Read Online Broken by Susan Jane Bigelow - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Susan Jane Bigelow
Tags: Fiction
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hate.
That night she dreamed of lying on a beach, and then of wading in shallow water that came to her knees. Was there something there, in the water? She reached for it.
She woke abruptly, feeling a sense of incalculable, unknowable loss.
Something inside her began to shift.
* * *
Janeane and Michael lay in bed, listening to the quiet of the house around them. He ran his hands along the soft curve of her side, and she moved closer to him in her sleep, murmuring happily.
"I want to go to the ocean with you," he whispered.
"You can’t," she said. "The ocean is mine, and you have things of your own to do."
"But maybe," he struggled to say, "Maybe I can come there when I’m done."
"You’ll never be done."
"I think I love you, Janeane."
She squeezed him. "You are beautiful, Prophet. You can come to my sea whenever you want. It’s right here." She kissed his forehead again. "Always."
He opened his eyes and was alone, but her scent was still heavy in the room.
* * *
Jane and Broken sat across from one another. Jane held Ian in her lap. He gurgled happily; he obviously liked her.
“Have... have you seen anyone else?” Jane asked hesitantly.
“Sky Ranger a few times, from far away,” Broken said.
“Did...did they try to find you? Did the LED come after you?”
Broken shook her head. “No. You?”
“They... no. They didn't.” Jane cradled Ian in her arms. “Do you miss it?”
Broken closed her eyes, a million emotions warring inside her. How could she answer that question?
* * *
"What does she do?"
"Who?"
"Janeane! Who else?"
"She works for the CA. I thought you knew that." Monica tossed a crust of bread to the ducks, who gobbled it up greedily. One duck, a big black and white male, was muscling all the other ducks out of the area, so no one else could eat. It was January, but the ducks had stayed. Strange. Michael and Monica tried to throw the food to the others, but the big one kept grabbing it away. "That duck’s a jerk."
"What does she do at the CA?" The Colonization Authority controlled everything that went to and came back from the twenty or so worlds humanity had colonized.
"Oh, she just deals with transportation issues," Monica said vaguely. "I worry about her there. The CA isn’t safe."
"Why not?"
Monica stared at him. "Don't you know? I thought you were a political artist or something.”
“Right. I, um, specialized.”
Monica rolled her eyes. “The Reformists hate them. One of the first things they did was expose so-called corruption at the CA." She scowled. "They’re jealous of the power it has."
"If they’re so powerful, they should be able to take care of themselves."
"When the UNP was in charge, they could," Monica said. "Not anymore." The UNP was the United Nations Party, recently kicked out of power by the Reformists after fifty years. "I’m a UNP member. So is Janeane. I worry sometimes..."
"Janeane will be safe," Michael said. "No matter what."
"Yeah," Monica said. "But what about us?"
Michael couldn’t answer her.
[CHAPTER 9]
T he others were all gathered in a tense clot around a screen in the common room when they returned.
"What happened?" Monica asked, worry choking her voice.
"President Lin escaped," Andrew told her, expressionless. "Some party members got her out of jail." President Lin Su-Kwan had been the president of the Confederation before Damien Peltan. She’d been put in prison by the Reformists, Michael knew, but he wasn’t sure why.
"Isn’t that good?" Monica said.
Lydia shook her head. "You’ll see."
The reports took an ominous tone. A government spokesman came on to announce that the United Nations Party leadership had been behind the breakout. He said that the government would "take direct action against an outlaw party."
"‘Outlaw party?' The UNP? What does that mean?" Monica seemed genuinely confused.
"It means we were right about them," Lydia said bitterly. She took off the small UNP pin she’d
That night she dreamed of lying on a beach, and then of wading in shallow water that came to her knees. Was there something there, in the water? She reached for it.
She woke abruptly, feeling a sense of incalculable, unknowable loss.
Something inside her began to shift.
* * *
Janeane and Michael lay in bed, listening to the quiet of the house around them. He ran his hands along the soft curve of her side, and she moved closer to him in her sleep, murmuring happily.
"I want to go to the ocean with you," he whispered.
"You can’t," she said. "The ocean is mine, and you have things of your own to do."
"But maybe," he struggled to say, "Maybe I can come there when I’m done."
"You’ll never be done."
"I think I love you, Janeane."
She squeezed him. "You are beautiful, Prophet. You can come to my sea whenever you want. It’s right here." She kissed his forehead again. "Always."
He opened his eyes and was alone, but her scent was still heavy in the room.
* * *
Jane and Broken sat across from one another. Jane held Ian in her lap. He gurgled happily; he obviously liked her.
“Have... have you seen anyone else?” Jane asked hesitantly.
“Sky Ranger a few times, from far away,” Broken said.
“Did...did they try to find you? Did the LED come after you?”
Broken shook her head. “No. You?”
“They... no. They didn't.” Jane cradled Ian in her arms. “Do you miss it?”
Broken closed her eyes, a million emotions warring inside her. How could she answer that question?
* * *
"What does she do?"
"Who?"
"Janeane! Who else?"
"She works for the CA. I thought you knew that." Monica tossed a crust of bread to the ducks, who gobbled it up greedily. One duck, a big black and white male, was muscling all the other ducks out of the area, so no one else could eat. It was January, but the ducks had stayed. Strange. Michael and Monica tried to throw the food to the others, but the big one kept grabbing it away. "That duck’s a jerk."
"What does she do at the CA?" The Colonization Authority controlled everything that went to and came back from the twenty or so worlds humanity had colonized.
"Oh, she just deals with transportation issues," Monica said vaguely. "I worry about her there. The CA isn’t safe."
"Why not?"
Monica stared at him. "Don't you know? I thought you were a political artist or something.”
“Right. I, um, specialized.”
Monica rolled her eyes. “The Reformists hate them. One of the first things they did was expose so-called corruption at the CA." She scowled. "They’re jealous of the power it has."
"If they’re so powerful, they should be able to take care of themselves."
"When the UNP was in charge, they could," Monica said. "Not anymore." The UNP was the United Nations Party, recently kicked out of power by the Reformists after fifty years. "I’m a UNP member. So is Janeane. I worry sometimes..."
"Janeane will be safe," Michael said. "No matter what."
"Yeah," Monica said. "But what about us?"
Michael couldn’t answer her.
[CHAPTER 9]
T he others were all gathered in a tense clot around a screen in the common room when they returned.
"What happened?" Monica asked, worry choking her voice.
"President Lin escaped," Andrew told her, expressionless. "Some party members got her out of jail." President Lin Su-Kwan had been the president of the Confederation before Damien Peltan. She’d been put in prison by the Reformists, Michael knew, but he wasn’t sure why.
"Isn’t that good?" Monica said.
Lydia shook her head. "You’ll see."
The reports took an ominous tone. A government spokesman came on to announce that the United Nations Party leadership had been behind the breakout. He said that the government would "take direct action against an outlaw party."
"‘Outlaw party?' The UNP? What does that mean?" Monica seemed genuinely confused.
"It means we were right about them," Lydia said bitterly. She took off the small UNP pin she’d
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