The Forsaken

the inhabitants of Destiny Station already know somehow. Perhaps from tapping into the network of hidden cameras, or from other sources. “And I found one of the rocks with our name on it,” I add. “So, is Dad here somewhere?”
    She can see the yearning in my eyes, and a look of pain flashes across her face. “Your father—”
    I can guess what’s coming next. I shut my eyes. My scarred heart aches so much that the grief is hard to bear.
    “He passed away three years ago.”
    I put my head against her chest again.
    “Don’t be sad,” my mom says. She pulls back, staring into my eyes. “He died fighting for a cause he believed in. If it weren’t for him, we never would have been able to build this place, or even get off Island Alpha. Your dad is a hero.”
    I don’t know what to say. He was always a hero to me. I just wish he were still alive. “His stories about Sisyphus kept me going,” I say. “And his carvings in the rocks as well.”
    My mom nods. It’s weird to have a mother again after I’ve become so used to being on my own. I wonder if she feels weird about it too. “What do we do now?” I ask.
    “Your being sent here wasn’t a coincidence,” she tells me. “We’ve figured out how to intercept some of the video feeds from the museum camera, and other cameras hidden around the island. I watched your arrival. I suspected you’d fail the GPPT and end up on Island Alpha, because the gift we have—the ability of our brains to repel the government neurotoxins—has a genetic component, and that’s primarily what the GPPT tests for. Of course, given your family history, they probably identified you as one of us from the start.”
    “So we’re, like . . . mutants?”
    She smiles. “No. We just have something inside our heads that won’t let the government in. We don’t know what it is, and they don’t either. A quirk of our genetic codes. Maybe Dr. Elliott told you, but that’s why the island is a testing ground for all their new variant drugs. They spray them in the atmosphere. Then hidden motion detectors around the sector boundaries alert the feelers to come and pick up the most energetic inhabitants. The sickness—what you call the Suffering—is what happens when their new drugs cause unwanted side effects. Some people are susceptible to them sooner than others. In time, almost everyone falls prey to their effects.”
    “But what about the others? My friends?”
    I glance back to see what Liam thinks, but Dr. Vargas-Ruiz is escorting him out of the room. I feel a sudden pang of fear. “Wait,” I call out.
    Liam turns.
    “We should give you some privacy,” Dr. Vargas-Ruiz says.
    “It’s okay. You can stay,” I tell Liam. To my mom, I add, “This is Liam Bernal. My . . .” I feel more fluttering in my stomach. “My boyfriend.”
    Liam smiles.
    “Nice to meet you,” my mom says to him, sounding a little awkward. But that makes sense, because the last time she saw me, I was a ten-year-old with pigtails. But then she adds, “Actually, we’ve met before, Liam. A long time ago.”
    I’m startled, and so is Liam.
    “What do you mean?” he asks her.
    “Unless I’m mistaken, your father’s name is Octavio Bernal. He was a famous rebel leader.”
    Liam now looks completely shocked. “How do you know that?”
    “Alenna’s father and I were friends with your parents many years ago, in the chaos before the UNA was formed. You and Alenna played together sometimes when you were little kids. We took a trip together to Old Florida once. You probably don’t even remember it.”
    She’s right. I don’t remember.
    But it explains so much. The instant connection I felt with Liam from the first moment I saw him on-screen.
    I turn to him, my surprise reflected in his face. It’s clear he doesn’t remember either.
    “Wow,” he says, sounding as stunned as I feel. “That’s crazy.”
    To me it seems like fate. That we would know each other as children and then be reunited again on the wheel.
    “I watched your arrival on the island as well, Liam,” my mom adds.
    Dr. Vargas-Ruiz puts a hand on his shoulder again. “Let’s give Alenna and her mother some time alone together. Besides, there’s a lot more you need to know about your father.”
    Liam looks at me and asks, “Is it all right if I go?”
    “Yes,” I tell him, still reeling from everything I’ve learned.
    “We’ll be waiting right outside,” Dr. Vargas-Ruiz assures me, as she leads Liam from the