The Ravaged World (Book 2 of the Exiles Series)

Seven: Magnus

The next few days after the political meeting were eventful ones. The next day, I was ambushed by paparazzi when just walking to the tennis court on the property with Ari for some "catch-up" time. After that, I wasn't allowed to go anywhere without an escort, which made privacy impossible to come by and annoyance a certainty. After that incident, I received the news that I was officially being sworn in as president so I had to get "cleaned up" as Avalon put it. So for a whole day I was getting my hair cut, shaved, waxed, and other fun things that no human being in their right mind should have to experience. Finally, Avalon deemed me acceptable. I wish I got some choice in the matter.

Finally, after all the pandemonium on a Sunday I had some free time. So, what I did was what I had started to do on the night of the convention: call Max. When I turn on my telescreen, it is frozen on the contacts, just as I had left it before. On the D's.

I scroll down to where I was and click on my friend's name. Right before I can, I get nervous without an explanation. Part of me even wonders if he'll pick up after all this time. Before I left, no one even told my friends where I was going. Hopefully he didn't think I'd left for something better, like boarding school, which about ninety-nine percent of the press was told upon my disappearance. But, I remind myself, this was (is) my best friend and he deserves to know the truth. So I press the call button.

The telescreen makes a clicking on the other side of the line and then rings once. Twice. Three times. Finally, right at the beginning of the fourth ring, I hear a noise on the other end of the line and my heart turns ice cold.

"Hello?" a deep voice says, definitely male. It's Max, and even though I haven't heard him since he was thirteen and I was ten I still know it's him.

"Hello?" he repeats. I swallow. "If this is a prank caller," Max continues, in a deep drawl that makes him sound cocky, "I applaud the fact that you got to the President of Silver's telescreen to do it, but I really don't have time for your antics."

I hear the whoosh of air that means the device on the end of the line is moving, so I quickly say something so he doesn't hang up. "This isn't a prank call, Max," I tell him. "It's me, Magnus. Tell me you remember me?"

I hear him laugh good-naturedly. "Of course I remember, how can I forgret?" he chuckles. "I mean, you're the guy that's been giving me the cold shoulder for the past five years. How could I forget that? You'll have to do a lot better than that to make me forget you, Magnus." He laughs again, and I'm so glad to hear the teasing tone of his that I smile.

"Look, I'm sorry about my disappearance," I tell him, standing up from my desk and shuffling over to my bed, the tablet at my ear. "But getting sent away to a deserted island with no reception kind of does that to a friendship." I laugh at my own joke, but he doesn't.

"You were sent away to a deserted island?" he asks in a quiet voice, unusually timid for him.

I nod, but then I remember that he can't see, so I tell him, "Yeah. My dad sent me there. Apparently I was a nuisance. So what's new with you?"

Max goes to his side of the conversation pretty quickly. "Oh, not much has changed," he says nonchalantly. "My dad is still in the military, and we haven't moved or anything. I'm graduating soon, and then it's off to military college by your house. Otherwise, no, nothing new."

I roll my eyes. "Oh come on Max, I know there has to be something else that happened," I press. Because I don't want to tell him about my life. Especially about the island or the misery I'm going through here. I have to be careful now what I say, or risk someone hearing it that I don't want to--particularly Avalon.

"Nothing else, really," Max tells me. Then my worst fear is activated: "Tell me about the island."

I bite my lip, looking for something to say. "It wasn't bad," I say quickly. "Dangerous, but there was food and I had my own house. So, when are you graduating?" I hurriedly change the subject.