Ration by Christina J. Thompson

Author:Christina J. Thompson [Thompson, Christina J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-08-22T05:00:00+00:00

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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Amber ignored her father when he arrived at the grid, pretending to be focused on her work. He was in good spirits, whistling as he dug his course, and the sound grated in her ears. He didn’t speak to her at least, and for that she was grateful. Instead, she spent the day fighting back tears of remorse and the hunger pangs that stabbed through her stomach.

The supplements that reduced the amount of food her body required could only do so much; she knew she would have to eat eventually, but just imagining the taste of dried meat made her feel even sicker that her empty stomach did. She thought of the ration’s food, wondering if he would trade her, and the very idea threatened to send her into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. It was insane to think that this is where she now was, that this is what she felt. Everything was the same, yet everything was different, as if the very essence of the world had inverted itself with the realization of a single piece of knowledge.

She kept replaying the harvest over and over in her mind as the hours passed, her thoughts focusing on her father. She was sure that he had seen the ration’s response to the blade. She was at a distance and had seen it, but he had been up close and looking at the ration’s face. Surely he hadn’t missed it.

Amber frowned. It didn’t matter. She knew that expecting him or anyone else to acknowledge what was happening was too much to ask. This was the price they paid for survival, and if anyone did know, they were content to pretend otherwise. Just as she had been; now that she looked back on it, she realized that the signs had been staring her in the face all this time, but it had taken her ration and his companionship to force her to see it. It was a painful truth to bear, but despite how much it hurt, she was grateful. She wouldn’t undo it for anything.

The day finally ended, and Amber sighed with relief when her father announced that it was time to head back.

“I’ll see you at home,” Richard said as he prepared to leave. “Make sure the ration puts the hauling sacks away.”

“I will,” she answered, watching him go. She was glad he was gone, being near him bothered her.

She glanced up as the ration came back from his final trip and descended into the grid. He returned the hauling sacks to their place, his eyes meeting hers as he beckoned to her, and she put her head down as she climbed the steps. This time, she was the one to follow behind him as they walked back to the house.

Amber paused at the door, instinctively motioning for the ration to wait for her, then she cringed with realization as she quickly dropped her hand. He didn’t need her to tell him what to do, he never had. She

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