As Connor and Richard had taken the limo, we walked home and so saw the danger from a block away. There was both a police officer and a tired looking older woman wearing a lanyard and a badge waiting for us on our front step of our house. It looked like Social Services had finally got a clue about a couple of unsupervised orphans living in our house.

Had I gone through with marrying Connor, Asher would have had to face them alone.

Luckily, we worked well as a team.

Trading glances, we switched to the other end of the street and kept walking past our house. Nothing to see here, officer. Just a couple of teenagers walking to the beach in our Sunday best.

I guess they didn’t have our descriptions because we didn’t get a second glance.

Asher and I walked along the beach, not talking much. Just processing. After a few minutes, I realized I was crying.

“Oh man,” Asher said, pulling me in. “It’s okay. We’ll think of something.”

“I’m not sad,” I insisted through tears. “I’m…I’m so relieved.”

Asher sighed. “Girls are so weird.”

I laughed and agreed through my racking sobs. It was as if my body was purging itself of all the stress that had racked up over Connor, Shane…and even Dad, a little. I knew he wanted me to be safe, but he wouldn’t have wanted me to live my life unhappy.

We bummed around the beach for a few hours, then returned cautiously to the house. Both the police cruiser and the woman were gone. She had left a business card from children’s services asking to give her a call.

I knew they meant well, but there was no way in hell that was happening.

Thank goodness, Dad’s bank account still wasn’t frozen. Asher and I had been withdrawing the daily maximum we could into our separate savings accounts, but it was slow going, and money didn’t mean as much as it used to.

Without Dad, our direct line to military-grade supplies was cut off, and with the price of food was skyrocketing what we had wouldn’t last long.

Things weren’t looking good. Eventually social services would return, or we’d run out of funds. Luckily, I had no intention of staying at the house.

“What do we do now?” Asher asked.

“I have an idea,” I said.

* * *

The Queen Bee herself opened the door on the third knock.

She took a moment, looking me up and down. “Are you here to sell Girl Scout cookies?”

She was such a jerk.

“I’m here to see Shane.”

She raised one finely plucked eyebrow and then turned to holler, “Shane! You have a visitor!”

Shane came around the corner, visible confusion melting into happiness, and then flashing right back to bewilderment.

“So you’re the guy, huh?” Asher drawled, stepping super dramatically in front of me. I balled up a fist and punched him in the shoulder. He didn’t even flinch.

“Excuse me?” Shane asked.

Asher’s smile was as sharp as glass. “My sister just sacrificed her spot at a SAFEsite for you, so you’d better treat her right.”

“Asher!” I yelped.

Shane’s expression blanked. “Is that true?”

I winced. Jessi stood right behind her brother’s shoulder, judging me. “Can we talk about this somewhere more private?”

Shane stepped forward. His hands were warm on my arms. “Astrid, tell me you didn’t do that.”

I looked into his stormy eyes and confessed the truth. “I couldn’t marry him.”

“You can’t…Astrid, you can’t.”

“It’s done.” Then I leaned in to kiss him. After a moment of shock, his hands tightened and he kissed me back.

Jessi made a noise. I pulled away to look at her. Both she and Asher wore identical expressions of Not Impressed. Well, they’d just have to get used to it. “

It’s going to be okay. I have a plan to get us through the impact.” I nodded to inside the house. “Can we talk? All of us?”

“Yes,” agreed the graveled voice of Deborah O’Hannon, from where she’d been clearly listening just beyond the door. “I’m interested in hearing about this, too.”

* * *

“A second lottery?” Shane repeated. We sat side-by-side around the small kitchen table in his house. Dad’s map of the marked SAFEsites lay out in front of us.

Under the table, Shane and I gripped hands. I don’t think either of us meant to let go for a long time.

“A second lottery makes sense,” Asher said. “The type of people who could buy their way into the SAFEsite aren’t construction worker types.”

Jessi rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “That’s why they had the lottery. To get normal people in as well as the elite.”

“Seriously?” he shot back. “Don’t tell me you actually believe the first lottery wasn’t rigged. No one knows anyone who got in for sure.”

“Because they were supposed to keep it secret,” I reminded him.

“That’s convenient,” Asher said. “So either everyone is really good at keeping secrets, or it’s all a big scam. Which do you think is more likely?”

I glanced around the table. No one had an answer to that.

Shane’s Aunt Deborah spoke in calm, measured tones. “I agree, which makes me worry. If this second lottery is real, there is every chance that it, too, will be corrupted when it’s time to hand out spots.”

“It’s real,” I said firmly. “Connor was promising Asher a seat using it.”

“Still doesn’t mean it isn’t as rigged as the first one,” Jessi said.

Asher snapped his mouth shut and agreed with a shrug and a nod. Apparently, she’d taken the words right out of his mouth.

“Look.” I paused for a second, breathing in and gathering my thoughts. “I know it’s not guaranteed, but it’s still a chance to survive what is coming. Shouldn’t we at least try?”

“I think we should operate under the assumption that the seats for the second lottery have already been given out.” Shane shot an apologetic glance at me. “So once we get there, we find another way in. Stowaway if we have to.”

“What, for years?” Jessi sneered.

“No. Once they lock the doors, no one comes in or out,” I said with more confidence than I had. It was a crazy plan, but crazy was all I had left.

Now she rolled her eyes at me. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’re not construction workers. We’re still in high school.”

“If they’re at the point where they’re using prisoners, they’ll take anyone with a strong enough back,” Asher said, though reluctantly.

“She’s right about our ages, though.” Shane turned to Jessi. “Can your guy get us fake IDs? Good ones?”

“What?” For the first time, Queen Bee looked taken aback.

“Don’t play dumb,” Shane said sharply.

“I…” she looked around wildly. “I don’t have a guy.”

“Oh? You mean you don’t have a fake ID in your wallet right now?”

“Jessi,” her aunt said warningly.

Queen Bee looked from her aunt to her brother, and then rolled her eyes. “Oh my God, you are such a nark.”

Deborah’s expression darkened. “Hand over your wallet, young lady. Now.”

With another eyeroll, Jessi grabbed her purse and more or less threw the ID across the table. Deborah took it in stride and pulled out her own ID to compare the two.

“Hmm. It is good enough to pass a liquor store clerk, but not a government official, I think. Can your connection do better?”

It was super gratifying to see Queen Bee at a loss for words.

Asher tipped back his head and laughed.

Then Jessi shook her head, collecting herself. “Maybe. But he’s not cheap.”

“Asher and I can pay for most of it. Dad…” I stopped and blinked back a sudden wave of sorrow. It hit me like that sometimes. Dad was gone. “They, um, haven’t frozen his account yet, but there’s only so much we can take out at one time.”

“I can help with that,” Deborah said.

“How?”

She smiled. “I have my ways.”

“I hate to ask,” I said, “But Asher and I need a place to stay, too. If you let us, we can pay you back with freeze-dried food.”

“Of course you can stay, dear girl.” Her hand came to rest upon my free one. Then, to my horror, she winked. “But you will not be bunking in Shane’s room.”

I flushed and so did Shane.

But it didn’t matter. We were doing this. Under the table, Shane squeezed my hand and I squeezed back.

I had been waiting for the lottery to save me. When that didn’t work, I thought that giving up future happiness would. Now, however, I was willing to fight to live.

All I needed was a chance.

I didn’t know what the future was going to hold, what would be waiting for me when we reached the SAFEsite. But whatever happened, I wouldn’t be facing it alone. I had Asher, Shane, Deborah and yes, even Jessi alongside me.

Big Betty still had all of Earth in her crosshairs, but for the first time I didn’t fear her.

The end.

(Of book 1)