The Twelfth Keeper Boxed Set: Books 1-3

by Belle Malory

  Strange too, that Professor Mason would give up so easily. She didn’t take him for a man who could be easily cowed. Authority practically oozed off him, from the way he spoke, to the way he carried himself. Even his brow was one thick line of determination.

  Kennedy heard the professor mutter beneath his breath, “Ah stars, why did I ever agree to take this job?”

  Cheers to that. She could relate, since she wasn’t sure if she’d lost her mind by agreeing to go with them.

  ~ ~

  The rocket was designed a little differently than the airplane. It was much, much bigger, seating well over a thousand people. The seatbelts were different too, making Kennedy feel as if she were strapping herself into a rollercoaster, a thought that made her want to throw them off her and run for the nearest exit. Getting through this trip must require nerves of steel, especially for a first-timer like her. She summoned up some guts and fastened the clasp.

  An attendant came by before takeoff passing out bottled water and clear plastic squares she later found out were magazines. She tried reading one, watching images of celebrities come to life on the small square, but it didn’t manage to distract her for very long. As soon as the engines rumbled and the rocket tilted vertically, every cohesive thought fell right out of her head.

  A few seats ahead, a little girl no more than five years old held a doll in her hands, looking like the ship’s movement didn’t bother her whatsoever. She swiped the doll’s hair every few seconds, changing the color with her fingertips.

  Well, sheesh. If a little girl can keep her cool, so can I.

  Keeping her eyes trained on the doll, whose hair changed from a plum purple to a fiery orange, helped. Before Kennedy knew it, the rocket launched into the air and was headed into space.

  She felt the pressure first. It sort of felt like one of those rides at the fair, the kind that made people sick from spinning too fast. But it wasn’t all that bad. In the pit of her stomach, Kennedy felt a fluttering. Like butterflies. Not the nauseating kind either. It was more like the ones she felt when Hunter had kissed her.

  Kennedy anchored her head and looked for the nearest window. There was one up ahead, several seats away, but she couldn’t see much out of it. Just a bunch of white, smoky clouds.

  She was going. She was really going to live in space. Craziness.

  Fourteen

  An orchestral Bach piece streamed through speakers in the background. Phoenix remembered reading something about how the music soothed anxious passengers. Keep them calm; keep them buying tickets. Made sense.

  He drummed his fingers against the plush arm of his leather seat.

  He was ready to get this flight over with, ready to get back to Level 3 without entwining his life with Kennedy Mitchell’s in any way whatsoever.

  The image of that dude kissing her was burned inside his head. He wanted to think about something else, wished he could think of something else, but he kept seeing the guy’s mop of brown curls hovering over Kennedy’s face, gazing at her as if she were some prized treasure.

  It was pissing him off.

  And he hated that it was pissing him off, which pissed him off even more, and it wasn’t long before it became a vicious cycle that eventually morphed into a bristling ball of anger.

  Phoenix blinked, surprised by the emotion.

  Anger wasn’t something he’d felt in years. Control was too important to him, too necessary for his life. He shifted almost involuntarily, searching for the source.

  She sat a few seats away, her eyes closed. She wore a loose grey t-shirt and black jeans that gave the impression she was trying to go unnoticed. The thought of that nearly made him laugh out loud. Keeper or not, it was impossible not to notice her.

  Even now, she looked like something out of a dream, resting her head against the back of her chair, glossy hair spilling down her shoulders in loose waves. The music was working for her. But hey, at least it was working on someone.

  He should look away, distract himself with an in-flight movie or one of those Sudoku magazines the flight attendants were passing out, but he couldn’t.

  Phoenix sighed, feeling some of his anger subside. It would’ve been better if they never found her. It would’ve been better if she’d stayed as he envisioned her, a clever girl that had hidden herself away somewhere remote, somewhere peaceful, enjoying her life without ever being discovered. Envisioning her like that, happy, made him believe it was possible to elude DOE.

