call Farm Girl chic,’ that followed me out.
So school was pretty much a waking nightmare, and, apart from Jobe, home wasn’t much better. So much so that I’d taken to walking home instead of going by rickshaw, dragging my feet to make the journey last as long as possible, ignoring the jeers from the market traders and hawkers. I was getting to know the sector of the city where we lived quite well now, but it didn’t make me loathe it any less. I spent most of my time in my room, sketching and daydreaming, doing my best to keep a low profile and avoid one of the Mantis’s lectures. She’d finally accepted that I wasn’t going to be thanking the Guardians every time I sat down to eat, but the atmosphere at the dinner table wasn’t exactly a bundle of laughs. And my loathing wasn’t just restricted to the Mantis. Dad agreed with everything the Mantis said, as if he was some kind of wimpy non-person. I remember wondering if maybe the Mantis fed on his soul every night, sucking out his life like a vampire. Or if maybe he’d lost his guts when he’d lost his arm.
Worst of all I was no closer to coming up with a plan to get Jobe and myself out of the city enclave. For a day or so, especially after my run-in with Zyed, I even considered dropping out of school and joining the breeders. But I seriously couldn’t imagine myself pushing out babies for the rest of my life.
But at least, I thought, I was flying under the radar.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
6
I arrived one morning to find the classroom buzzing with excitement. I’d tried to dawdle on my way to school and miss the prayers, but it looked as if the ritual had been abandoned. Even Comrade Xhati was distracted: he was busy cleaning the board at the front of the room and didn’t even sigh with irritation when I came in late.
‘What’s going on?’ I asked Zit Face.
‘There’s going to be an announcement.’
‘About what?’
He opened his mouth to answer, but then Acid Face Pelosi and a tall man I hadn’t seen before strode into the room. The man was dressed in a spotless black suit, and even in the poor light his shoes shone. Acid Face Pelosi was reverentially carrying a large book bound in black material, a smug smile almost cutting her face in half. As they made their way to the front to join Comrade Xhati, Thabo slid into the classroom. As he collapsed into his chair I turned my head to smile at him: he hadn’t been in class for days and I’d missed him. He winked back at me and my stomach flipped.
‘Attention everyone!’ Acid Face Pelosi said, her voice ringing around the room. ‘We have a very important visitor. Please welcome Comrade Nkosi, the embassy’s new CEO. He has an announcement for you.’
She smiled at the newcomer and he stepped forward, clearing his throat as he did so and gazing unhurriedly around the room. ‘Thank you, Comrade Pelosi, for that warm welcome,’ he finally said. ‘How wonderful to see so many young and eager faces in front of me.’ Confidence blasted out of his every pore, and he spoke slowly, in the manner of someone who was used to being listened to. Every eye was fixed on him, and I’d never heard the classroom so quiet – even during morning prayers. ‘Now, I’m sure most of you can guess why I’m here, and I’m not going to keep you in suspense. Thanks to the efforts of my comrades in the embassy, the Guardians have agreed to begin the transition, so that electricity can be brought to the enclave.’
There was a collective gasp, and he nodded in approval. ‘Yes, my friends. And soon, every person, every household, will have access to warmth in winter, running water all year round, lighting and all the benefits a civilised society can bring.’
The excited murmuring rose again, and then stopped as Comrade Nkosi held up a hand.
‘But there is a price to be paid for this, as you know.’ He paused again and clasped his hands in front of him. ‘It is a price that many of you, as good
So school was pretty much a waking nightmare, and, apart from Jobe, home wasn’t much better. So much so that I’d taken to walking home instead of going by rickshaw, dragging my feet to make the journey last as long as possible, ignoring the jeers from the market traders and hawkers. I was getting to know the sector of the city where we lived quite well now, but it didn’t make me loathe it any less. I spent most of my time in my room, sketching and daydreaming, doing my best to keep a low profile and avoid one of the Mantis’s lectures. She’d finally accepted that I wasn’t going to be thanking the Guardians every time I sat down to eat, but the atmosphere at the dinner table wasn’t exactly a bundle of laughs. And my loathing wasn’t just restricted to the Mantis. Dad agreed with everything the Mantis said, as if he was some kind of wimpy non-person. I remember wondering if maybe the Mantis fed on his soul every night, sucking out his life like a vampire. Or if maybe he’d lost his guts when he’d lost his arm.
Worst of all I was no closer to coming up with a plan to get Jobe and myself out of the city enclave. For a day or so, especially after my run-in with Zyed, I even considered dropping out of school and joining the breeders. But I seriously couldn’t imagine myself pushing out babies for the rest of my life.
But at least, I thought, I was flying under the radar.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
6
I arrived one morning to find the classroom buzzing with excitement. I’d tried to dawdle on my way to school and miss the prayers, but it looked as if the ritual had been abandoned. Even Comrade Xhati was distracted: he was busy cleaning the board at the front of the room and didn’t even sigh with irritation when I came in late.
‘What’s going on?’ I asked Zit Face.
‘There’s going to be an announcement.’
‘About what?’
He opened his mouth to answer, but then Acid Face Pelosi and a tall man I hadn’t seen before strode into the room. The man was dressed in a spotless black suit, and even in the poor light his shoes shone. Acid Face Pelosi was reverentially carrying a large book bound in black material, a smug smile almost cutting her face in half. As they made their way to the front to join Comrade Xhati, Thabo slid into the classroom. As he collapsed into his chair I turned my head to smile at him: he hadn’t been in class for days and I’d missed him. He winked back at me and my stomach flipped.
‘Attention everyone!’ Acid Face Pelosi said, her voice ringing around the room. ‘We have a very important visitor. Please welcome Comrade Nkosi, the embassy’s new CEO. He has an announcement for you.’
She smiled at the newcomer and he stepped forward, clearing his throat as he did so and gazing unhurriedly around the room. ‘Thank you, Comrade Pelosi, for that warm welcome,’ he finally said. ‘How wonderful to see so many young and eager faces in front of me.’ Confidence blasted out of his every pore, and he spoke slowly, in the manner of someone who was used to being listened to. Every eye was fixed on him, and I’d never heard the classroom so quiet – even during morning prayers. ‘Now, I’m sure most of you can guess why I’m here, and I’m not going to keep you in suspense. Thanks to the efforts of my comrades in the embassy, the Guardians have agreed to begin the transition, so that electricity can be brought to the enclave.’
There was a collective gasp, and he nodded in approval. ‘Yes, my friends. And soon, every person, every household, will have access to warmth in winter, running water all year round, lighting and all the benefits a civilised society can bring.’
The excited murmuring rose again, and then stopped as Comrade Nkosi held up a hand.
‘But there is a price to be paid for this, as you know.’ He paused again and clasped his hands in front of him. ‘It is a price that many of you, as good
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