Rebel Nation Read Online Free PDF Page A

the empty, hulking shell of a casino that somehow had a wireless net signal. The Dinosaur was the only place where they could talk to West and the others.
    Last Clover checked, Bridget was supposed to be in love with her brother. And West was definitely in love with her. Bridget should have looked forward to Saturdays as much as she and Jude did. Plus, the Dinosaur was their place. Clover was far more comfortable there than she was in the dorm room she shared with Bridget. Being there reminded Clover that she was more than an Academy student. It didn’t make any sense at all that Bridget would rather sit here and do homework.
    â€œHomework, for God’s sake,” she said. “Come on, we have to go.”
    This was the second week where Clover felt like they were begging Bridget to come with them. Jude had told her he thought she was just trying to lose herself in her own more familiar world. Maybe it was a reaction to the stress of the weeks when they were outside the city.
    â€œDon’t you think it’s time to tell Isaiah about all of this?” Bridget didn’t even look at Jude now. Her eyes were on the worn industrial carpet. “He deserves to know. We should tell him.”
    â€œAll of what, exactly?” Jude asked. Clover reached for Mango and he dragged his broad face over her palm before pressing his head against it. “That West isn’t dead? That we talk to him? Should we tell Isaiah,
the guard
, about the other Freaks and how they escaped from Foster City? How much do you want to tell him?”
    â€œIsaiah’s not a guard.” Bridget’s face flushed when she heard herself. Isaiah had been a guard for three years, since he turned sixteen. “Not like you mean, anyway.”
    â€œNo.” Clover looked at Jude for confirmation. He just shook his head. “No, it is not time to tell Isaiah, Bridget.”
    There was just too much at stake. So far only the Freaks knew that the suppressant everyone, everywhere, received every day was an unnecessary addictive substance. A single dose of Xanverimax, the medication Waverly brought back from the future, was enough to keep the virus at bay.
    Clover reached up and touched the suppressant portal implanted at the base of her skull. The daily doses she’d taken her whole life had no Xanverimax in them. They were solely designed to keep control over the survivors.
    Only the Freaks knew that Ned Waverly had been murdered. Only they knew about the ranch Waverly had prepared for them outside the city. Only problem was, they weren’t sure, yet, what to do about it. That was why Waverly’s notes were so important. And that was why telling Isaiah, who was a Company guard even if Clover had known him her whole life and wanted to share Bridget’s faith in him, was a dangerous idea.
    â€œHe’s a Freak,” Bridget said. “I’m telling you, he is.”
    â€œWhy risk it?” Jude sat on the edge of her desk. “What am I missing?”
    â€œNothing.” Bridget closed her book and stood up. “Let’s go.”
    â€œYou haven’t already told him, have you?” Clover asked.
    Bridget shook her head once, then went to stand at the door. Clover clipped a lead to Mango’s collar and shot Jude a look before they all left the dorm.
    They walked outside into the cool autumn air. November was a crapshoot in Reno. Some years it was pure winter; others, summer came back and took hold so warm days gave way to cold nights. This was an Indian summer autumn, and all Clover needed was a light jacket to stay warm.
    â€œWhat’s wrong with her?” she asked Jude. Bridget walked so stiffly, she was nearly marching. “Has she said anything to you?”
    â€œNothing is wrong with her,” Bridget called back over her shoulder. “Even her hearing is just fine, thanks.”
    â€œSorry,” Clover said. “But you’re acting so—”
    Clover stumbled when