Pulse

That’s gross.”
    Hawk’s shoes hit the floor before Faith could take back what she had just given in to. For Hawk, it was the single most awesome thing that had happened to him in months. He took out his three-day-old Tablet and pulled it by its gleaming corners, stretching it until it snapped into its larger size.
    “I brought you something. It’s time sensitive.”
    “Sounds mysterious,” Faith said. “Kind of like this blanket on my bed. I’m telling you, I didn’t put it here.”
    “Setting aside the fact that your room is haunted by items of home decor, I think you’ve got a nice place here.”
    Faith couldn’t help but smile as Hawk looked around the room appreciatively. He was a huge nerd, but he was sweet. “What did you bring me? If it’s a hug, you can put your shoes back on and hit the road.”
    Hawk pressed the screen on his new Tablet, bringing it to life. The light bathed the room in an eerie glow. Shadows danced on the walls as Hawk used both hands to program in some commands, bypassing several layers of security in order to reach the service he wanted access to.
    “We can only do this for about two minutes before it fades out,” Hawk said. “You’ll need to make it quick. And listen, I don’t know if I can ever do this again. The new Tablet had a back door installed, something I’ve never seen before.”
    Faith didn’t have a clue what Hawk was talking about; but then he handed her his Tablet, and his meaning became clear in an instant.
    Liz Brinn’s face was on the screen, staring back at her.
    “Liz? Is it really you?” Faith stammered.
    A cute guy with sandy-brown hair squeezed into the camera view. “Hey, Faith! Thanks for taking care of Liz while we were apart. I owe you one!”
    “No problem,” Faith said, laughing softly as her eyes began to fill with tears.
    “Uh-oh. Your buddy’s not doing too well,” Noah said.
    “Stop that,” Liz said, playfully shoving Noah out of the way. Her cheeks were flushed with good health, and she looked happy.
    “Hey, it’s okay. Don’t cry. Everything is fine, really.”
    Faith wasn’t so sure. She’d really blown it on the night she’d been swept away by Wade Quinn. “I’m so sorry, Liz. I don’t know what I was thinking. And I miss you. It’s not the same out here all alone.”
    “You have Hawk; he’s your wingman. He’ll take care of you.”
    Hawk was basking in the glow of being called a wingman to a pretty girl.
    “Wait, are you in bed with him?” Liz asked. “Whoa.”
    “It’s a sleepover,” Hawk said, leaning into the screen. “And she let me take my shoes off.”
    “Cool,” Noah said from offscreen.
    Faith shoved Hawk back toward his side of the bed with her shoulder as Liz started talking.
    “We only have about a minute left. I just want you to know I’m okay. I found Noah, obviously.”
    “What’s it like?” Faith asked. “The State, I mean. Is it as great as they say?”
    Liz pondered the question for a few seconds. She didn’t seem to know exactly how to answer.
    “It’s good, yeah. I mean, everything is clean and nice. And I have a billion channels on my Tablet; it’s insane. We watch it all the time now. Plus there are cute guys by the millions.”
    “They all have rough hands,” Noah said.
    “He’s lying,” Liz said, rolling her eyes. “Anyway, I hope you get here soon. I know it’s just a matter of time, but you can trust me on this—you’re not going to hate it. It’s a little bit, I don’t know, boring, I guess. But it’s good.”
    Faith knew exactly what Liz was talking about, because they’d imagined the States many times. They’d seen plenty of beautiful and exciting pictures and videos of the Western State, but they’d always concluded that it lacked the grit of real life. Something real was missing. Faith didn’t know what else to say. She was so happy to see Liz; but she was sad, too, because she knew she’d never go to one of the States unless she was forced. The screen began to flutter with static.
    “I’m really, really sorry, Liz. And I’m happy for you.”
    Like a dream that folds into the mist and is quickly forgotten, Liz’s image started to fade on the Tablet screen.
    “I love you,” she said. It was full of static, but Faith heard her say it, and then Liz was gone.
    “I love you, too.”
    Hawk thought about reaching for Faith’s hand, to try and make her feel less lonely, but he was pretty sure any sudden movements in her direction would get