Free Brave New Love by Paula Guran Page A

too mellowed out to be bothered to try. You don’t even lock your doors
anymore. And there’s enough work for everyone, right?”
    I nodded.
    “That’s because it takes three glazed people to do the work of one. And I bet you’ve never kissed anyone, never even thought about it.”
    I looked down and felt the weak and unfamiliar heat of a blush.
    “How do you know?”
    “You’re all too doped up to care about anything.”
    I considered what he’d said. Maybe that’s what the new dating service was for, to encourage us to do what we couldn’t do on our own. And the food. I remember my dad telling me
one night as we ate soft apples in a cinnamon sauce how he’d grown up near a farm and used to pluck apples right off the trees and eat them on his way home from school. Nothing like that
happened now.
    We had three meals a day at regular intervals, and sometimes a snack. I’d never seen any fresh food growing anywhere. It was all done somewhere else, somewhere that wouldn’t bother
us with the noise and smell and equipment. That’s what we were told.
    “I still think you’re lying,” I told him and picked up a pastry from my tray and took a bite.
    He nodded his head. “I thought as much, but it won’t matter,” he said, standing.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Well, Jesse located some friends of his. They’ll be here tomorrow,” he answered.
    “So what?”
    “So tomorrow you’re going to get a firsthand look at what it’s like to get off of that,” he said, pointing to my tray.
    Dylan walked away, leaving me alone with my food. I tried to be bothered by what he said, but I just couldn’t anymore.
    •  •  •
    Jesse had been talking about his friend Aaron for years. He always said that Aaron would want out. But when Jesse found his opportunity to disappear—a moment that
coincided with my parents being hauled off—he didn’t have time to save his friend Aaron, too.
    He’d been searching for him ever since. It took a long time, but finally he found him and, even though Jesse avoided leaving the safety of the cabins, he did leave for Aaron. After a few
outings, a little research, and one very long road trip, he’d come back, with his friend. Aaron wasn’t on his own, though. He had a family. His daughter, who he was supporting as they
walked through the clearing toward us, didn’t look much older than ten. I was glad I was a guy and closer to his son’s age. I didn’t want to have to watch a kid go through the
withdrawal. Aaron’s wife was already shaking.
    Andrew and I went over to help carry their things. In the few days between their discovery and now, we’d made them a space in the Donnelleys’ cabin. It would have to do until we
could build them a new one.
    Jesse introduced me as we escorted them in. “This is Dylan, my right-hand man.”
    I smiled. It made me glad to know that even though I’d screwed up by bringing Mackenzie here, he still felt he could trust me.
    “Dylan, we’re gonna take them straight to Doc Sara. They’ve already missed a meal, so we might as well let it play out. I want you with Austin here,” he said, motioning
to Aaron’s son.
    I nodded, feeling exhausted already. He wasn’t as big as Gabe or me, but he still looked like he could to put up a fight.
    “What are you doing to them?”
    I turned and found Mackenzie standing there, her face almost alight with concern.
    “Don’t worry,” Jesse said. “These are my friends. They want to be here.”
    Aaron turned to Jesse. “I don’t know how we’ll ever repay you. We knew something wasn’t right but we could never put our finger on it. Thank you. Thank you so
much.”
    Jesse shook his head. “You can thank me in three days. Come on. Let’s get you to Doc Sara.”
    They moved ahead, and as I watched them walk away I paused to talk to Mackenzie.
    “I know you think I’m a liar. I understand why you would, but if you want proof that there’s something inside you keeping you in a daze