Defect - By Ryann Kerekes Page 0,25

it’s about improving my skills with the pulse guns. He nods. “Just hurry up, you don’t get much time to eat.”

Thankfully, Will turns and leaves, heading inside. I wouldn’t know how to have this conversation with him here. I barely know what to say as it is. I had all afternoon with her and couldn’t work up the courage.

Rena faces me, looking more nervous than she was with a group of amateurs with weapons.

“When I said my last name, you knew it. Did you know my mother? Britta Sterling.”

Rena swallows, and her eyes shift to the building, ensuring we’re alone. She takes a deep breath. “I didn’t know her personally, but yes, your mother was here when I first began teaching here.”

“What happened? Why was she here, and how did she get out?”

Rena looks me over. “You are a mix of both of them, light eyes, dark hair, slight build, your mother’s height,” she says.

“You knew my father, too?” My mouth goes dry.

“Your mother was the first Defect we have on file. They stuck her in the hospital and used her as a guinea pig, running all kinds of tests.” She scratches absently at her wrist. My eyes flash to her tattoo. “They put her in Dr. Elway’s care, trying to figure out what was different about her. He was a brilliant, young neuroscientist with promising research.” She smiles, like she remembers him fondly. I sense that she is about to stop, afraid of saying too much. I hold my breath, waiting for her to continue.

“No one could have ever predicted they would fall in love – doctor and mental patient. But they did; your parents loved each other very much. Your mother became pregnant and when word got out, the whole operation here became the laughing stock of the capital. It was a black mark against the work they were doing that one simple girl could fool them so easily, and they didn’t even know how. When she began to grow bigger with you, they released her, wanting to forget the whole thing.”

I guess I know the rest of the story. I just don’t understand why my mother kept it from me. “What became of my father?”

Rena places her hands on my shoulders and bends down closer to me. “You must be very careful, Eve Sterling.”

Chapter 9

After dinner, the bunker is full of people hanging out. The couches are a tangle of limbs, and the tables are overtaken by card games. I stay close to Sam. I’m still processing the information Rena told me earlier, and I’m in no mood to play cards.

Sam and I sit on the floor, our backs against the wall, so we can see the whole room. Sitting like this makes me think of Willow, and I feel guilty that I haven’t thought of her before now. I remember leaving her with Tuesday in her arms and wonder if I’ll see either of them again. Sabrina, Alex and a few others sit at a table across the room, playing cards.

“So how long have you been here?” I ask Sam.

“Almost a year.”

Though she puts on a brave front, there is sadness in her voice. I nod. “So when will you get your assignment here? I mean, when does the training end?”

“It’s usually about one year, but it all depends on when your instructors say you’re through.”

“I don’t understand. What’s all this for then? The training, the races, the tests?”

“After every test, we’re ranked. It all goes in our files. At the end of the year, we’re assigned a position and a cell, I mean a room at the compound.” She grins, halfheartedly. “Most of us will become fence patrol, but Will and Kane, for instance, they were damn good, and became instructors.”

“How long has Will been here?” My curiosity gets the better of me.

“Over two years.”

According to my calculation, that made him about nineteen. I shudder. No wonder Will is so hardened. But at the same time, I wanted to get strong, to conquer the obstacles they put in front of me, to prove to myself that I am not a Defect.

We glance up as one of the tables erupts in laughter. “How come they give you guys so much freedom here?” I’m still amazed by the free time we have at night to just hang out. “I mean, what’s to prevent you from escaping?”

She takes my hand and presses my fingers to the inside of her wrist. I feel a small, hard nodule under her