Pentimento: a dystopian Beauty and the Beast Read Online Free PDF

realize we're living in a fortress prison called The Second United States. The Ruins are outer limits, and forbidden because they are the only place that has evidence of The First." Iris stepped closer, trying her best not to be affected by his manly scent. "There are real plants in the Ruins."
    "That's impossible," Colton said. “The Earth’s soil doesn't produce plants, nor crops. Thanks to the Council, they invented ways to grow crops in houses with no soil needed."
    "You're still thinking of the Council." If she wasn't talking to Colton, she'd have pulled her hair and yelled. Funny how she couldn't tell someone she liked how stupid they were. "There are real buildings in the Ruins, and there are even real animals. I guess you'll have to see it yourself to believe it.”
    “Cody says you're smart," Colton rubbed his chin. She couldn't tell if Colton was impressed or annoyed with her. "Should I trust him?"
    "Forget about Cody," she took another confident stride closer to him. "I'm Iris. I'm here in front of you. You shouldn't rely on anyone else's judgement. Either you're courageous enough to cross the line, or you're not."
    "You're practically saying that crossing over to the Ruins, I might not come back." Colton said. A flick of admiration finally flashed in is eyes. Iris hoped she wasn't wrong about it. This was definitely admiration, right? And not because of my beauty, but because of me being just me.
    “You want to know what happened to Eva or not?" she challenged him. "I've crossed before. About ten times so far. Can you?”
    That flash of admiration sparkled again in his eyes. This time, he glanced at her from top to bottom. “How is it possible to even cross the Great Wall?” Colton said, looking over her shoulder at it. They were near enough to see the Great Wall in the distance; a construction disguised in some hologram technology, making it look like a sky in the distance, so it didn't hurt anyone’s eyes or make citizens feel imprisoned from afar. In fact, the Great Wall had been everywhere in The Second all along. Whenever you saw a far away mirage you couldn't reach, it was nothing but the Great Wall. A deception to the eyes. The Council had their robot androids securing the Great Wall a mile ahead of it. They blocked anyone from passing through; protecting it, and protecting citizens from it. It was illegal to cross over under any circumstances. The robots had license to kill. Citizens of The Second had been obedient in general, except for a group who claimed they were the new revolution. They were always hunted down, only tens of them left scattered and uncaught--yet--probably hiding in the Ruins.
    “All we have to do is cross the guards,” Iris smirked.
    "And how are we going to do that?"
    "We won't," Iris said. "There is a building at the corner of the street," she pointed at a bakery called the Barnum Bakery nearby. "The woman who owns it has a tunnel underneath that leads to the Ruins. Whenever you want to go there, you can use it. I'll introduce you."
    "And why would that woman expose her life to such danger?" Colton asked.
    "She is part of the revolution," Iris said.
    "There is a revolution?"
    "Of course there is," Iris sighed. Most people didn't know about it. "When society is full of nonsense like ours, when the government makes decisions people don't approve of and tells you that you have voted for those same decisions, sooner or later there will be a revolution."
    "And I assume you're part of it," Colton said.
    "Not at all." Iris laughed. "I'm just an ordinary girl who wants to know why she is subject to being taken by the Beasts. That's all. Once I know why and do something about it, I will sleep better at night. Maybe find a Prince Charming first, and then sleep better at night." She rolled her eyes. Part of it was at her attempt at flirting, and the other part, to cover up the fact that she actually was flirting with Colton.
    "I'd like to know what happened to Eva, so I can sleep better