Now it was Luc’s turn to fall into a chair and sigh, loudly. Olive and Evalene turned to look at him with raised brows. Eyes squeezed shut, he didn’t speak right away, but when he did, he spoke to his lap. “I promised I wouldn’t say anything…” he groaned. “But I feel like this is an exception.”
Evalene glanced at Olive, who shook her head.
“You should take Jeremiah with you.” Luc said finally, meeting her eyes. “He’s been there a few times now.”
“Jeremiah who?” Olive twisted to face Luc, incredulous. “The Captain?”
“I’m sure he means someone else,” Evalene argued, staring at Luc. She’d wondered where Jeremiah had gone since that day at the news station, watching the country in uproar. But Luc had always said he didn’t know. And Evalene hadn’t had any other information to go on. Only that Jeremiah “took the North Road.” The road that led to the rest of Eden. He could’ve gone anywhere. Or, worse, she’d feared he’d died.
“I’m talking about Captain Jeremiah Bloom,” Luc clarified, leaving no room for doubt.
“You’ve known where he was this entire time, and you haven’t told anyone?” Evalene stopped herself from saying anything further. She didn’t have any claim on Jeremiah. No reason to expect Luc should’ve told her.
“Not the entire time.” Luc cleared his throat and shifted in his chair. “But, I had a hunch, and turns out I was right. Beryl took him in. She’s a Number—” Old habits died hard, but Luc caught himself, coughing, “She’s extremely wealthy, owns a few homes, lives in one of them on the east side of Eden, about eight or nine hours’ drive from here.”
“Who’s Beryl?” Olive’s natural curiosity piped up. Evalene found herself wondering as well. Jeremiah had never mentioned the woman. But then, she realized there was a lot she still didn’t know about Jeremiah.
“She adopted us when we were teenagers,” Luc shrugged as if it was nothing, “Jeremiah was 15, and I was 17. She and I don’t always see the world the same way, but she’s one of the good ones. Anyway, she helped Jeremiah recover.”
Helped him recover. Adopted. By a high Number? Evalene’s jaw dropped. She was more intrigued to know Jeremiah’s past than ever. So many questions, Evalene didn’t know where to start.
Luc continued before she had a chance to pick one. “He lost a lot of blood running away to hide. He almost died, actually.” Crossing his arms, Luc huffed in annoyance. “I didn’t know about it until I stopped by a few weeks ago for a surprise visit.”
“Is he okay now?” Evalene found herself asking, “Where is he? How come you didn’t tell anyone?”
Luc held up his hands palms out, “Listen, he made me promise not to say anything.” His mouth soured at the memory. “I’m not saying I agree with him, but he didn’t want the Council to know. I figure this is different, though. Finding your mom and all.”
Evalene nodded, but was at a loss for words. Even Olive sat stunned, whispering mostly to herself, “That’s so unlike him. Why wouldn’t he want us to know?”
“He’s still Jeremiah, still wants to help people. He’s actually trying to set up trade routes between Eden and the Divided States. He’s been there a few times now. He just doesn’t want anything to do with the Council. Doesn’t want to hear even the slightest hint of returning to government. But he did say he enjoyed your speech,” Luc added, looking up at Evalene.
The media had replayed Evalene’s embarrassing public moment of her live speech for weeks after the revolution. Luc was still convinced it’d been the turning point that won over the higher Numbers, ultimately tipping the balance in their favor. The idea of Jeremiah watching and being impressed made heat spread to Evalene’s cheeks. She wondered if he’d watched her other appearances since then. If he’d seen today’s broadcast.
“Okay. I’ll ask Jeremiah to take us,” Evalene said, surprised to find she desperately wanted his help. Wanted to see him.
Olive nodded and sat back, as if this was the obvious choice. And Luc, while he didn’t look happy about it, seemed resigned to the decision. He sighed. “I’ll give you directions.”
2
Evalene
EVALENE STOOD IN THE doorway of the tiny one-room apartment she shared with Olive in downtown Delmare. Her friend’s clothes were strewn about the room as she struggled to shove clothes deeper and zip her bag shut without it bursting. Evalene held her small backpack, already packed, waiting.
