Read Online Bound to Ashes (The Altered Sequence Book 1) by Maranda Cromwell - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Maranda Cromwell
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lights, not the sun— warm just like the real thing. I can’t remember the stale taste of the basement behind us.
“Yeah, it’s a little weird the first time,” Alessandra says behind me, smiling up at the tree in front of us with her hands in her pockets. “But you get used to it.” Vinder is standing back, watching us carefully. “You see why we need your help, now,” Alessandra continues.
I don’t want to say anything because I know it’ll come out as if I’m unhappy she showed me this. It’s amazing in here. I feel like I can finally breathe. “I can definitely see why you... want this.”
“But...?”
“But why do you need our help?”
The tree casts shadows over her, light spots scanning over her face erratically. She bites her lower lip and says, “The facility in the north is protected. Not by people anymore, probably, but by machines. We could use some, well, some more combat-trained individuals.”
Oh, so that’s it. Suddenly the green feels fake and the wind feels aggressive. Alessandra is still in control.
“But,” she adds, “It’s not just that.”
I look down at her small frame and fiery eyes. She swallows and doesn’t break eye contact.
“I feel like we owe it to you.”
The words hit me like her darts—stinging, seeping cold, foreign.
She continues, “we’ve been really horrible neighbors, right? So if we’re going to trek halfway across the known universe to try and get into the other Ecodome, I think you should come with us. We could use the protection, and you could use the second chance you never got.”
I almost stumble backwards. I glance over my shoulder at her and step away. She doesn’t say anything to stop me.
They forget my hearing is better than theirs, and I hear Vinder say, “Is that okay... is he...?”
“Just let him go for now,” Alessandra says. “He should think.”
Yeah, Dev, think. The second chance we never got? It doesn’t make sense... why she wants to help us and why it makes me so mad . I push through rows and rows of green, and more green, and all this color, it’s almost too much. I feel like I need a patch of grey or brown just to put things on pause.
I can’t get Alessandra’s voice out of my head. The second chance you never got.
But there’s no way she’s on our side. I scowl at the grass under my feet. It would be too easy for them to just use us. Too easy. They’d use us and throw us away like the scientists did. They threw words like trust around like ammunition. Just as damaging, just as cheap.
A strong gust of wind pushes the leaves above me. I glance up and see the branches are heavy with small yellow and red seeds, or fruits, dangling on long stems. I reach up and pick one. Slightly firm, shiny, fading from golden yellow to bright red-orange. I think I’ve seen something that looks like it printed on labels. I pick the stem off and pop it in my mouth.
The flavor is intense and the flesh, a perfect balance of soft and crunchy. Even if it’s a little sour, the strong flavor is new on my tongue. “Ow—” I spit out a little round seed. Little bits of the fruit still cling to it, like the seed is meant to be there. I had no idea cherries had hard centers. I try not to move my tongue too much, so the flavor lingers as long as possible.
“This cherry tree’s been here for longer than I’ve been alive,” Alessandra’s voice comes out of nowhere. I whirl around and she’s leaning against the tree in the shade, smiling. “It’s a shame it’ll die soon.”
I know what she’s doing, and it makes me a little angry, but I buy into it. “Why?”
“This Ecodome, version B eleven, is dying. Like I said. Two days ago, half of the UV-A and UV-B sunlight bulbs went out. No replacing them, either. And other machines, without maintenance, are falling apart.”
“But that won’t happen at the other one,” I say. Sounds too good to be true. Everything dies.
She nods. “Yep. My dad finished it just as the war
“Yeah, it’s a little weird the first time,” Alessandra says behind me, smiling up at the tree in front of us with her hands in her pockets. “But you get used to it.” Vinder is standing back, watching us carefully. “You see why we need your help, now,” Alessandra continues.
I don’t want to say anything because I know it’ll come out as if I’m unhappy she showed me this. It’s amazing in here. I feel like I can finally breathe. “I can definitely see why you... want this.”
“But...?”
“But why do you need our help?”
The tree casts shadows over her, light spots scanning over her face erratically. She bites her lower lip and says, “The facility in the north is protected. Not by people anymore, probably, but by machines. We could use some, well, some more combat-trained individuals.”
Oh, so that’s it. Suddenly the green feels fake and the wind feels aggressive. Alessandra is still in control.
“But,” she adds, “It’s not just that.”
I look down at her small frame and fiery eyes. She swallows and doesn’t break eye contact.
“I feel like we owe it to you.”
The words hit me like her darts—stinging, seeping cold, foreign.
She continues, “we’ve been really horrible neighbors, right? So if we’re going to trek halfway across the known universe to try and get into the other Ecodome, I think you should come with us. We could use the protection, and you could use the second chance you never got.”
I almost stumble backwards. I glance over my shoulder at her and step away. She doesn’t say anything to stop me.
They forget my hearing is better than theirs, and I hear Vinder say, “Is that okay... is he...?”
“Just let him go for now,” Alessandra says. “He should think.”
Yeah, Dev, think. The second chance we never got? It doesn’t make sense... why she wants to help us and why it makes me so mad . I push through rows and rows of green, and more green, and all this color, it’s almost too much. I feel like I need a patch of grey or brown just to put things on pause.
I can’t get Alessandra’s voice out of my head. The second chance you never got.
But there’s no way she’s on our side. I scowl at the grass under my feet. It would be too easy for them to just use us. Too easy. They’d use us and throw us away like the scientists did. They threw words like trust around like ammunition. Just as damaging, just as cheap.
A strong gust of wind pushes the leaves above me. I glance up and see the branches are heavy with small yellow and red seeds, or fruits, dangling on long stems. I reach up and pick one. Slightly firm, shiny, fading from golden yellow to bright red-orange. I think I’ve seen something that looks like it printed on labels. I pick the stem off and pop it in my mouth.
The flavor is intense and the flesh, a perfect balance of soft and crunchy. Even if it’s a little sour, the strong flavor is new on my tongue. “Ow—” I spit out a little round seed. Little bits of the fruit still cling to it, like the seed is meant to be there. I had no idea cherries had hard centers. I try not to move my tongue too much, so the flavor lingers as long as possible.
“This cherry tree’s been here for longer than I’ve been alive,” Alessandra’s voice comes out of nowhere. I whirl around and she’s leaning against the tree in the shade, smiling. “It’s a shame it’ll die soon.”
I know what she’s doing, and it makes me a little angry, but I buy into it. “Why?”
“This Ecodome, version B eleven, is dying. Like I said. Two days ago, half of the UV-A and UV-B sunlight bulbs went out. No replacing them, either. And other machines, without maintenance, are falling apart.”
“But that won’t happen at the other one,” I say. Sounds too good to be true. Everything dies.
She nods. “Yep. My dad finished it just as the war
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