  It wasn’t long before the ship slowed. The trip wasn’t a long one, only lasting about an hour. According to the tracking monitor, they were entering the tunnels of Olympus.

  About damn time.

  Fifteen

  “Time to meet the Neon City,” Professor Mason said. “You’ll like it. All the kids do.”

  Kennedy couldn’t be sure, but it seemed as if he were attempting to get an enthusiastic response of out her. She wasn’t about to muster up a display, even if it was becoming harder to despise him.

  Anyway, she didn’t have to. As much as she tried to restrain herself, she couldn’t stop her jaw from dropping once they officially entered the walls of Olympus.

  The airport was perched high above the lower levels, giving travelers one of the most incredible views. It really was neon, shining and gleaming like the inside of a giant laser tag arena.

  Except…it was huge.

  Kennedy couldn’t believe how huge it was. She’d seen pictures on TV. People compared its size to New York and Tokyo, but never in her wildest dreams did she imagine it to be this big. She couldn’t stop staring, couldn’t stop looking around in wonder. All this life was going on up in the middle of space.

  Incredible.

  Somewhere in this city, life forms from other planets coexisted with humans. Kennedy assumed they wouldn’t be out in the open, and there were only two planets approved to enter Earth’s solar system, but it was still kind of astounding to think about. They were here somewhere, teaching and learning from one another.

  Kennedy slammed into someone, dropping her bag. “I’m sor—”

  Phoenix Jorgensen turned around. She swallowed, unable to finish her apology. His black eyes pierced into her unforgivingly. Coldly.

  An involuntary shiver shot through her, and she couldn’t move or speak. It was so unlike last time. That beautiful feeling didn’t flood over her. She didn’t feel at peace or blissfully complete, not like she had when she’d first laid eyes on him.

  No, this felt altogether wrong. Like just being in his presence was dangerous. Like she needed to get away from him—and quickly. Like he scared the shit out of her or something.

  Bustling flurries of people weaved around them on the walkway. Kennedy watched, not daring to move as Phoenix bent down to the ground. He picked up her bag and held it out for her.

  After a few awkward moments, she reached for it. “Thanks.”

  He only nodded, then turned away, walking ahead in quick strides. Kennedy shook her head, watching him disappear in the midst of the crowd. It sort of looked like he was itching to get away from her, too.

  What was up with that? It wasn’t like she was the freaky man-machine with eyes of death.

  Whatever. Maybe he was anxious to be home. This place was a home of sorts to millions. Olympus would be her home now too. For a little while, anyway. All things considered, there was one bright side to living there.

  No ocean. Anywhere.

  Sixteen

  “What is that?” Kennedy walked around a transparent ball, holding deep reservations about getting inside of it.

  “This is your sphere,” Dr. Sigly explained. “There are no cars on Olympus. You’ll use this to get from one location to another.”

  The doctor had pulled that thing out of her pocket. She pressed a button to make it inflate. Like a balloon. They expected her to fly inside of a balloon.

  At first Kennedy thought they were joking. After looking around though, she saw lots of people using the death-trap-balloon thingy. The
spheres floated everywhere around the Neon City, venturing to higher levels, in and out of stores, restaurants, and also through dark tubular passageways that seemed to suck them inside.

  “They’re very user-friendly,” Mason assured her. “When you move, the sphere moves. If you lean back, the sphere will travel up. If you lean forward, it will travel down. Same goes for each side. Leaning right will propel it in that direction, and the same goes for leaning it left.”

  Kennedy poked its outer skin, noticing how thin the rubbery material was. “Wouldn’t it be easier to walk?”

  Professor Mason stifled a chuckle. “It’s nine miles to Section 9. Spheres provide a more efficient mode of transportation.”

  “But they don’t even look like they go very fast.” Kennedy pointed at the few floating above them. “I could probably walk faster.” Without dying in the process.

  “True, but that’s what the tubes are for.”

