{"id":127,"date":"2016-09-24T00:00:47","date_gmt":"2016-09-24T06:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aaronaanderson.com\/fiction\/?p=127"},"modified":"2016-06-26T20:09:58","modified_gmt":"2016-06-27T02:09:58","slug":"nesson-24","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aaronaanderson.com\/fiction\/?p=127","title":{"rendered":"Nesson 24"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nesson<\/em> is a serial novel about living with technology and sprawl in the near future. Learn more<\/a>\u00a0or start from the beginning<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The door opened on seven people moving as if to conceal something. When they saw Moon standing silent and calm, they relaxed. She stepped in and Justin followed. “What is he doing here?” a hoarse, but feminine voice accused.<\/p>\n

“It’s fine, he’s on our side.” What side is that?<\/em> Justin wondered.<\/p>\n

“We know that, <\/em>but he’ll draw too much attention.” A man about his sister’s age said.<\/p>\n

“Hey guys, I’m standing right here you know.” He had never seen sixteen eyes roll in unison before, it certainly did not instill self-confidence. Moon had lead him to this room, holding his hand tightly as they walked. He expected to be lead to a private room somewhere. That assumption was not wrong exactly, but this is not what he was expecting for the rest of his evening. This group was visually indistinguishable from the typical Open Acres resident: long hair, tattered clothing, and a pallet of facial expressions that mostly consisted of consternation or disconnection. For some reason, though, they were meeting in secret and Moon thought he might fit in.<\/p>\n

“Look, we can’t take any risks. Everyone voted to call off acts against the Landbridge until the situation with Mike, Pat, and Al blows over. The last thing we need is Helen’s brother tagging along.”<\/p>\n

“Thomas, would I bring him here if it wasn’t ok?” He had never seen Moon so confident. Was her sullen demenor an act?<\/p>\n

“I don’t think you would intestinally put us at risk, no. But I can’t imagine any reason he’s here except that you have a little crush.”<\/p>\n

“Yeah,” it was the girl who called out when they walked in, “on the whole family I’d say.”<\/p>\n

“Sure, Astrid, as if all of us were not building alters to Allison.”<\/p>\n

Justin laughed and they all turned to him, staring death. “My sister? What’s there to worship about Allison?”<\/p>\n

“She got away,” two or three people said at the same time.<\/p>\n

“She stayed when everyone else ran,” Moon explained. “She evaded capture and has enough information to bring Links down.”<\/p>\n

“I think you may be exaggerating a little bit here.”<\/p>\n

“Exaggerating? You don’t give your sister credit for her bravery and commitment?”<\/p>\n

“Sure, but I think you’re underestimating Links. She didn’t evade<\/em> capture, Links knew she was there the whole time. It was just more convenient at the time to let her think she was hiding out.”<\/p>\n

There was an awkward beat before Thomas spoke slowly and deliberately, “If that’s the case, then you have to leave now.”<\/p>\n

“What? I haven’t done anything.”<\/p>\n

“Justin, maybe it is better that you sit this one out. We’ll talk later.” Moon opened the door, revealing a quiet, dark footpath that would take him back to the barracks. Why did she bring him here just to kick him out ten minutes later? He opened his mouth, but decided not to speak. He stepped out and the door closed gently, but surely behind him.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

At breakfast, Moon sat down across from Justin, sitting tall and looking directly in his eyes. \u201cI calmed them down after you left.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCalmed them? From what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re just a little paranoid about new people, especially potentially high profile people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStill not following, what does high profile have to do with me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, your sister obviously. But also, she wouldn\u2019t have brought you and\u2026 what\u2019s his name?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMark.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight. She would not have brought you and Mark here if there weren\u2019t some trouble you were in. We already know what she\u2019s hiding from.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOk, so I can\u2019t join your club then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t take this so lightly. We want the same things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that so?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, we want to get out of here and do something about Links and his Landbridge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that what I want to do?\u201d<\/p>\n

