Joan the Made (Throwbacks Series, Book 1)

Chapter 28

It only takes Elizabeth a couple of days to get me a meeting with a reporter at one of the major Seattle news sources, the Emerald City Adviser. Their news program is one of the highest watched on YouTube.

"Walt is a good friend of my mom's," Elizabeth says as we take a bus to the Emerald City office complex on the outskirts of Seattle. "Don't embarrass me by acting like . . . yourself."

"I see. He doesn't like charming, brilliant, young go-getters?" I ask, and smile when Elizabeth glowers at me. "How the peasants must have cowered under that gaze."

Elizabeth scratches her nose, and I think it's to cover up a grin.

We get off the bus twenty minutes later, and the Emerald City office building is easy to spot. It's the only skyscraper this far away from the city center. Naturally, it's green, which seems like an obvious choice to me.

Security guards are posted at the doors.

"Identification," barks an Evolved officer as we come closer.

Elizabeth and I show our IDs on our phones, and he gives a nod. "Straight to the tenth floor. Go anywhere else in the building and you'll be arrested."

"Of course," Elizabeth says, and then gives him a nod as if she's dismissing one of her subjects.

I follow her confident stride inside to a large lobby with a white marble floor. An elevator waits, open, and Elizabeth and I step inside. It knows to take us to the tenth floor, and we exit into a busy office.

Screens cover the walls, and every single one has different vids on it. The effect is overstimulating, and I can't imagine how the reporters turn the chaos into narratives.

But all of the action doesn't faze Elizabeth, and she leads me through the crowded room to an office in the corner. Without bothering to knock, she steps inside a room that is blessedly quiet. It must be equipped with the highest quality noise-canceling technology because the clamor outside the door is completely muted.

Sitting behind a large glass desk is a man with silver hair and thick-rimmed glasses that he can't possibly need. The style choice is hopelessly old-fashioned, and I hope that he's more up-to-date on current events than he is on fashion trends.

"Lizzie," he says with a warm smile, standing to greet us.

He gives her a hug, and she rests her head on his shoulder. It's only for a heartbeat, but she looks relaxed and safe—two things I've yearned for my entire life. I beat down a little spark of jealousy.

"This is Joan, a classmate," Elizabeth says. "Joan, meet my uncle Walter."

"Good to meet you, sir."

"None of that. Call me Walt," he says, before hugging me like he hugged Elizabeth.

"How is show biz treating you, Lizzie?" he asks after we settle into chairs.

"You know I think it's all a waste of time," she says, tucking her feet under her. This natural girlish side of her is unexpected and unsettling. "I only went to Seattle Secondary to see some action."

"And have you?" he asks with a grin.

This guy knows about Crew and the rebellion? It's all I can do to keep from yelling at Elizabeth for being so stupid. I haven't even trusted my parents with that information!

"We need your help," she says.

The amused smile drops from Walt's face, and he leans forward, his eyes shining eagerly. "You have a story for me?"

"Yes. And it's epic," Elizabeth says. "Joan, tell him about the headmaster."

In her sharp gaze, I realize that I've underestimated her. She isn't revealing critical information about the rebellion or the Strand executives. This is about publicly humiliating the headmaster.