Page 2 (1/1)

"Yes," she said

"Why’s he out and about instead of doing his job?" Aaron’s eyes narrowed

"He iven the day off this year because of the Unwanted daughter Did they know in advance, I wonder?" She turned to Mr Stowe

"Not that I heard That’s a blow," Mr Stowe said He yawned as they neared their house, nu now--this was their second offense" Mr Storinkled his nose "They’ll be completely ridiculed by the Wanteds for poor production"

Mrs Stowe gave her husband a disapproving glance "You’ll be careful what you say," she snapped "Lest you forget, we’ve a Wanted in our presence now"

Aaron raised his chin slightly as his parents stood aside at the front door, allowing the boy to enter before them for the first time "Yes, be careful, Father," Aaron said coolly, "or I’ll have to report your insubordination for a conified stride as he h the tiny kitchen to the even tinier bedrooh e in his gut was soon dulled by thoughts of his now-secured future, and a tiny surge of power He was Aaron Stowe, the Wanted And he had a lotbeen born of two Necessaries Not to e accoan to pack his suitcase, a satisfied feeling growing inside hi with his Necessary parents Too to university to be with the others of his elevated status

The Death Far the fifteen-ly hot Flies buzzed and darted at the closed s, unable to escape When Alex pulled out of his deep daze, he wiped the sweat off his forehead with his upper arm and looked around the bus

In front of Alex, connected to hihbor and friend, Meghan Ranger It was a bit of a shock to see her in this group--she’d had only one infraction, as far as he knew, but it was a double Singing and dancing Alex had witnessed it, but it wasn’t he who had reported her She’d had a pretty voice, too, but Alex was not perhan’s face hite as the moon

Across the bus aisle was Samheed Burkesh, ell known to Alex but not necessarily well liked by him Alex was surprised to see him here too, since the boy had privately boasted to Alex and Aaron only last week that he was going to be in the Quillitary Salared furiously when Alex’s eyes landed on hi at?" Saave Sa look Unwanteds were not allowed to speak--their last words had already been uttered before the Purge

Alex dropped his eyes and took in a few breaths, vowing silently not to look at Saaze to the seat behind his own, not having noted in the shock of it all as attached to his other arh seat back to where the chain led, but he didn’t, since the governors atching All he could see was the straight jet-black hair and big, watery blue eyes of soirl for thirteen, he thought She didn’t turn away Instead she held his gaze, blinking away her tears only once during the long moment

Her eyes were deep and soulful, et black lashes all clu After a moment Alex attempted a half smile He doubted that she could see his mouth if he couldn’t see hers But her eyes crinkled the tiniest bit in response, and for soood

There was no one else on the rickety old bus that Alex knew He thought for a overnors And for some selfish reason he couldn’t quite explain, he felt a rush of sohan and the others were there with him That he wasn’t the only Unwanted in the entire land of Quill

The bus chugged past the nursery where all of Quill’s trees stood, past the cattle ranch on the way out of town, and along the stark, dingy, gray south wall of Quill for several minutes before the equally bland houses disappeared and the land grew untended and desolate

Alex’s storoaned to a stop in front of the black, solid iron gates of what the people of Quill called the Death Farovernors had ever been inside the gates and returned alive, and they didn’t speak of it Only the people of Quill, in hushed voices, would talk about it now and then, and speculate about how long you ht be held there before the Eliminators disposed of you And just how did they do it? Was it painful? Did they sedate you before tossing you into the Great Lake of Boiling Oil? Alex tried hard not to think of these things, but the harder he tried, the ht of them And so it was almost with relief that he heard the bus door creak open and the governors tell all of the Unwanteds to stand and diseent--when the children walked off the bus and gathered along the black gate that led to the farm It was an uncommon odor, different from the fried smells that ca oil wafting off the nearby lake He had never been this close to it before, since no one was allowed near it No one could even see the lake, because the towering cement-block walls that surrounded the land reached all the way up to the barbed-wire ceiling, forty feet above No one, that is, except the Unwanteds