RecruitZ (Afterworld Series) Read Free Page A

drinks.
    “Where’d all of your art books go?” she yelled from the family room.
    Shoot! I didn’t expect her to notice that.
    I grabbed a bottle opener and walked back to where I’d left Abby. She was staring at the farthest bookshelf, which now overflowed with books and manuals on weapons, surveillance techniques, tactical planning, and nano-technology. Nothing like what I used to enjoy reading, but these gave me a purpose. And to wake up every morning, I needed a purpose.
    “I put them all up in the attic. I can always pull them out when I need them,” I muttered, sitting next to her on the couch. I handed her a beer and the bottle opener, hoping to distract her enough to move on.
    “Kind of a sudden switch of interests,” she mused, raising a brow at me.
    “Meh.” I shrugged, taking a sip of the beer. I turned on the television, and she grabbed the remote from me and began channel surfing.
    “Not that I don’t trust your wonderful taste,” she said, before I could object.
    Okay, so the twenty-four-hour news channel wasn’t everyone’s idea of a good time, but I liked it.
    “What’s Caleb doing tonight?” I asked.
    “He’s at the library doing research for some paper.” She gave me a pouty face. “I think they should give us all a pass and an honorary degree for all we’ve been through.”
    “Ditto.”
    She took another chug of her beer, and I noticed a flicker of sadness in her eyes. Like everyone, her family wasn’t what it once was. We all managed to think we had put the savagery behind us, as if we could pile the grief somewhere. What we were all coming to realize was that sorrow couldn’t be ignored, and we could never predict when a piece from the pile would come tumbling down for others to witness.
    We ate our teriyaki, catching up on things about her and Caleb and our other mutual friends. Caleb and Abby were finally planning on getting married. I think Gavin’s death had something to do with the sudden change of plans for them. Previously, neither of them had any interest in marriage until after they finished school and started their careers. It was hard to think we might start living in a world with careers again. That seemed so far off.
    I melded into the rhythm of our conversation, answering some questions and dodging many more, as I attempted to suppress the restless energy that was beginning to fill me. I had a place to be in less than an hour and I didn’t want company.
    “You seem like you’re doing better. More focused,” she offered.
    “I’m beginning to see my purpose in the world again,” I confirmed, feeling the ghost of a smile surface on my lips. I didn’t really want to divulge what I thought that purpose was.
    “Hey, are you coming back to school?” she asked, folding her legs under her.
    “I don’t think so. Not yet.” I shook my head and glanced at the television.
    “I think Gavin would want you to keep going,” Abby said quietly.
    My stomach clenched as soon as I heard his name.
    “I’m going back. Just not yet. I’ve got some stuff I need to take care of,” I replied.
    Abby brought her beer to her lips and slowly sipped. I could tell she was going to start the lecture again. It was the one conversation I could count on with her whenever we got together. It also explained why I didn’t get together with her very often.
    She placed the bottle back down on the table and I waited for it. Abby narrowed her eyes at me and took a deep breath in and exhaled.
    But she didn’t say anything.
    “So what classes did you sign up for?” I asked, hoping to dodge an unpleasant conversation.
    “Environmental Chem, an English Comp class, and Globalization in the Afterworld,” she said flatly. She was pissed. She didn’t even look at me when she answered.
    “The Afterworld? Is that what the academics are calling it now?” I shook my head. Gavin would’ve gotten a kick out of that. “Sounds like a heavy load.”
    She shrugged her shoulders and looked at the