Read Online This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab - Free Book Online Page B

asshole.”
    â€œ. . . Jack and Charlotte an item?”
    August stared down at his half-eaten food.
    The cafeteria was loud—much louder than he’d expected—the constant clatter of trays and laughter and shouts as staccato as gunfire, but he tried not to think about that and instead focused on the green apple he was rolling between his hands. Apples were his favorite food, not because of the way they tasted, but because of how they felt. The cool, smooth skin, the solid weight. But he could feel Sam—that was the girl, it turned out—watching him, so he brought the apple to his mouth and bit down, fighting back a grimace.
    August could eat, but he didn’t enjoy it. The act wasn’t repulsive. It was just . . . people talked about the decadence of chocolate cake, the sweetness of peaches, the groan-inducing pleasure of a good steak. To them, every food was an experience .
    To August, it all tasted the same. And it all tasted like nothing.
    â€œThat’s because it’s people food,” Leo would say.
    â€œI’m a person,” he’d say, tensing.
    â€œNo.” His brother would shake his head. “You’re not.”
    August knew that he meant, You’re more . But it didn’t make him feel like more. It made him feel like an impostor.
    Now, the way other people felt about food, that’s how August felt about music. He could savor each note, taste the melody. The thought made his tallies prickle, his fingers ache for the violin. Across the table, Colin was telling a story. August wasn’t listening, but he was watching . As Colin talked, his face went through an acrobatic procession of expressions, one folding into the next.
    August took a second bite, chewed, swallowed, and set the apple down.
    Sam leaned forward. “Not hungry?”
    Before August could show her the half-eaten contents of his bag, Colin cut in.
    â€œI’m always hungry,” he said with his mouth full. “Like, always.”
    Sam rolled her eyes. “I’ve noticed.”
    The boy, Alex, speared a piece of fruit. “So, Frederick ,” he said, emphasizing every syllable in the name. “Coltondoesn’t get a lot of new blood. You get thrown out of one of the other academies?”
    â€œI heard she got kicked out,” whispered Colin. He didn’t have to say who.
    â€œThat’s not the only reason people change schools,” said Sam, turning to Alex. “Just because you got tossed—”
    â€œIt was a voluntary transfer!” said Alex, turning his attention back to August. “Well? Expulsion? Transfer? Bang a teacher?”
    â€œNo,” he answered automatically, and then, slower, “I was homeschooled.”
    â€œAh, no wonder you’re so quiet.”
    â€œ Alex ,” said Sam, angling a kick under the table, “that’s rude.”
    â€œWhat? I could have said ‘weird.’”
    Another kick.
    â€œIt’s okay,” said August, managing a smile. “I’m just not used to so many people.”
    â€œWhere do you live?” asked Colin around a mouthful of pasta.
    August took another bite of apple, using it to force down the words rising in his throat. In those stolen seconds, he sorted through his lines, trying find the right truth. “Near the Seam,” he answered.
    â€œDamn,” said Alex, whistling. “In the red?”
    â€œYeah,” said August slowly, “but it’s North City, so . . .”
    â€œIt’s only scary if you don’t have a medal,” added Colin, tapping the embossed pendant around his neck.
    Sam was shaking her head. “I don’t know. I’ve heard bad things happen in the red. Even to those with Harker’s protection.”
    Alex shot a look across the cafeteria. “Don’t let her hear you say that. She’ll tell her dad.”
    Colin shrugged, and started talking about a concert—the boy’s mind seemed to