Free E by Kate Wrath Page B

to find them, and hopefully, if I pay attention
to what Neveah does, what each of them is good for.  And with Apollon and
Jonas, I should be safe even without my disguise.  I'm a little concerned
about their reaction to last night's card game, but I can't hide forever, can
I?  Clearly Apollon expects me to play again.  Everyone contributes.
    "Sounds fun," I say, scooping up my eggs with my bread,
taking a larger mouthful than I intended.  It's absolute bliss.  I
can't help but close my eyes as I chew, can't help but swallow before I've
chewed it properly.  After the next mouthful, I make myself stop and look
at the food, breathing in the aroma.
    "You can come," Apollon says.  "But we're
going to the Rustler after.  Better if you don't go there for a
while."
    "A while?" I mutter through my next bite. 
"What about cards?"
    "Let 'em cool their heels for a bit and come to terms with
the fact that a sweet little girl kicked their asses," he says, examining
his fingertips briefly before licking crumbs and egg juice from them. 
    Sweet little girl?  I want to retort, but I'm busy
chewing. 
    "What he means," Jonas says, standing in the kitchen
washing plates, "is that they probably won't bother you now that they've
had a chance to think about the fact that you took them fair and square. 
It happens.  But you could choose safer games than the one last
night."
    Miranda narrows her eyes at this, still studying whatever she's
building.  "Who was playing last night?" she asks slowly.
    Jonas' gaze flicks to her, but she doesn't see it.  Then he
looks Apollon in the eye.
    Clearly Apollon is not supposed to say it, but either he doesn't
get it, or he doesn't care.
    "Donegan," he says. 
    There's the briefest twitch of Miranda's pliers before she bends the
next wire.  Her face is blank.  She says nothing.
    "Donegan," Oscar says, his brown eyes widening as they
look at me.  I can't help but notice Miranda's little twitch as he
speaks.  She does it again when he says, "You beat Donegan?"
    I shrug it off. "Guess so," I mutter.  I shovel in
the last of my eggs and follow it up with the remnant of my toast-- a piece I
probably should have finished in two bites.
    Jonas is finishing up the last plate when I walk into the kitchen
behind him.  He reaches back and takes mine without looking. 
"It's getting late," he says.  "We should get on with
this."
    Apollon doesn’t hurry to get up as Jonas tromps past him out the
door.  He pauses halfway out and flicks those green eyes back at me. 
"You coming, Stinky?"
    I feel my cheeks flush bright red as I consider throwing something
at him.  There's nothing suitable within reach.  Apollon is laughing,
so as I walk by, I kick one of his two weight-bearing chair legs.  He
scrambles to catch his balance.  I stalk down the path outside and hear
Oscar's light footsteps running to catch up with me. 
    "This is so cool," he says, his voice filled with the
excitement of the young.  "If you look past the barriers, the trees
just go on and on... like forever."
    I glance down at him, softening.  "Yeah?"
    "Once," he says, "there was this white doe. 
She got away from the hunters.  They shot her, but she ran away. 
Just kept running.  You could see her going, and then she was gone. 
Just disappeared.  Like a ghost or something."
    "Wow," I say.  I'm not sure what else to say.
    "I don't think she died," he says.  "I don't
think God would let something that pretty die."
    "God?" I say, startled.  I glance around to make
sure there are no Sentries within sight.  "God who kicked us out of
paradise?  Why wouldn't he?"
    He shrugs, bopping along beside me.  "Well," he
says thoughtfully, "if I was God, I wouldn't."
    My hand is on his head before I realize it, ruffling his shaggy
brown hair.  "You've got my vote in the next election," I say.
    He grins up at me.

Chapter
6: Hunters and Gatherers
     
    The concrete wall that circles the Outpost gapes open, and hanging
from its mouth is a long