The Declaration Read Online Free PDF

supper that evening, she was so cold and ravenous that she didn’t notice Peter slipping silently behind her in the queue for broth. It was only when she had the hot bowl in her hands and was carrying it towards one of the long, narrow tables that filled Central Feeding, that she saw him, and realised that he was about to sit down next to her.
    ‘Usually the boys sit together,’ she said tightly, as she put her bowl down and immediately started to spoon the lumpy mixture into her mouth. She felt tired and irritable, and she just wanted to sit quietly and eat her food; the last thing she needed was Peter with his stupid comments and constant questions.
    ‘But not always?’ Peter asked, putting his bowl on the table and noisily scraping back the bench so that he could sit down.
    Anna ignored him and continued to eat as the table filled up.
    ‘This is disgusting,’ Peter said a few moments later. ‘What is it? It tastes vile.’
    No one said anything, and after a few seconds of silence, Anna reluctantly put her spoon down.
    ‘This is good, nutritious food,’ she said wearily.
    ‘What’s good and nutritious about it?’ Peter demanded. ‘This isn’t even meat. It’s like sawdust.’
    Anna swallowed her mouthful. ‘It’s reconstituted meat,’ she said. ‘With flour to thicken it. And I think it’s delicious.’
    ‘Then you can have mine,’ Peter said, pushing his bowl towards her.
    Anna stared at him. ‘You have to eat your food, Peter. It’s our duty to stay strong and . . .’
    ‘Strong and healthy, yeah,’ Peter interrupted her. ‘Well, I’m not going to be either if I eat this.’
    Anna felt her heart begin to quicken in her chest. All the other Surpluses at the table were studiously looking down, but that didn’t mean they didn’t know what was going on. An offer of extra food was a rare thing, and Anna’s eyes were already looking at Peter’s bowl greedily. But if Mrs Pincent found out that Peter hadn’t eaten, he might be beaten for selfishness.
    Looking around furtively, Anna grabbed Peter’s bowl and poured half of its contents into her bowl, then pushed it back towards Peter.
    ‘You have to eat the rest,’ she said, her voice low. ‘You have to eat something.’
    Peter shrugged. ‘There’s worse things than being hungry, you know,’ he said softly. ‘Don’t you agree, Anna?’
    She could feel Peter’s eyes on her, and she decided to ignore him, gulping down her broth quickly. She wanted to get away from Peter, wanted him to stop talking to her and looking at her as though he thought she was interested in anything he had to say.
    But instead of taking her hint, Peter moved his head closer to Anna’s. ‘Your mother is a wonderful cook, Anna. She makes the most delicious food. Shall I tell you?’
    Anna clamped her hands to her ears, knocking her spoon to the ground in the process. ‘No,’ she hissed. ‘No, she doesn’t, and no I don’t want you to tell me anything.’
    She leant down to pick up her spoon, but as she reached for it, a large, heavy foot landed on her fingers and she yelped.
    ‘Dropped something?’ a voice asked, and Anna grimaced. It was Surplus Charlie, another Pending, tall like Peter but broad too, his large frame pushing at the seams of his overalls.
    ‘Get off my hand,’ Anna said angrily, pushing at his leg with her free hand. ‘I’ll report you . . .’
    ‘Are you bowing down to me, Surplus Anna?’ Charlie asked thinly, his greenish eyes mocking her. ‘It looks to me as if you might have finally Learnt Your Place.’
    Anna gritted her teeth and tried again to pull her hand away, but before she could do so, Charlie suddenly went tumbling to the floor. She rescued her hand and sat up to see Peter towering over Charlie, his foot pressed into his chest.
    ‘Maybe you need to learn your place,’ Peter growled. ‘Maybe you need to learn some manners.’
    He looked at Anna with a little smile. ‘What shall I do with him, Anna Covey?’ he mouthed