Read Online Monument 14: Savage Drift (Monument 14 Series) by Emmy Laybourne - Free Book Online
Authors: Emmy Laybourne
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I wish, I wish I could teach him a lesson.
“But this mess can’t stay on my courtyard,” Venger says.
“I’ll clean it up,” Mario says.
“Darn right you will,” Venger growls. “You’re his sponsor.”
“No problemo,” Mario says. “Say, can I send the girl for a rag?”
“I’d recommend it,” Venger says. “This puddle better be gone by dinner bell or you’re all docked.”
None of the kids can stand to lose a meal. We’re all stick-skinny as it is.
Dinner’s in maybe ten minutes so I run.
* * *
My feet slide on the linoleum in my stupid house shoes. Not the first time I’ve cursed these things.
I nearly crash into a fat man in stained overalls who’s gazing listlessly out of a frosted window.
“Watch it!” he yells.
I skid away, not bothering with an apology.
* * *
When I return to the courtyard, with one of our two towels, it’s maybe three minutes to the bell.
Mario and the kids are standing there. Aidan’s shivering and crying. Heather’s crying now, too.
I drop to my knees and begin to wipe up the puddle.
Then, bam, there’s a foot pushing me over.
“I said SCIETTO was supposed to clean it up!” Venger says.
“She’s sorry, she’s sorry!” Mario sputters.
For his sake, I speak. “I’m sorry,” I say.
The dinner bell rings.
“Yeah, you’re sorry,” Venger spits. “Seeing as you’re so eager to clean, I guess you can stay out here and clean it good.”
Venger pushes Aidan and Heather toward Plaza 900.
“Say, Mr. Venger,” Mario stammers. “I’ve been meaning to apologize about that mess at the fence a few days ago—”
“Go on,” Venger says. “Scietto, take your brats and feed them!”
“Josie wanted to apologize, too, didn’t cha, hun?”
Mario is telling me to beg.
He knows Venger’s been waiting for some way to pay me back for my defiance at the gate.
I am not going to beg.
I drop to my hands and knees and start to scrub.
“No, she’s too proud to apologize,” Venger says. “It’s okay, Scietto. I’ll take care of your girl. Go on, now, go have your supper.”
Mario says nothing in reply, and for that I am glad.
He gets the kids out of there, before Venger changes his mind.
CHAPTER NINE
DEAN
DAY 32
Astrid was saying, “Oh my God,” on repeat.
I seemed to be stuck on, “It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay!” she finally snapped. “She’s totally going to track me down. With that letter she has my real name, my whole story. She’s going to rat me out!”
Her face was flushed and her breathing shallow. She was going to make herself sick with this, I thought, and then I burst out, “Enough! Stop! We have to think about what she said.”
I held her two arms and got her to look at me.
“She said that most women who hear about the testing refuse at first but then change their minds when they hear about the money.”
Her expression shifted into doubt.
“And she said pregnant women who’ve been exposed need special care, Astrid. I think we should come clean with her and listen to what she has to say. We need to think about the health of the baby.”
“Do you think that I’m not worried about the health of the baby?” She was furious now. “I lie there at night and I feel it moving inside me. And I worry so much about what might be wrong! I just want to get somewhere safe.”
“But it is safe here!”
Astrid looked away from me. I went on. “I just … I can’t think that the US Army would take women away without their consent. It would be totally illegal, Astrid. It would be immoral. Wrong.”
I waited for her to say something like, “It’s illegal for them to keep the Os locked up at Mizzou.” Or, “Wasn’t it immoral when the US government made the compounds in the first place?”
Instead she just looked me in the eye and said, “I want to find Jake.”
* * *
I fumed.
We searched the camp for Jake and I fumed.
Here I was, totally supporting her, trying to
“But this mess can’t stay on my courtyard,” Venger says.
“I’ll clean it up,” Mario says.
“Darn right you will,” Venger growls. “You’re his sponsor.”
“No problemo,” Mario says. “Say, can I send the girl for a rag?”
“I’d recommend it,” Venger says. “This puddle better be gone by dinner bell or you’re all docked.”
None of the kids can stand to lose a meal. We’re all stick-skinny as it is.
Dinner’s in maybe ten minutes so I run.
* * *
My feet slide on the linoleum in my stupid house shoes. Not the first time I’ve cursed these things.
I nearly crash into a fat man in stained overalls who’s gazing listlessly out of a frosted window.
“Watch it!” he yells.
I skid away, not bothering with an apology.
* * *
When I return to the courtyard, with one of our two towels, it’s maybe three minutes to the bell.
Mario and the kids are standing there. Aidan’s shivering and crying. Heather’s crying now, too.
I drop to my knees and begin to wipe up the puddle.
Then, bam, there’s a foot pushing me over.
“I said SCIETTO was supposed to clean it up!” Venger says.
“She’s sorry, she’s sorry!” Mario sputters.
For his sake, I speak. “I’m sorry,” I say.
The dinner bell rings.
“Yeah, you’re sorry,” Venger spits. “Seeing as you’re so eager to clean, I guess you can stay out here and clean it good.”
Venger pushes Aidan and Heather toward Plaza 900.
“Say, Mr. Venger,” Mario stammers. “I’ve been meaning to apologize about that mess at the fence a few days ago—”
“Go on,” Venger says. “Scietto, take your brats and feed them!”
“Josie wanted to apologize, too, didn’t cha, hun?”
Mario is telling me to beg.
He knows Venger’s been waiting for some way to pay me back for my defiance at the gate.
I am not going to beg.
I drop to my hands and knees and start to scrub.
“No, she’s too proud to apologize,” Venger says. “It’s okay, Scietto. I’ll take care of your girl. Go on, now, go have your supper.”
Mario says nothing in reply, and for that I am glad.
He gets the kids out of there, before Venger changes his mind.
CHAPTER NINE
DEAN
DAY 32
Astrid was saying, “Oh my God,” on repeat.
I seemed to be stuck on, “It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay!” she finally snapped. “She’s totally going to track me down. With that letter she has my real name, my whole story. She’s going to rat me out!”
Her face was flushed and her breathing shallow. She was going to make herself sick with this, I thought, and then I burst out, “Enough! Stop! We have to think about what she said.”
I held her two arms and got her to look at me.
“She said that most women who hear about the testing refuse at first but then change their minds when they hear about the money.”
Her expression shifted into doubt.
“And she said pregnant women who’ve been exposed need special care, Astrid. I think we should come clean with her and listen to what she has to say. We need to think about the health of the baby.”
“Do you think that I’m not worried about the health of the baby?” She was furious now. “I lie there at night and I feel it moving inside me. And I worry so much about what might be wrong! I just want to get somewhere safe.”
“But it is safe here!”
Astrid looked away from me. I went on. “I just … I can’t think that the US Army would take women away without their consent. It would be totally illegal, Astrid. It would be immoral. Wrong.”
I waited for her to say something like, “It’s illegal for them to keep the Os locked up at Mizzou.” Or, “Wasn’t it immoral when the US government made the compounds in the first place?”
Instead she just looked me in the eye and said, “I want to find Jake.”
* * *
I fumed.
We searched the camp for Jake and I fumed.
Here I was, totally supporting her, trying to
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