The Ark by Laura Liddell Nolen
Published by: HarperVoyagerPublication date: March 26th 2015
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult
There’s a meteor headed for Earth, and there is only one way to survive.
With her criminal record, sixteen-year-old Char is never going to get a place on an Ark, one of the five massive bioships designed to protect Earth’s survivors. The Arks are reserved for the real goody-goodies, like Char’s mom, dad, and brother, all of whom have long since turned their backs on her.
With Earth on the brink of destruction, Char must use all her tricks of the trade to swindle her way into outer space, where she hopes to reunite with her family, regardless of whether they want to see her or not.
Once she arrives on the North American Ark, Char discovers that the remnants of humanity haven’t achieved the egalitarian utopia they’d planned for. For starters, the “Officers of the Peace” are anything but peaceful, especially since stealing a spot on an Ark is a crime punishable by death…
With her criminal record, sixteen-year-old Char is never going to get a place on an Ark, one of the five massive bioships designed to protect Earth’s survivors. The Arks are reserved for the real goody-goodies, like Char’s mom, dad, and brother, all of whom have long since turned their backs on her.
With Earth on the brink of destruction, Char must use all her tricks of the trade to swindle her way into outer space, where she hopes to reunite with her family, regardless of whether they want to see her or not.
Once she arrives on the North American Ark, Char discovers that the remnants of humanity haven’t achieved the egalitarian utopia they’d planned for. For starters, the “Officers of the Peace” are anything but peaceful, especially since stealing a spot on an Ark is a crime punishable by death…
On
the last day of Earth, I couldn’t find my hairbrush. That probably
seems like a silly thing to worry about, what with the imminent
destruction of, well, everything,
but my mom was always after me about my usual ratty ponytail.
Normally, I’d ignore her. Or, if I were having a really bad day,
I’d tell her what she could do with her hairbrush. But like I said,
it was the last day of Earth. And I figured, since it was the last
time she’d ever see me, I wanted it to go smoothly. I wanted her to
remember me, if not fondly, then at least without anger.
A
girl can dream.
I
slipped out of my cell as soon as the door swung open. I’d done the
same every day for the past month, and my family had yet to show up.
Their OPT—Off-Planet Transport—took off in eighteen hours, so
they still had time. Barely. I couldn’t blame them if they didn’t
come. It wasn’t hard to imagine that they’d rather escape to the
stars without so much as a backward glance at me, their big
disappointment. Even my father’s influence couldn’t persuade the
government to give me a spot on an OPT.
Turns
out, when humankind is deciding which of its children to save, the
last place it looks is in prison.
But
I was pretty sure they’d come. West had said as much in his last
transmission. The thought of my younger brother actually halted me
mid-step, like one of those punches in the gut where you can’t
breathe for a few seconds.
“Looking
for something?” The lazy drawl floated out of the nearest cell.
Against
my better instincts, I turned to see Cassa lying on her bunk, her arm
draped across Kip. My
Kip. Or at least, my ex-Kip. Whatever. In twenty-two hours, I
wouldn’t have to think about him anymore.
See?
Silver lining. And they called me a perpetual pessimist at my last
psych workup.
They
barely fit next to each other on the flimsy mattress, but that wasn’t
the weird part. The guys’ ward was separated by a substantial metal
wall. We were kept apart during evening hours, for obvious reasons.
Not that anyone cared anymore. The med staff had been the first to
go, followed by the cleaning crew, followed by the kitchen crew. To
show you where girls like me fell on the government’s list of
priorities, there was still a skeleton crew of guards lurking around,
despite the fact that I hadn’t had a real meal for going on a week.
The guards would be gone soon, too, and then there’d be no one in
here but us chickens.
I
figured either Kip had a key, or the guards had left already. A key
could be useful. My curiosity got the best of me. “How’d he get
in here before the first bell?”
He
cocked an eyebrow. “I got some tricks you ain’t seen, babe. Why
don’t you join us? End of the world and all.”
The
guards were gone, then. I felt a small trill of anxiety deep in my
chest. If the guards were gone, my family was even less likely to
show. But it was never smart to show fear. “The Pinball could be
headed straight
for
this building, and I still wouldn’t be desperate enough to touch
you. Oh, wait. Guess you don’t have to take my word for it.”
I
turned to leave, but he continued. “Now is that any way to treat
your dear ole partners? Be nice or I won’t give you back your
stuff.”
“Ugh,
you were in my room?”
I flexed my shoulder blades, making sure my gun was still tightly
secured between them.
“Don’t
worry, Char. I didn’t handle the merchandise. Didn’t want to wake
you up. Just lifted me a few keepsakes.” He pronounced my name the
way I like: Char,
as in charred.
Something
that got burned.
I
wasn’t sure what Kip and Cassa were planning, but I knew I wouldn’t
like it. They were thieves and liars. I would know. I used to be one
of them. That was before the last job, when Cassa had attacked an
elderly man in the home we were robbing. She’d kicked him until he
stopped fighting back. Kip had called her off after a few licks, but
I just stood there, staring. The old man looked at me, like right at
me, while we made our getaway, and my stomach twisted into a knot so
tight that I tasted bile. That was the moment I knew I wanted out.
But
by then, no one believed me. Or, if they did, no one cared. Except
for Kip and Cassa, of course. They’d taken the news pretty hard, to
put it lightly.
If
I lunged for the box, I could probably grab my hairbrush and get out
of there. I wouldn’t have time for more than that. Then again, I’d
be doing exactly what they expected, and I didn’t have time for
delays. My family could be in the commissary any second now.
“Ahem.
Seeing as it’s your last day of life, I might let you have one
thing back,” said Kip.
“In
exchange for what?”
“I’m
hurt. All our time together, and you still don’t believe in my
inherent generosity. But now that you mention it, I’ve got a
hankering for some peanut butter crackers.”
“Sorry,
Kip. I’m fresh out of food. Kinda like everyone else.”
“Nice
try, Charrr.”
He drew my name out, as though tasting it. “I saw them yesterday.
Figured you were hiding them under your pillow when I couldn’t find
them last night.”
“You
figured wrong.”
All
I could think about was my brother’s face. And how I had this one
last chance to apologize to my parents, for everything. I shrugged
and turned to leave.
That
was probably a mistake.
Laura grew up in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where she spent an excellent childhood playing make-believe with her two younger brothers. The Ark is the direct result of those stories and a lifelong devotion to space-themed television. It received a Work in Progress Grant from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Laura has a degree in French and a license to practice law, but both are frozen in carbonite at present. She lives in Texas with her family.
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