Satellite: The Satellite Trilogy, Part I Read Online Free PDF Page A

do much without a body, mate,” Liam says, mocking me.
    Willow shoots him a dark look. “Our bodies give us a sense of normalcy, making the transition to Satellite smoother.”
    “And who wouldn’t want all this?” Owen flexes a meaty arm at Clara. From her response, that kind of humor is not Clara’s bag.
    “Having our physical bodies means we can still feel pain, but we heal quickly, as you’ve already experienced,” Willow says.
    “He just got here. What could he have possibly experienced already?” Liam asks.
    “I punched him,” Willow states flatly.
    The others roar with laughter. Could Willow be more irritating?
    “The exhaustion—don’t forget about that one,” Owen adds, after the hyenas have settled down.
    Willow nods. “Right. We get tired, too.”
    Still trying to make sense of the age thing, I ask Willow, “How old are you?”
    “Twenty-seven.” Her face brightens, and she pushes her chair back from the table. She raises her shirt high enough to reveal her tiny stomach. Before I can stop it, my face cringes at the white vertical lines marring her skin.
    Liam smirks at me. “Not hungry anymore, are you?”
    Willow’s still smiling. “Haven’t you seen stretch marks before, kid? They’re from my baby girl.”
    I continue to stare at her bare stomach, horrified. “Did she try to claw her way out?”
    Willow howls with laughter and rubs her hand across the white scars. “I love them. They’re one of the only reminders I have of my daughter.” She pulls her shirt down and hops her chair back to the table. “And as you’ll soon see, they haven’t affected my strength one bit.”
    “How old are you?” Clara asks me in a small voice. Her blue eyes dart back to the table after briefly meeting mine.
    “Eighteen.” I shock myself with my immediate response. That explains my disease-free body. I was diagnosed at twenty-one, six months before I was supposed to marry Tate.
    “You’re just a pup!” Owen says.
    “The bloke’s barely old enough to vote,” Liam adds.
    They are nowhere near as funny as they think they are. “This comedy show sucks,” I complain.
    “How about a gun show, then?” Owen flexes his arm again.
    “Ha! More like freak show.”
    “Says the tatted girl with the dreads,” Liam replies. “Grant, don’t sweat it about being so young. Looks like Clara finds you pretty fit. You two could be the next Ken and Barbie.”
    “Liam!” Clara turns tomato red. She clears her throat and regains her composure. “You’re only nineteen, so you don’t have much room to talk.”
    He was kidding, I remind myself, and unclench my fists. I can’t imagine being with anyone else…Stop! Don’t even think it.
    I focus on my food, which is as delicious as it looks. The hot stew is a perfect match to my mom’s, and I’m scraping the bottom of the bowl too soon, not caring in the least about the heat burning my throat. Owen distracts me from going back for more by teaching me a card game called “Sats.” The game is similar to Spades, and Liam is, by far, the best player at the table.
    I’m picking the eight of diamonds out of my hand when Liam announces, “Catch you cats on the flip.”
    When I look up from my cards, Liam’s gone. I look around, wondering how he made his escape so fast.
    Clara looks at her wrist and touches the tiny oval on her beaded bracelet. “Nice to meet you, Grant.” She blushes and slings on a gold bag as big as her before mumbling something under her breath. Then she vanishes. Literally. Into thin air, like a frigging magician.
    I squeeze my eyes closed to clear the deception. When I open them, Owen forms a gun with his hand and playfully shoots me before vanishing as well. Around the room, others vaporize the same way, minus the gun gesture.
    “That’s our cue, kid. May as well get a jump on some coding,” Willow says.
    “Where’d they go?” I ask, after putting my eyes back in my head.
    “I’ll explain on the way.” She stands and