After Impact: After Impact Trilogy, Book 1 Read Online Free Page B

everything about this place and the people in it. Still, Avalon chose not to press the issue.
    After Avalon greeted the rest of the gang, Skylar began to chat.
    “I just can’t get over what happened to Dexter,” Skylar said to Ilium while taking a sip of her iced water.
    “I agree.” Ilium stated while taking a bite of his boiled egg.
    “Who is Dexter?” Avalon asked.
    “He held your role in the computer lab group before you. He passed away right before you woke up. Fortunately, you arrived just in time to take his place,” Ilium answered.
    Avalon took a bite of her green salad. “Do you know what he passed away from?”
    “They say some sort of virus. But there are rumors,” Skylar said. Brody gently kicked her underneath the table.
    “Rumors like what?” Avalon pressed.
    Skylar’s face scrunched up. Brody stared at her.
    “You know what I miss?” Brody said, changing the subject.
    “Wait Brody. I want to hear what Skylar was about to say,” Avalon answered.
    Skylar took a sip of water. “Well. Rumors say he was killed. That something happened t o him.”
    “That’s why I tried to change the subject,” Brody said with a roll of his eyes. “There is no need in scaring the girl time she wakes up.”
    “They are only rumors,” Skylar insisted. “She deserves to know, regardless.”
    Killed. That is a strong accusation. Unconsciously, Avalon touched her necklace.
    “Who would do such a thing?” Avalon asked, her eyes wide.
    “I miss the warmth of the sun on my face. Not just the rec room VR stuff, but the real sun. Haptic technology has come far, but it is still far from a perfect simulation. What about you Avalon? What do you miss?” Brody asked.
    Avalon wanted to know who or what killed Dexter. Even if it was just a rumor. But she also didn’t want to rock the boat. So Avalon chose to think of all the things she missed. Her family. Her friends. Church. School. But stating any of the above would lead to an uncontrollable crying session, so she chose to talk about food.
    “I miss homemade Mac and Cheese.” Several groans issued amongst the group.
    “Man that’s a good one. Why’d you have to bring up food? My grandma was the best cook,” Brody said.
“Best cakes too. She would carry those cakes to everything. Cake cured almost all ails.”
    Avalon nodded her head in agreement noting the slight mist in Brody’s eyes at mentioning his Grandma. Avalon missed her grandmother too. Her sweet Nana used to bake her cupcakes on the weekends. She didn’t see her that often, because she lived in the Deep South. She mainly visited during the summers. The hot, humid, sticky summers that were rescued by the cold sweet tea. A smile formed across her face at the memories. Avalon was grateful her grandmother passed on long before the asteroid threatened the Earth.
    “How do you eat that potato without any sour cream or cheese?” Avalon asked Ilium.
    Ilium laughed. “You will learn how to do without a lot of things we had on the outside in due time,” Ilium said.
    Avalon took a bite of her protein bar. After chewing for a long time, she swallowed. It did not taste too bad. Avalon’s eyes wandered to the Accipio table and she noticed how much healthier they looked than the other classes. Avalon asked, “What exactly do the Accipios do here?”
    “Their tasks are mostly managerial in nature,” Brody informed Avalon. “There is no monetary system for remuneration here. We all receive rations for the basic necessities and barter for anything extra.”
    Managerial. Seemingly the AI could handle that task. Avalon finished her protein bar and laid the empty wrapper down on her tray.
    The holographic wall screen lit up in front of Avalon and the whole cafeteria. Everyone became quiet as the Presidential seal appeared on the screen, followed by a close up of the President sitting in front of his large wooden desk.
    “Good afternoon,” the President said.
    “Good afternoon,” everyone replied in