The Brothers Read Online Free PDF Page B

out of the room.
    Eyes lock on the slump-shouldered, hollow-eyed girl on the leash. Sabrina’s hand clasps my wrist.
    It’s horrible, isn’t it? I want to scream. It’s horrible and we should help her.
    I say nothing and sign help into my lap over and over.
    Dr. Bashees walks in, a crisp figure in pristine white. He reminds me of a celebrity from before. Though he’s in his mid-fifties, his figure is trim and strong in his tailored, white suit. His tie is the only bit of color he wears, a splash of red so vivid it looks like a drop of blood on a white tablecloth. Today, and every time I’ve ever seen him, his shoulder-length black hair is combed back over his ears and his black goatee is full but shapely. His appearance screams confidence, power, but also a casual privilege. He can take anything he wants from anyone. Especially us.
    His polished black shoes click on the tile as he walks toward the wild man and his slave. It’s a study in opposites, Dr. Bashees and this outsider. Though I wonder how different they are on the inside. Both of them are used to putting women on parade.
    It’s a dangerous thought, and my skin crawls as it flits through my head. Speaking out about Dr. Bashees would definitely get you put out . Besides, the girls here love him. The girls, of course, who don’t know what I know. What Nanny Bell has taught me.
    “Ladies,” Dr. Bashees says, holding out his hands for silence he already has. “We have visitors today. Please give Mr.…” Dr. Bashees looks at the wild man, asking for his name with his eyes.
    “They call me Rukus.” He nods and his lion’s mane ripples.
    “Rukus.” Dr. Bashees’ mouth quirks. “Please give Mr. Rukus and his…guest your utmost attention. What he has to tell you may be a matter of life and death.”
    When Dr. Bashees clicks away and gives Rukus the floor, my insides go cold. I do not want to hear what this man has to say, not today, not ever.
    “Hello, ladies,” he says, smirking. “I’m Rukus, and this here’s Dancer.”
    He tugs the girl forward. Her body twitches as she steps toward the first row of girls. They lean back as if slavery were catching. Dancer doesn’t seem to see them.
    “Dancer used to have a name, used to have a fancy life. She used to be one of you,” he says, his pointed teeth flashing. “Tell them,” he says twitching the leash.
    Her words come out robotic and monotone. “I used to be a Breeder girl. I used to live here. I had a room on B Hall.” When she points a finger out the open common room door, I realize I know her. Not her sunken face, or the sunbaked skin, but if I look past the wildness and the dirt, I remember her. She was older than me and above me with her B Hall status. But if she was B Hall, that means she was a producer. She had babies that lived. Why was she put out ?
    “I didn’t follow the rules. Dr. Bashees and the nannies tried to warn me, but I didn’t listen.” Now her voice has gone whisper quiet. She stops, and Rukus yanks her leash.
    “Tell ‘em what your life is like now,” he says, unable to contain his awful smile.
    She lifts eyes that are flooded with tears. Eyes that finally see us, see what she used to be, what she used to have. “Now I… Now I…” She drops her head, shakes it. A ragged scar angles out of her hairline.
    He tugs the leash hard this time, and the girl’s head snaps up. She grabs the collar. Her eyes are on fire. Rukus’ body tightens and a fist forms in his free hand. Beside me, Sabrina sucks in a worried breath.
    Dr. Bashees strides over to Rukus before something awful can happen. The doctor looks like he’s about to hold Rukus back, thinks twice, and clasps his hands instead. “I think that’s enough. Surely, the girls can see for themselves just how…difficult life is outside and how fortunate they are to be with us.” Dr. Bashees offers an embarrassed smile. Rukus frowns. Dancer stands there, shaking.
    I sign help her, help her, help her into my