Underground by Chris Morphew Read Free Book Online

right, back in a sec.’
    She raced out of the room, Jeremy right behind her, clearly not wanting to be left alone with us.
    â€˜Did you see her mouth?’ Jordan asked, when they were gone.
    â€˜Yeah,’ I said, leaning back to glance out at the street. The skin on Lauren’s lips, and all around her mouth, had been blotchy and pale. Imprinted with Jeremy’s skin tone in the places he’d touched her. The same thing had happened to Jordan’s hand when she’d helped him up off the ground, back at school. ‘The gloves were a good idea, though.’
    I heard a shout from somewhere off in the distance and bobbed down into the shadows. Jordan heard it too, but only glanced over her shoulder.
    Nothing to do with us.
    I stood up again, leaning on the windowsill next to her.
    â€˜Must be hard,’ she said, eyes on the bed where the two of them had been sitting. ‘Trying to figure out a relationship and not even being able to touch each other.’
    She had this look on her face like she was talking about more than just Lauren and Jeremy, but then the bedroom door flew open again and Lauren rushed over with a shopping bag stuffed with boxes and cans. Jeremy followed, still wide-eyed.
    â€˜Thanks,’ said Jordan, taking the bag. ‘Really. Thank you so much. You’re a lifesaver.’
    â€˜And that’s probably literal,’ I said, trying to make up for my comment before, mouth watering already.
    â€˜You don’t have a jumper I could borrow, do you?’ Jordan asked. ‘And, I don’t know, something for Luke?’
    Lauren nodded, dashing to her wardrobe.
    I looked over at Jeremy.
    â€˜Sure, yeah, anything,’ he said frantically, pulling his hoodie up over his head. ‘Just please don’t –’
    â€˜Wait!’ I said. ‘This isn’t – We’re not robbing you!’
    But he’d already thrown it through the window at me.
    Lauren was back too, holding a black cardigan. ‘One of these days, you guys are going to tell me what the heck is really going on here.’
    â€˜Just keep your heads down,’ said Jordan, putting her arm through one of the sleeves. ‘Don’t do anything to get noticed by the Co-operative.’
    Another shout from the street. Closer this time.
    And then a voice. ‘Stop right there, young lady.’
    Calvin. I knew he wasn’t talking to us, but I stopped moving anyway.
    â€˜You never saw us,’ said Jordan.
    â€˜But –’
    She looked at Jeremy. ‘And be careful with the skin thing, okay? Don’t let Montag see.’
    Jordan shut the window and we hit the grass, back down into the shadow of the fence. I started yanking Jeremy’s hoodie over my head.
    â€˜No. Get away!’ called a girl’s voice.
    By the time I pulled my head through, Jordan was already crawling to the front of the house. I forced my arms out the sleeves and shot after her.
    I could hear footsteps, but there was something weird about them. Too quick for one person, but too even for two people running together. Like a drumbeat.
    And then they stopped.
    We reached the front yard and ducked behind the fence. There was a girl standing out in the middle of the street. I recognised her from school. She was Korean, in the year above me, and I was pretty sure her name was Amy.
    â€˜Please,’ she said, edging backwards up the street, ‘I haven’t done anything!’
    She was wearing mismatched clothes – jeans, shoes, and a stripy pink pyjama top – like she’d been halfway to bed when they came for her.
    â€˜Of course you haven’t,’ said Calvin, failing miserably at a sympathetic tone. ‘We’re here to help you, Miss Park.’ He edged toward her, flanked by a couple of his security team.
    â€˜Get away from me!’ said Amy. ‘I don’t want your help!’
    There was something not quite right about her voice. It kept shifting,