Defect Read Online Free PDF Page B

explanation. “Call me when you’re through, and I’ll come back and get her.” He turns and leaves. The moment the door shuts behind him, the people around us begin talking and playing cards once again.
    “So who are you?” Sam asks, looking me over. “And why has Will taken a special interest in you?” A smirk plays on her lips.
    “I’m … nobody. One of O’Donovan’s side projects, that’s all.”
    She nods once. “Okay, come on. I think we can find something that fits you.”
    I follow Sam into a dormitory that’s connected to the bunker. It’s dim in here, with moonlight peeking into the room through the high up windows. All the beds are dressed in white sheets, just like in the hospital. Only here the beds don’t have shackles. I haven’t noticed before now, but the promise of dry clothes reminds me that I’m shivering. My teeth chatter while I wait for her to locate something for me to wear. “So what is this place?” I ask.
    She rummages through a locker , pulling out stray articles and holding them up to inspect. “Several years ago, the officials decided Defects could be used for something more – their dirty work. We’re not Sleepers, after all.” She finally settles on a pair of cargo pants and a hooded sweatshirt and tosses them to me. I’m growing used to the lack of underpants here, and thank goodness – for once – that things up top don’t exactly require a bra.
    I strip down and change quickly in front of her, long past caring about modesty. I leave my wet clothes in a heap beside her bed, along with the towel she let me use.
    She turns to leave the room, then stops suddenly just before we reach the door. “Wait.” She goes back to her locker and comes back with a comb. She holds it up and smiles. I smile back, but it feels lopsided, like I’m out of practice. “Sit.” She points me towards the nearest bed, and I comply.
    She begins at the ends of my hair and combs it out, working through the snarls and tangles until my hair is smooth and hangs straight down my back. Her kindness overwhelms me , but I stay quiet. Then I feel her fingers work to separate my hair into three equal sections and she begins braiding it. When she reaches the bottom, she tugs an elastic band from her wrist with her teeth and secures it around the bottom of my braid.
    I feel human again, dressed in clothes rather than a hospital gown or scrubs, with my hair neatly secured back from my face.
    Next Sam brings me into a large, sterile kitchen and rummages through the stainless steel double-door refrigerator. “We already had dinner, so it’ll just be whatever’s left.”
    M y encounter with her has already been more than I was expecting.
    She produces a thick slice of ham, a hunk of cheese and grabs some bread from the counter. She assembles the sandwich while I stand there, my mouth watering.
    When she pushes it towards me, I hesitate, but only for a second. I’m again overcome by her kindness, but then remember that she ’s under orders from Will – that is all. She hands me the sandwich, and for the first time, I notice the numbers tattooed at her wrist. 5486 . So she’s a Defect, just like me.
    I grab for the sandwich and take a big bite into it. I haven’t had meat or really anything of substance since I’ve been here – over two weeks now – and with today’s mental and physical exertion, I’m starved in a way I didn’t know was possible.
    “So, what are you in for?” She smiles.
    I don’t know how honest to be, though something tells me I can trust her. It’s just that after my incident where I admitted to Willow about failing the mindscan – I’m not so sure now. But I’m not good at lying, especially since it would require coming up with something on the spot. I swallow the bite I’ve been chewing. “I actually don’t know – they said I failed the mindscan.”
    She looks taken aback, and it’s clear she’s never heard of that happening. “Hm.”
    “Yeah, I know –