The Culling by Steven Dos Santos Read Free Book Online

valuable—”
    “I’m not going to give Cole to strangers, Cass. He’s lost Mom and Dad. He’s not going to lose me , too.” A fog shrouds my brain.
    Cassius reaches me and draws me close, a beacon in the mist. “I wasn’t trying to offend you, Lucky.”
    Bringing my fingers to my temples, I try to massage away the throbbing. “It’s just that—”
    “Here! I know what you need!” He smiles, takes hold of my hand, and leads me to a table nestled in a small alcove. In its center rests a covered silver tray. Even before he lifts the lid, a mixed aroma of fresh sweetness and cooked meat overpowers my nostrils. My stomach growls. Saliva floods my mouth.
    He raises the cover. “I thought you might be hun—”
    I pounce on the tray. Grabbing the meat with my bare hands, I tear into it with my teeth, hardly savoring each morsel as it slides down my gullet. Then I’m stuffing cheese and fruits into my mouth, frenzied by the new tastes assaulting my tongue as I try to devour them all before someone steals them away.
    When I finally look up, a monstrous beast stares back at me, teeth bared, a distorted face smeared with the blood of its latest kill. Then I realize it’s my own face, reflected on the tray’s silver cover. Disgust and shame overwhelm me.
    “It’s going to be all right, Lucky.” Cassius leads me to one of the plush sofas, sets me down, and wipes my face with a handkerchief. We sit there in silence, his arm around me, my face buried in his shoulder. I’m not sure how much time passes before I find my voice again.
    “Cole … he’s … he’s all I have left. That’s why I risked coming here today—allowed myself to be taken into custody—it was the only way I could think of to see you face-to-face and ask you to protect him in case I get recruited.”
    “You took a big chance. If I hadn’t seen your name on the prisoner roster … ” His arm squeezes me close.
    I look into his eyes. “The Recruitment. Now that I’m sixteen, there’s a chance I could be selected.” My hands grab both of his. “You have to promise me that if that happens, you’ll do whatever you can to keep Cole from being one of the Incentives. I’ll never choose to … I’ll never choose him … and you know what will happen.”
    He purses his lips. “You’ll both be shelved.”
    “That’s right, we’ll be murdered , only they’ll make Cole watch me get killed first. You were the one who told me how it worked, remember? How they make you choose between the people you love … what happened to your father … ”
    He brings my hands to his lips. “That’s not going to happen to you and Cole. I’d never let it.”
    I scoot closer. “So you’ll help us then?”
    His arms envelop me. “Do you even have to ask? There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.” He pulls away. “But Lucky, there’s something you need to explain to me first.” He springs from the couch and strides over to his desk.
    When he turns back to me, he’s holding up Digory’s unfurled poster.

Seven
    I can barely swallow. I clamber from my seat and limp over to him. “Cass, it isn’t mine . I swear it. I … I picked it up near the sewer. I’d never seen it before today.” I look away. I hate the idea of dancing around the truth with Cass. But he wouldn’t understand about Digory, would he? And the thought of Digory being slaughtered the way that guy in the alley was …
    Cassius nods. “I believe you. The Parish is going to be a real challenge for a new Prefect to administer. I’m going to need your help, your support , if I’m going to pull this off.”
    Gripping the edge of the desk, I brace myself against the cold granite. “What can I do to help you?”
    He raises the poster higher. “This rebellion. It’s got to be crushed. If it isn’t, everyone loses.”
    “I don’t know much about it, but … ” The stone edge of the desk digs into my lower back. “Is it so wrong for people to want a better life … something to