The Seven Read Online Free PDF

as well. Her room was next to Kenny's room and the first thing she noticed was the constant, rhythmic pattern of his fingers on a keyboard at all hours of the night. Even a pillow over her head couldn't block the sounds. She began to realize that she could hear a grasshopper's mandibles severing through a stalk of grass at twenty paces. It took some time, but when she concentrated, she could force herself to not hear as well. It protected her from some of Cormair's tests, like the ones where he would jam tubes in her ears and pump white sound through them until her teeth shook.
"Holly?" Posey's voice was outside her door.
"What?"
"Can I come in?"
    Holly reluctantly left the window and opened the door for Posey. The lanky girl had her hair back in a ponytail and was in a short-sleeved nightshirt. She held up an uncooked bag of microwave popcorn.
    "Movie night, remember?"
    "What movie?"
    "Doctor Sebbins got Notting Hill and The Rundown . I think she wanted everyone to be happy. C'mon! Hugh Grant---British cutie!"
    "You are desperate for action, aren't you?"
    "We're not all asexual like you," said Posey, poking Holly playfully in the shoulder. Holly shut her door and followed Posey down the hallway.
"Pose?"
"What?"
"You feeling okay?"
"Fine. Why?"
"The back of your neck is all rashy."
Posey sighed. "These stupid zits. I swear: Billions of dollars of research and they can't do a thing about acne."
Holly reached a finger up and touched Posey's neck. Posey yelped.
"What was that for?"
"Sorry...it just looks...odd."
"Odd?"
"Yeah, like it's not acne."
"Great, now I've got some sort of cyst or something. Just what I wanted."
Holly frowned. "It's on your arms, too."
    "What?" Posey stopped and craned her neck back to look at her arm. She swiveled it back and forth. "Gross." Small, white dots were outlined down the back of both her arms to her elbows. Posey touched one and jerked her finger away. "They're sharp!"
    Holly put her hand on Posey's shoulders, tracing between her shoulders along the line of spines. "They're across your back, too, Pose."
    "What?" Posey shot an awkward arm over her head and felt them with her fingers. "Oh my god. What is this? Why me?" She turned and looked at Holly, her face was gaunt. "What am I going to do, Holly? This is what they're looking for isn't it? This is what they've been waiting to see from us all these years."
    Holly couldn't say anything. She'd been hiding her abilities for everyone for some time, even from Posey, who was like her sister.
    Posey turned back to Holly, her eyes were wide. "You cannot tell anyone. Okay, Hol? You can't tell. I don't even want to know what they'll do to me if they find out."
"But Posey, if these get worse, you might need help."
"Don't tell them! I'm serious, Holly! Do not tell them!"
"I won't," said Holly. Worry began to gnaw at her.
    Fat, wet tears began to pool in the corners of Posey's eyes. "Why does bad stuff always happen to me? I'm tall. I'm ugly. I have this stupid zit face and big beaky nose. And now I'm becoming the freak-of-nature science project that Cormair wanted."
    "Don't cry, Posey. Sebbins will know something is up."
    "Don't tell me what to do, Holly. Look at me! I was never pretty, and ever since I got here, I've just been getting uglier and uglier...and now I'm some sort of mutant."
    "You're not."
    "I am!" Posey shrieked. Her voice cracked into a painfully high octave that seemed to scrape against Holly's eardrums like razors.
    "Pose!" Holly reached out and grabbed Posey's arm.
    "Stop it! Just, leave me alone, Holly. I need to be alone!" Posey yanked her arm away and threw the bag of microwave popcorn at Holly. "Leave me alone!" Posey stormed down the hall.
Andy's door opened and he stuck his head into the hall. "What's going on?"
"Nothing!" yelled Holly. "Leave it alone, Andy!"
"I didn't do anything!" Andy protested. "Is it illegal to ask a simple question?"
Posey suddenly arched backward in pain and crumpled to the ground screaming.
Holly raced to