Pearl's Number: The Number Series

by Bethany Atazadeh

  “I don’t know,” Olive said, shrugging as Evalene sank into her seat. “I guess a lot of things could happen. But it’s Jeremiah. You’ll be fine!”

  10

  Evalene

  AFTER TWENTY MINUTES AT the gate waiting to deplane, Evalene’s nerves felt scraped raw. Olive tried to engage her in conversation, but she couldn’t pay attention. She’d determined to tell Jeremiah how she felt and then changed her mind at least a dozen times. Maybe she could just tell him that she wished he would’ve said hello… maybe admit she’d wanted to see him…

  To get her mind off him, she pondered what they’d find in the Divided States. What if her mother was just a few steps away from the plane? Or all the way across the country?

  But every time she tried to imagine a happy reunion, she got stuck on bigger questions. Was Pearl even alive? And if she was, where had she been all these years? Her mind refused to wrap around these possibilities, despite being able to create a million different scenarios for how her conversation with Jeremiah might go.

  When the seatbelt light turned off, Evalene blew out a breath of air in relief, struggling to unbuckle. Olive glanced over. “Like this.” she lifted the small metal tab up.

  The belt came loose and Evalene leapt up, racing down the aisle past where Sol sat. Her wobbly legs plus the narrow aisles made her bump into seats as if drunk.

  “Wait for me!” Olive called as the other passengers stood too, filling the aisles between them and forcing Evalene to slow down. When the line stopped moving altogether, she leaned against a seat, taking deep breaths, trying to shake off her nerves. The walls of the plane felt like they were closing in on her. To distract herself, she studied the nearby passengers.

  Sol sat just one row behind her, struggling with his seatbelt too. Evalene leaned over to show him and he popped out of his seat the moment he was free, as eager to leave this contraption as her.

  When everyone finally began filing out of the plane, Evalene pushed forward, squeezing past anyone who wasted precious time opening the compartments above for their bags. Her priorities were simple right now. Get off this plane, and talk to Jeremiah alone. In that order.

  At the exit, she found a tube attached to the plane, instead of a staircase up to it like they’d had in Eden. It curved out of sight, but in the cracks, she glimpsed a vivid red sand and the wind howled outside, making the flimsy walls of the tube flap and shake. Noise drifted down the long tunnel, murmurs growing louder as she reached the end and stepped out into an enormous, high-ceilinged room.

  They were indoors, yet the airport was so large and the dome overhead stretched so high above them, that it felt as if they were outside. Evalene tilted her head back in awe. The ceiling was entirely made up of a thin glass with white metal swirling across it, creating designs unlike anything she’d ever seen. The glass allowed light to pour in from all sides, and everywhere Evalene looked throughout the enormous room, she found foliage of all shapes and sizes, including trees three stories tall, all of which contributed to that feeling that they’d stepped outside.

  Crowds of people flowed in all directions, like an ocean, except every person was their own current, weaving their own unknown path.

  Sol pulled her to the side so the other passengers streaming out from the tube behind wouldn’t trample her as they dispersed into the crowd in all different directions. Olive popped out of the tube last, having waited for Jeremiah, chattering with him happily.

  “I’ve always loved traveling!” Olive told them as they came to a stop by Evalene and Sol. “Isn’t this exciting?”

  Whenever Evalene escaped into her favorite books, she adored travel, but in real-life it was another experience altogether. Right now, it just felt overwhelming.

  “You forgot your bag,” Olive told her, holding out her backpack. Evalene blushed. She swung it over her shoulders, squeezing Olive’s hand gratefully. “Thank you.” She tightened the straps—she couldn’t risk losing it here.

  “Where do we go next?” she asked Jeremiah. Meeting his eyes, their conversation on the plane flooded back to her. Sol and Olive stood on both sides, looking back and forth between them, oblivious.

