Sovereign (Sovereign Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

a
little, hoping to God Dylan doesn’t make a sound.  If I get caught with a boy
in my bedroom, I’m a goner for sure.  They don’t tolerate mixing company like
this.  Even once we’re grown, we can’t engage in romantic or intimate relationships. 
Reproduction is strictly sanctioned by the Population Division. 
    “Off
with them,” she says, gesturing to my clothes.
    Close
your eyes , I think even though Dylan can’t hear me.
    I
turn my back to the bed and drop my cotton pants, and strip off my gray
t-shirt.  I try to cover myself as I look back at Ginny.
    “Oh,
great.  You’re finally aware you have breasts.  Just in time,” she chirps. 
    I
feel a heavy blush all over, but I guess I haven’t had much regard for the
changes my body has undergone these past couple of years.  Ginny holds up a
small piece of fabric that confuses me, as it’s not large enough to be a
shirt.  I hold the thing with one hand still covering my chest, and look it
over.
    “What
is it?” I ask, feeling silly that I don’t know.
    “A
bra.  You’ll be needin’ to start wearin’ one.  You’re almost a woman now.”  Her
voice isn’t like the rest of ours.  She has a different dialect that she won’t
tell me how she came by.
    “Every
day?”  I hold it as far away as I can.
    “For
the rest o’ your life, dear.” 
    She
shows me which way it goes, and I slide it on over my head and shimmy the
elastic band at the bottom into place. I’m actually grateful I’m semi-covered
now.  Dylan had better not be looking.
    “Just
be glad it’s not the kind with wires, like mine.  You shouldn’t need them,” she
says, obviously attempting to lighten the mood.  I’m so tense, I know she can
tell I’m uncomfortable.
    “Metal
wires?  In your bra?”  I ask. 
    She
nods.  I can’t help but look at her chest now, wondering why hers warrants
something mine does not.  The obvious answer is size, but maybe I’m wrong.
    “Wear
this dress for the funeral.  I don’t want to hear a word about it.  Your
pants’ll be right here waitin’ after dinner.”  With that, she leaves. 
    I
slip into the dress, which is black and comes just below the knee.  It doesn’t
have sleeves and for some unimaginable reason the neckline is cut like a “V”
that lands way too close to my new bra.  I feel naked and hate it.
    “I
didn’t see anything,” Dylan whispers.  Dylan!   For a moment, I’d
forgotten he was there.  Now I’m blushing all over again.
    He
starts to slide out from under the bed, when another tap comes at the door.  I
can’t imagine how anyone else could possibly need to see me.  Dylan drags
himself back under the bed as Nathan steps through the door. 
    If
I felt naked thirty seconds ago, it’s nothing compared to now.  One corner of
Nathan’s mouth turns into a crooked grin as he looks me over, apparently
pleased with my dress.  I’ll have to remember to kill Ginny for this later.
    “Ah,
Cori.  There you are,” he says, pushing the door closed then crossing his arms.
    “I
hope you didn’t have to look too hard to find me right here in my room.” 
Before today, I could tell when my digs were getting to him.  Now, he’s cold as
ice.  Hard as stone. 
    He
strides over to my bed and sits right where Ginny had.  I’m even more nervous
now than when Ginny was in here.  I tell myself there’s no reason for Nathan to
look under the bed, so long as Dylan stays quiet, we’re safe. 
    Nathan
rubs his serpentine fingers across my pillow and I cringe, hoping my revulsion
doesn’t show.  I remember, again, when those fingers were on my face, and his
threat that accompanied them.  But he’s wrong.  I’m still ten months from
eighteen.  We don’t join our Divisions until eighteen.  I have ten months to
get out.  If I don’t, I will be one of his soldiers and
won’t even have a choice.  None of us do.  My examination results showed I’m
cut out for one thing: violence.  By default,