Elusion

by kindle@abovethetreeline. com

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

  ..................................................................

  Advance Reader’s e-proof

  courtesy of HarperCollins Publishers

  This is an advance reader’s e-proof made from digital files of the uncorrected proofs. Readers are reminded that changes may be made prior to publication, including to the type, design, layout, or content, that are not reflected in this e-proof, and that this e-pub may not reflect the final edition. Any material to be quoted or excerpted in a review should be checked against the final published edition. Dates, prices, and manufacturing details are subject to change or cancellation without notice.

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

  ..................................................................

  ELUSION

  CLAUDIA GABEL and CHERYL KLAM

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

  ..................................................................

  DEDICATION

  To Ben and Brian—we couldn’t have done this without you.

  CONTENTS

  Cover

  Disclaimer

  Title

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Acknowledgments

  About the Auhor

  Copyright

  About the Publisher

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

  ..................................................................

  PROLOGUE

  “DON’T BE SCARED, REGAN,” MY FATHER says. “I’ll be next to you the whole time, I promise.”

  But I’m not scared at all. The reason my breath is coming out in quick, little gasps is because I’m excited. After all, I’ve waited for this moment for such a long time.

  I shift in my seat, carefully listening to my dad as he gives me the instructions, to the point where I’m actually focusing on every syllable.

  Place the microlaser visor over your eyes.

  Insert the audio buds into your ears.

  Slip your hand through the acrylic wristband.

  Click on the app with your finger.

  I follow each step, double-checking myself so I don’t screw this up. This trial run is way too important to him. Computer scientists still don’t believe in his work—an alternate reality program and device he’s spent the last four years building—but all that is going to change.

  We’re going to prove them wrong.

  My dad said that to me, just before we assembled our Equips and locked our hands together.

  We.

  I haven’t heard that word in a long time. I think I forgot how amazing it is when he includes me in his life.

  Within a few moments, trypnosis sets in and I begin to feel my body drifting away from me. Piece by piece, molecule by molecule, I break apart and dissolve until there is nothing left.

  Nothing but absolute happiness.

  When I open my eyes, I’m in this other dimension, which for now is only made of gauzy, incandescent light. A soft wave of electricity trickles along my skin. It almost feels as though I’m being lifted off the ground by an invisible current and suspended in midair. I’ve never felt anything like this in the real world, and since it’s generated by a hypnosis program that’s preloaded onto my Equip, I never will.

  But I can relish it while I’m here.

  Every single artificial moment of it.

  “The light is going to fade in a bit,” I hear my father say. “And then the real magic will begin.”

  I smile. He is right by my side, just like he promised.

  “When you see it all, you’ll understand everything,” he says.

  He sounds almost apologetic, and I’m wondering if by “everything,” he means this inaugural trip to Elusion will somehow explain the late hours my dad keeps at Orexis; how he constantly breaks plans with my mom and me so he can work in his computer lab; all the time he spends with Patrick, showing him how to code and design every inch of this place.

  A warm breeze blows a piece of wavy strawberry-blond hair right into my eyes. As I brush it back, my smile grows even wider. Normally I get angry or upset when I think about how distant my father has been, but none of it bothers me now. Here in Elusion, I’m free from all my insecurities, disappointments, and unfulfilled wishes.

  “Can you see me yet?” he asks. “It might take another second or two for the visuals and other sensory perceptions to kick in.”

  I blink a few times and my dad slowly comes into focus. Although his silhouette is outlined by a shimmering golden glow, he’s wearing the same plaid flannel shirt and khaki pants he had on in the living room. His salt-and-pepper hair is still messed up and in need of a wash. His warm brown eyes twinkle as he reaches out to me and takes my hand in his.

  “Great. Now just breathe in and out very slowly. It will increase the dopamine response and help your body adjust.”

  I inhale, noticing a deep, musky scent that’s carrying on the wind. “It smells like . . . pine trees.”

  “Good guess. Just wait till you see them.”

  “Are you kidding me? There are actual pine trees here?”

  A world with plant life and fresh air instead of Florapetro factories, grease clouds, and acid rain. I can’t even begin to imagine it.

  “The one thing I want you to remember while you’re here is to trust your thoughts. Don’t discount the power of your mind. What you’re experiencing is very real.”

  I loop my arm through his and gently lean my head on his shoulder. “Okay.”

  “I know it’s confusing, but everything will make sense soon, I promise.” My father grins. “All right, brace yourself. Here come the fireworks.”

  I raise my head in awe as I watch the veil of white light float up from the ground like a fog and evaporate to reveal a glorious sapphire sky. Dad and I are perched on top of a rocky cliff, the remarkable landscape of Elusion stretched out in front of us. Down below there are miles and miles of dark green forest, but the view is so crisp and clear I can almost see every leaf and needle jutting out from each spindling branch. Beyond is a chain of majestic mountains with snowcapped peaks, which borders a large body of water made up of shimmering swirls of turquoise and jade. Everything is subtly traced with a translucent glittering substance, almost like fairy dust.