  “Let’s head to one of the main sections,” Jeremiah answered. His casual tone and return to indifference felt like he was sealing off their last conversation for good. He walked directly into the sea of people, waving for them to follow, zigzagging around oncoming traffic. Olive and Sol took off after him, leaving Evalene to bring up the tail end of the group. She bumped into shoulders and bags no matter how hard she tried to mimic them. It felt like people were almost trying to run into her.

  More than once, she felt the lightest touch of hands brushing against her, aiming for her backpack or pockets, invisible whenever she swung around to look. Jeremiah had warned them of this. Crowded places tended to have thieves, no matter how nice the place might be. All their bags were sealed shut with personal locks to prevent theft. Despite knowing that, it still gave her a jittery feeling. The sooner they were out of the crowds, the better.

  But after walking at least ten minutes through the enormous airport, the crowds had hardly thinned at all. They moved from one big room to the next, with those high ceilings stretching seamlessly into neighboring rooms and halls, until Evalene wondered just how big this airport was.

  “Welcome to Old York,” a flashing blue sign said. It hung above yet another large hallway made of glass and brightly lit. Passing under the sign, they entered the largest room yet. Evalene paused. This room stretched miles into the distance. The ceiling was as tall as a four-story house back home. Plants and tall trees abounded, just like the airport, but unlike the airport, there were dozens of buildings that looked like homes with streets between them. What was this place? Were the airport and the entire city all connected?

  Though the sun shone brightly through the beautiful swirled glass, the temperature remained cool indoors. Evalene stopped with the others at the top of some stairs.

  Jeremiah studied a pillar that held a moving map of the area. As they watched, the map lit up and flashed a pattern of footsteps leading in a dozen different directions. A yellow set said, “Dining.” Red footprints led toward “Entertainment.” And she noticed a blue set of feet walked toward the word, “Overnights.”

  While Jeremiah planned their route, Evalene turned to face the stairs. From this vantage point, she could see this section of the city stretch out before them. A sea of colorful roofs and bobbing heads, making their way down the streets between. Everyone on their own path, flowing around each other easily. There was a freedom here that she hadn’t even realized was still missing in Eden.

  Some people stood on small boards with wheels, rolling toward their destination, not even needing to walk. Though she studied these closely, Evalene couldn’t figure out how they were guiding the boards, not to mention how they avoided running over toes as they sped along.

  On the far side of the room, a hiss sounded, catching Evalene’s attention. For the first time since her arrival, she caught another glimpse of that rich red sand outside, as a door opened in the glass wall, lifting up. A small group of people stood in front of it, preparing to exit. They each touched a finger to their chests and a shining bubble sprung out to cover each of them. It was clear and flexible, billowing out around each individual person giving them a foot of space all around the inside of their separate domes.

  Fascinated, Evalene couldn’t tear her eyes away. The group of people in their personal bubbles stepped outside. The strange shields seemed meant to protect each individual, like an umbrella, but at first glance, Evalene couldn’t see that there was much need for them. It wasn’t raining. The elements didn’t seem terribly harsh. The reddish sand hinted at desert. Maybe it was too hot and the bubbles somehow controlled the temperature?

  The door lowered quickly behind the people, making them slightly less visible behind the swirled patterns in the glass wall. But as Evalene watched, a brisk wind picked up the unique red sand all at o
nce, pounding it into each person’s shield at full force. With the bubble—Evalene couldn’t think of a better word for it—protecting them, they ignored the wind entirely, marching onward. So that’s what they were for. These strange connected domes began to make more sense, if this was the natural inclement weather.

  Inside the safe glass walls with the perfect temperature and fresh, clean smell from all the trees and plants, Evalene smiled. If Pearl had been dropped off in this beautiful atmosphere, Evalene saw no reason why her mother would’ve ever wanted to leave. Maybe they were closer to finding her than she’d thought!

  Some of the anxiety from the flight melted away, replaced by a sharp stabbing pain in her shoulder blades, which revealed just how tense she’d been. Her whole body felt stiff and achy. But excitement overpowered all other emotions. They were close!