“Sorry, sorry,” Olive mumbled, dragging her suitcase to the door. “Is that all you’re bringing? You know we’re gonna be gone for weeks, maybe even months, right?”
Evalene shrugged. “I don’t need much.” The truth was she didn’t have much more to bring. Almost all Evalene’s salary had gone into savings. She just hadn’t bought a lot of fancy clothes or whatever girls her age should be buying. Something she was very thankful for now, when she expected she would need to pay Jeremiah out of those savings. If he said yes… and that was a big ‘if.’
Evalene held the door open, letting Olive go ahead of her. Turning to lock up, she held her breath against the smell of rotting tomatoes and other produce thrown at their door. It hurt to see that no matter how hard she worked on the Council, there were always people who despised her. They didn’t even know her. But they didn’t care.
When they’d first moved in, Evalene had tried to clean up after work each night. Now, she just left the mess for the landlord. At least the smear of the fruits covered up some of the less-than-flattering graffiti.
They took the two flights of stairs down to the street quickly. Olive was huffing by the time they reached the main floor, scowling as she hefted the bag higher on her shoulder. Evalene bit back a smile.
A few strangers lingered outside the front door. It might not mean anything—they lived in downtown Delmare after all—but just to be safe, she and Olive moved in silent agreement toward the back door instead. Maybe the strangers were former low-Numbers who wanted to express their thanks. Sometimes that happened, Evalene reminded herself. But why take the chance?
As they stepped out into the building’s parking lot, Evalene shivered a little at a brisk fall wind that blew more leaves off the trees. But the sun shone down brightly and kept her warm enough.
“I thought you might need a ride,” a male voice said behind them before they’d walked more than a few feet.
Evalene and Olive spun around to find Chase Solomon leaning against the wall. His solemn face was mostly unreadable, due to a lifetime of training, but with the slightest smile at surprising them.
“Sol!” Olive said, “You nearly gave us a heart attack!” But she laughed as she scolded him. Olive had trusted Sol from the moment they’d met him, despite the fact that he’d been one of the Regulators arresting them during the revolution. It’d taken Evalene quite a bit longer.
But he’d become a permanent fixture in their lives, joining the security team for the Council members. He’d let his short black hair grow long since he was no longer on the force, and his olive skin had lightened a bit from spending more time indoors. Other than that, not much had changed. His piercing dark eyes still followed Olive everywhere, and Olive still didn’t notice.
Olive let her bag fall to the ground with a heavy thud as Sol stepped away from the building to meet them. “We’re going to take the bus,” Evalene answered Sol, “but thanks for offering.”
“But Evie,” Olive’s eyes pleaded as she spoke up. “A ride would be so much faster. And less gross. And less people…” She wiggled her eyebrows as she said the last one, knowing how much Evalene hated being constantly recognized.
“Why do you want to come with?” Evalene asked Sol. “And how did you even know we were going?” She glanced over at Olive, who fidgeted with her belt, and didn’t meet Evalene’s eyes. She shook her head, turning back to Sol. “Nevermind.”
“You really should hire a bodyguard,” Sol said, by way of answering, staring at the protests painted all over their building in concern. “Now that you’ve left th
e Council.”
“I don’t need a bodyguard,” Evalene said lightly. “I have you.” The joke got her half a smile. Technically, he was only her protection at the Number One’s old mansion, when working as a security officer for the Council. But he spent enough time with her and Olive, that they’d taken to calling him their personal security.
As he and Olive picked up chatting where they’d last left off, Evalene barely refrained from rolling her eyes. Sol wasn’t one to bare his soul by any means, but it was amazing Olive hadn’t put two and two together yet.
Hiking her bag higher on her shoulder, Evalene tapped Olive’s arm to catch her attention. “We should get going. We don’t want to miss the bus.”
