Enemy of Gideon by Melissa McGovern Taylor Read Free Book Online Page A

tender warmth of Mom’s arm encircles my shoulders. She stares at me with red-rimmed eyes. What’s going on? Why am I sleeping on the living room sofa?
    “I had a bad dream,” I say, blinking hard.
    A bad dream . Dad being arrested. Petra being arrested. A bad dream.
    “I just got back,” Mom says.
    It wasn’t a bad dream. Petra was arrested last night. They took her away, and Mom rushed off to her aid. The noise, the voices, the chaos of the night fill my head.
    “Why did they take her?” I ask. “What are they going to do to her?”
    “It was a mistake,” Mom says. “Don’t worry. She has a very clean record, and they’ll give her a second chance. I know they will.”
    Her expression tells me otherwise.
    “Did you talk to Petra? What did she say?” I ask.
    “I don’t want to talk about it.”
    I stare hard at her, willing her to say more.
    She releases a shaky sigh. “She got involved with the wrong people, bad people. It’s a mistake.”
    She stands from the sofa and removes her coat. “Time for school. Go get dressed.”
    As much as I want to debate the order, I know I can’t get anything more out of my shell-shocked mother. But who will tell me the truth?
    Ogden pops into my mind. Dinner at the citizenship center. Questions about Petra. It makes perfect sense. Chief Penski was suspicious of Petra even then. I rush to get dressed.
    Outside in the chilly air, I interrogate Ogden on the way to school.
    “She was arrested for distributing EP,” Og says. It took me five minutes of badgering to get him to utter this. The news hits me like a brick to the chest.
    “EP,” I say. “Petra? There’s no way!”
    A fire rises up inside of me, and I grab him by the shoulders in the middle of the sidewalk. His eyes grow wide.
    “I swear it’s the truth!” he squeals. “My dad was ranting about it this morning to my mom. I heard all of it! Your sister’s in with the enemies!”
    Citizens ahead of us on the street look back at our commotion. I release his shoulders, his words sucking the breath from my body. How could this be happening? My sister, an enemy? How?
    “They must have brain-washed her or something,” I say. “That’s the only explanation. Petra is a loyal citizen. She’s …”
    A wave of nausea passes over me, along with a surge of memories. The nightmare from earlier in the morning repeats in my mind. Arrested.
    Mom told me nothing helpful, trying to hide the truth from me. How much of the truth about Dad has she hidden away? In my dream, Petra said Dad had been arrested. What if he hadn’t abandoned us? What if CE arrested him too? Was my father an enemy?
    The questions swirl around in my brain as we walk on. I have to know. But who could tell me about the enemies?
    Ahead of us, Arkin walks along with a classmate, and my hope flickers.
    Arkin, of course. He’ll have the answers.
    I break into a sprint.
    “Where are you going?” Og shouts.
    I ignore him and charge ahead, dodging adults walking to work and other students heading to school.
    Arkin turns to me. He tells the other guy to go on without him.
    “Raissa,” he says with weary, sad eyes.
    He knows . How could he know? Had it been on the newsfeed this morning?
    “My sister’s been arrested,” I say, panting. “They took her for EP. I don’t understand. She’s not an enemy.”
    Nodding, he puts his hands on my shoulders and brings me into his arms. My heart nearly jumps out of my throat at this unexpected gesture. It’s a hug, but not one without a specific purpose. His warm breath brushes over my ear with each whispered word.
    “I have answers. Meet me behind Building A15 on Street H-31 at six o’clock tonight. Come alone.”
     
    ►▼◄
     
    Mom’s on a double shift today. Even though she hates her job, she immerses herself in her work as a distraction from stress at home. Usually, I cause her to take on double shifts. I slack off at school, argue with her, and avoid my chores. How can it be Petra this time?