Perception

PART ONE

ZOE

Chapter 1

I
balanced on my surfboard, right thigh burning and salt water stinging my eyes,
while the best wave of the early morning carried me like a goddess on a
pedestal to shore. My older brother Liam and I shared a friendly competition, and
it gave me a certain, blissful satisfaction to catch the same wave and to get
to shore first.

“Beat
ya!” I shouted over the noise of the crashing surf.

Seagulls
flocked and circled over us, squawking loudly, adding to the cacophony.

The
sun glistened off Liam’s damp blond curls as he shook them out. His eyes
sparkled as his lips tugged up into a grin. “I let you win.”

“Did
not!” I smacked him playfully on the arm. “One more ride?”

Liam
unzipped his wetsuit letting the top half fall down past his waist. He was in
fine form, and I understood why all the girls raved about him. He was responsible
for a long list of broken hearts.

“I
gotta get going,” he said, lifting his board.

I
fell into stride beside him, my feet sinking into the cold, wet sand. “So soon?”

He
nodded, the glint leaving his eyes. My lips tightened into a frown “You’re
taking off with Jackson again?”

Jackson
was my boyfriend but lately he’d been spending more time with my brother than
he had with me. It was starting to tick me off.

Liam
stared straight ahead. “Lab stuff.”

“What
are you working on?” I rushed to keep up with my brother’s long, strong
strides. He flicked his head, tossing the hair out of his eyes but didn’t
answer.

“Come
on,” I knocked into him sideways. “Tell me!”

“It’s
just stuff.”

“Just
stuff? Like what? Top CIA stuff? I know you’re smart but I think the government
has been doing a good job without your help.”

I
meant it as a joke, but Liam huffed. “It’s just stuff, okay? So leave it.”

I
stopped short, shocked that he’d snapped at me.

He
turned around and exhaled, “Zoe, I’m sorry.”

“Fine.
If you can’t tell me, you can’t tell me.”

We
resumed our trek along the beach, and I pushed back my frustration. Liam used
to include me in everything. It was always him and me against everyone else.
Him and me against Alison and Paul, aka our mom and dad. Him and me against the
surf. We were a team. When did we start keeping secrets from each other?
Rather, when did he start keeping secrets from me?

I
re-adjusted my board under my arm. Maybe I could get Jackson to unzip his lips.
Especially if I helped him. He could be easily persuaded if I poured on the
charm. I hated to go behind my brother’s back for information, but something
about all this–this, whatever it was that Liam was doing–made me uneasy. I
couldn’t pinpoint why, it just did.

We
reached our home, a massive glass box with two floors of windows facing the
Pacific Ocean. It was built after the San Andreas Fault shifted and triggered
the Big Quake that, along with the subsequent tsunami, wiped out ten miles of
shoreline.

A nearby white-stucco
storage shed housed all our water toys. We stopped there to hang up our
wetsuits to dry.

“Thanks
for surfing with me today.” Liam said, smiling at me, back to his jovial self. “I
know it was a sacrifice for you to get up so early.”

I
smiled in return. “No problem. It was fun.” Surfing with Liam was one of my
most favorite things to do.

“You’re
back for dinner?” I asked.

Liam
didn’t know it, but once he left, I’d be spending the rest of the day preparing
for his surprise birthday party. He’d turned twenty-one yesterday and had celebrated
at a bar with his friends. I couldn’t go because I was underage, and it irked
me that Jackson went and that he and Liam had once again shared a significant
moment without me. I took consolation in the fact that Alison and Paul gave me
free reign to plan this party. My heart beat with excitement, and I couldn’t
wait to see his face when he got home and found the house full of his friends.

“Yeah,
I’ll be there,” he answered.

I
bit my cheek to keep my voice even. “Good. We’ll see you, then.”

Our property tiered
twice before connecting with the sandy beach. Three glass doors slid open
disappearing into the corner and creating a wall-less view of the stone patio
that encased an eternity pool. Its waters slipped over the far edge into a
waterfall that was collected again on the second tier.

Liam
strode into the house, through the living room and down the hall to his bedroom
at the back, his wet shorts dripping on the glossy white tiles.

I
tightened the towel around my waist and climbed the open-slat staircase to my
room.