“But Evie,” Olive said again, a distinct whine now. “If Sol drives it’ll be like half the time.” She was exaggerating, but not by much. The twelve-hour trip would be shortened to eight hours, maybe less. Evalene squinted at Sol. “I appreciate the offer,” she told him, “but this isn’t a day trip. We could be gone a few weeks. Don’t you have to get back to work tomorrow?”
“Actually…” Sol shrugged a little, hesitating. Was that a blush? “I took a few weeks’ vacation. Olive told me about your plan to find your mother. I was hoping you’d let me come with.”
“To the Divided States? Or just to find Jeremiah?”
“The whole trip, if you’ll have me,” he said. “Just for fun.”
Something rang false. Evalene looked at him closer. His black eye from a squabble last week had healed, and his foot had been out of the cast for weeks now, but he wore a heavy jacket on a beautiful fall day. Her eyes touched on the arm he still angled away from them and she caught a glimpse of a splint of some kind.
She held out a hand and waved her fingers for him to show her. He sighed and raised the sleeve so she could see the full wrist brace which ran all the way up to his elbow, a gleaming white against his tan skin.
“How bad is it?” Evalene asked, as Olive gasped.
“Not great,” he answered. Which was enough for her to know he was struggling. Now was a hard time to be a former Regulator, hated by high Numbers for supporting the revolution but also by low Numbers for not supporting it sooner. Had he been jumped on his way to work again? She wanted to ask but knew he’d just brush off her concern.
“It’d be nice to get away,” he said simply. And Evalene heard the message underneath, because she’d felt the same way many times. He needed to get away.
“Okay, you can come,” she relented. It’d be nice to have him on their side. Plus, he was good company.
He shouldered Olive’s bag and held out a hand for Evalene’s as well, leading them toward his small blue car. Popping the trunk, he tossed the bags inside next to his own. He’d come prepared. Olive ran to claim the front seat and Evalene shook her head again as she climbed into the backseat. Sol closed the trunk with a bang.
***
They stopped for gas a few hours later. Olive was sound asleep in the front seat, completely unaware of the engine shutting off. Even when Sol got out to pump gas and slammed his door, she didn’t move. Evalene hesitated before stepping out as well, shutting her door more softly, though Olive still didn’t stir.
“Are you ever going to tell her how you feel?” she whispered to Sol, tilting her head toward her sleeping friend.
He busied himself with inserting the pump into the car, pressing the required buttons, signing his name to the payment queue. Evalene waited. She’d never brought it up before. Sol wasn’t one to share his feelings easily. But no one could miss the way he felt about Olive. Maybe it was selfish to ask… maybe she wanted him to say how he felt because it would give her hope Jeremiah might do the same.
Finally, he shrugged, not quite meeting her eyes. “I don’t think so,” he said simply.
“Why?”
“You know why.”
And she supposed she did. Olive’s infatuation with Luc hadn’t faded in the slightest. Even though everyone could see he didn’t feel the same way about her. “There’s still time, things might change,” she said after a moment.
“Maybe,” Sol replied, but it sounded more like a no.
Evalene didn’t know what to say. She awkwardly patted Sol’s arm before crawling into the back again.
***
They stopped once more briefly for a late lunch, and otherwise drove straight through, arriving at Beryl’s home as the sun began to set. Evalene’s palms started to sweat as they turned onto the long driveway leading to Lady Beryl’s mansion. If Luc was right, she would see Jeremiah in just a few short minutes.
She touched her jacket pocket. The note inside crinkled. She didn’t need to pull it out to know what was on the scrap of paper. It was nearly ripping along the creases from opening and closing it so often, though she’d memorized the content long ago.
Dear Evie,
I can’t stop thinking about you since we met. You’re destined for great things, once you realize how valuable you are.
I think you overheard my Number, but even if you didn’t, I want to tell you. It was a 28. It’s not who I am and means nothing to me. But if I hurt you by keeping it in the past, please forgive me.
I hope to come back here after the fight to see you. I’d like to get to know you better.