  She swung back around to rejoin the group. Over the babble of conversation, she couldn’t hear them until she stepped closer. “We can get some food and a place to stay,” Jeremiah was saying, “And start fresh tomorrow.” He saw her listening in and added, “It’s up to you, Evie.”

  Evalene bit her lip, wanting to follow his instructions, since that’s why she’d hired him. But she felt a growing need to find her mother—they were so close! What if Pearl was in this very city? How could Evalene wait until tomorrow?

  Summoning all the diplomatic skills she’d learned over the past few months, Evalene said, “What if we grab a quick snack, and then find your contact?” Just the mention of food made her stomach growl. “It won’t be too hard to find a place to stay later, will it?”

  Jeremiah agreed, and they moved down the stairs into the sea of people, falling into the same single file order. Evalene grew more comfortable weaving in and out of the crowds as they went, bumping into people less and less often. But the ducking and merging, and the constant pressure of people on all sides began to feel oppressive. Reaching the far wall, neon signs stretched above each of the hallways that branched out in a dozen different directions, clearly labeling each new “section” of the city.

  She felt blisters forming on her feet, but it didn’t look like they were going to stop walking anytime soon. As they moved farther away, the ceilings gradually lowered a bit, especially in the long halls between city sections. Jeremiah guided them to the right side of the halls where the signs said “foot traffic.” The left was filled with people on those boards on wheels. Now that Evalene had a close-up of the boarders, her brows rose, impressed.

  Some wheeled boards had long necks with handle bars at the top for balance. But most didn’t. Their passengers stood casually on the short piece of metal with their feet apart—the same way they would standing still, yet the boards moved forward and back, side to side, responding to unknown cues.

  Distracted, Evalene bumped into Sol when he stopped in front of her. They’d reached a new section, and Jeremiah ushered them to the side and out of the way of traffic. Names of different restaurants advertised a variety of foods. Like Hofyn, Old York liked signs that lit up and flashed—the more movement, the better. It made it hard for Evalene to get a grasp on what each sign said before the words changed. Some were written in Common, but others held languages she didn’t recognize.

  There were dozens of hallways, leading in all different directions, and dozens of signs decorated the entrance to each one. Evalene felt overwhelmed at the choices. Jeremiah spoke over the crowd, “This section has the most options.” There were other dining sections? How did anyone decide what to eat? “It’s tempting to try everything, and we can explore if you’d like,” he spoke to everyone, but met Evalene’s eyes, “But I could suggest a place?”

  “Take us wherever you think we should go,” Evalene agreed immediately. “I trust you.”

  With a nod, Jeremiah led them toward a small, crowded restaurant with cheap chairs and a lot of standing-only tables. But the line was quick. Everything on the menu sounded foreign and strange to Evalene. When Jeremiah offered to choose for them, she and Sol were happy to let him, but Olive wanted to pick her own meal.

  By the time they paid, the food was ready and placed in their hands. Evalene’s stomach growled again at the smell wafting out of the bags. Jeremiah’s choice for them was a chicken with a strange reddish colored sauce like the sand outside. It tasted amazing. “We’ll start with one of my contacts in the Overnight section,” Jeremiah told them, as Olive picked at her stringy greens mixed with spicy fruits. She glanced at their red chicken with regret. Sol shifted his plastic plate over, silently offering to share as Jeremiah continued, “I just want to let you know in advance, Vector is... different than most people in Old York.”

  “How so?” Sol asked, studying the people in the packed restuarant more closely.

  Jeremiah shrugged, finishing a bite. “Most people in Old York enjoy BioGrading, just like they do in Hofyn.” He gestured toward Olive, born and raised in Hofyn, and she nodded. “Have you heard of BioGrading?” he asked Sol.

  Sol set down his fork with a frown, looking over at Olive and Evalene, who had told him bits and pieces. “The… Biological Upgrading?”

  “That’s right. How much do you know about it?”

  “That… they can clone and replace any organs or tissue in the body from… a lab… somehow? And this helps people live much longer lives than they would on their own?” His descriptions sounded more like questions, as if he still wasn’t quite convinced this was possible.

