The Pack by LM. Preston Read Free Book Online Page B

her hand over her nose and shook her head side to side to try to orientate herself to this new environment.
    â€œI’ll close the windows. Hey, Jake, I didn’t know you were picking us up!” her dad exclaimed. He leaned forward to pat the driver on the shoulder.
    â€œYou know whenever you come to Earth, I have to be the first friendly face you see. I nearly tackled the new guy down to get to the car so I could pick you up. Hey, your little girl grew up to be a beauty! Man, her eyes are stunning. I’ve never seen eyes such a pale blue. She’s got that burnt brownish gold hair just like her mother. How is Katherine, by the way? Still a bad ass?” The guy named Jake laughed.
    â€œYou know it. That’s why I married her. I wanted a woman that could keep up with me. Oh, and Shamira’s eyes are a result of the accident. Hopefully, they can fix the color when we get the surgery today. Shamira, this here is my old friend, Jake, one of the guys that started training with me in the Elite Security Force for Mars,” her dad said.
He sounds so happy to see his friend,
Shamira thought. She wondered if he regretted his decision to leave his family and friends to move to Mars.
    â€œHi, Mr. Jake,” Shamira said in a flat tone. Her thoughts were not on being polite, for she knew that by this time tomorrow, her lifewould be changed forever. She took a whiff of the air and realized that Jake had a nice, strong smell to him. It was a bit musty, so she figured he was a larger man. Most large people had a heavier scent.
He must be bigger than Dad.
She sniffed again and also realized he must be rather hairy, too, because his odor held a deeper smell of heavy cologne. It had to have somewhere to linger at this late time in the day, and usually people with hair carried false scents longer.
    â€œOh, she’s a quiet one, I take it. Why did you wait so long to come back to visit? We’ve been hearing a lot about Mars at Headquarters, and it isn’t good. After we drop her off, you only have a short while before the emergency meeting. You’ll not want to miss that,” Jake said, his voice growing heavy. They’d been moving at a steady pace and now were coming to a sudden stop. “Here we are—Johns Hopkins Hospital. Let yourselves out and go to the first floor. They’re waiting for you. Here on Earth, Security Force members are treated exceptionally well. I’ll be back for you in forty-five minutes, Nelson. Don’t be late,” he said.
    Shamira felt the air pour into the vehicle when the door opened. The overpowering odors hit her at once. She focused on getting out of the vehicle without making a fool of herself and walked around it to the other side where her dad stood.
    Jake couldn’t believe how well she got around with her disability. “Hey, Nelson, you sure that girl can’t already see? I didn’t expect a blind person to have that much sense of their surroundings!” Jake laughed.
    â€œShe’s my girl, Jake. What else would you expect? See you in a few,” her dad yelled back. He grabbed her hand and walked inside the hospital.
    â€œDad, this place smells nice. Or better yet, doesn’t smell so intense like it did outside. You sure this is a hospital?” Shamira asked and then removed her hand from his.
    â€œOh, it’s a hospital alright. We haven’t gotten to the prep room yet,” he said. Someone walked up to Shamira, and she instantly knew it was an android because it didn’t have any scent at all. It touched her shoulder before she could jerk away.
    â€œWelcome, Shamira Nobel. Come with me, and I’ll get you settled while your father finalizes the paperwork. My name is Kylin 5, and I’ll be your android for your visit here at the hospital. Please follow,” it ordered. It gently placed a soft hand on Shamira’s shoulder and led her toward the operating prep area. Shamira sniffed while