Read Online The Elect: Malevolent, a Dystopian Novel by Tamryn Ward - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Tamryn Ward
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sound comes out. I can’t exhale. I can’t speak. But once he looks away I’m glad I didn’t say anything. I hated feeling his eyes on me. I want to be invisible to George, the director of the NDA. I don’t have anything to prove to him. Or to anyone else.
Only to myself.
He walks past me to assess the next initiate, and I breathe a sigh of relief. My stomach growls, reminding me that I haven’t eaten in hours. Mattie hears it. She giggles and elbows me. Embarrassed, I clap my hand over my stomach.
Jay says, “I can escort you all back to the dormitory. Or, if you prefer, the cafeteria.”
“I know where you’re going first,” Mattie whispers. She smiles. “I’m hungry too. I can’t remember the last time I was so hungry. I think it’s all the running. Maybe I should’ve started running a long time ago. Then I wouldn’t be so fat.”
“You aren’t fat,” I whisper back.
Mattie pats her slightly rounded belly. “You’re being polite.”
We don’t need any help finding the cafeteria. It’s down the hall from the computer lab. Most of the other recruits come with us. I grab a sandwich and a small yellow bag printed with red letters. I don’t know what’s in the bag, but Mattie took one so I do too. I get a bottle of water and we sit at an empty table. To my surprise the other recruits sit with us.
“I’m Paul,” says one boy as he sits next to me. He’s tall with red hair and lots of freckles. “Gotta admit, that thing in the tree was impressive. Where did you learn to do that?”
My face heats as I shrug. “I guess I got bored a lot when I was a kid. I climbed trees.”
“She’s from Riverview,” Mattie tells him. “No TVs. No video games. No computers. No phones.”
“Oh, I get it now.” He shakes his head. “I think I would go crazy.”
“She reads,” Mattie says, as if that’s the most unheard of thing ever.
His eyes bug out. “No way!”
“Yeah!” she exclaims.
Wow, I read. I climb trees. It seems I’m an oddity to the Middleton group.
“Yes” I say, “I’m hoping the reading will come in handy someday…like the tree climbing.”
Mattie shrugs. “You never know.”
“Yeah, you never know,” Paul agrees.
“To me, the whole thing was uncivilized,” says Alice as she sits next to Paul. “Climbing a tree? Like an ape? Who does that?”
I do.
“Who cares about being uncivilized,” Mattie says. “We are, after all, being trained to fight terrorists, remember?”
Alice wrinkles her nose. “Yes, but there’s no need to actually get…physical. We have machines to do all the dirty work for us. Computer-controlled drones and robots. We won’t be soldiers. We’ll do our battles in a computer lab, not a forest. I don’t understand why we have to run.” She turns her attention to me. “How much do you know about a computer, hick?”
I know they use electricity, which is deadly in my world. I know they are connected to the ‘Net, which is also deadly in my world. Because anything that the Amiga can control can be, and has been, used as a weapon.
When I don’t respond, because anything I say will be twisted around anyway, she jerks up her chin and smiles, “Yes, I thought so. No need to worry about this one.”
“I still thought the tree thing was impressive,” Paul says.
Alice scoffs. “You would. You’re impressed by a mound of dirt.”
“And you’re a bitch,” says a second guy as he drops into the seat beside me. This is the one I had noticed earlier. He looks strong. That’s clear from a mile away. But up close his features are more noticeable. His eyes are a really unique shade of golden-brown. And the smirk pulling his lips, coupled with his dark shaggy hair, makes him look young and playful. He offers his hand. “Tomas. Tom for short. I thought the tree idea was brilliant. And the way you scaled that building yesterday, too.”
“Thanks,” I say, feeling my face blush again. “I’m afraid you’ve seen the best of me,
Only to myself.
He walks past me to assess the next initiate, and I breathe a sigh of relief. My stomach growls, reminding me that I haven’t eaten in hours. Mattie hears it. She giggles and elbows me. Embarrassed, I clap my hand over my stomach.
Jay says, “I can escort you all back to the dormitory. Or, if you prefer, the cafeteria.”
“I know where you’re going first,” Mattie whispers. She smiles. “I’m hungry too. I can’t remember the last time I was so hungry. I think it’s all the running. Maybe I should’ve started running a long time ago. Then I wouldn’t be so fat.”
“You aren’t fat,” I whisper back.
Mattie pats her slightly rounded belly. “You’re being polite.”
We don’t need any help finding the cafeteria. It’s down the hall from the computer lab. Most of the other recruits come with us. I grab a sandwich and a small yellow bag printed with red letters. I don’t know what’s in the bag, but Mattie took one so I do too. I get a bottle of water and we sit at an empty table. To my surprise the other recruits sit with us.
“I’m Paul,” says one boy as he sits next to me. He’s tall with red hair and lots of freckles. “Gotta admit, that thing in the tree was impressive. Where did you learn to do that?”
My face heats as I shrug. “I guess I got bored a lot when I was a kid. I climbed trees.”
“She’s from Riverview,” Mattie tells him. “No TVs. No video games. No computers. No phones.”
“Oh, I get it now.” He shakes his head. “I think I would go crazy.”
“She reads,” Mattie says, as if that’s the most unheard of thing ever.
His eyes bug out. “No way!”
“Yeah!” she exclaims.
Wow, I read. I climb trees. It seems I’m an oddity to the Middleton group.
“Yes” I say, “I’m hoping the reading will come in handy someday…like the tree climbing.”
Mattie shrugs. “You never know.”
“Yeah, you never know,” Paul agrees.
“To me, the whole thing was uncivilized,” says Alice as she sits next to Paul. “Climbing a tree? Like an ape? Who does that?”
I do.
“Who cares about being uncivilized,” Mattie says. “We are, after all, being trained to fight terrorists, remember?”
Alice wrinkles her nose. “Yes, but there’s no need to actually get…physical. We have machines to do all the dirty work for us. Computer-controlled drones and robots. We won’t be soldiers. We’ll do our battles in a computer lab, not a forest. I don’t understand why we have to run.” She turns her attention to me. “How much do you know about a computer, hick?”
I know they use electricity, which is deadly in my world. I know they are connected to the ‘Net, which is also deadly in my world. Because anything that the Amiga can control can be, and has been, used as a weapon.
When I don’t respond, because anything I say will be twisted around anyway, she jerks up her chin and smiles, “Yes, I thought so. No need to worry about this one.”
“I still thought the tree thing was impressive,” Paul says.
Alice scoffs. “You would. You’re impressed by a mound of dirt.”
“And you’re a bitch,” says a second guy as he drops into the seat beside me. This is the one I had noticed earlier. He looks strong. That’s clear from a mile away. But up close his features are more noticeable. His eyes are a really unique shade of golden-brown. And the smirk pulling his lips, coupled with his dark shaggy hair, makes him look young and playful. He offers his hand. “Tomas. Tom for short. I thought the tree idea was brilliant. And the way you scaled that building yesterday, too.”
“Thanks,” I say, feeling my face blush again. “I’m afraid you’ve seen the best of me,
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