Is everything coming together to your satisfaction?”
“I’m just checking in on things now.”
“Your father and I are meeting people for lunch. What time is the party again?”
I blew a frustrated breath. She could at least pretend she cared enough to remember details I’d told her a dozen times already.
“Seven.”
“Right. We’ll see you at seven.”
Things proceeded throughout the day as planned and I was pleased with my ability to pull off an event like this on my own.
The decorators showed up at 1:00 as promised.
The band arrived to set up at 3:00.
I got dressed at 4:30, having bought a thigh-length mini-dress that sparkled with tiny crystals just for the occasion.
My hair and makeup girl arrived at 5:00.
I tapped my ring and called Jackson at 5:30.
“Where are you?” I said to the three-inch holographic image of him that popped up above my palm. “You said you’d help.”
“Sorry, Zo. Got tied up at home.”
“Are you okay? You don’t sound so good.”
It
was odd. No one in Sol City ever got really sick, but it wasn’t unheard
of to get run down if you pushed yourself too hard. Jackson had been
working a lot lately.
“I didn’t sleep well last night. Uh, spent most of the day in bed.”
I felt a little panicky. “You’re still coming, aren’t you?”
“Of course. I’ll be there soon.”
Alison and Paul arrived at 6:30 along with all of mine and Liam’s friends.
I hushed everyone at 6:55, giving instructions on when to shout “Surprise!”
It was all a wasted effort.
Liam never showed.
Author Links:
