Species Traitor: A Science Fiction Dystopian Novel by Kate Mary (books to read to get smarter txt) 📕

crowd. Dirt and the musky scent of body odor combined with the smells of the city, making my stomach roll. To avoid the crowd, I pushed out as I walked, moving closer to the wall so that by the time I emerged from the throng I was practically in front of the recently repaired gate. The guards were relaxed today, talking and smoking, a few even smiling as they watched the party.

I scanned the men until I spotted a familiar face. Dean didn’t see me. He was too busy watching the party going on at my back, so I stayed still for a moment, observing him in a way I couldn’t when we were together. It felt slightly voyeuristic, watching him like this without him realizing it, but I was curious how he really felt.

He was smiling, his focus on the partiers as he said something to the guard at his side. The other man laughed, and Dean joined in, and I waited longer, wanting to see some sign that the man I’d been dating was disgusted by this celebration. There was none.

Finally, he tore his gaze from the crowd and looked my way, almost like he’d sensed me watching. When he spotted me, his body tensed and his smile faded, and he took a step closer, his hands tightening on the pulse rifle, which before had looked like little more than a prop an actor would hold. Now, though, as he moved in my direction, it looked deadly.

“Ava, what the hell are you doing here?” he said in a low voice when he stopped in front of me.

“I was just walking home.”

He relaxed a little, but not much. “You weren’t planning to go in?” This time, the words were even quieter, and his gaze darted past me as if checking to make sure no one was paying attention. “You said you weren’t going back in for a while.”

“I’m not,” I said, the words practically catching in my throat. “Not for a while.”

Dean let out a relieved exhale. “Good. Listen, I understand how you feel, and I know this is going to be hard, but it’s not the end of the world.”

Not for us, I wanted to say but instead kept quiet.

“Things will settle down eventually. In the meantime, you can talk to Ione on the phone.”

He said it as if that was the same thing, as if I shouldn’t worry about my cousin’s safety, and it suddenly made me loathe him. Despise him as much as the people partying behind me, as much as I detested Veronica Waters and people like my mother who hated for no reason.

Dean gave me a smile. “See you tonight after I get off?”

“I don’t think so.” I had to clench my fists to stop from slapping him, and I took a step back before I did something stupid. “I’m not in the mood.”

His smile faltered. “Okay.” He pressed his lips together, and behind his face shield I could see the uncertainty in his eyes, but I didn’t care. “Another night?”

“Sure,” I mumbled, feeling torn.

On one hand, the idea of going out with him again felt even more repulsive than joining the party at my back. On the other hand, he was my link to the District. He would be able to let me know when it was safe to visit Ione again, and he might even have some inside information I could share with my cousin. It could keep her safe.

When he gave me a sympathetic smile, I did my best to return it. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Okay,” I mumbled as I turned away.

The viewing screen was blaring when I stepped through the front door—no surprise there—and the cheery voice of Veronica Waters as she applauded the voters for recognizing the real problem facing our city made me cringe. Mom was nowhere in sight, but Lena was leaning against the doorway separating the living room from the small kitchen. She turned when I walked in, her arms crossed and a neutral, almost bored, expression on her face.

“Can you believe this circus?” she asked.

“No, I can’t. I knew she would win, but I didn’t think it would be by such a big margin.”

“They called it already,” Lena said, nodding to the screen.

My shoulders slumped as if she’d just thrown something heavy on my back. “I’m not surprised. It was a landslide.”

“Mayor Waters says her first order of business will be to work with the Veilorian officials to get a census of the humans and halflings,” Lena didn’t even cringe when she said the word, “living in the District.”

“What then?” I asked. “What will she do once she knows?”

My sister only shrugged, but she still looked totally bored. As if she’d rather be out partying and ignoring the real issues in this world.

Mom chose that moment to come into the kitchen, an empty glass in hand. She was smiling in a way I’d never seen before. It stretched across her face and made the already deep lines and wrinkles bottom out until they looked like canyons cutting across her yellowing skin.

“Why so glum?” She elbowed Lena on her way past. “We won!”

She was humming, not looking my way. I should have been thankful she was too happy to pay attention to me, but I couldn’t be.

“You won,” I corrected her.

Lena rolled her eyes and sighed.

Mom’s cheerful tune cut off mid-note, and she slowly turned to face me. The movement was as calculated as an animal stalking its prey. “I’ve warned you. I will not have a species traitor in my house. This is your last warning, Ava. Three strikes, and you’re out. I don’t want to hear another word about Veilorians or your cousin unless it’s to condemn them all.”

Lena stood straight, dropping her arms to her sides. “You would kick her out? You’d do that to your own daughter?”

Mom stared at me as she said, “Your sister knows what she’s risking.”

I did, and despite my earlier doubt, I thought Mom might be