  It’s the most incredible sight I’ve ever seen. And although I’ve never been a fan of heights, here I am, standing at the edge of a steep embankment, feeling that sweet electricity being absorbed by all my nerve endings.

  “It’s amazing, Dad. It’s . . . it’s like a dream,” I say. “Is this Escape based on a real place?”

  “Yes, a gorgeous spot near Lake Michigan,” he says, sounding oddly prideful, like he somehow created one of the Great Lakes himself. “It’s long gone, though.”

  I take another step forward and spread my arms out to my sides as rolling clouds cast shadows all around us. My feet are firmly planted on the earth, but inside it feels like I’m flying.

  “Remember what I used to say to you when you
were little?” he asks.

  “Stop wearing your oxygen shield inside the house?”

  He laughs. “What else?”

  I turn around and squint at him. “Hmmmm, let me think.”

  “Come on, I know you remember,” he says playfully.

  I smile again. It’s so easy being with him here. There aren’t any weird silences or misunderstandings. It’s like we could talk forever.

  “A meaningful life is filled with contributions,” I say, reciting his favorite mantra perfectly.

  “Well, this is it. My biggest contribution yet, Regan.” He walks up right beside me and tucks that unruly strand of hair behind my ear. “This is how I’m going to give us our planet back.”

  “People are going to love this, Dad.”

  “Thanks, sweetheart.” My father tips his head toward two red weight-shift gliders that are parked less than ten feet away. “So, want to get a closer look?”

  Normally, the thought of hang gliding over a ravine would completely freak me out. But standing on this cliff, here in Elusion, looking at the incredibly rich and beautiful world below, I feel as though I can do anything. Before I know it, Dad is helping me into the hang glider’s harness. I feel a tiny jolt to my brain, and my arms twitch.

  “That was Elusion streamlining the apparatus’s instructions into your subconscious,” my dad says. “It only takes a second.”

  “This is amazing,” I say. “I wish I could have stuff streamlined into my head at school.”

  My dad laughs and then gives me a playful wink. “Now remember, you can’t get hurt in the Escapes, okay? Just allow the program to guide you.”

  “Got it,” I reply as he finishes snapping me in.

  “You know how to work this?”

  For once in my life, I feel no self-doubt. “Yes, I do.”

  “Great, just wait for me to get set up with my—”

  But I can’t wait. That electric feeling inside of me is rising with every passing second, so I have no choice but to run forward as fast as I can and . . . JUMP!

  “Hell, yeaaaaaah!” I squeal with delight as the wind picks up the wings of the glider, causing me to soar high into the iris-colored sky. I lift my gaze toward the golden sun, relishing the warmth on my face as I expertly zigzag in and out of the clouds.

  Soon I catch sight of Dad flying right next to me. He doesn’t look the slightest bit angry that I left him behind. In fact, he’s beaming with pride. Together we burst through pockets of mist and zoom over a long plain of grass filled with a rainbow of tall wildflowers twisting and bending in the direction of the wind.

  “Race you to that mountain?” Dad’s brown eyes flash with excitement.

  My heart beats faster as my thoughts start to lose their shape. I’m not concerned about the ticking clock on my wristband and how much time we have remaining in Elusion. I’m not worried about the awkwardness that might still be waiting for my father and me after we wake up from the trypnosis. There’s only one realization that’s firmly set in my mind.

  Soon, Elusion will change the world and everyone’s lives as they know it.

  Especially mine.

  “Game on!” I laugh in reply, swinging my hang glider to the left as I charge ahead of my father and into the miraculous, digitally painted sunset.

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

  ..................................................................

  ONE

  FIVE MONTHS LATER

  I’m packed in tightly among motionless bodies with barely any room to breathe. I tell myself to relax; I’m only going to be on the Traxx for a little while longer—fifteen minutes tops, if the Inner Sector express line doesn’t have any delays. I try to ignore the harsh chill coming through the vents of the air purification unit just above my seat. The cold bites at the skin on my bare legs.

  An eerie silence hovers in the train as the hundred or so people crammed into the seats sit perfectly still—their heads bobbing to the side and their eyes covered by sleek one-size-fits-all visors. Apparently I’m the only one aware of the cold or the large clusters of synthetic oil refineries whizzing by at two hundred miles per hour outside my sludge-streaked window, the only one worrying about things, like whether or not I passed my chem exam this morning.

  The rest of my fellow travelers are all someplace else—a world with no pain, no concerns, and no stress; an enchanting, make-believe world that exists solely in their minds.

  I could Escape along with them if I wanted, but I haven’t been to Elusion since late December. Not even for a quick zip-trip, like these people are having.

