Read Online The Burn by Annie Oldham - Free Book Online Page A

But there seems to be more in this area. There will be
shelter among the trees, and lots of wildlife.”
    I snap my head up. “Wildlife?”
    I hadn’t thought about the animals that may be out
there. There will be animals that could kill me if they wanted
to.
    The corner of Gaea’s mouth raises up. “Yes, wildlife,
but what is that to a daughter of a man? Shouldn’t man subdue all
the beasts? But not to worry. I’ll give you a few weapons. And if
you’re smart, you’ll find a group of survivors quickly and figure
out a way to make them trust you. It’s summer, so they should be
out instead of hunkered down to outlast the winter.”
    My stomach clenches up. What am I getting myself
into? But Gaea doesn’t give me much time for introspection. She
pulls a map off of a shelf and spreads it out on the floor.
    “This is Washington. You see the way the ocean cuts
into the land here?”
    I nod.
    “You’ll follow that and then down here to what’s
called the Puget Sound. You can land anywhere along here. I don’t
know if I’d go for the city of Seattle right away. It’s a
designated city for the citizens and you need to get a feel for the
area and any hostilities.”
    “Hostilities? Is it still a war zone?” I am more
nervous with every minute of this conversation.
    “Were you expecting all sunshine and daisies? I think
you’ll find that most people will be hostile toward a stranger. And
you are a stranger. We’ve been down here for a hundred years, and
things will be very different for you up there. And there’s general
anger and distrust of things that are unknown.”
    “Do they know about the colonies? Is that why?” I
rock back on my heels and wrap my arms around my legs. Despite the
warmth from the lights, I start to feel cold.
    Gaea’s eyes glimmer with shards of light. “Yes, they
know. They realized what was going on just before the Event. I
don’t blame them for being angry that all the best minds abandoned
them—more or less left them with little hope of sorting things out
on their own. That was one of the things that escalated the
conflict. Though you won’t find your father ever telling anyone
that.”
    She spits the word father with such vehemence
that I shudder. Once again her eyes cloud over. She continues as if
nothing happened.
    “They hate us for it.”
    “Oh.” I want to escape the colony for a world where I
may be eaten by an animal and everyone will most likely hate me.
Gaea notices my sudden quiet and reaches out a long, slender hand
on my own. Her skin is dark on my white. Just like Jessa’s skin.
The sudden reminder of my sister brings tears.
    “It’s okay, I was just thinking about my sister. Can
I ever come back?”
    “Out of the question. I’ll program your sub to return
here after you land. It would be too dangerous for everyone down
here for people up there to come. They’re too angry. Right now
there isn’t a way for the people on the Burn to find us, but there
will be some day and I think it’s best not to speed that up, but to
let it happen by itself.”
    Why does she want to protect the colonies? Gaea
stands up, brushing off her skirt. She motions me up. She turns on
a burner like we use in chemistry and puts something metal on
it.
    “Which reminds me. There’s one promise you have to
make.”
    “Promise?” I remember what she said on the computer.
Sacrifice.
    “You can never speak of the colonies to anyone up
there. Ever.”
    “Where do I tell them I come from?”
    “You’ll have to make something up, something
believable. But if you love your sister and want to protect her,
you can’t ever speak of us. There hasn’t been enough time between
the Event and the present. Emotions are still too raw. If they knew
there was a colonist among them, knew that you could somehow take
them here, things will be so much worse for you and for us. Do you
understand?”
    Never speak of this life to anyone? Never even
mention Jessa? Those are the memories I prize