  “You’re talking about those dark holes that suck people inside?” He wasn’t making any of this sound safer.

  “Those dark holes are air ventilated tunnels that transport people across large distances,” Mason said. “Olympus is much, much bigger than you think. Without the use of tubes, it would take all day to get anywhere.”

  Kennedy wasn’t convinced. She made of mental list of other things that could suck people inside of them:

  1. Tornados

  2. Cyclones

  3. Black holes

  Yeah. She wasn’t won over. “Sounds a little dangerous, if you ask me.”

  “Nobody’s died yet, kiddo.”

  And she didn’t want to be the first.

  The professor gently nudged her. “Try it.”

  She flinched as he steered her forward, shoving her inside of the thing. Certainly pushy, that guy. She may go back to disliking him after all.

  Once inside the clear ball, Kennedy saw where she needed to seal the entrance. The sphere recognized her presence and pressurized itself.

  “Lean back to go up,” Professor Mason reminded her, his voice coming in muted. He leaned back as if she couldn’t figure it out for herself. Sheesh.

  Then again, she was still standing there, stiff as a board. And probably looking like the type of idiot who needed things spelled out. It was a good thing Phoenix already left to handle some super important secret keeper business. No doubt she would’ve been horrified all over again if he’d stayed to witness this too. She could just imagine him looking at her with those unfeeling eyes in that way that made her feel like she was a huge waste of his time.

  Kennedy breathed a few times over, erasing Phoenix’s death-gaze from her mind. She could do this. Hundreds of people were out there flying in them. It wasn’t impossible.

  She began to lean back, shutting her eyes. Wait! Probably not a good idea.

  Her eyes shot open. The ball lifted off the ground. Leaning back a little more lifted her even higher.

  Huh. That wasn’t so scary.

  Kennedy kept her movements small and eased her way up and down, and then from side to side. Within a few minutes, her body synced with the sphere. Big surprise—it was actually kind of fun. Floating was a good way to describe the way the sphere glided through the air, but because she was the one controlling its direction, she didn’t feel as if she would fall to her death.

  Tilting forward, she floated back down beside Professor Mason. “I think I got it,” she said. “But just go slow, okay?”

  He nodded, looking satisfied. “Of course.”

  The professor and Dr. Sigly each stepped into their own spheres and led the way. As they floated towards the upper levels together, Kennedy got a closer view of the skyline. Thick walls of glass surrounded the metropolis from all sides; the dark vastness of space contrasted against the city’s radiant lights, energy, and noise.

  People were everywhere, either on foot or floating serenely throughout the streets and passageways from inside their spheres. She’d never seen anything like it before. The city itself was alive, bursting with vitality and animated by all the colors and sounds.

  Kennedy’s captivation faded as they approached the tunnel. Above the enormous black tube hung a sign that read Sections 6-10. The area was dense with spheres; others brushed past her, throwing off her balance.

  She didn’t have time to feel scared though. As soon as she was close, a heaving force of air sucked her inside. It felt as if she were dropping, the same sensation you feel in an elevator car, but the entire tunnel was pitch black. The only sound was the whooshing of air that propelled her sphere through the blackness.

  She wanted to reach for something, anything, but couldn’t move. The pull was too strong. If she could bring her body to lower itself, she would’ve laid flat against the bottom of the sphere and waited until it was over.

  It didn’t feel right. It felt unnatural. Kennedy braced herself for a crash.

  But amazingly she never did. A few moments passed, and the pull released her. The sphere slowed, bobbed a little, and light flooded into the darkness.

  Kennedy blinked several times, her eyes adjusting to the new surroundings. Up ahead, both Dr. Sigly and Professor Mason stepped out of their spheres and pressed the button to compact them.

  They were in some sort of divider area that led to five other passageways. Sections 6-10. Kennedy spotted number nine directly to her right. The professor and doctor led her down that hall.

  “We’ll be walking from here,” Mason said.

