Expiration Date (Books 1 and 2)

67 I Don't Have Family So Who Are You

Iris~~

I feel like the world has fallen away beneath my feet. R struggles to keep me up right. This is foolish of me, getting this dizzying feeling. I don't have any family. I wouldn't have grown up in an orphanage if I had. There are other Levines in this world, plenty I haven't met.

Even so, every time I hear my last name on someone else, I get this feeling. A disastrous what if feeling.

The man turns, a green beer bottle in his hand. The fire reflects off his red hair. There are plenty of people with red hair in this world. Riley, the Eta, for instance has reddish hair and—and—and he's talking to me, ". . . tells me your name is Iris Levine. What were your parents' names?" His eyes are wide—but maybe they're always that big—and he passes his bottle to Auura. He has to know this is ridiculous.

I wet my lips, trying to force my parents' names onto my tongue. I haven't said their names in—well, I can't remember how long. "Mariah and Lucas. They died when I was born."

He falls to his knees, and now it's my eyes that widen. "Beth," his voice comes out hoarse.

A woman with a blonde bob runs down the steps of the camper closest to us. "What is it?"

"Iris," he says.

She grips the doorway. "That can't be." She takes me in with her eyes. "You're supposed to be dead."

My heart thunders, and I can't get it back under control. Everyone is looking at us.

Mr. Levine tries but fails to get to his feet. "Iris, how are you alive?"

I want to recoil, but R still holds on tight. No. No, they can't be. "Who are you?"

"My name is Thomas." He places a hand over his chest before motioning to the woman in the doorway of the RV. "And this is my wife, Beth. Your father was my brother."

"No." I shake my head. "I don't have any family."

They both look pained, but it's Beth who speaks. "Why don't you come inside, and we can talk in private?"

"Why don't you tell your men to let us go?"

Thomas finally succeeds in standing up. "You're with the Tresais."

"And I grew up in an orphanage. It looks like we all have reasons to be skeptical."

He bows his head and raises his arm. "Release them."

Our bonds are cut. I flex my wrists.

Thomas gestures to his camper. "Now, will you please come inside?"

Erik steps up beside me, and I cross my arms. It's not that I don't believe them. It's that I don't trust them. But he did what I asked; now I'm supposed to return the favor. I nod despite the churning in my stomach.

Inside it's cramped, but nothing is out of its place. To the right of the entrance is a bed, and the kitchen dining area is to the left. Beth offers for us to sit down and while Erik takes her up on her offer and sits at the edge of their bed, I choose to remain standing, leaning against the counter.

Thomas wipes his palms on his jeans. "You have your mother's eyes."

The churning in my stomach turns to butterflies, and I bite my lip. I was never shown a picture of my parents. Hearing I have my mom's eyes affects me more than I thought it would. It's certainly better than hearing I have Molly's eyes.

Beth stands next to Thomas, wringing her hands. "We had a memorial for you. We knew your Expiration Date was August Tenth, but here you are. How?"

"How did you know my Expiration Date?"

Her wringing continues. "We saw it on your arm right after you were Marked."

Those butterflies fly away quickly and in their wake leave dread. "Are you my next of kin?"

Beth has tears in her eyes. "Iris . . ."

"Are you?"

"Yes," Thomas says.

I grip the counter behind me. "Why didn't you adopt me? Why did you let me think I had no one?"

"I had just lost my brother far too soon. I couldn't go through that again."

The walls feel like they're closing in. Tears come to my eyes. "I'm not doing this."

I rush out of the trailer, hitting each step. The people around the fire stop what they're doing to look at me. I don't spare them more than a glance. Why is this my life story—that death defines who I am to people?

I come to a stop at the pond and sink to the ground. I wipe the tears from my eyes, but that only seems to double them. The frog sits a few feet away. I don't like frogs.

I hug my knees to my chest. The lights behind me reflect off the pond.

It's hardly a pond. More like an oversized puddle. It's maybe ten feet across. I like it though.

I rub at my arms and feel the edges of my bandage through my sleeve. So many people crossed me off their lists when they found out my Expiration Date.

Sand crunches behind me, and Erik sits down next to me. "Hey."

I can't remember how to answer.

"What are you doing? You found your family. Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

I choke on the lump in my throat, and that's all that's needed for the sob to escape giving my tears free reign. I curl into him, burying my face into his side. "Is it bad that all I've ever really wanted was someone to love me unconditionally?"

Erik touches my back with his fingers before settling the rest of his hand down against me.

"They couldn't because I was going to die on them. But everyone dies. I was just going to die sooner than most people. You wouldn't even be here if I wasn't valuable to you."

"Iris—"

"You don't have to deny it. I'm your ticket out of the Society. You know, I thought being related to someone might mean they could love me even with this Expiration Date. They had me in their arms, Erik, and they let me go. They left me to grow up surrounded by people who didn't want to get too close to me."

"They're all fools, but people make mistakes, and this was nineteen years ago. You'll hate yourself if you don't at least try with them."

I sit up and look at the sky. The stars aren't only overhead, they're around us. Without mountains and trees to block them, they close us in, wrapping us in our world. They're triumphant in the night sky, they're more dazzling than the moon, and though they may not seem like it from here, they hold more power than the moon. I think I understand why the Society favors the stars.

"I'm scared."

"I know."

"They rejected me." If my mother had lived, would she have given me up when she saw my Date?

Erik rubs my back. "And you're about to reject them. Be the better person."