Blemished, The by Sarah Dalton Read Free Book Online Page B

everything out. You know how it is when you get into the zone.”
    I nodded. I did know.
    “Then I didn’t know where I was and I could just see a shape up ahead.” He laughed. “I thought you were going to attack me!” He stepped forward again so I could see his eyes, they smiled along with his face and I felt safe.
    “I thought you were an attacker too,” I said. “I was about to run and hide in the fields.”
    “I’m sorry! It must have been even more nerve-wracking for you. Hey, what are you doing out after dark? I thought Blemished girls weren’t allowed to…” his voice trailed off.
    I looked down at my shoes. “No. You’re right. I must get home. And I’m not supposed to talk to you either, so.”
    “I can’t leave you alone in the dark,” he said, his eyes shining in the moonlight. “Let me walk you home.”
    “I don’t know if I should,” I said.
    He moved closer to me and all of my worries disappeared. I felt his warm breath and forgot about Angela and Daniel, getting home before my dad worried or even how I should not talk to a GEM. I remembered how his touch made me tingle and the way heat travelled up my arms. I remembered how my gift had been uncontrollable because of the way he made me feel. Despite everything – Billie’s warning, Mrs Murgatroyd’s disapproving eyes – I wanted to get to know him. And I didn’t want to be parted fro m him. Not yet. “All right.”
    We walked side by side, our shoulders almost touching. Even just his close proximity made me feel like static ran through my body.
    “So, are you going to tell me why you’re out here alone?” he asked.
    “There’s no big story,” I said, smiling into the dark. “I went to a friend’s after tea and we lost track of time. We were talking.” I left out the part about super-human powers.
    “Your friend, her name is Angela, right?”
    “Yes,” I said surprised. “That’s right.”
    “Why do you sound so surprised?”
    “Because GEMs don’t usually remember our names. You don’t even notice us.”
    There was a pause and I almost felt him cringe. I’d offended him and could kick myself for it.
    “I hate the term GEM. It makes us sound like we aren’t even human,” he said eventually.
    I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re not. You’re better than human. At least you aren’t less than human like the Blemished.”
    “We’re clones, not cyborgs,” he said with a laugh, “and Mina, you are definitely not less than human.”
    I like the way he said my name, like a sigh. “Tell that to the Ministry.” I couldn’t keep the bitterness out of my voice. “Anyway, it’s a good thing. The GEM project eradicated all––”
    “––genetic predispositions to illness and disease,” he finished. “Yeah, we learn that stuff in Sex-Ed too.”
    “Can I let you into a little secret?” I said.
    I felt like he smiled even though I couldn’t see it. “Please do.”
    “We call it No-Sex-Ed. Because all they ever teach us is that we can’t mate.”
    He laughed.
    “And we call Mrs Murgatroyd Murder-Troll.”
    He laughed again, more loudly. “It suits her.”
    We went quiet, the only noises coming from arguments in the houses around us and the gritty pavement beneath our feet. Ghetto houses have thin walls, and many of the windows are smashed and never replaced. It meant you could easily hear the workings of a household, the shouts and swears. The ghettos are the same no matter what Area you were in. We turned right, heading home.
    “Why do you think Elena picks on you?”
    “Because I’m new?” I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
    “I think she’s jealous.”
    I snorted. “That’s ridiculous.”
    “It isn’t,” he said shortly. “You have something she can never have. You have uniqueness. You’re natural.”
    For a moment I thought he knew my secret but then I understood that he was talking about our looks. “I don’t know about that.” The thought of Elena, the mo st beautiful girl I’d