Authors: Allison Maruska
“What do they expect from us? To pair and breed? What about the rest of our lives? Our careers? Don’t we get the opportunity to date, like everyone else?” Daniel asked.
“Of course you can have your lives, but PR plans to study the genetic makeup of our children. So in a way, yes, they want us to breed, as you say. The Project wants you not to date so you’ll be available when you meet the PR girls,” Scott said.
“They want us to wait for them? They can’t be serious.” Levin scripted in his head what to say to his mother.
“I’m afraid they are. Look, I realize they’re trying to bully you. But it’s
you
they’re afraid of. Don’t forget, the government supports PR, and they want to keep the whole thing quiet because those outside the Project wouldn’t look kindly on a group ‘playing God’ by creating its own people, so to speak. PR has funding to protect, and if they lose the support of certain department heads, it’s over. You have the power to bring them down, and they know it. They also know if the public learns about PR, you–we–will likely be alienated as well, as those who were ‘never meant to be.’ We all have something to lose. If not for the disastrous loss of males in the first phase, you probably still wouldn’t know the truth of your existence. It’s safer for them if we remain comfortably anonymous. But since that can’t happen, they will try to exert their influence over you.”
Silence covered the group.
Jeremy stood near the table with his arms crossed. “Okay. I need to leave. It was nice meeting you all. I’m going to try to catch the next flight home.” He left the group and walked out the door.
“I guess we’re done,” Daniel said.
“Apparently. I hope you all consider what I’ve told you.” Scott pulled three cards from his wallet and distributed them to the remaining men. “This number goes to a disposable cell phone PR doesn’t know I have. Use it if PR gives you trouble, and I’ll do my best to help you.” He stood. “Remember, from now on, you have two choices: stay on their good side, or disappear.”
Rana started her third shift at Safeway in the produce section. Her boss had hired her to restock general merchandise, but he allowed her to branch out when he saw how quickly she completed her tasks without getting tired. She suspected her efficiency came from the fact that the job offered an effective distraction from what she learned about PR, and with Levin meeting their brothers today, she expected to double her productivity.
As she held bags of carrots, waiting for the sprinklers to finish so her arms wouldn’t get wet, a tap on the shoulder startled her. She turned to see an unexpected face.
Jason.
“Oh my gosh. You scared me.” She stared at the carrots, willing her heart rate to slow.
He laughed. “Sorry. Hey, I was wondering if you planned to use that number I gave you.”
“Yeah. Sorry. I’ve been busy since I got back from my trip, and since I got this job.” She gestured to her surroundings, as if they offered a reasonable explanation. In reality, she hadn’t called because she couldn’t decide exactly what to say. “I want to earn enough money to buy a car before school starts.”
“That’s all right. Listen, my parents and little sister are leaving town this weekend, and my mom said I can invite a few friends over on Saturday. You wanna come?” He held his charming grin through every word.
“Uh . . . yeah. I don’t think I’m working that day. Only, can I bring my friend, Jacey?”
“Jacey Brewer? Sure, I guess. She’s nice.” His shoulders slumped a little. “Anyway, come by any time after seven.” He squeezed her shoulder and walked away.
Her heart melted right there in the produce section.
****
Rana changed clothes at least ten times, removing each item in disgust as it didn’t meet her qualifications for inclusion in the perfect outfit. The evidence of her clothing failures cluttered her bedroom floor. She doubted Jacey put this much thought into her outfit, and she felt a little guilty for stringing her friend along to a gathering where Rana planned to flirt with a boy at every opportunity.
She decided on khaki shorts and a purple top with a leafy pattern at the same time Jacey rang the doorbell. They walked the four blocks to Jason’s house side by side.
“So, whose house are we going to?” Jacey asked.
“Jason Burke. We’re in debate together.” Rana looked straight ahead, hoping Jacey wouldn’t notice her apprehension.
“And why did he invite you?”
“I guess he saw me at the store and recognized me.”
“Huh. Okay.” Jacey kept her eyes on Rana as they walked.
Rana felt Jacey staring at her. “Fine. He gave me his number before school was out, but I didn’t call him because I’ve had a huge crush on him since Christmas and I have problems, you know, forming words when he’s around. There.” She huffed.
“Now was that so hard?” Jacey smiled. “I knew you liked him, by the way.”
“What? How?”
“You don’t exactly hide your feelings well, Rana Davis.” Jacey put her arm around Rana’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze.
They arrived at Jason’s house a few minutes later. Some random teenagers had gathered on the front porch, and they stopped talking to each other and glared at the girls as they climbed the stairs to the door. Rana recognized one of the girls from her English class.
They entered the house. Jason stood in the kitchen, talking to another guy and holding a plastic cup. Pizza boxes, clean plastic plates, plates containing partially eaten pizza, and beer and soda bottles cluttered the island, and the means for making mixed drinks–cranberry juice, orange juice, and vodka–rested on the counter at the far end of the room. Rana had heard about crowded parties powered by alcohol, but she hadn’t been to one before tonight.
Jacey walked into the kitchen, but Rana stayed in the doorway. Jason smiled at her, said a couple words to the other guy, and approached her.
