Joan the Made (Throwbacks Series, Book 1)

Chapter 4

Addie meets me at the door when I come home, and she can tell from one glance at my face what I need. She ushers me upstairs, where my room is dark and cool. I slide into bed, running my hands along the crisp sheets that she washed today.

"Thank you," I murmur.

Addie sits in a chair next to me, like she did when I was little and couldn't fall asleep at night. Her gentle fingers thread through my long hair, relaxing me. As the aching in my head recedes, the relief is so profound that I slip into sleep.

I'm unsure how much time has passed when I awake, but Addie is still in the chair next to me, keeping watch. When she sees that I'm up, she turns on a low light and shifts my pillows so I can sit up. Then she puts a tray in front of me with the dinner she always makes from scratch when I'm sick—chicken soup. It's never the same through the food and drink dispenser. After I eat, the pain in my head eases to a dull throb at the base of my skull.

"Better?" Addie asks.

"Much," I reply, reaching for her hand and holding it in my lap.

"Your parents looked in on you when they came home, but they're in bed now," she says.

"You didn't have to stay," I say, but I'm glad she did. Her presence makes me feel safe and loved.

Addie's eyes crinkle as she smiles at me. "I have a birthday present for you."

I'm confused—this is the first time that Addie has given me a present. We've always gone on adventures to celebrate birthdays and holidays. Addie has no kids or husband, so she and I have always been our own little family.

"Give me your phone," she instructs, and I reach into my pocket and hand it to her.

Addie takes it and swiftly presses a series of numbers into the keypad. A compartment in the back slides open. Addie opens a little box that is resting on my nightstand and takes out a tiny gold chip the size of my pinkie fingernail. My eyes widen as I watch her pop the chip in a corner of my open phone before sliding the compartment closed.

"How did you do that?" I ask, and she smiles. "You're going to have to teach me."

"Of course, Curious Joan," she says, using her old nickname for me. "But first, open your gift."

Addie hands me the phone, and on the screen are two little icons of presents, one purple and one gold. I touch the purple one, and a one-way ticket to Paris unfolds on the screen. The date is for August twenty-first.

"I don't understand," I say. Throwbacks can only leave the country with a special visa.

"Open the other one," Addie says.

I tap the gold present, and a passport with my picture and details fills the screen.

"Check the Status," Addie prods.

I scroll down and swallow when I see that my Status is listed as "Evolved."

"What does this mean?" I ask, my mind whirring as I sift through the possibilities of Addie's gift.

"Do you know why I never started a family?" Addie asks me, instead of answering my question. I shake my head, and she continues. "I never wanted to see a child of mine endure the existence of being a Throwback in this country. It's soul-crushing; a fate I wouldn't wish on anyone. I knew that decision might make me miserable, but it wouldn't compare to the anguish of watching my child forced into a life with no choices."

I'd always wondered why Addie was so alone, and I grip her hand even tighter when I reply. "It hurts my heart that you can't have the life you deserve."