Rebel Nation Read Online Free

the Gulf Coast and much of the eastern seaboard, were flooded. Changing weather patterns have also caused increased storm activity in these areas, making them uninhabitable.”
    Clover put her arm in the air again and didn’t bother to wait to be ignored. “The earthquake didn’t help.”
    â€œI was getting there. A massive earthquake, two years after California’s residents were moved to Sacramento, caused even more damage.”
    â€œAnd Tropical Storm Emmanu—”
    â€œClover. You don’t mind if
I
teach this class, do you?”
    Clover put her hand in her lap and her American history professor, Mr. Wendell, droned on.
    She sneaked a look at her friend Jude Degas. He was busy taking notes in a spiral notebook, but his mouth twitched in a half smile. Was this what she’d come back to the city for? She sighed, maybe too loudly because Mr. Wendell stopped talking and looked at her.
    â€œAm I boring you, Clover?”
    Mr. Wendell was young enough that he must have been educated at the Academy himself. Young enough that, in her opinion, he should have known how boring his lecture was without asking her.
    â€œActually,” she said. Then she stopped herself from going on. His question was rhetorical. He didn’t want her to point out that no one was engaged in his lecture. Or how much worse they were made by his obvious need to distinguish himself from his students, who were only a few years younger than him.
    Why did people ask questions they didn’t want answers to?
    Her bulldog, Mango, stirred under her desk. He had been her service dog since she was eleven years old and was pretty good at picking up on awkward situations far before she did. He lifted his jowly head and made a soft sound. Mr. Wendell turned his glare to Mango and then walked back to the front of the class.
    â€œThen, let’s continue, if you don’t mind. While northern California is home to the walled city of Sacramento, as well as the transplanted sister city of Honolulu, and is a rich agricultural resource for the whole country, the southern part of the state is no longer habitable.”
    Clover raised her hand again. Mr. Wendell stared at her, and when she didn’t lower it, said, “Yes, Miss Donovan?”
    â€œWhat about central California?” she said.
    â€œFor various reasons, most of the state of California is no longer fit for habitation.”
    She had more questions. Why did it matter what was habitable and what wasn’t, when they all lived in the fifty cities anyway? But he started talking about the Gulf states before she could say any more. She pulled out a notebook and started making a list of things she wanted to talk to her brother about.
    She waited all week for Saturdays away from campus, at the Dinosaur with Jude, when they talked to West online. At least history was the last class of the day, and of the week, since it was Friday.
    As they left twenty minutes later, Jude scratched Mango behind the ears. “Two days of freedom,” he said. And he was right. That was just what it felt like.
    Heather Sweeney pushed past on her way out of the classroom, causing Clover to bump into Jude. He put an arm around her waist to keep them both from falling over. He took his hand back as soon as she arched away from it and said, “Jesus, Heather.”
    The girl looked over her shoulder as she reached her friends near the end of the hallway. “Like it’s my fault she’s always in the way?”
    Mango pressed into Clover’s legs. She was rocking, heel to toe, heel to toe, with Heather’s words spinning around her head.
    â€œForget her,” Jude said. “Let’s swim.”
    â€”
    They’d been to the Academy pool several times a week for six weeks, but no matter how hard Jude tried to teach her, Clover could not even float.
    Swimming felt about as likely as walking on the ceiling.
    She was fine as long as she felt Jude’s