Jeremiah
He’d wanted to see her again. When had that changed? She clenched her fists, frustrated with all the unknowns. Maybe he’d thought she didn’t want to see him? But she did. Very much.
She bit her lip at the sight of the huge home as it rose above the tree line, visible long before they reached the front doors. A valet appeared to take their keys as they stepped out. His uniform reflected a variety of colors, and he wore a patch on his neck to cover his old Number, but his servile behavior still spoke of his past loud and clear. Evalene felt frustrated at the lack of progress. But they couldn’t very well force the rich to give to the poor like some fairy tale.
She stared up at the enormous home, even larger than her father’s. This Beryl woman must be incredibly wealthy. It just added to the mystery. Who was Jeremiah really?
As the valet drove off in their car, Olive knocked. Evalene’s gut begged her to call him back and drive away, almost certain now she’d made a mistake. What had possessed her to think Jeremiah would want to help her? If he’d been here all along, but had never made an effort to see her, why would he want to now? Just because he’d been kind to her in the past was no reason she should expect anything of him now.
He would probably say no to her request. She straightened her spine, determined to appear strong, confident, indifferent even. At least she would have a chance to put her questions to rest. After today, she would finally be able to move on.
She hoped.
3
Evalene
THE DOOR TO BERYL’S mansion cracked open, revealing a butler. He stood in the foot of space as if he might slam it shut again at any moment, scowling as if this was his home and they were intruding. “What do you want?”
That was unusual.
Unlike the man who’d taken their car, this man’s entire demeanor shouted that he was important and they were wasting his time. He held his chin too high, as if to hide the receding hairline. The buttons on his vest coat strained against his belly. His white starched shirt and bow-tie concealed his tattoo, but Evalene had her suspicions. Some of the higher Numbers had been forced to find work when they lost the free labor of the lower Numbers. Their way of life had suffered the most from the rebellion, and they weren’t quick to adapt to the change.
“Is anyone home?” Evalene asked, not sure if she should ask for Jeremiah or Beryl.
The gruff butler simply nodded and said, “Of course.” She thought his chin lifted even higher at the audacity of her question.
“Is… Jeremiah Bloom here?” Evalene tried again.
The rude man’s scowl deepened. “Mr. Bloom? Why would he be here?”
“I’m… sorry,” Evalene felt compelled to apologize, as if
she were the one being rude. She glanced at Olive who looked just as confused. Sol stood unfazed. Was Jeremiah not here after all? Evalene felt the small bit of hope she’d been able to hold onto start to slip away. Maybe the butler just wasn’t aware of his presence? She tried again, “May we speak with Lady Beryl?”
In response, the man swung the door open further, and flounced away, calling over his shoulder, “I’ll tell her you’re here.” And then he was gone, leaving them to enter on their own and shut the door behind them.
“Wow,” Olive whispered as she admired the beautiful home.
“I know,” Evalene agreed. Even after spending most of her life around wealth and privilege, she was impressed. Sol kept quiet, always blending into the background, observing, as he preferred to do, but his brows rose despite himself.
The white marble floor stretched out in front of them and down hallways on both sides. A magnificent staircase curved up and away from them on each side, both larger than the single grand staircase in her father’s home.
Across from them on the far side of the room was a massive wall of glass that let the sun shine in and brightened the entire main room.
They stood uncomfortably in the entry for several moments before Olive grew bored and walked to the window for a closer look. Her every footstep sounded loudly on the marble floors, echoing throughout the house as she passed between the grand staircases. But no one stopped her. Evalene looked over at Sol who shrugged, and together they trailed after Olive.
Halfway across the room, the light shifted, and the glare of the sun faded enough to catch her first glimpse of the back. She blinked in amazement. This was no ordinary backyard.
The perfectly tended hills gave way to dozens of carefully arranged flower beds with ornamental seating, archways, and stone paths from one to the next. It was ten times as large as her father’s expensive gardens. The lake at the bottom sparkled, and a beautiful white dock stretched out invitingly into the water, with a quaint dock house on the side.
Pearl's Number: The Number Series Page 2
