Read Online Vanquished by Katie Clark - Free Book Online Page B

to get Mom those books before then. Besides, I’ve promised to hang out with Jamie and Easton later this afternoon.
    Dad glances up from his paper in surprise. “You don’t want to go?”
    “I have some stuff I promised Mom I would do.”
    His face relaxes some, like he’s glad I’m not tired of going to the hospital.
    I’m surprised myself when I realize I’m not tired of going to the hospital.
    “That’s fine, Hana. I’ll go.” He puts his paper down and stands up, slipping his feet into his shoes. “So what are your plans?”
    “I’m going to The Shops to get Mom some books. Jamie will probably come with me.”
    My dad nods, and I slip out the door once I put my things down. I hope Jamie doesn’t mind coming with me before we meet up with Easton.
    Since talking with Ava I feel jittery. Out of sorts. Paranoid. The more I learn about what’s wrong with our country, the more I wonder about everything I’ve been taught. Is everyone in on a conspiracy? Is no one good?
    I shake off the bad feelings and knock on Jamie’s door. Her mom answers and smiles at me. She doesn’t speak, just points me upstairs. The stairs creek as I climb.
    “Jamie?” I call out.
    Her head pops out of the closet. “Hey, Hana,” she says quietly. Has she been crying? “You’re early.”
    “Do you want to go to The Shops with me before we meet Easton? I want to get my mom some books.”
    She wrings her hands together, her gaze darting around the room. Finally, she nods. “Sure. That’d be great.”
    I wonder if she and her mom had a fight or something.
    “Let me grab my stuff.” Her hands shake as she stuffs things in a small purse.
    I frown. “Are you OK?”
    “Yep, fine. Let’s get out of here, OK?”
    “Yeah, sure.” I follow her downstairs and wave at her mom as we pass. Once we’re outside in the open, she seems to relax a little. Maybe she and her mom really did have a fight, and now she’s glad to be away. Still, I want to make sure. “Are you sure you’re OK?”
    She glances up and down the street about a half dozen times. “Yes. Or I will be. So, how did your pow-wow with the medic go?”
    I shake my head. “I haven’t seen him yet. He hasn’t brought it up again, and I haven’t asked.”
    “Oh?” she says. “It’s better that way.” She doesn’t expound, and I stare at her, worried. Something is definitely bothering her, and I’m determined to get her to tell me before we get home.
    The Shops is a group of old buildings that used to be called a mini mall. We try to use the old buildings around town that are still in good shape, even though most of them are more than two hundred years old. There’s a clothing shop, an apothecary, a bookstore, a toy shop, a restaurant, and a bakery. We head to the bookstore first.
    “I’m surprised you have any entertainment allowance left,” Jamie says.
    I frown at her. “I’ve been at the hospital for more than a week straight.” It’s not like her to forget something like that.
    Her expression clouds and then clears. “Right. Sorry. I heard at school that Mr. Dillard is making new soaps out of flower extract or something. The girls say it makes your skin smell good.”
    “Like perfume?”
    She nods.
    Perfume is rare and expensive. My mom has a bottle she keeps on her dresser, but she hardly ever wears it. If I don’t spend all my allowance on books, I might head to the apothecary to smell it.
    The aroma of musty old books drifts in the air as we push through the door of the bookstore. I browse the selection, and Jamie breaks out of her odd behavior long enough to recommend a few titles for Mom. They’re really good choices, and I add them to my small stack.
    A big man in dirty clothes barges through the door. He carries a large box of books. “New stuff just in,” he says to Mrs. Baily, the bookkeeper’s wife. He sets his load on the counter and then mops his forehead with a towel.
    Mrs. Baily’s small eyes light up. “Where’d these ones come