Oceania: The Underwater City by Eliza Taye (novels for teenagers .TXT) 📕

I continued to ponder the various possibilities, my thoughts encumbered by the strangeness of my day.

Chapter 2

Over an hour passed before I reached home. The brightly colored sky had faded to pitch dark when I finally walked up the steps to Gran’s house. The internal computerized security system announced my presence when I arrived, eliminating any hopes of entering the house quietly.

“You are in a lot of trouble, Miss Alexandria.” Gran tsked as I walked in and removed my sandy shoes, placing them on the floor of the closet as I meandered down the hallway. I already could feel her disappointment in me, so I tried my best not to roll my eyes when she called me Alexandria again. I hated my full name and couldn’t understand why she couldn’t simply call me Allie like everybody else.

Wandering into the kitchen, I saw her hunched form over the circular table situated in the center. “Yes, Gran?”

“Where have you been?”

“I’ve been walking around town.”

“Until dark? Good try, but I know everything closes at six here—even the restaurants aren’t open past eight. Where have you been?” Gran’s eyebrows rose in suspicion.

Casting my eyes up from the floor, her stern gaze slightly glistening from holding back tears almost broke my resolve. I considered making up another lie, but I knew she was only concerned for my safety. Besides, I knew better than to lie to her.

“I was hanging out with a new friend.”

“Well, why didn’t you call me to let me know you’d be late? It’d keep me from worrying so much.” She simply sighed and rose to give me a hug. “Please don’t ever run off like that again.”

“Okay, I’ll call next time. I’m sorry, Gran.” I hugged her back and asked, “Did Mom call back today?”

“No, she’s still busy as always. She told me this morning she was going to be busy all week and probably unable to call.” Gran stroked my hair as she spoke.

I only gave her silence. I knew she’d understand without me speaking.

“Well, now that you’ve made a new friend, you can hang out with them. And perhaps I can meet his or her parents sometime.”

Oh, no, that certainly wasn’t going to work. I had no idea whether or not I would ever see Dylan again.

“Oh, and I kept some food from dinner for you. It’s in the insta-heater.”

“Thanks, Gran.”

As I turned toward the black box taking up a whole countertop, she went into the living room to watch the nightly news.

A holographic projection of the reporter and the landscape she stood in front of appeared in Gran’s small living room. Holding down the volume button, she raised it so loud that I could easily hear it in the adjacent kitchen.

“Today, D.C. is preparing for the epic festival going on for the 4th of July week this year to commemorate the 500th birthday of our nation. In addition, metropolises around the country are gearing up for their big celebrations this year as well, but none will be as elaborate as the one being held in D.C. There’s going to be…” I tuned out the reporter and went to the insta-heater.

I looked inside and then shut the door, pressing the lone lobster-red button. The scanner whirred slightly as it analyzed the type of food and how best to cook it in the guaranteed one minute or less.

My mind, no longer occupied on the food, allowed the reporter’s voice to filter into my ears again. “In recent news, one of the last remaining people with The Great Plague virus has been cured. As I’m sure you all know, The Great Plague refers to the viral outbreak that occurred barely a hundred years ago, leaving over fifty percent of the world’s population dead. The last remaining cases of The Great Plague that were localized in remote communities of Southeast Asia and South America have now been eradicated…”

The insta-heater finished and I took out my food. Sitting at the kitchen table, I ate in a hurry while trying to tune out the news that grew ever more morbid as it went on about the environment and air quality. After joining Gran for some TV of a different sort, I went to my room to read.

The phone rang and I heard Gran answer it. “Hello, Shelley, how are things going?”

I shifted on my bed, turning the page of the book I was reading on my omniphone. So, Mom found some time to call. This time, I wouldn’t even bother to ask to speak to her. What was the use anyway?

“Oh, good, and the business?” Humph, apparently she hadn’t even asked about me yet. That was Mom. Everything was always about the business. She didn’t even think to ask me a year ago when she accepted the position of CEO and decided to move us to Chicago.

“Oh, Allie is doing fine. As always, she’s behaving well and not a trouble at all.”

I smiled. Gran always stood up for me, even if it meant telling a couple of white lies. She didn’t quite approve of Mom’s recent lack of involvement in my life either.

Before this summer, I’d only physically visited Gran once in my life. The majority of our granddaughter-grandmother interactions were through the HoloNet’s virtual reality rooms. There we’d merely been projections of each other interacting via headsets. My shock at her volunteering to allow me to stay with her instead of cooped up in the tiny apartment in Chicago startled me beyond belief. But now, I’m glad she did.

I got up to shut my door quietly, but waited as Gran lowered her voice and counseled, “You know, Shelley, you should pay more attention to Allie. I know it’s always been a dream of yours to be CEO of an enterprising company, but Allie needs her mother. She’s still struggling with the