Defect - By Ryann Kerekes Page 0,32
like the first night I met her.
I want nothing more than to just crawl into bed, hide under my sheets and forget about everything, but I know that’s probably just what Kane would want. I want him to know he can’t scare me, that I’m unbreakable. So instead, I put on a smile and follow Sam and Sabrina to dinner, where we tell stories and laugh about the days we’ve had. It’s exactly what I need after the day I’ve had.
Chapter 12
Through the use of mindscan and the segregation of Rejects, scientists believe we’re on our way to eliminating most major diseases by removing flawed humans from the mating pool. It is a way to cleanse society, of both mentally and medically inadequate beings.
- History of the Medical Revolution, Chapter Six
I try to piece together what I know so far. My mother was here and became pregnant; though that isn’t an avenue it will do me any good to explore, according to O’Donovan. My father was a neuroscientist. I don’t really even know what that means, but apparently he was working for the government and was some hot shot with promising research. He no doubt betrayed them when he took up with a mental patient. I shudder to think what would become of someone who does that – betrays the government and their precious operation that way.
I also know that Will seems to be gentle with me when no one’s watching. I think of the time he visited me in the hospital, when he wiped away the blood on my lip, and how he takes a hands-on approach to teach me to protect myself when we’re alone. Then I remembered that isn’t entirely true. Rena was there the time he showed me how to fire a pulse gun. Did that mean Rena was someone to be trusted, too? I had to find a way to talk with her again. I know she knew more than she was letting on.
The last thing that was starting to become clear to me was that Will was preparing me for something. The training schedule here as well as the importance he placed on learning to use weapons. I didn’t understand what it was all for. It felt like we were preparing for something big, only I didn’t know what.
“Eve, you’re not eating; everything all right?” Alex asks, breaking my concentration.
I look up from the bowl of oatmeal I’ve been absently stirring with my spoon. It’s now a congealed mess of lumps. “Oh, yeah. Sorry.”
“Here.” Alex replaces my brown spotted banana with his perfectly ripe one.
“Thanks.” I take it and peel the skin back. Alex watches until I take a bite, then resumes eating his oatmeal, but his eyes keep flickering back to mine. “So, Will says we’ve got a big challenge coming up. Any ideas what it might be?”
“There’s one big challenge every fall,” Sabrina says. “It’s what we’ve been training for. Last year they went on an overnight camping trip through the woods. It was sort of like a survival test and everything rolled into one.”
My stomach drops at the thought that Will was giving me a leg up by taking me into the woods yesterday. I manage another bite of the banana, since Alex is back to watching me.
***
The bruises from my fight with Bryce have faded, as have the shadows in the crooks of my arms. But new aches and pains replace them. My legs are sore from all the running, my wrists still slightly chafed from struggling against the ropes, and the area around my chip is bruised and swollen, almost as if my body knows this thing is foreign and wants to expel it. If only it were that easy.
But I have no time to focus on my sore, tired body. We are running drills through an obstacle course set up in the gym today. My eyes dart to the end, but thankfully there doesn’t seem to be any fighting ring this time.
Kane has us line up at the starting line in groups of four. Drew and Bryce push their way to the front, wanting to be the first to go. I let everyone pass me by, and get in line at the very end, wanting to learn from those who go first.
Kane gives a quick blast into his whistle and the guys take off. They run full force down the length of the gym, and when they reach the first set of tires, they skip and raise their