Blemished, The Read Online Free PDF Page B

the potato her food tray flipped, slapping her straight in the face.

6
     
     
     
    E lena rubbed her forehead, glowering at me like an angry panther. Her group huddled closer, checking her face for bruises and cooing. I almost laughed and when Angela turned to me with a knowing smile on her lips. I let out a tiny snort.
    “You did that!” Elena said pointing a shaking finger at me.
    “What you talking ‘bout babe?” said the curvaceous blonde girl. “She was nowhere near it.” The girl flicked her hair back and pouted.
    “I’m sorry about your face,” I said innocently. “Would you like your mashed potato now?” I took a scoop and lifted it up, ready to place on her food tray.
    “You Blemished bitch! I know you did that!” Elena grabbed the scoop from my hand and flung the potato at my face. It slapped me cold and wet on the cheek. “I know you did it but I don’t know how!”
    I scraped off the potato and slopped it onto the counter. The starchy smell turned my stomach. Angela passed me a towel. All I could see were faces staring at me. Gawping. Even the Blemished stared. I’d never wanted the floor to swallow me up so badly before.
    “Hey! You can’t do that to her!” A GEM boy pushed through the queue and my eyes widened when I saw that it was Sebastian.
    I rubbed the towel over my face, hoping that Sebastian wouldn’t notice my blushed cheeks. He was every bit as attractive as I remembered and a part of me resented how my legs wobbled and heartbeat quickened. My gaze trailed from his easy smile to the well-fitting sweater and back to his dark eyes.
    “It’s Elena isn’t it?” he said.
    “What do you want, new-boy?” she replied.
    “I just think you should leave her alone.”
    “Since when did GEMs stick up for Blems?” Elena spat.
    I watched with dread as the serving area filled with spectators. I only needed Mrs Murgatroyd to walk in to make this day even worse.
    “When you bully them for no reason,” Sebastian said. He held his hands out in a pleading and nonchalant way that seemed to actually calm Elena down. There was an ease or naturalness about him, something which made people trust him.
    “Whatever, new-guy,” Elena said, picking up her tray. She scowled at me and moved on, getting Billie to serve her the vegetarian option and a des sert.
    “Thank you, Sebastian,” I said.
    “You’re welcome,” he replied, with a bright smile.
    “I think he likes you,” Angela whispered in my ear.
    I watched him walk away with a shrug. “It’s impossible, I’m Blemished.”
     
    *
     
    After school I walked with Angela. She wanted to introduce me to her mum and I needed to ask Dad first. I spotted a GEM with his Plan-It, tapping away on the tiny piece of plastic. They all carried them. A device through which they were all connected. Of course the Blemished weren’t allowed Plan-Its. We had to organise our social life face to face.
    Dad loved Angela as I knew he would. When we left he beamed proudly at me as though he had never expected me to make a friend, and that was what made up my mind for me. Angela had been silent about what happened the day before but I knew that she was waiting for me to explain in my own time. And so I decided to tell her about my gift, and then, when the time was right, I’d tell my dad that she knew and that we could trust her. Then I didn’t need to keep secrets from two people in my life. Secrets made me tired.
    On the way to her house I told her all about our escape from Area 10, how we disappeared on the night bus. I told her about Christina, my one and only friend and how she figured everything out and then treated me like I had a disease. She threatened to tell the authorities and then we had to leave. Each word lifted a tiny weight from my body – but it was a short journey and I only had time for half the story. I missed out the part where Mum left us for the Resistance and how I would never see her again. But just as I was thinking of it we