Flight of Life (Essence Series #1) Read Online Free Page A

University.”
    “ Well, that’s never going
to happen,” he said.
    “ It’s not that hard,”
Calloway said. “We can do it.”
    “ You’re a genius,” he
spat. “Yes, you can do it.”
    “ Well, my GPA says
otherwise.”
    “ That’s because you don’t
try.”
    Calloway started researching part time
jobs in the area. Breccan closed his backpack when he saw the
librarian walk over. He wiped his lips quickly then stared at the
screen like he was reading it. The librarian watched at him for a
moment before she walked away. She had thick glasses that made her
look like an insect, and her floral skirt looked like it was from
an antique store. She walked away and carried a stack of books to
the history section down the middle aisle. The library was large
and antique looking, with dark-colored wooden chairs and tables
that matched the bookcases in the room. There were lamps at every
table to keep the room well lit since the windows to the library
were tinted. Breccan wasn’t sure why their high school had such a
magnificent library. No one used it. He saw Calloway read a job
application for a sandwich shop.
    “ Why are you looking for a
job?” Breccan asked
    “ I need money.”
    “ My parents will pay for
the admissions stuff.”
    “ I don’t want them
to.”
    “ Why?” he asked. “It’s not
a big deal.”
    “ They barely make it by as
it is,” Calloway said. “Plus, they support another kid that they
never expected to have. I can’t let them spend anything extra on
me.”
    “ It’s their fault,”
Breccan snapped. “If mom got a job, we wouldn’t be so
poor.”
    “ You’re missing the
point.” Calloway sighed. “And I need a job anyway—we’re graduating
soon.”
    “ Or you could just enjoy
this while it lasts.”
    “ No,” Calloway
said.
    The library door opened and a girl
walked inside. She was wearing pink pants and a white top, and she
strode across the room with a perfect posture. Her golden earrings
reflected the light of the laps and made her appearance noticeable.
The girl had her gaze focused straight ahead, indifferent to the
presence of any other person in the world. She had brown hair that
reached her shoulders and she wore sandals even though it was
winter. She walked by the two boys without looking at them before
she took a seat at a table.
    Breccan looked over at her. “Easton
just sat down.”
    Calloway didn’t look away from his
computer. “She’s here?”
    “ Yes.”
    Calloway logged out of the computer and
grabbed his backpack from the floor. They both walked over to her
table and sat across from her. She was chewing a piece of gum while
she started at the webpage on her phone; it was the Google search
engine. She stared at it blankly like she was reading something.
Breccan glanced at Calloway, and Calloway met his look. They were
both thinking the same thing; Easton was different.
    “ Hey,” Calloway
said.
    “ Hi,” she said without
looking away from her phone.
    “ Are we too ugly to look
at?” Breccan asked her. “Or do you prefer artificial intelligence
over real people?”
    “ Yes,” she said
    “ Yes to what?” Breccan
asked.
    “ I prefer computers to
people—they can’t hurt you.”
    “ You are so weird,”
Breccan blurted.
    “ And that is why I prefer the company of
computers.”
    Calloway glared at Breccan before he
looked at Easton. “I was hoping we could talk in private about
something sensitive.”
    “ Like what?” she
said.
    “ Well,” he said as he
looked around the library. All the students were enjoying their
lunch in the cafeteria or outside in the quad. They were alone.
“It’s about the Hara-Kirs,” he whispered.
    Easton finally looked up from her
phone. “Why are we having this discussion?” Her voice was serious
and her eyes were wide with fear. “I don’t think this is
appropriate.”
    “ Can we talk about it
after school? We need your help with something,” Calloway
said.
    “ I don’t know how much
help I can