“Hey,” eighteen year old Chase said, as he walked over to sit by Alex in the empty dining hall. It wasn’t empty when Alex showed up, but the seventeen year old glared at everyone that looked at her, so the room was cleared quickly.
“Hey.” Alex said with a nod as she pushed her food around her plate.
Chase wrapped an arm around Alex, who pushed herself into his side, “I'm sorry, Lex.”
Alex looked up and gave him a half-smile, “You don't need to apologize.”
Chase shrugged, “I know, but someone has to.”
Alex smiled, “Thank you.”
Chase messed up Alex's hair and smiled, “What are friends for?”
“Chase? Alex?” Blake said as he walked into the dining room.
Alex watched as Chase's face lit up and he smiled, “Hey,” he said.
“You're so whipped,” Alex mumbled as she sat up straighter.
Chase laughed, “Shut up,” he said, making Alex laugh too.
“Hey,” Blake said as he sat down next to Chase and stole some of Alex's food.
Alex pouted, “Hey!”
Blake laughed and stuck his tongue out at Alex.
“Where's Nick?” Alex asked.
“Darla still has him cornered,” Blake said.
“Oh...” Alex mumbled.
Blake nodded, “I barely got away. She kept asking me to hang out.”
“Really?” Chase asked in a tight voice.
Blake nodded, “After a while she gave up and started bugging Nick.”
“Yeah, we saw, she was practically glued to him when we walked by,” Alex said.
“Hey, sorry Darla held me up,” Nick said from behind Chase, Alex and Blake.
“No big deal,” Alex said.
Nick pushed his hair out of his face and sat down next to Alex, “Are you eating that? Or are you going to stare at it?”
“Stare,” Alex said as Chase dropped his arm off her shoulder.
“Come on, eat a little,” Nick said.
Alex sighed, “I'm not hungry.”
Nick wrapped his arm around Alex, “Come on.”
Alex ignored him and Chase sighed before nudging her, “Please, Lex, just a little,” he said. Alex looked at Chase for a moment and he whispered, “He's worried.”
Alex sighed, “Fine.”
Nick gave Chase an odd look before looking at Blake and saying, “Let's go get food.”
Blake nodded and they both stood up.
“What was that?” Nick asked Blake when they were out of earshot.
Blake frowned and shrugged, “No clue.”
* * *
“Why do they always come after us?” Alex asked as she pushed her food around her plate.
Denzel sighed, “You and Cal are the best of us. You're smart and you scare them.”
“So, what? In some messed up way, Alex and Cal should feel honored?” Nick asked as he glared at Denzel.
Denzel laughed, “God, no. I just meant that because they are brilliant and obviously symbolize hope, Teracon wants break them.”
“Symbolize hope?” Alex asked with a snort.
“Break them?” Chase asked.
Denzel nodded, “If they break them, they break our hope.”
There was a moment of silence, and then Alex sighed, “Can we get back to the whole hope thing?”
Denzel laughed again, “Why?”
“Cause its complete crap,” Alex said. “Cal and I aren't hope to anyone.”
“You are to me,” Nick said.
Alex laughed, “Right.”
Nick blushed and turned away as Blake and Denzel gave Alex a warning look, “I'm serious.”
Alex rolled her eyes and sighed, “Whatever,” she mumbled. “We aren't hope to anyone.”
Nick ran a hand through his hair and stood, “I've got to... a thing…” he mumbled before he got up and walked out of the room.
Denzel and Blake gave Alex an accusing glare before Blake followed Nick out of the room.
Alex gave Denzel a questioning look, “What's with the glare?”
Denzel shook his head and rolled his eyes, “You know, for a smart kid, you're pretty dumb,” he said before he walked out of the room.
Alex turned to Chase and raised her eyebrow, “What was that?”
YOU ARE READING
The Fall of Hope
Science FictionNovella It's been thirty years since Teracon Industries took over and enslaved most of the population while the Rebels have been living on the Outskirts, fighting, training and scavenging. Five years after Teracon took over, the next generation of c...