  The atmosphere here was vastly different than in the Neon City. Sleek metal walls lined the wide hall they traveled through, with people in uniforms and business suits accounting for the majority of the passersby. Kennedy stuffed the sphere into her bag and tried to keep up with their speedy pace.

  “The tunnel wasn’t horrible, was it?”

  “No,” Kennedy said. “Not as horrible as I thought, anyway.”

  Mason looked back at her over his shoulder, wearing a surprised smile. “Good to hear. We’ll take you to your apartment now, get you settled. Later this evening the department has a welcome dinner planned for you. You’ll be able to meet the other keepers and your trainers.”

  “Wait, so does that mean I get my own apartment?”

  “Yes, and yours is special, if I do say so myself.”

  “Are you saying I get to live all by myself? As in no supervision? You do know I’m only sixteen, right?” Kennedy winced, realizing how that sounded, then added, “Not that I’m complaining.”

  “Well, you’ll have Matilda.”

  “Who’s Matilda?”

  “What’s Matilda is the more appropriate question.”

  Kennedy blinked several times, trying to figure out that cryptic statement. “Okay. I’ll bite. What’s Matilda?”

  The professor slowed his steps so she could catch up to him. “She’s an android. A Series Seven android.”

  The way he said the words made Kennedy think she should know what that meant. Robots weren’t something she was accustomed to. She’d seen them before, on TV and at the mall in Jacksonville. But nobody had them on Amelia Island. Robots were for the rich and glamorous, and so she wasn’t familiar with individual brand names, like Series Seven. He could’ve named any other number in the series and she’d have been just as clueless.

  They turned a few more corners and cut through a few passageways before finally stopping at a doorway. The number twelve was etched into its metal frame. Kennedy wondered how long the door had been there, how long it had been waiting. How long they’d been waiting for her.

  The professor scanned a card and locks clicked. He opened the door, leading Kennedy and Dr. Sigly through a massive entryway.

  She gaped. Just like in the movies, she dropped her bag to the floor, and felt her eyes grow wide with awe.

  The place was enormous.

  Come on, they were in the only interplanetary space center, a place renowned for being overpopulated and having the highest cost of living anywhere. She thought she’d be given very basic
, miniscule quarters. Not vaulted cathedral ceilings. Not modern, trendy furniture and windows that ran the length of the walls.

  She expected a mini-fridge, with the hopeful possibility of a microwave. Definitely not a kitchen three times the size of the one her family shared back home. She didn’t even know what some of those appliances did, let alone how to use them.

  Across the living room, Professor Mason opened a door that led to a private terrace. “And here’s the reason this place is so special.”

  Behind him was a giant indoor pool that ran the length of the apartment. Kennedy almost rolled her eyes at that particular feature; they’d wasted their time saving it for her.

  “Yours is one of three apartments on all of Olympus that has one,” he continued. “They’re extremely expensive to build up here in space. Everyone else uses community pools.”

  “That’s really nice. Thanks,” she said, not wanting to come across as rude. Kennedy walked away from the pool and headed toward one of the windows.

  Be still her beating heart, there was a bird’s eye view of Earth angled below her. She sucked in her breath. It was incredible to see her home like that, the majestic blue-green globe hovering there, making Kennedy feel like a tiny pinprick living in the vast immensity of space.

  The tip of her nose touched the cold pane of glass as she tried to move closer, longing for the home she’d left behind. Maybe she could spot Florida from up here, and maybe Amelia Island…

  “The designers of these apartments were brilliant,” the professor said. “They kept our rotation and Earth’s rotation in mind when they drew the blueprints. You’ll always be able to see it from one of your windows.”

  Kennedy drowned out his voice. “We rotate?” she asked, so it wouldn’t sound like she was ignoring him. Listening to him might’ve cheered her, helped her focus on this new life she’d been handed, but it was hard to feel excited when every fiber in her body wanted to return to the planet she stared at.