Embattlement: The Undergrounders Series Book Two (A Young Adult Science Fiction Dystopian Novel) Read Online Free PDF

two to convince myself I’m not hallucinating. Squatting in a pile of mulched leaves like some kind of elusive forest creature is a little girl, I think. Filthy, even by Undergrounder standards. I stare at the small figure, swaddled in muddy layers of unidentifiable clothing. Her spindly arms are velcroed around Tucker’s neck, a feisty gleam in her eyes that dares me to claim him. Tucker barks once, then twice, seeking my approval of this new arrangement. I signal to him to stay, still trying to process what I’m seeing. He wags his tail contentedly, then barks again, inviting me to join his circle of newfound love.
    Trout comes running up behind me. “What on earth?”
    “It’s a little girl,” I say, more to convince myself than to tell him anything he can’t see for himself.
    He turns to me, frowning. “Yeah, but where’d she come from?”
    “I don’t know.” I raise my fingers to my mouth to whistle for Tucker, but Trout grabs my arm and lowers it. “Wait! She’s clinging to that dog like her life depends on it. If you whistle him over, she might start screaming.”
    I twist my neck and peer through the trees behind me. Trout’s right. Blade might well be in earshot. The worst thing we can do right now is trigger an outburst that will draw unwanted attention to our whereabouts.
    I turn back around and take a closer look. I haven’t seen a child this young since before the meltdown. The young and the old fared worst in the aftermath. I’m guessing she might be five or six, but I’m useless at this kind of stuff. And she’s so tiny.
    “So what do I do?” I whisper out of the corner of my mouth to Trout. “I can’t let her keep Tucker.”
    Trout throws me an exasperated look. “Point is, what are we gonna do with her ?”
    “I dunno, find her parents. She’s too young to have survived out here by herself. She must be with someone—Undergrounders, I suppose.”
    “There aren’t any bunkers around here, only the Council’s base.”
    “Maybe they were passing through.”
    Trout throws me a skeptical look. “And left their kid behind?”
    I stare at the disheveled girl for a moment, and then take a tentative step in her direction. She tenses, huddling in on herself. Tucker pricks his ears, watching our every move. “It’s okay,” I call out, offering a friendly wave. “We’re Undergrounders like you. We won’t hurt you.” I take a couple more steps, treading as lightly as I can.
    She tightens her grip on Tucker and scuttles backward. He licks her chin, and then turns back to me. I motion to him to stay put.
    “Are you hungry?” Trout calls out. He pulls out a piece of jerky and holds it up.
    The young girl’s eyes widen.
    Trout approaches her slowly and offers it to her. Cautiously, she uncoils one arm from around Tucker’s neck, her eyes fixed on the prize. Fast as a bird of prey, she thrusts out her hand and snatches the jerky from Trout’s open palm. My heart melts when she tears it in half and gives a piece to Tucker first. She keeps a wary eye on Trout as she polishes off her share, but she seems to have forgotten that I’m here. Ever so slowly, I approach.
    Her face is smeared with dirt streaked through with tears. A flicker of panic goes through me. If she is lost, and we can’t find her parents, what are we going to do with her? She wipes a tiny fist across her lips, then holds out her hand to Trout for more jerky, never loosening her one-armed grip on Tucker.
    “Are you lost?” I ask, kneeling down on a bed of pine needles a few feet in front of her.
    Her bottom lip trembles.
    I cringe inwardly. Please don’t cry! “I’m Derry,” I say, stretching a clown-sized smile across my face. “What’s your name?”
    She clings to Tucker’s fur, peering suspiciously over my shoulder into the brush.
    I turn and make a dismissive gesture behind me. “Don’t worry. It’s just me and my friend, Trout.”
    The girl eyes Trout curiously for a moment. Her small lips part.