The Ark Plan by Laura Martín

work detail.” I rolled my eyes and pulled out my canteen, taking a small sip. I would have to ration it until I found fresh water. When I tried to offer it to Shawn, he shook his head, pulling out a much bigger canteenthan my own and taking a few deep pulls. I eyed his backpack curiously. He’d apparently gotten his hands on more than a stun gun.
    â€œYesterday,” I accused, “you went on and on about how no one survives topside.”
    Shawn shrugged. “That’s because no one does.”
    â€œThen why are you here?”
    Shawn sighed and shoved his canteen back in his bag before looking at me. “To make a long story short, I decided that I wasn’t going to let you go alone. So this morning, I was planning to sit you down and tell you that I was coming with. I even brought all my gear along to show you that I was prepared.” He frowned. “Then I get to your room, and you’re already gone. I thought I was too late. I beat a path for the compound entrance, and that’s when I heard the alarm and found you stuck behind a dinosaur stun gate. So here I am. You’re welcome.”
    â€œYou’re welcome?” I asked, eyebrow raised. “Says the boy who got stuck in the gate.”
    â€œOh, right.” Shawn looked down, a little sheepish. “My grand rescue did lose a little something when that happened.”
    I shook my head stubbornly. “This is a horrible idea, Shawn. You can’t come with me.”
    â€œI can,” he countered. “And”—he paused dramatically,looking around himself—“it looks like I already am.”
    I just scowled at him, my arms crossed.
    â€œSeriously, why would it be so horrible to have me along?” he asked.
    I began pulling on my new camouflage body armor, ignoring him. “There is no way you have all the gear you need,” I pointed out, motioning to my suit.
    â€œAlready taken care of.” He pulled out a suit identical to my own.
    I gazed at him in surprise. “How?”
    â€œYou aren’t the only one who knows how to steal things around here.” He began to pull his own suit on over his gray compound-issued pants. I noticed with envy that his suit fit him like a glove where mine hung in loose wrinkly folds, the high-tech fabric bunching awkwardly at my elbows and knees. I was just under five feet tall and small-boned, which meant that nothing the marines stocked would have fit me well. I brushed aside the thought; I would have to fix that later.
    â€œWhat about your aunt?” I cajoled. “Won’t she be frantic if you just disappear? Go back now and you can claim you had nothing to do with me leaving or stealing the body armor or . . .”
    â€œStop,” Shawn interrupted me. “We have two options. Option one is that we both go back to the compound. Where it’s safe. I know my aunt could smooth thiswhole mess over.” He saw the look on my face and sighed, resigned. “Option two is that you stop whining so we can get on with finding whatever is in the middle of Lake Michigan before something shows up to eat us.”
    My resolve to send him back faltered. “But your aunt?”
    â€œShe’ll be fine. She has her new baby to worry about. She barely notices I exist these days.” Shawn grinned, but something felt off about that. His aunt was the only family he had left, and I couldn’t imagine her being okay with her nephew’s illegal escape from the compound.
    â€œYou said yourself that no one survives up here,” I tried one more time. “I believe the word you used was insane ?” When he just looked at me, I sighed. “Option two.”
    Shawn grinned.
    â€œBut if you die, don’t blame me,” I snapped.
    â€œDo dead people blame you for things often?”
    I groaned. “I’m already regretting this decision.”
    He raised an arrogant eyebrow at me. “Do you even know how to use