As
I passed the maid, Saundra something, her brown face blanched. She stumbled
slightly before grabbing the rail and catching herself.

“Excuse
me,” she said softly at my astonished expression.

The
woman really didn’t look well, and I was thankful for my enhanced immunization.
I was glad I didn’t have to worry about diseases brought in from the
outside
.

“Are
you okay?” I asked.

She
nodded weakly, and proceeded to clean the rails.

A
trill of anticipation reclaimed my thoughts. I couldn’t wait for tonight.

The door beside my
bathroom opened into a second room, a walk-in closet big enough to house another
bedroom set. Racks of clothes and shoes lined the walls, a well-lit mirror
station was located near the sky light and a cushioned leather bench was placed
in the middle for sitting.
I stood in my closet and
stared at the rows of sundresses, blouses and shorts.

What
to wear?

I
settled on a lace blouse and cotton shorts, then went to take a luxurious
shower, rinsing the sea water out of my long, blond hair. I leaned into the
built-in seat that was designed specifically for my body height and shape.
Laser lights mapped my head and twenty-eight silicon fingers reached out to
massage my scalp while shampooing and conditioning my hair. Most days I had to
watch or I’d doze off, but today I was excited. I commanded the water to turn
off as soon as the rinse was done.

When
I was dressed and my hair combed out and tied back, I slipped my
platinum Communication Ring onto my left middle finger. I tapped it which
produced a holographic image of my phone apps on my palm. I touched the clock
icon and
holographic digital numbers appeared in the
air.

Ten
already? Where did the time go? That was the thing with summer holidays; every
hour ran languidly into the next.

I
imagined the cook and her crew were busy preparing for the party in the
kitchen. I’d requested fresh sea food and simulated roast, fresh fruit and
vegetables, an assortment of fancy chocolates and baked items, plus a
three-tiered, surfer-themed birthday cake.

I
skipped down the stairs to check on the progress, but in my hurry to the
kitchen, I slammed into a body.

“Sorry,”
a male voice said.

I
stepped back, agitated. I recognized the dark-haired boy wearing the white
tunic my mother made the male staff wear. He was the maid’s son. He held a wet
mop in his hand, and I figured he’d been cleaning up Liam’s spotty water trail.

He
stepped politely out of the way, but the expression on his face was stoic. Even
though he was clearly from the outside and
the help
, I still expected
some small sign that what he saw when he viewed me was pleasing. A twinkle in
the eye, a slight upturning of the lips. These were the responses I got from
all the boys. The straight ones, anyway.

He wasn't especially
attractive but I didn't see people with his appearance very often. He had eyes
the color of imported coffee beans and skin like caramel candy. His nose was
wide and his jaw-line sharp. I was suddenly intrigued by him and surprised myself
by thinking he looked exotic.

“Excuse
me, what was your name again?” I asked.

“Noah.”

Right.
I remembered now. I waited for him to say something, but he stayed quiet.

Footsteps echoed from
the hall above. My parents spoke together, their muffled voices floating across
the high ceilings.

“Do other maids send
their sons to do their work?” Alison's voice had a brassy tone that carried
through the cavernous space.

I felt a flare of red
creep up my neck when I realized Alison was talking about Noah. My eyes darted
to his, but he kept his averted.

“He does a good job,”
Paul responded. “That's the main thing. Besides you know they need the money.”

“So we're charity
now?”

“What's wrong with a
little charity? Besides, they're not just anybody.”

“I don't care. I
still don't trust him.”

I was mortified. My
feet felt cemented to the floor and I didn’t know what to say. Anything would
come off as trite since nothing I could say could undo what Noah had heard.

“Did you know the
Pikes have a household robot now?” Alison, again. “Apparently it’s very
efficient, and at least Mary doesn’t have to worry about things going missing.”

Noah’s jaw tightened
and he turned his back to me. He attacked Liam’s dried and dusty water spots
aggressively and soon had disappeared around the corner.

“Zoe?” Alison
click-clacked down the wooden stairs. She wore a pale yellow pant suit and high
heels even though it was Saturday. She was in-between careers now, having spent
the last fifteen years in law. She barely looked thirty years old and with lots
of time ahead of her, she could do anything. Probably several things.