Read Online Bad Bloods by Shannon A. Thompson - Free Book Online Page A

to
be born into it. I often wondered what it was like, walking from
giant building to giant building, but I mainly wondered what we
looked like from their perspective. From the top of their towers, I
bet we looked like brown stones, squished together in a smog of
destruction. It was this exact reason that caused me to concentrate
on Serena’s face instead of the looming city. She had never seen it
before, and her face was glowing like she had already moved there
and absorbed all the light they lived in.
    “Wow,” she exhaled. “You can really see it
from up here.” Her eyebrows furrowed for a split second. “Can you
see the Western Flock’s field from here?”
    “No.”
    She didn’t turn around to check for herself.
She just stared at me, and I knew what she saw. I had already tried
to see it. The fact that you couldn’t see it was one of the reasons
I loved the location so much. I also loved looking at the
Highlands. As much as it made me feel sick inside, it reminded me
of all we were striving for. It reminded me of how we could break
down the gate one day. It reminded me of how close we all were.
Human or bad blood, rich or poor, we all lived under the same
Vendona sky.
    I had to turn around and look back at the
sight to gain the strength I needed. If she agreed to what I was
about to ask her to do, she wouldn’t even be that far away. She
would be able to see us from her tower, and we could see her tower
from ours. She might even be able to tell me what we looked like
one day.
    I gripped the railing, my left hand next to
her right one. “Did you hear about the rumor?” I asked.
    She nodded, taking the time to sit down on
the landing. She even kicked her feet off the edge, like falling
was the least of her worries, and I joined her. Serena never took
her eyes off the city, and I wondered if she was looking at the
towers, guessing which one the Hendersons lived in, guessing which
one their daughter went missing from. When she shivered, I scooted
closer to her.
    “Cold?” I asked.
    “A little,” she admitted.
    The nights had gotten chillier. It was
probably the coldest and earliest winter in years, but I doubted it
would snow. Vendona hadn’t seen snow in twelve years. Still, I
draped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her into my chest
like I had the ability to keep her warm. She leaned against me,
even placing her hand on my leg, and shivered once more.
    “I’m sure his daughter…” She lost her words.
“Stephanie will make an appearance and clear everything up.” She
gazed at the city like she could see it happening.
    “She might,” I agreed, trying to find my own
words, but every approach seemed wrong. I could practically feel my
opportunity to ask her blowing away in the wind. “What’s your flock
planning?”
    Serena bit her lip, and I followed her eyes
past Northern Vendona, past the gate, the border, and the fields
stretching beyond our vision. Southern Vendona—her home—was on the
other side. “I don’t know what we’re doing,” she admitted, and I
tried to picture all the kids she’d mentioned only moments before,
but they were silhouettes, outlines of people I didn’t know but
might have passed on the street.
    “What’s your flock doing?” she asked me when
I didn’t respond.
    This was my chance. This was what Calhoun
wanted me to do. This was how we saved Vendona, and all I could do
was kiss her.
    She squeaked, as if I surprised her, but then
her hand wrapped around my shirt, and she slowly inched away from
me. Her breath fogged out in front of her, and her cheeks burned,
rosier than before. “Daniel?” Her gray eyes even looked blue—like
Stephanie Henderson’s—and I reached into my front pocket for the
fake ID I had stolen from Calhoun. He hadn’t even noticed I
snatched it when I left.
    “We have a plan,” I started, hearing my own
words as if someone else was saying them. My voice sounded deeper
than I remembered it being.
    “Are you running?” Serena