The Final Six (The Final Six #1) - Alexandra Monir Page 0,4
his wife. A trio of cameramen stand in position nearby, their equipment at the ready. My heartbeat quickens.
“I should go join my parents, but let’s talk later, okay? You still need to tell me what you were doing when I found you.” Elena’s voice over my shoulder catches me off guard. I’d almost forgotten she was still here, eyeing me as water drips from my clothes onto the floor.
“Okay,” I reply with a nod, though I’m banking on ESA’s announcement detracting from any attention on me. “Thanks, Elena.”
“Buongiorno.” Prime Minister Vincenti steps up to the microphone, his voice booming across the room. “Thank you for joining us this morning, on a day that is certain to bring pride back to Rome. I can see you are all as eager as I am to hear the news, so I won’t keep you waiting. Please welcome Sergeant Clea Rossi of the Italian Armed Forces, and Dr. Hans Schroder, from the European Space Agency.”
As the crowd applauds, I squeeze into a space in the very back of the room.
Dr. Schroder steps forward. “Thank you, Prime Minister, and all of you here today. It is a great pleasure for me to be in Rome. I thought I might never get to experience your city again in my lifetime.”
The crowd quiets. We all know what he means. Our homeland is growing extinct, following in the ancient footsteps of Baiae—the first Italian city to go underwater.
“As you know, the Europa Mission is the most pressing item on our planet’s agenda,” he begins. “Our chance to terraform and colonize Jupiter’s moon can’t come soon enough. So with that said, after more than a year of scouting and reviewing countless medical and academic records, I am delighted to announce that we have selected our Twenty-Four finalists. These teenagers will spend the next four months at International Space Training Camp in America, at the end of which a final team of six will be drafted and deployed to Europa.” Dr. Schroder pauses. “And, yes. Our Twenty-Four includes one of you.”
The room fills with a mix of whoops, cheers, and nervous laughter. I scan the neighbors to my left and right, wondering about each one of them: Could it be you?
“Sergeant Rossi, would you like to do the honors?”
Dr. Schroder steps back, giving Sergeant Rossi the podium.
She clears her throat, then looks out over her audience. “The finalist from Rome, who will depart on Monday for Space Training Camp, was chosen for their remarkable survival skills, as well as a singular ability that should prove crucial for the Europa Mission.”
I hold my breath, trying to comprehend the idea of one of my own friends or neighbors leaving for America in just two days—and possibly leaving the planet altogether. I keep my eyes on the crowd, anxious to catch the first reaction of whoever is chosen.
“Your finalist from Rome is . . .”
The energy in the room thickens as we all lean forward, bracing for the name.
“Leonardo Danieli.”
Wait.
No—that can’t be right.
That’s my name.
“He’s right there!” a voice shouts.
More than a hundred heads swivel in my direction. The cameramen come running from the front of the room, their lenses trained on me. Standing between her parents, Elena lets out a sound somewhere between a moan and a shriek.
They chose . . . me.
One of the cameramen thrusts a microphone under my nose. “Leonardo Danieli, what is going through your mind right now? Shock, fear, excitement?”
I was supposed to die today. But I didn’t. If I’d gone through with it, if I hadn’t heard the boat and snapped out of it . . .
“I—I never imagined this was coming.” My words tumble out, echoing across the silent room. “And I’m glad—so glad—I didn’t miss it.”
Two
NAOMI
Los Angeles, California
“THIS IS A JOKE, RIGHT?”
I stare at each of the adults filling the principal’s office, waiting for one of them to crack. Whaddya get when you mix a high school junior, two bewildered parents, one NASA rocket scientist, a gun-toting US Army official, and the school principal?
“Naomi,” the woman from NASA begins, saying my name delicately, as though it might break. “It’s not a joke. In fact, you should be very proud. Each member of the Twenty-Four was chosen for a particular skill set or trait that we need for the mission. You were chosen for your brilliant mind and scientific ability. If you make the Final Six, you’ll have a vital part to play.”
My parents clutch each other’s hands. Mom lets out a sob, and a