Take Me Tomorrow

Chapter Four: You're Telling Me Everything

My gray heels tapped against the pavement as the relentless sunlight beamed off of Lily's white hair. Only two years ago, Lily—Miles' twin sister—had decided not to look like her brother anymore, and she bleached her hair, chemically straightening it. Today, it twisted into a long braid that swung as she walked.

She was alive with excitement, unable to calm down about the homecoming party, and I was trying to listen to every bit. So far, all I comprehended was the amount of hours she had devoted into what would be the best homecoming party Topeka students would ever see.

"Hey, Lils, Sophia," Miles shouted, raising a hand to wave from the end of the courtyard. The school uniform for boys consisted of a long-sleeved, blue jacket, white-collared shirt, and tan slacks. He had to be suffocating in the August heat, but he grinned as he leaned on the front gate.

It was a ritual that happened every day after school. Lily ran up to her brother, and I walked after her. Standing next to Miles, Lily's white hair did little to differ the siblings. Their tan skin and dark eyes were undeniably related, and they both teetered a few inches above me. The amount of badges the two had collected on their jackets was far beyond the measly one I had too. It was difficult for others to guess why we were friends, and every now and then, judgmental eyes landed on me for talking to them, especially Miles. Boys and girls weren't supposed to converse, after all, but family was encouraged, so they couldn't separate the twins without looking like hypocrites. I, however, was only supposed to be friends with Lily, which of course didn't happen.

The boy and girl thing was an unspoken rule anyway, something I didn't even notice until I was older. Every time I spoke to Broden or Miles, a teacher would chase us away from one another, or suddenly demand one of us run an errand. It took the constant badgering for me to look around the classroom and realize the majority of boys were seated on the left, girls on the right, and a few mixed in between to seem like random seating. But I didn't care. Lily and Miles were my first friends, and I'd never forget that.

"How was your first day?" Lily asked, appearing younger than her calm brother. Miles nodded in response, and Lily began recounting her day in extravagant detail.

Before her monologue deepened, she turned me around to face her. "I have news." Her shoulders bounced with every word. I tried to force a smile back, but Lily took one glance at me before she sighed, "You'll like it."

"Okay," I said while she squeezed my hands. "What is it?"

"There's a boy," she sang her news and shifted her weight from her heels to her toes. "He just transferred from an internship in the Phoenix Region. He's working under Phelps himself as he finishes his senior year."

My eyebrows shot up. Regions hardly received transfers, and the government refused to hire students so young unless there was an exception like Miles, the boy genius who also happened to know my father. Whoever this transfer was, he was skilled, and he knew someone important.

"What does this have to do with Sophia?" Miles interjected.

Lily rolled her eyes at him. "Because I don't have time for a boyfriend."

My stomach lurched. "Boyfriend?" I squeaked, shaking my head back and forth at my friend. "I don't—"

"You know you're interested." Lily used her sweet exterior against me. A blush burned my cheeks, but Miles grunted in disagreement. Lily glared at him. "And you're just jealous."

Miles straightened out his blue jacket. "Jealous? He sounds like a jailbreak," he joked, but the words were harsh.

Phoenix revolved around the region's jail system. It was the biggest of the six regions. If teenagers committed small crimes, they relocated to correctional institutes or the military school, like Broden was. With special permission, the military students could go into town, but if their actions worsened, they were sent to the lumberyards to work. If they got even worse, they went to Phoenix for jail time. Sometimes, and no one knew how rare it was, the criminals were even executed. With Broden's record, he was lucky to be in the military.