The Line by Teri Hall Read Free Book Online Page B

something to happen ever since his travel request was denied. They got up every morning and tried to go through the motions of a normal life, wondering if today was the day they would be Identified. But they hadn’t expected the Call to Serve.
     
     
    A TEAR SLID down Vivian’s cheek, and she wiped it away quickly before Rachel noticed. Oh, Rachel. She would have loved Daniel so. They would have had so many good times; they were so alike. But Rachel didn’t even remember her own father. She would never know how brave he had been, how brave they had both been, because Vivian could never tell her. Her hands tightened into fists every time she thought of how much she and Rachel had lost when Daniel was sent over the Line.
    She wasn’t so brave now. She had a better idea of what she could lose. So she was hiding. Trying to keep Rachel safe. Every time she had to go to Bensen for supplies, she felt like a fugitive, wondering if Peter still lived there, wondering if he might spot her on the street. The Property had been her only chance to get Rachel out of Ganivar though. She was careful, and she tried to be sure that Rachel was careful. So far, they were safe.
    Vivian couldn’t help wondering how long that would last.

CHAPTER 6
    R ACHEL HOOKED UP the last of the hoses in the east section of the greenhouse and set the misting timer, wishing for at least the hundredth time that they could replace the worn-out set moldering on the storage shelf and have enough hoses for the whole place. She knew Ms. Moore must not have enough spare creds to do it, but it didn’t stop her from wishing.
    She was almost done for the day. Vivian had made the Bensen supply run without her today; there had been too much to do in the greenhouse for Rachel to go along as she usually did. As soon as she finished feeding the two-year-old phals, Rachel planned to go home and start dinner for herself and Vivian. Then she had to study for a history exam. Her mom had let her know that working in the greenhouse was not to interfere with her studying and so far it hadn’t. She worked hard to make sure it didn’t.
    She hadn’t made any headway at ferreting out Ms. Moore’s secret. Her leg still kept her out of the greenhouse most days, and on the few occasions she had made an appearance, she was all business. Whenever Rachel tried to start a conversation about something other than orchids, Ms. Moore simply gave her an odd look and started talking about fertilizers. Rachel didn’t see how she could discover anything shocking about Ms. Moore if she couldn’t even get her to talk about the weather.
    Though she wasn’t making progress with Ms. Moore, Rachel was learning a lot in the greenhouse. She was getting a feel for the orchids, and every time she found the beginning of a flower spike peeking out from beneath the leaves of a plant she felt happy. She was making things grow, helping things to blossom. It was the first time she had ever felt this excited about something. At least about something that was real.
    Not all the results of her tending were so successful. She had lost her first batch of seedlings two days before. She had been sad ever since, and apprehensive too, of what Ms. Moore would think. Ms. Moore probably never lost seedlings. Rachel had disposed of the potting medium and sterilized the trays as soon as she knew for certain the seedlings would not survive, but she could still see the blackened mess in her head, little sprigs of new hope melted into slimy death. She couldn’t figure out what had caused it. She had looked through the notes Ms. Moore had given her, and she thought she had followed every step correctly. But she must have done something wrong, or the baby orchids wouldn’t have died.
    Jonathan appeared at the greenhouse door as she fed the last of the phals.
    “Ms. Moore wants you up at the main house,” he said gravely. He examined the floor, carefully avoiding Rachel’s eyes.
    “Oh.” Rachel was speechless for a