glass. Hear my heart beating out my days in the silence.
Maybe one day I will not drink. Maybe one day I will not eat. And the next, and the next? Maybe one day I will make myself truly free.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“D on’t you ever think it’s odd that you’re all so fussed about Mother Nature, but then you’re working on cars that pump pollution into the sky?” Ellis asks Jack.
I’m with them in the barn, sitting on seats we’ve made out of straw. The children are here, jumping from the bales, ducking in and out of the tunnel they’ve created. Outside it’s getting dark, but Kate is still with Kindred John, helping him in his room.
“We make good engines, though,” Jack replies.
“Good engines?”
“Yeah, to kind of balance out those on the Outside.” Jack pulls his shirt on over his head.
“How does that work then?” Ellis asks. He has a piece of straw in his hands and he’s slowly splitting it in two.
“The oil that we rub into the engine, it’s that.”
“What?”
“That cleans the air. Kindred John discovered it a few years ago. So the cars we make for the people Outside actually help stop the pollution.”
“They told you this?” Ellis asks. He throws down the piece of straw and looks at Jack.
“Yeah. It’s amazing, isn’t it?”
“It gets rid of pollution from other cars,” I say.
“So, the engines we work on at Seed are filled with some magic oil?”
“I suppose you could put it like that,” Jack says proudly.
“And I suppose you believe in the tooth fairy too?” Ellis asks.
“What’s that?” asks Jack. Ellis just shakes his head, but I wish that he would walk away.
Then Kate is here. She comes running in, her wild look in her eyes. There’s no space for her, so she climbs up and sits on Jack’s lap.
“Finished with Kindred John?” he asks.
“Yes,” she says, pulling her cardigan across her body.
“Why did he need you?” Ellis asks.
“Just stuff,” she says. Then she scrambles up and runs for the hay tunnel. She crawls through and grabs a squealing Bobby by the ankles.
“Stay in my prison!” she cackles. “You cannot escape.” So Bobby sits in the tunnel, giggling, as she runs over the bales. “You’ll all be mine!”
Sophie tries to dodge past her, but Kate holds her by the waist and throws her in the air. “To my lair,” she shrieks as she bundlesSophie into the tunnel. Kate pulls a straw bale to block one of the ends.
Jack jumps up, grabs a spade leaning against the wall, and goes to join her. “I’ll guard them,” he says in a gruff voice, spreading his legs wide, holding the spade high.
I watch Ruby start to scale the big wall, made from heavy bales stacked high next to the tunnel. She’s not allowed up there, it’s too dangerous.
“Ruby,” I call out, but I don’t think she hears me. She rushes up, gleefully trying to find hand and foot holes.
And then the tower falls. It’s as though it happens in slow motion, as I watch the bales piled high up on each other begin to lean too far. Ruby is screaming as she’s falling backward, still clutching onto the straw, and it all just crashes down, piles and piles of bales smashing the tunnel below.
“Sophie!” Ellis yells, and he’s running and pulling at the bales. I’m with him and I can’t see Sophie, or Ruby, or Bobby, or Kate, or Jack.
I run to the door.
“Kindred Smith!” I scream into the darkening air.
I’m back beside Ellis and he’s throwing the bales behind. Together we grab them away. They’re so heavy, as if they’re made from bricks. The dust clogs my throat and we’re both coughing, but we still can’t see the tunnel, still can’t see or hear anyone.
“Hurry,” I hear Ellis wheeze. Jack’s hand appears and we push the straw from him and he’s coughing and retching. He doesn’t seem to notice the blood coming from a deep gash on his chest where the spade has sliced into the skin. His white shirt is soaked red. He stumbles to the side, just as
Maybe one day I will not drink. Maybe one day I will not eat. And the next, and the next? Maybe one day I will make myself truly free.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“D on’t you ever think it’s odd that you’re all so fussed about Mother Nature, but then you’re working on cars that pump pollution into the sky?” Ellis asks Jack.
I’m with them in the barn, sitting on seats we’ve made out of straw. The children are here, jumping from the bales, ducking in and out of the tunnel they’ve created. Outside it’s getting dark, but Kate is still with Kindred John, helping him in his room.
“We make good engines, though,” Jack replies.
“Good engines?”
“Yeah, to kind of balance out those on the Outside.” Jack pulls his shirt on over his head.
“How does that work then?” Ellis asks. He has a piece of straw in his hands and he’s slowly splitting it in two.
“The oil that we rub into the engine, it’s that.”
“What?”
“That cleans the air. Kindred John discovered it a few years ago. So the cars we make for the people Outside actually help stop the pollution.”
“They told you this?” Ellis asks. He throws down the piece of straw and looks at Jack.
“Yeah. It’s amazing, isn’t it?”
“It gets rid of pollution from other cars,” I say.
“So, the engines we work on at Seed are filled with some magic oil?”
“I suppose you could put it like that,” Jack says proudly.
“And I suppose you believe in the tooth fairy too?” Ellis asks.
“What’s that?” asks Jack. Ellis just shakes his head, but I wish that he would walk away.
Then Kate is here. She comes running in, her wild look in her eyes. There’s no space for her, so she climbs up and sits on Jack’s lap.
“Finished with Kindred John?” he asks.
“Yes,” she says, pulling her cardigan across her body.
“Why did he need you?” Ellis asks.
“Just stuff,” she says. Then she scrambles up and runs for the hay tunnel. She crawls through and grabs a squealing Bobby by the ankles.
“Stay in my prison!” she cackles. “You cannot escape.” So Bobby sits in the tunnel, giggling, as she runs over the bales. “You’ll all be mine!”
Sophie tries to dodge past her, but Kate holds her by the waist and throws her in the air. “To my lair,” she shrieks as she bundlesSophie into the tunnel. Kate pulls a straw bale to block one of the ends.
Jack jumps up, grabs a spade leaning against the wall, and goes to join her. “I’ll guard them,” he says in a gruff voice, spreading his legs wide, holding the spade high.
I watch Ruby start to scale the big wall, made from heavy bales stacked high next to the tunnel. She’s not allowed up there, it’s too dangerous.
“Ruby,” I call out, but I don’t think she hears me. She rushes up, gleefully trying to find hand and foot holes.
And then the tower falls. It’s as though it happens in slow motion, as I watch the bales piled high up on each other begin to lean too far. Ruby is screaming as she’s falling backward, still clutching onto the straw, and it all just crashes down, piles and piles of bales smashing the tunnel below.
“Sophie!” Ellis yells, and he’s running and pulling at the bales. I’m with him and I can’t see Sophie, or Ruby, or Bobby, or Kate, or Jack.
I run to the door.
“Kindred Smith!” I scream into the darkening air.
I’m back beside Ellis and he’s throwing the bales behind. Together we grab them away. They’re so heavy, as if they’re made from bricks. The dust clogs my throat and we’re both coughing, but we still can’t see the tunnel, still can’t see or hear anyone.
“Hurry,” I hear Ellis wheeze. Jack’s hand appears and we push the straw from him and he’s coughing and retching. He doesn’t seem to notice the blood coming from a deep gash on his chest where the spade has sliced into the skin. His white shirt is soaked red. He stumbles to the side, just as
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