The Pack by LM. Preston Read Free Book Online

being able to see, just wait. Now hurry before your father leaves without you,” she added. She tried to make a laugh at the end, but Shamira could hear a tremor of uncertainty in her mom’s voice.
Hum, what’s that about,
she would ponder that later. She grabbed her bag and walked to the car.
    Her dad drove in silence to the spaceport. They flew at a higher altitude than some of the other air drivers. Most people tended to stay on the ground unless they were going long distances. Her dad only went in flight mode when they were traveling from their Sector to another, something they rarely did anymore. The crime level had skyrocketed in all Sectors, keeping the Security Force Elite much too busy for face-to-face meetings.
    â€œWe’re here, Shamira. Follow me and don’t slow down. The androids will grab our bags and park the car. We need to hurry. Thismay be the last space flight going out for a while,” he said gravely. She didn’t hesitate when she placed her finger on the panel to release the door. The door slid into the body of the car, and she got out. Her dad touched her so that she would know where to follow him.
    â€œDad, you don’t need to lead me. I can smell you, so just walk.” She hated when he treated her like she was weak. He knew some of her unique abilities included being able to differentiate between odors. She could especially pick out the smell of her family. They were the most familiar scents and stood out in the midst of many other odors.
    â€œHello, Special Nobel. We’re honored to have you on our flight. Please follow me this way,” said the female android. Androids were not plentiful on Mars because it was very expensive to ship them, but the majority of them could commonly be found in established places like the spaceport.
    â€œHello. Can you make sure we have a seat near an exit bay?” her father asked the android. Shamira frowned, wondering what made her dad request to be near the escape pods. Again, she thought about the hushed whispers of her parents.
    â€œDad, why would you request that?” she asked, and he pulled her by her arm to keep her moving.
    â€œDon’t concern yourself, Shamira. Let’s go,” he added, and without consideration to her feelings, he took off in a jog. She reluctantly followed, and before long, they came to a stop. She felt the presence of the massive passenger ship and almost missed herstep. Before she could right herself, her father pulled her forward over the threshold.
    â€œSit down and buckle up. We made it just before takeoff. You should take a nap because it’s about an eight-hour ride. I’ve got some work to do, so I won’t be much company until we get you to the hospital, got it?” he asked, and she heard him pull out his suitcase.
    Shamira didn’t fight sleep. It was easy to doze right off since she’d had a late night and plenty of questions to keep her from sleeping soundly through it. She had tossed and turned, thinking about the kids and the boy she met. For a moment, she had actually felt sorry for him. Even though she had her issues with her mother, she couldn’t imagine coming home to find her dead and her father and brother missing. She wondered how he made it all the way from Sector One, because it was a two-hour drive to Sector Five. She wondered how he had known to track down Lenny. She’d been tracking the sleaze ball for weeks, of course, using all her devices to do it, but she wasn’t sure how this boy had managed.
    As she thought about it, Shamira was certain her mother would be one of the Elite that would intercept her tip sent to the Security Force computer. Then, they would at least have a place to start looking. The Outlands were a pretty tough territory to search. She dreaded the thought but figured that it may be one of the places she would have to venture into with her new sight. She just wasn’t sure she was ready to actually see