Read Online Naomi Grim (The Silver Scythe Chronicles) Part 1 by Tiffany Nicole Smith - Free Book Online

to blow our cover or
something?"
    Keira shrugged. "I don't know, but if there's a
way to mess something up, you or your brother will find it. He's a
horrible influence on Josh. All my brother talked about last night
was how exhilarating it was to fight with those boys."
    "Bram is a bad influence on everyone. I'm sorry
that my brother is such a delinquent, okay?"
    Keira stood and stretched. "I should get home
and start going through my own closet. See you in the
morning."
    After Keira left, I slid on my boots and
prepared to leave. I wanted to get to Litropolis and come back
while it was still light out. Not that I had anything to be afraid
of, besides being tossed into Gattica by the Watchers.
    I left the house and walked briskly, hoping no
one would stop and ask where I was going. I spotted Chase from a
distance coming down the street—at least I thought it was him. He
waved and I waved back before making a right turn and going out of
his sight. I hoped he hadn't been headed to my house.
    I walked through rows and rows of almost
identical Farrington houses. Twenty-two rows I counted. The houses
stopped, and there was still a little ways to get to the stream. I
took the path through the shrubs as their sticks poked and prodded
at me. I hummed to the rhythm of my boots hitting the ground until
I noticed the sound of extra footsteps. I stopped. The other
footsteps stopped. I walked again and the footsteps began again. I
turned swiftly to see who was following me.

Chapter
8
    "Whoa, don't shoot!" Chase said with his hands
up. Keira stood behind him.
    "What are you guys doing, sneaking up on me
like that?"
    "What are you doing here after I told you what
a bad idea this was?" Keira asked.
    "I'm sorry, but if I don't do this, I won't
stop thinking about it."
    Chase shook his head. "I swear, you and your
brother must love getting in trouble. Didn't you learn from the
other time?"
    Keira zipped her hoodie up. "I have. Let's
go."
    "No, I've come this far. I'm doing this." I
turned and continued walking down the beaten path.
    Keira and Chase groaned, but they followed. We
walked a few moments in silence until Chase cleared his throat.
"You know, you two are on your way to the Upper Estates. You can
get away with this kind of stuff. I, on the other hand . .
."
    The last thing I needed was to feel guilty
about Chase getting in trouble. I wished he hadn't come. "No one's
holding a gun to your head."
    "Yeah, like I'm going to let you two go to
Litropolis alone."
    "We've been there on our own before," Keira
reminded him.
    "You do realize this is a repeat offense,"
Chase said unnecessarily, "punishable by prison or
execution."
    "You really think they'd execute a few
teenagers?" Keira asked.
    "They'd execute anyone," I answered. We'd all
seen that with our own eyes.
    A year and a half ago, a man named Ares and his
family lived down the street from us. He and his wife Dolores had
three kids; ten, nine, and seven. Ares had been close friends with
my father until the day he'd made a terrible mistake.
    Ares had once been tight with Mr. Dunningham.
He had been one of the lucky few dispatched to collect lives after
a plane crash. When he got back, he held out on Dunningham instead
of handing over all of the lifestones. Apparently, he was saving
them for some kind of underground operation he and a few other Grim
men had planned on running. They planned on selling extra
lifestones to the people of Litropolis for double what Dunningham
would give them. I didn't know how that would work since those
people were so poor, but Father said they were desperate enough to
come up with the money somehow.
    Anyway, Ares should have known better than to
try to hide lifestones from the Lord of Death. He could sniff them
out like his bloodhound, Blue. Ares was found out, but he wouldn't
give the names of his cohorts. I admired him for that. I remembered
the day when we were all required to assemble in the square. There
was a stand set up for the execution. Ares, his