  Actually, I’m not sure I’ll ever use my Equip again.

  The connecting car door slides open and a concession salesperson—a thin, gray-haired woman in a blue-and-red uniform—begins to make her way up the aisle. She’s carrying a medium-size square cooler, her eyes scanning for signs of life in this crowd of zonked-out Elusion users.

  “Huh, you’re awake,” she says to me with surprise.

  “Shocking, isn’t it?”

  “Very. I’m so used to seeing everyone with their Equips.” The woman leans over, opening the top of the cooler to reveal an assortment of junk food and beverages. “It’s nice talking to someone for a change.”

  But I don’t want to talk, especially about Elusion.

  “See anything you’d like?” she asks.

  I spy a pack of triple-flavor-shifting gum and my mouth waters almost instantly. “I’ll have one of those,” I say, pointing to a small box marked Citrus-Mint–Dark Chocolate.

  “That’ll be fifteen credits,” she says.

  I grab my bag and rifle through the contents to find my passcard. Even though my tablet is all I need to bring to school, I’ve managed to collect an impressive assortment of clutter—lip balm, mascara, a granola bar, dry shampoo, oil-blotting sheets. In an effort to hurry things up, I dump my bag out on my lap. Lately I’ve been so disorganized and distracted. I just can’t lose my passcard. If I don’t find it, I’ll probably get kicked off the train. I also won’t be able to buy anything, get into school, or unlock the front door at home. It’s the key to everything.

  “I haven’t bought an Equip yet.” The salesperson carries on, oblivious to the fact that I’m becoming more flustered by the second. “But my grandkids can’t get enough of it. They’re always telling me about their adventures. My grandson said he went fishing last week and caught a three-hundred-pound tuna off the coast of New Zealand,” she says proudly. “My other grandkids live in DC and they’re so jealous. Can’t get Elusion there. At least not yet.”

  Thank God, I finally find my passcard. Stupid thing was hiding under my O2 shield. “Here you go. Sorry.”

  The woman takes the card and scans it, then hands back it to me, along with the pack of gum I just purchased. She also continues to ramble on like someone who hasn’t had a real conversation in months.

  “That Patrick Simmons kid is going to be a zillionaire when the CIT approval comes through. I don’t want to even think about how old he was when he invented Elusion.”

  “He didn’t invent it,” I correct her. “David Welch did.”

  The woman raises a curious eyebrow. “Wait a minute. I think I heard about him on the news a while back. HyperSoar accident, right?”

  I nod my head and avert my eyes. I avoid discussing my dad with my mother or Patrick as much as possible, so I’m sure as hell not going to turn all chatty with some stranger on the Traxx.

  “What a way to go. Burning up in the atmosphere like that.” The saleswoman leans her upper arm against the headrest of a man sitting on the end of the opposite aisle and he doesn’t even flinch. “No pain, though. I’m sure that’s a comfort to his family.”

  Oh God.

  I dig my fingernails into my hand, hoping the sting and pressure in my palms will distract me.

  I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry.

  All of a sudden, the Traxx loses spe
ed, causing everyone to lurch forward in their seats. I latch on to the armrests to steady myself as a robotic-sounding voice notifies passengers of a stalled turbotrain on the T line, the central connection for the entire transport system. The saleswoman mutters something about how awful all this construction is on the Traxx and curses some guy in charge of the expansion program before stalking away, leaving me alone as she moves down the aisle and into another car.

  I let out a sigh of relief and stretch forward a little, so I can see past the man on my left and out of the Traxx’s egg-shaped window into the Florapetro cloud–filled sky. No other trains are lurking in the distance. That’s a good sign. Perhaps they’ll be able to return to full throttle soon. I twist my head to get a better view of the city beneath. We’re on the outskirts of the heavily industrialized Inner Sector, as evidenced by the giant cinder-block factories and towering steel skyscrapers. Nearly nineteen million people live and work here, making the Inner Sector stations the most congested. There are always delays.

  Luckily, the train isn’t stopped for long, and within a few minutes it’s rocketing past huge electronic billboards, many of them flashing advertisements for Elusion and the company that manufactures it—Orexis.

  A better world is inside your mind.

  Orexis will take you there!

  It’s never been so easy to get away.

  Find the perfect destination with Elusion!

  I place a piece of gum on my tongue and glance at the redheaded identical-twin sisters perched in the seats across from me, totally spacing out behind their visors, their mouths agape in the same zombielike fashion. Dressed in pencil skirts and fitted blazers, they look like they’re traveling for work. Most office jobs operate on the Standard 7 cycle—seven a.m. to seven p.m., seven days a week. Whatever Escape they are in right now is probably the closest they’ll ever get to a real vacation, given how hard it is for people to take time off. My mom was like that—a successful nurse-practitioner with a hectic reverse-shift schedule. Somehow she always found a way to make time to be with her family, but now . . .