Redeemer Read Online Free PDF Page A

gets called.
    “Arm,” the guard barks. I frown and she rolls her eyes. “I need to scan your arm.”
    My gaze flies to the arm with my tracker. Do all Lessers have them? I scan my memories but Fischer always wore long sleeves. If he had a tracker in his arm I wouldn’t know.
    She huffs and I quickly hold out my arm. I have to provide my address and they promise a shipment will come this afternoon with the food. They warn I had better be home. I agree and am quickly herded outside.
    “What happens if I’m not there?” I ask Isabel as we walk home.
    “They move on to the next house.”
    “But they didn’t give me a time.”
    “Doesn’t matter, sugar. They’ll leave it on your doorstep and go.” Isabel gives me a long look. “You need to quit acting like you’re still a Middle. You were a Middle, right?”
    Her shrewd eyes see right through me and I look away. “Why would you think otherwise?”
    “You just got that air about you, sugar. But like I said, you can tell me your story whenever you’re ready.”
    I look away, and we’re quiet for the rest of the walk. At my building, I thank her for her help and we split up. I haven’t been here since yesterday morning, but home is no longer a welcome sight. A few people mingle on the porch steps. They stare as I pass, but I don’t want to look at them. What if they were in the arena when the allowances ran out? What if I get food and they don’t?
    What if they attack me?
    “New here?” someone calls out.
    My eyes slide closed and my shoulders tense. Slowly, I turn and attempt a smile. “Got here the day before yesterday.”
    “It ain’t so bad, once you get used to it.” It’s a woman who says it, though she’s not the one who stopped me. Her skin is an awful gray color, and it sags around her eyes, but no aura of tension swirls around her. She’s just a girl.
    “Thank you,” I manage to say. But truthfully I don’t want to get used to what I saw this morning. No one should have to get used to that.
    I stand uncomfortably, not sure what else to say. “My name’s Hana.”
    The woman smiles. “Nice to meet you, Hana. I’m Harley, and this is Hype and Skylar.”
    The threesome waves and smiles. They’re older than me, but maybe not by much. How did they get here? Birth? Breaking the law?
    “I’ll see you around,” I manage to say, even though I’d rather not.
    The starkness of my apartment makes me want to run screaming from the city. I cannot make this a home. I cannot.
    My gaze roams to the bed in the other room. The bed calls me. Begs me to lie down and ignore my troubles.
    I could do it. I could fall asleep again and forget everything. I’m stuck here until my food arrives, anyway.
    But giving in to temptation would only bring me lower and I know it. I can beat this thing. I don’t know how, but I can start trying today.
    Moving to the windows, I look for somewhere suitable for planting. It’s nearing autumn, even though it’s still blazing hot outside. I’d probably have to grow plants inside, anyway. A dilapidated yard sits a half block away. Would anyone mind if I dug up some dirt?
    My apartment doesn’t have much, but I might be able to find a few containers suitable for filling up with dirt. Then, if I get any fruit or vegetables with my food delivery, I can use those seeds to plant.
    I glance again at the deserted yard. The road is easy enough to see from there, so I shouldn’t miss the food truck if it comes. I dart around the apartment, digging to find a container somewhere—anywhere—that would hold dirt. The cabinets below the counters are empty. The cabinets above the counter are empty. Which I already knew, and thankfully there are no more rats today. The closet in my bedroom is empty.
    There is nothing. I have nothing.
    Then another thought hits me. How much water allowance will I be given? It probably isn’t even enough to keep a plant watered. Of course, it’s worth the try.
    My next best option is waiting for