Revolution 19 by Gregg Rosenblum Read Free Book Online Page A

it back to the packs,” she said to Nick, who was watching her. “Something I need to keep.” They hurried to catch up to their brother.

CHAPTER 8
    “THE PATHWAY,” KEVIN WHISPERED TO CASS AS THEY WALKED DOWN THE sidewalk. “It’s so smooth and level. And did you notice the lightstrips lining the path on these poles? And those two-wheeled vehicles, can you believe how quiet and fast they are?”
    Cass ignored him. She was overwhelmed by the thick walls of the new construction. Every time a person on one of those two-wheeled vehicles buzzed by, she had to fight the urge to jump away. They sneaked up on her with little warning, a flash of color and a sudden hum in her ear. The City was so strange—noisy, huge, everything smooth and concrete and right angles with no grass or trees—but still, it wasn’t the fortress or torture pit that she had been dreading.
    Cass was on edge, waiting for a bot to discover them. A part of her, though, couldn’t help but be excited. They had made it. Her parents might be nearby.
    Down the street a door opened, and a woman stepped onto the sidewalk and began walking toward them. Cass froze. “Just keep walking,” whispered Nick. “Be normal.”
    “What’s normal?” she whispered back.
    The woman, wearing a yellow dress that flared as she walked, hurried past with a quick nod, barely even looking at them. Cass winced and swallowed. The salty taste in her mouth told her that she had been biting the inside of her cheek hard enough to draw blood.
    The streets grew more crowded as they walked farther into the City. Despite their dirty, ripped clothes that looked nothing like the clean, bright pants and dresses the City people wore, nobody paid them any attention.
    “I don’t understand,” said Cass quietly, as they stood hungrily looking through the window at a large room filled with tables where people sat eating. “Is this a prison or not?”
    A robot sphere floated into view from around the corner. Cass gasped and prepared to run.
    “Start walking,” said Nick, nudging Cass and Kevin gently on the shoulder. “Remember? Be normal.”
    A man in front of them opened a door that led into the large cafeteria, and Nick grabbed the door before it closed. They stood and watched as the sphere bobbed closer, passed just a few feet from them, then slowly receded.
    “You wanna sit, or just eat there, standing up, blocking my door?”
    A woman stood, hands on her hips, smiling at them. She wore a white blouse and an apron over a long green skirt.
    “Eat,” said Kevin quickly. “We want to eat.”
    Nick frowned at Kevin, but then nodded. “Yes, ma’am, we want to eat, please.”
    “Well, all right, then,” the woman said, with a hint of a frown as she looked more closely at the three of them. Cass instinctively smoothed down her matted hair. She looked over at her brothers, flinching at their filthy clothes, their mud-caked boots, their dirty faces and wild greasy hair.
    “This way,” the woman said, and led them to a table in the back, near a large window looking out onto the street. She handed each of them a menu. “Sandy will be with you in a minute.”
    “Oh my God,” said Kevin, looking through the menu. “You can get anything you want here.”
    “Shh,” said Nick.
    “Chicken or steak or pizza or hot dogs or French fries …” Kevin went on in a whisper. “I can even get breakfast for dinner. Omelettes, pancakes, cereal.... Remember that stash of cereal Javier scavenged a few years ago? It was stale.... I’m sure this stuff is fresh …”
    Cass had stopped listening to Kevin. A few tables over, in a booth, sat two girls. One had black hair, cut short to just above her shoulders. The other had longer blonde hair, tucked back behind one ear, and wore glasses. They were looking at Nick, whispering to each other, and pointing to a small black device one of the girls held in her hand.
    The black-haired girl smiled at Nick, then stared openly, not bothering to hide her