Hunger Read Online Free PDF Page A

from happening.”
    She thought about what he said, trying to figure out how trustworthy he was. “I understand, Okil.”
    And she did, because she could see the differences between the two Karalians. Okil was calm and kind, while Ishk had an undercurrent of what she could only call hatred, hatred that was directed towards Evie.
    “Are you ready to leave Earth?” Okil leaned across and added, “We need to put your seatbelt on.”
    “Thank you for your kindness, Okil.”
    “When we get to the space station we can get you cleaned up. And once we arrive on Karal, I will make sure your wounds are properly treated.”
    “They are only bruises, they will fade.” Evie only wished her memories would fade too, that her life on Earth would be swept from her memory. But as they lifted off from Earth she wasn’t sure if her new memories would be any better. She was about to be thrust into a world she had no idea about. A pawn between two fighting factions. Ishk did not like her, did not want her, and looked as though he might be just as cruel as any human she had ever met. Or worse.
    Yes, she had learned that each day could be worse than the last. Looking back on her life, each new chapter had started off as hopeful, only to turn out worse than the last too. So Karal might very well be nothing like the haven everyone thought it was.
    As the Earth dropped far below them, she tried to take in the beauty of it. From this distance it still looked like the blue planet, only now the blue was muted. The vibrancy once captured in old photographs, gone. After clearing the atmosphere, they headed towards the moon, and she thought they were going to land there, but they flew past it. Ahead were some flashing beacons, simply hanging in space, guiding them forward, but into what?
    The spaceship suddenly slipped into something else, full of colour, full of light. A wormhole: she had heard this was how they travelled, but nothing could have prepared her for the beauty of it all. It gave her hope; this could be a new beginning, a new birth for her. She would try her hardest to please Ishk; surely he couldn’t hate her just for being human?
    Letting her mind clear, she watched the scene before her, the wonders of the universe unfolding before her eyes. How could this much beauty exist? Spiralling stars, clouds of colourful gases, banked up as high as she could see. Then they were spinning around and around, her stomach churning and she was glad she hadn’t eaten, or else she might have been sick.
    “Do you like it?” Okil asked.
    “It’s the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Do you ever get tired of this journey? Or is this the first time you have been through here too? I mean, apart from travelling to Earth.”
    “I have been to Earth so many times I have lost count, but I never tire of the journey. Look ahead now, we are about to exit the wormhole and you will be able to see Karal beneath us.”
    He pointed, and she followed his gaze to catch a glimpse of a small planet below them, not so unlike earth, only its atmosphere was tinged with purple. “That is Karal? It is amazing.” She looked at Okil. “You are very lucky to have a home like that, Okil.”
    “We know, it’s why some of our people fight so hard against the change that is coming. But we have to change to survive; it is a hard fact for some of my people to comprehend. Ah, here is the space station, we have to dock here and go through decon’ before we go down to the planet.”
    “Oh.” She had no idea what decon’ was.
    “We all have to,” Okil reassured her. “To protect Karal. I will see if I can find you some clean clothes too. I think that yours might be too much even for our technology.”
    She looked down at her clothes. They looked more like rags, they were so threadbare. “I’m sorry. They are all I have.”
    “It’s all right, Evie. Once we are on Karal I’ll get some more organised for you.”
    “Is that your job? Looking after the lottery