“Hi, Rana, I’m glad you’re here.”
Her heart fluttered when he said her name.
“Can I make you a drink?” He lifted his cup and shook it slightly, placed his hand on the doorframe near her head, and leaned towards her with his whole body. Her heart raced at his closeness.
“Um . . . no, thanks. Maybe later.” She grinned at him, compelled to say something else but unable to decide what. Why wouldn’t her brain cooperate? “I’ll just get some pizza for now.” She resisted the urge to smack herself on the forehead. Talking to him came much more easily when it involved a structured debate.
“Okay, sure.” He stepped away from her and gestured with his cup towards the counter without removing his hand from the doorframe. “Help yourself.”
“Thanks.” She walked by him and towards Jacey.
“Wow. Smooth,” Jacey whispered as she selected a large slice of cheese pizza.
“Shut up. Like you know how to flirt.”
Rana put a slice of pepperoni pizza on her plate despite her nerves crowding her appetite. She nibbled on it occasionally while she and Jacey wandered through different rooms, eventually landing in a family room where many of the other teenagers had gathered. They passed the already overcrowded couch and settled on the floor against a wall, facing each other.
“So, this is fun.” Sarcasm dripped from Jacey’s words.
“Sorry. We’ll finish our food, say ‘hi’ to a few people, and then we’ll go. Okay?”
Jacey nodded as she took a bite of her pizza. Rana scanned the crowd. Many of the teens laughed and talked much more loudly than necessary. A couple made out in the corner like they had the place to themselves.
Rana shook her head. Why had Jason approached her? She preferred watching movies with Jacey to participating in something like this.
The girls finished their food and made their way to the kitchen. Jason met them and addressed Jacey.
“Hey, you mind if I steal your friend for a little bit?” He winked at Rana.
“Okay, but have her back by midnight.” Jacey strolled across the kitchen, stationed herself by a bowl of chips, and talked with a nerdy looking guy who appeared to have taken residence there.
Jason set his drink on the counter, grasped Rana’s wrist, and pulled her into a hallway. He stopped in the middle of the hall, positioned her back against the wall, and placed his hand near her head, the same way he had done when she stood in the doorway. Was he holding himself up? The smell of alcohol wafted from his breath.
“So, Rana,” he said as he used his fingers to twirl her curly hair, “I’ve noticed you seem . . . interested in me.”
Heat rushed to her face. “Yeah…”
“Is it true?” He stared into her eyes.
Adrenaline surged through her. “I guess. I mean, I think you’re cute–”
He pressed his lips into hers. She tried to match the motions of his lips and tongue, but his breath distracted her from what should have been a momentous occasion. Her shirt moved as his hand traveled up her stomach and stopped on her breast.
Her eyes shot open, and she put her hands on his shoulders, shoving him away with all of her strength.
A moment later, Jason removed himself from the deep impression in the wall his body created.
Mortified, Rana’s hands flew to her mouth. “I’m sorry…surprised me…I’m not ready…oh my gosh…” She finally gave up, ran to the kitchen, grabbed Jacey’s wrist, and pulled her out the front door.
Levin spent the rest of the afternoon visiting with Daniel and Brent. He and Brent easily connected, but Daniel filled the time with awkward jokes and obnoxious laughter. They ended their meeting by exchanging phone numbers and email addresses. Unlike Jeremy, Daniel and Brent had both planned short trips in Denver. Levin told them he would try to meet with them again after work one day before they left, but he only half meant it. He needed to get to Maggie.
Thirty minutes later, he knocked on the door of her apartment.
“Hey.” Her smile quickly dissipated. “What’s going on?”
“Can I come in?”
“Oh, yeah.” Maggie stepped back. The smell of cleanser filled the space, and she wore old workout pants, a grubby Pearl Jam T-shirt, and a ponytail. A plugged-in vacuum sat in the kitchen. He made his way to the couch, trying to squelch his envy of her uneventful day. She seated herself next to him.
“Well,” he cleared his throat, “I met my brothers.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Yes and no.” He told her the basic information about each brother, including their names, where they lived, and their jobs. He added irrelevant details to delay arriving at the subject he dreaded.
“They sound like nice guys,” she said.
“They are, but there’s more.”
He described Scott’s situation and warning, watching her face reflect increasing concern as he talked. His heart ached when he finally reached the ultimatum.
“So, basically, PR wants me to marry a PR girl, or we could be in some kind of danger.”
She sat with her mouth agape for a few seconds. “What does that mean?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t think Scott does either. He said Dr. Craig implied the threat.” Levin stared at his shoes as he considered how to say the next point, his stomach twisting into a knot. He sighed and looked Maggie in the eyes. “They threatened Scott’s girlfriend, not Scott. He said you’re the one in danger if we stay together. I want you to know I understand…” He closed his eyes and inhaled. “I understand if you don’t want to stay with me. I’m not expecting you to place yourself in danger for me.”
He opened his eyes. Maggie wiped a tear from her cheek with her wrist.
“This is crap.” She rose from the couch and stood across from him, keeping one hand on her hip and using the other to animate her speech. “Does Scott work for PR or not? What does he have to gain from telling you this? He could lose his job, at best, or be in ‘some kind of danger’ himself, at worst.”
