The Collector by Laura Kat Young

Author:Laura Kat Young
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags:  
Publisher: Titan

EIGHT

The panic set in as the Bureau came into view. The colossal tower, bright and white against the gray sky, stood on the horizon. As Dev descended the hill and drove through the village, he could not help but tug at his collar. His armpits were sweating, and he could feel the heat of his skin through his shirt and jacket. The recorder burned against his breast, and with each bump he went over, he felt it rattle. Only when he pulled into his garage did it stop moving inside his pocket.

The extra tapes were in the trunk of his car. He opened the door and got out of the car. The air was light and fresh; it was warming outside, and the sun shone down from above. It was going to be a beautiful day, and Dev hurried to get the new tape. He’d have to make sure to record inside; Shay would hear if he was outside or in a car, even if the engine was off.

Once inside his apartment, he took off his shoes and went into the lounge. He stood because that’s what he typically did at a collection. And then, having pressed record, he proceeded to speak.

“Ms. Donaldson, shall we get started?

“Feel free to nod that you’ve heard me—there, thank you.

“Sometimes it helps to think of the first thing that pops into your mind. Sometimes the struck get caught up in donating the perfect memory.

“I assure you there is no such thing.

“Take your time, Ms. Donaldson, I’m in no rush.”

Each time Dev spoke, he paused. Sometimes it was only for a few seconds, other times a full minute or more. He tried to recreate exactly what he would do, had done. He paced back and forth on the floor and heard his pant legs swish. There was a creaking of a floorboard. But then he froze: would Shay know he was in his own apartment—could she recognize the hazy stillness in the air? Could she hear his steps on his carpet the way he could there in the apartment? The silence of an empty building on a quiet day with the windows shut? He could not even hear the breeze that rustled the treetops outside. Perhaps Shay had memorized the way his apartment sounded because she couldn’t help herself.

Dev remembered that the recorder was on. “I believe the Resetters will be here shortly,” he said.

“If you’re not wishing to donate anything, I can be on my way.”

“I can stay, if that’s something that you’d like.”

He pressed the stop button. There, yes, that was it. It was precisely the kind of conversation he’d been having for nearly, nearly—how many years had he worked for the Bureau? In the Home until eighteen. He did the math. Could it really have been twenty years? He put the recorder in his pocket and as he did, he heard the jelly bean click against the plastic casing. He picked it out of his pocket between his thumb and forefinger. It was crushed now, dented and smoothed at the edges from wear.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.