  Olive jumped in, forgetting her food altogether. “Everything except the brain,” she corrected him. “They haven’t quite figured that one out yet. But if they do, people could truly live forever—I told you it was real!”

  “So, everyone looks young here because of BioGrading,” Jeremiah continued. Sol swung around to re-assess those nearby, and Evalene found herself glancing around in curiosity as well. “But Vector doesn’t approve of it. He doesn’t even need it—he’s perfectly healthy—but when you’re the only person who looks like they’re above 30 for miles, you tend to stand out.”

  Sol crossed his arms, still skeptical. “They’ll really just… give you a new heart or lungs?”

  “Well… for a price,” Olive amended. Evalene chewed thoughtfully. How high of a price? She got the feeling that most BioGrades were a little—or a lot—expensive. Did everyone just throw all their savings into keeping themselves young?

  “You can do anything!” Olive was telling Sol. “You can remove all your wrinkles—not that you have wrinkles, because you don’t, I just mean generally…” She’d been slightly flustered around Sol ever since Evalene mentioned his feelings for her. Evalene bit her lip to keep from laughing and glanced at Jeremiah to find him hiding a grin with another bite of food.

  Sol waved Olive’s concern off, and she continued. “Others change their skin altogether, sometimes multiple times a year, depending on what’s trending. You can change your bone structure too—you can even exchange your current eye color for a new one!” Sol frowned at the idea. Olive misunderstood, freezing mid-sentence. “Not you specifically! I meant just people in general, if they want. You don’t need to change anything. Your eyes are perfect. I mean, fine. You know, they’re nice–”

  Evalene bit her lip to keep from smiling. “You could also remove a body part with cancer and replace it with a new one,” she added a more practical application, rescuing Olive before she could dig herself any deeper. Olive blushed prettily, turning a more vivid red than Evalene had ever seen on her before.

  Sol nodded understanding. Somehow, he managed not to laugh at Olive as he asked, “What if Pearl used BioGrading to change her appearance?”

  “That’s a possibility,” Jeremiah acknowledged, meeting Evalene’s eye as she pursed her lips and nodded. “Hopefully we’ll still be able to find her trail, but if she did choose to BioGrade it could complicate things. The BioGrades here are quite sophisticated.” He gestured towards Evalene and Olive. “The girls have seen BioGrading in Hofyn before, but the science behind it actually began here
in the Divided States, making it more advanced than any other country.”

  Olive frowned and opened her mouth, but before she could argue, Jeremiah added, “It’s not common knowledge, but it’s true. Most people don’t want the world to know how BioGrading began.”

  “Why?” Evalene asked.

  Jeremiah finished his last bite and set down his fork with a sigh. “When the scientists here first began their experiments, they had very few morals. The truth of the experiments is hidden deep in their history. The government tried hard to bury them. But there are rumors they used to experiment on and even harvest material from slaves—whether those people wanted it or not.”

  “You’re kidding!” Olive breathed. But Evalene and Sol both tensed, looking at each other. Having grown up in Eden, they could imagine it very easily. People did a lot of horrible things in the name of the “greater good.”

  “Unfortunately, no.” Jeremiah said, picking up his tray, standing to leave. “The experiments are the reason some Old York citizens, like Vector, refuse to participate in BioGrading. They believe it’s morally wrong to support something with such a morbid history.”

  “But, it’s not like they’re still doing it—are they?” Olive asked, as the rest of the group stood too.

  Evalene agreed, picking up her tray but not leaving the table, “Why does it matter to him, if it’s in the past?”

  Jeremiah licked his lips, searching for words. “It’s not practiced in Old York anymore…” he said, setting his tray back down as if it had grown too heavy from the weight of his words. “They aren’t certain what goes on outside their borders. But during my visits here, I’ve heard things.” He glanced between their faces, “I’m hoping we’ll never need to leave Old York, never need to worry about it… But I’ve heard rumors that the slave trade is still a huge source for BioGrading in other territories.”