Moon shifted, uncertainty flashed before she adopted a bored look. \u201cI don\u2019t want to play games about this right now. If you want in, you have to come back tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought I wanted out\u2026 OW!\u201d His shin throbbed where she had landed a quick kick. Moon smiled, and Justin smiled despite feeling he should be angry.\u00a0 \u201cOk, were do we meet?\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you think he\u2019s been doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI see him walking around the compound, but he hasn\u2019t spoken to me in two days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou idiot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we\u2019re talking about\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy brother! You\u2019re an ass.\u201d She smiled and took his arm. They were walking on a shaded path, occasionally weaving around trees. There were trails here that seemed to go on forever and go nowhere.<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably just spending time with that broody girl that\u2019s always staring at you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat? At me?\u201d Allison dropped Marcus\u2019s arm and pressed her palm against her chest.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou haven\u2019t noticed?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2026 but I\u2019ve gotten used to stares and whispers at this point. I can\u2019t tell if everyone hates me or loves me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth. They admire you for staying on the island and getting information, but the others had been on the commune for years. You\u2019re a reminder that no one knows what is happening to their friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLinks is a power mad asshole, but I don\u2019t think he\u2019s torturing the guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t think<\/em>? So it\u2019s possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re being weird. Why are you being so weird?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, I listen to a lot of idle conversation in the kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWait, people are talking about me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout all three of us, but especially you.\u201d They walked up a moderate hill and looked back at Open Acres. It was modest, that was certain, but quite ambitious. Here were hundreds of people forsaking the modern world and building a community. Looking the other direction there was nothing. There was a speck in the distance could have been someone\u2019s home, or it could just be an odd shaped rock, it was too far to tell.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyway, what do you think he is up to?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, he\u2019s your brother. Which way should we go from here?\u201d Allison pointed. \u201cBut there\u2019s where we just came from.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I have to get back and see what Justin and that girl think they\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes it matter?\u201d She gave him a blank glance and walked around him to get on the trail back to the village. \u201cOK, fine. But you still owe me a hike and picnic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back at the compound, Allison started asking around. Everyone knew he was with Moon, but no one could tell her where they went. Marcus said he would see her at dinner and left her to hunt by herself. No sooner had he walked away than Old Nan cornered her. Allison looked left and right for a reason to excuse herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you looking for, sugar?\u201d Nan said in an affected accent. At least, everyone was pretty sure it was affected. Nan was a washed up hipster older than Allison\u2019s grandparents and mentally the age of her brother. No one knew how long she had been on the compound. As far as anyone could tell she had always been around to mooch intoxicants and spin tangled yarns.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, it\u2019s just my brother. You haven\u2019t seen him have you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOoo, I\u2019d like to find him too, if you know what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEw. I mean. Wait, what do you mean?\u201d Nan just laughed. Allison was about to let her have it when she saw Justin out of the corner of her eye. He had disappeared behind a door before she could turn her head. \u201cThere! What is that building?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat? Oh, that\u2019s storage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI see, but why would\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStorage and where those kids think they\u2019re meeting in secret.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat kids?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome secret. Everyone knows, but they won\u2019t let me hang out with them anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are they doing in there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPfft. Who cares? It\u2019s not like anything will come of it. Just a few kids against a whole corporation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2026 I thought the commune voted\u2026 Oh no.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWait, where are you going? I was going to tell you about the council. Do you know what they are up to now? Under all of our noses? Think they own\u2026\u201d Nan\u2019s voice trailed off as Allison jogged to the shack Justin and, presumably, Moon just entered. What was she going to do with that kid? He came halfway around the world to bring her home just so he could get into the same mess she did.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlright, alright, five minutes and I\u2019ll have more clean plates.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, no. It\u2019s not that. You came here with Allison and her brother right?\u201d Marcus turned around. A young girl was looking at him, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She was wearing a spotless bandana over her hair, which was finely brushed. People did not bring up his relationship with Allison, though it seemed as if they had opinions about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s to say they didn\u2019t come here with me?\u201d The girl did not say anything, just rubbed her hands together. He could see her nail polish and that it was in perfect shape. \u201cOk, yes. And?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour name\u2019s\u2026 Mark, is that it?\u201d he nodded, \u201cI\u2019m Astrid. Look, Justin has been hanging around with Moon a lot and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is everyone\u2019s deal with this? I think it\u2019s great, if anyone needs a few dates it\u2019s those two.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no. I don\u2019t care about that. It\u2019s just that he\u2019s always around her now and I don\u2019t know if he\u2019s, well, trust worthy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, I don\u2019t know him all that well. I do know his sister, and I think you know I admire her quite a bit. I also know he blindly traveled into the unknown to find her when she disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you\u2019re saying\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m saying nothing really. Why do you care?\u201d Astrid was about to speak when she saw something behind Marcus.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoesn\u2019t matter, I have to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s that walking away so fast? And I thought I was a little young for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHah, hah. Just some girl. You two actually have something in common; she was nosing around Justin and Moon\u2019s relationship. I don\u2019t know what that kid does to these hippie girls.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh! Where\u2019d she go? I\u2019ve got to talk to her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, she just ran off as soon as you showed up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething is going on. I\u2019m sure that they\u2019re going to get Justin in trouble. Which is also trouble for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d Marcus turned back to the pile of dishes, cocking his head to show he was listening. Allison explained about Old Nan and the shack where Moon had been taking Justin.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does he have to say about it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. I can\u2019t pin him down to even say hello. I saw him go in that shack, but he was gone before I got in there.\u201d Marcus started laughing. \u201cWhat, what\u2019s funny about this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just started thinking about how weird that is, to not be able to talk to someone. Even on Nesson I couldn\u2019t avoid someone if I tried. I certainly tried, that\u2019s why I was there in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you ever try to avoid me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWeeelll\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou asshole.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no, I\u2019m just kidding.\u201d She was already gone. Marcus was holding a dish he just realized he had already cleaned two or three times. She wasn\u2019t really mad was she?<\/p>\n

\n

To get updates on Nesson and my other works, follow me on twitter:\u00a0@aanderson2323<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

You can also\u00a0\"\"<\/a>\u00a0Subscribe<\/a><\/p>\n

Nesson is an ad free serial fiction project. If you like what you have read, please leave a comment and share!\u00a0If you’re feeling extra generous, donate<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0help me keep the story going and build this site!<\/p>\n

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