Free Voyage (Powerless Nation #2) by Ellisa Barr Page A

go?”
    “I guess not,” Charity said, her voice trembling slightly. “I keep thinking about my family back in Seattle, you know?” 
    Sena did know. She’d been very carefully avoiding all thoughts of her foster family’s flight to California.
    “It’s hard to party when so many bad things are probably happening back home.”
    Sena found herself surprised that Charity was capable of thinking beyond the next social event, and then immediately felt bad for thinking so harshly of the girl. The truth was, they barely knew each other.
    “If you want, you can share my cabin tonight,” Sena surprised herself by offering.
    “You’ve got a cabin?”
    “Well, it belongs to a married couple… they’re letting me crash on their couch. It’s a hide-a-bed if you want to share.”
    “That sounds pretty good,” said Charity. “I thought a great big slumber party with the whole class would be a blast. It wasn’t. It was kind of sad. A lot of crying, more than anything.”
    “I can’t promise no crying, but it will be more comfortable than the floor.”
    “You’re on,” said Charity and stood up. She bent down to get something and Sena realized she had her suitcase. 
    “Do you take that with you everywhere?”
    “Pretty much,” said Charity. “Which way is the cabin? Does it have a balcony?”
    Sena led the way, hoping she hadn’t just made a big mistake.
     
    Claire and her husband were happy to share their room with Charity, and they sat in the semi-darkness for a while, talking about home and families. Claire's husband was named Ted, and they were visiting from Maryland. Ted was a government contractor and he wasn’t optimistic about their chances of getting military help.
    “You think the military’s electronics are fried too?” asked Charity.
    “They’ve known about the threat of EMP for years and never took it seriously. I think we’re in a world of trouble.”
    “All right, well we should probably get to sleep,” said Claire. “It’s getting dark.” 
    In the fading light they made the couch into a bed, and Sena laid down facing away from Charity. She turned on her book light and curled her body around it, not wanting the light to bother anyone.
    “Is that a night light?” whispered Charity.
    Sena braced herself for the inevitable mockery she knew was coming. She was surprised when instead of making fun of her Charity asked, “Can you put it in the middle?”
    Sena rolled over and put the light in the darkness between them. Tiny specks of light reflected in the tears on Charity’s cheeks. “Thanks,” she whispered, and the two girls stared at the little light until the motions of the ship rocked them to sleep.
     
    Sena awoke the next morning to find the cabin empty, and sunlight streaming in through the open balcony door. She went outside and found Charity sitting in one of the chairs, wearing jeans and a long-sleeved sweater, staring out over the water.
    “Where are Ted and Claire?” asked Sena, blinking in the bright light.
    “They went to get breakfast, and they’re bringing some back for us.”
    “That was nice of them.”
    “Did you know their son died last year?”
    Sena nodded. “Yeah, Claire mentioned it. Do you know what happened?”
    “He was hit by a car, riding his bike home from school.”
    “Wow, that really sucks.”
    “You never know what’s going to happen. Everything can change so fast.”
    “Are you okay?” Sena asked. “You don’t seem like yourself very much.”
    Charity blurted, “If we get out of this I’m going to try to be a better person. I am going to be a good daughter, and I’m going to sell my stuff and give the money to the poor. I don’t care about being popular or having the best clothes anymore.”
    Sena looked at Charity curiously. “You’re going to give away all your stuff?”
    “Yep.”
    “And stop being popular?”
    “Maybe.”
    “How’s that going to make you a better person?”
    Charity thought about it. “I don’t