Terra Nova (The Variant Conspiracy Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

two should fall behind us a bit. As soon as I catch sight of a zoo employee, I can change us again,” Ilya said to Jonah and Cole.
    “I’ll take point.” Dressed for construction work, Josh appeared very sure of himself.
    “What?” I said.
    “I’ll go first.” Josh jogged ahead into the park while Jonah and Cole stopped to play with their phones.
    “If I could somehow have a vision of where Rose and Sage are staying, we might not have to wait for a chance to follow them home. If everyone bailed on Evonatura this morning, there’s no point in going back this afternoon. And we’ll lose a whole extra day waiting for them to lead us to where they’re crashing,” I said to Ilya as we walked.
    I felt myself adjusting to the strange person next to me. Watching my own fake blond hair flow around me in the breeze entertained me.
    We reached rows of red and white and yellow flowers sculpted into oval beds. Paths led off to more gardens on our right, but we couldn’t wander. We came to a beautiful stone three-tiered fountain and I paused, only for a moment.
    “We’ll travel properly someday. You and Jonah, me and Faith. We’ll come back and we’ll see all the European cities the way they’re meant to be seen.” Ilya pulled gently on my arm and we resumed our brisk walk.
    “What about Cole? And Gemma? We should bring them too.” Worry for Gemma’s safety quickly replaced the stab of guilt I felt when I pictured Cole’s endearing smile. I hadn’t seen him smile in weeks.
    “Sure, why not. The more the merrier.”
    “Once we get this gun, how are we going to get it back to the hostel?”
    “I’ll disguise it somehow. Depends on what we find. I think some of these things are like rifles and some are like handguns. I’m hoping for the latter, since this a zoo and not a game reserve.”
    We reached the London Zoo’s entrance gate. Josh was already inside and gave a quick wave from his seat on a cement barrier.
    “Two please,” Ilya said politely to the grandmotherly ticket agent. She glowered at us as she passed our tickets back to us.
    “Thank you!” I said cheerfully as I turned my back on her.
    “Have you seen what you need of their uniforms?” said Josh.
    I stole a glance back and saw Cole and Jonah at a ticket window.
    “Oh yeah. We just need a quiet corner to ‘change’ and we’re good to go,” said Ilya.
    Josh stole glances at the people around us. “I’m more concerned about finding the ‘equipment’ we need and making sure we’re undisturbed.”
    “You’re just changing our clothes, right? We could say we’re new and that we got lost.” I rolled back on my heels. Being disguised liberated my typically dormant adventurous side.
    “That won’t buy us any time alone in their vet wing,” said Josh.
    “I’ll hit on someone.” I flipped my hair playfully.
    Jonah lifted his eyebrows. “Really?”
    “What? It could work!” I said.
    “No, it won’t. Have you met yourself? You’ve got the charm of a postal clerk. Let Josh handle it. First thing, we need uniforms. That alcove with the washrooms. Follow me.” Ilya beckoned us heatedly.
    We followed Ilya into the men’s side and found the room empty. He wasted no time and I felt the misty fog around me once more. In the washroom’s mirror, I saw my blonde self upgraded to a uniform. My hair was tied back much more neatly. Impressive, I thought. If that messy baggy shirt girl were to clean up and come into work, this reflection was what I expected to see.
    “Let’s go find a map,” said the middle-aged tradesman-turned-naturalist Josh.
    We followed him single file out of the bathroom and toward an illustrated map poster in a nearby metal stand.
    “Look for a building that says hospital. Or something unmarked altogether. They don’t want people in the vet space, so it’s going to be labeled discreetly or not at all,” said Josh.
    We scanned the poster as a group.
    “Hey, they’re building a lion exhibit,” Ilya said