Free The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann Page B

children smiled at the idea of a puppet show, for they all knew by now what puppets were, but their smiles turned to concerned looks when they realized that they, like their parents, had been the puppets.
    “Mr. Today,” someone else asked, “why is the gate onlylocked from their side? If you are so trusted by the High Priest Justine, why does she lock you out of Quill?”
    “Ah. Well, that is the way of Justine, isn’t it? Protection from everything, control of everything. No one allowed even a peek outside those walls, right? Not that any Quillen dares come near our gate. And certainly, what if a group of Unwanteds, on the way to their deaths, were to revolt and overpower the Eliminators? Justine wouldn’t want that mess spilling over into Quill. Alas, locking the gate was not my choice to make. And while I don’t wish anyone to go back to Quill, for fear of exposing Artimé, I also don’t wish to hold anyone hostage.”
    “Why doesn’t anyone challenge the High Priest Justine?” asked Alex.
    Mr. Today smiled ruefully. “They are afraid to, for of course they would be killed. And no one knows any different, my boy—without knowledge that life can be different, there can be no desire to change it. Their minds are too numb to think as we think. Therefore the thought of challenging Justine simply isn’t possible.”
    Alex had another question too. “Mr. Today,” he said ratherabruptly, “why don’t
you
challenge Justine? Why don’t you go into Quill and take over and teach them how to live like we do?”
    The old man scratched his head and sighed wearily. He looked out over the land of Artimé, scanning the jungle, the grassy grounds, the mansion. “Because it would expose all of this. Because Justine is not a threat to us as long as she doesn’t know of our existence.” Mr. Today looked at the children, who gathered around him to catch his every word. “Because I don’t believe that starting a war and demanding the people of Quill follow our way of life is ever going to work—they are too set in their ways to handle such an abrupt change. If Quill is to change, it will have to be on Quill’s own terms. One day …” He sighed and trailed off. “Justine is an old woman. I await her death by natural causes. Perhaps then things will change … and perhaps without a war. It is what I hope for. And if I have anything in me at all, it’s hope.” After a moment he added very softly, “And maybe a little fear, too.”
    The students, quiet as the grass upon which they sat, held their breath in hopes that Mr. Today would continue. But their leader seemed lost in deep thoughts.
    Alex looked out over the sea. He felt that familiar pang of loneliness for his brother, and wished he could figure out a safe way to tell Aaron how to get in without exposing Artimé.
    After a while, when most of the Unwanteds had taken the long, contemplative silence as a dismissal to go and explore, Lani alone remained next to Mr. Today, a look of consternation growing on her face.
    “Mr. Today,” she said.
    The old man startled out of his reverie. “Yes, Lani.”
    “What if the next ruler of Quill is worse than Justine?” Lani’s face turned puce as she tried to appear nonchalant. She knew who the next ruler would be.
    Mr. Today smiled ruefully at the girl. “Time holds hope for many impossible things. Let’s not give up on your father just yet.”
    Mr. Today rose, shook the grass and wrinkles from his robe, nodded to Lani, and continued his walk alone now.
    Lani lay back heavily on the grass, thinking about what would happen if Artimé were to go to war with Quill. Determined that if she ever came face-to-face in war with her father, the next in line to the High Priest, she would kill him herself.



Losing Patience
    M eghan leaned toward Alex during Actors’ Studio and whispered, “What do you suppose Mr. Today meant last Sunday when he said it wasn’t his choice to—” “Hmm?” Annoyed, Alex looked up from the