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I’d noticed her slight liht before as wewas clearly stiffer that , and the movement washer catch herself on the edge of her bunk The round, her ankle collapsed under her I leaned over to help her ive me sheets to use on mine, and tried to see what had caused it
In their typical casual cruelty, the PSF in the Infiriven me a summer uniform set, shorts and a shirt, but the others wore their winter ones--long-sleeved shirts and pants The loose fabric hid whatever was it was that was bothering her
"Snake bite," Vanessa answered as Sam pushed past me to line up "Don’t ask She won’t talk about it"
The Garden was all the way at the far end of the ca to you when you got this close to it; when I was younger, I used to is that lived in the trees surrounding us I don’t knohy that made it feel more bearable
Our Red escort was the saht before: hair shaved, eyes dark and alht at her sides, and liht, stepping through the lohite fence and taking the small plastic shovel that was handed to me I knew so little about how they had been--what had Clancy called it? Reprogrammed? Reconditioned? Mason had been shattered by what they’d done to his mind Maybe they’d h to take what they’d dealt him
How many Reds were involved in Project Jamboree? Was it possible that--no Stop it, I orderedelse but that
A PSF was passing out heavy work coats, which they allowed us to have while ere out here He looked down at the number across my chest and skipped me completely The ten-year-old me would have accepted the punishment, e instead But I didn’t have to accept anything now His h it like a ray of light I shuffled back, taking the coat from him
I followed my line down to the mounds of earth they’d turned up yesterday and knelt down The dirt gave way under the softest touch, packing beneath my nails as I used the shovel to ease the buried potatoes up froround I brushed the dark dirt away
The shade of burnt skin
I pressed the back ofup at the three red vests standing near the entrance They stoically watched as each cabin of kids filed in and accepted their assignhtening around the shovel I glanced sideways, todirt away Still, after all this ti have they been here?" I asked in a low voice "The Reds?"
At first, I wasn’t sure she’d heard me I pulled the next potato up and dropped into the plastic tub between us
"Three months, ed slightly, blowing out a soft sigh They weren’t Sawtooth Reds But thatfacilities
"Don’t youdon’t you recognize so over as if to help me "A few of thelance back to confirm this; I’m not sure I would have been able to, anyway The Reds at Thurmond had always lived in erous ones did But I knew for certain that I didn’t recognize the Red that Sa for; every time she found hiaze But, like clockwork, she’d look up at hiain
"Do you know hi, I didn’t think she would answer But finally she nodded
"Froain
Sy ine I couldn’t begin to iine what this felt like
A PSF passed behind us, whistling without a tune, etation The Garden was enor, and required the most supervision The handheld White Noisein ti why ht This was one of the PSFs who oversaork in the Factory--the one who liked to press hiet the in any s to irls, and we’d just stood there and taken it silently Now, though--now I had a pretty good sense of what he’d really been doing, and it lit my fury He strolled by us and Sam stiffened I wondered if she could sarette sood ten girls away frolances fro happenedafter you left, I realized so With me My head"