Levin kept his calm tone. “I don’t understand that either. I figure he feels loyalty to us as a brother.”
“Oh, well that makes it okay then!” She took a long, shaking breath. “Do you think we’re in danger?”
He shrugged. “I haven’t seen anything directly suggesting it. I realized something on the way here, though.”
“What?”
“We have a third choice. Scott said we do what PR wants or disappear.” He paused as he gathered his words. “The third choice is we fight. If we show them they don’t own us, and we challenge their authority–if you can call it that–over us, maybe they’ll leave us alone.”
“Fight? Aren’t you the guy who told me he doesn’t like confrontation? And how can we fight? We don’t know anything about them.”
“You’re right. We’d have to wait for them to make a move to see what we’re dealing with. And as for the confrontation…” He stood and put his fingers on her cheek. “I guess I never had a good reason to be confrontational before.”
His love for her washed over him as he caressed her soft skin and gazed into her eyes, and his whole being silently begged her to say she would stick with him in spite of the threat. His throat tightened at the thought of having to leave her.
Maggie’s expression softened. She took his hand and held it in both of hers. “I’m staying with you. I’m not scared.” She stretched up and kissed him, putting her hand on the back of his neck. The softness of her lips sent chills through his body. When she released, she kept her eyes closed and her face an inch from his. “I love you.” She opened her eyes.
Levin framed her face with his hands and returned her kiss, vowing to do whatever he had to do to keep this captivating woman in his life.
****
The next morning, Levin drove to his mother’s house. Rana likely wanted to hear how the meeting went. He wished he wanted to tell her.
He knocked twice to announce his presence, let himself in through the unlocked door, and walked to the kitchen. Walt slept in a recliner in the family room. Footsteps sounded on the stairs behind him and he turned.
Rana stood before him; tear-streaked makeup covered her face, she wore wrinkled clothes, and her frizzy hair obscured her usually tight curls.
“What happened to you?” Levin asked a little more loudly than he intended. Rana tipped her head towards Walt and motioned for Levin to follow her through the kitchen to the back porch. Once outside, she closed the thick, glass door, and they sat in lawn chairs overlooking the weedy yard.
Levin glared at her, waiting for an explanation.
Rana stared at her feet. “I went to a party last night.” She sniffed. “At Jason’s house.”
“Oh?” His brotherly instincts engaged, and he leaned towards her a bit. “Who’s Jason?”
“A boy from school. It was awful. Dozens of people I don’t know or don’t like showed up. There was alcohol. Jason tried . . . to take advantage of me.”
Levin put his elbows on his knees. “What do you mean, ‘tried’?”
She wiped her tears with her open hands. “He pulled me into a hallway. He couldn’t have done anything more than he did. He kissed me and . . . stuck his hand up my shirt.” She took a shaking breath. “I freaked…” She hiccupped. “Freaked out, and I threw him into the wall.”
He laughed. “Good for you.” He leaned back in his chair, relieved.
She scowled. “How can you say that? I made a big dent in the wall with his body.”
“Impressive.”
“Will you please stop?” She glared at him. “I’m only a little upset about what Jason did. We’d been flirting, and I let him kiss me. I just didn’t expect him to do
that
in front of all those people.” She focused on the ground, her embarrassment draping her like a blanket. “I’m more upset that I threw him into the wall. What if his parents come after me?”
“Seriously?”
She squinted at him.
“You really are a good girl. Here’s the deal: he probably didn’t have permission to host that kind of party, he certainly shouldn’t have been drinking, and he got fresh with you. You had every right to throw him into the wall. If he’s smart, he’ll make up some story about how he tripped into it. Oh, and he’d better stay away from you after this, or I’ll have to get all ‘big brothery’ on him.” He winked.
“You’re right.” She wiped her tears again. “So, how did the meeting go?”
Levin sighed, and for the second time replayed yesterday’s events, including Scott’s warning.
“They can’t tell you who to marry. Who do they think they are? Did you tell Maggie yet?”
“Yeah. I let her decide if she wanted to take the risk of being with me.” He paused as a wide smile occupied his face. “She said she’ll stay with me.”
Rana watched him for a moment. “And I take it you’re not breaking up with her.”
Levin chuckled. “No.”
She stood. “That means we should meet her. Mom’s getting Dayla from camp right now. We can invite Maggie over tonight. Let’s have some fun instead of worrying about PR.”
“Whoa, hold on. We need to plan this in advance.”
“Why? Does she work on Sundays?”
“No, but–”
“Then call her, you big dork. I’ll call Mom and tell her what’s going on.”
Rana went into the house, leaving Levin alone on the porch. With nothing else to do, he found Maggie’s contact in his phone.
Five minutes later, Rana poked her head out the door. “Mom says she can’t wait to meet Maggie. She’s stopping at the grocery store on her way home.” She had returned to her old, pre-party self.
“Okay. I told Maggie I’ll pick her up at six.”
“Good. I’m going to take a shower.” She left him alone without further ceremony. He walked around the house to return to his car.