The Watchmaker by Amanda Witt

Author:Amanda Witt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: suspense, dystopia, teen, psychological thriller, sci fi, ya, action and adventure, clean, dystopian action thriller, dystopia female heroine
Publisher: Amanda Witt

Chapter 15

In the dark living room Carol was asleep on the couch, the transmitter on the cushion near her hand. Gently I picked it up and turned to follow Rain upstairs.

“Hey,” a voice called softly. Looking toward the hallway, I saw a dark figure topped by a white bandage. Ezzie.

I hurried over to him and flung my arms around his neck, but he stiffened and I released him, afraid I was hurting him. Lamplight filtered to us from the open door of his room down the hall, but his face was in shadows.

“Are you all right?” I kept my voice low so as not to wake Carol. “How do you feel?” It was the first time I’d seen him since Rory and Angus had brought him to town, to the hospital.

“I’m not too bad, considering,” Ezzie said. “But you’d best not come too close.”

“You aren’t contagious.” I sounded more sure than I was.

“Not unless I suddenly take an urge to bite you or scratch you or something.” It was too dim to see his expression, but I was pretty sure he wasn’t joking.

“You aren’t going to do that.”

“Says who?”

“Says me, and anyway you might not be contagious at all. Maybe only the wild men can pass it on.”

His silence made me suddenly awkward.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I shouldn’t call them that.”

“It’s what they are.” His voice was flat. “But I didn’t call you over here to lay my problems on you, Red. I wanted to give you something.”

He felt around in the pocket of his bathrobe, and pulled out something that glinted in the dim light. “I snagged it when Meritt got us free of the wardens.”

He handed the object to me. It was a key.

“It unlocks handcuffs,” he said. “It might be useful, when you go back.”

“When we go back.”

Ezzie snorted.

“But you’re doing better—”

Ezzie held up his hands. “I don’t want to have this conversation,” he said. “Not now. Look here—I got you something else, too.”

This time it was a tiny bottle.

“Dream Drops.” He gestured down the hall. “I sorta looked in on the old people when the nurse had his back turned. They’re all sound asleep, dreaming about Optica if we’re lucky. And there are plenty of these bottles.”

Turning the small bottle over in my hand, I watched the golden liquid inside shift= thickly, like oil. Cautiously I opened it, and a strong scent of peppermint filled the air.

Hurriedly I recapped the bottle, as if the very scent of it might take me over. These drops had caused so much trouble, so much grief. They had, perhaps, tricked Gabriel into causing his own brother’s death.

“I thought they might be useful,” Ezzie said.

I didn’t want to disappoint him, but I didn’t see how they could help. “I can’t see Optica with these,” I said apologetically. “I can only see what Fiona’s doing.”

Ezzie nodded. “I know. I get that. But maybe you can use them to bargain with. Bribe a warden or something, or threaten the Watchers. I don’t know.”

“Okay.” I dropped both items into my pocket, where they clinked gently against each other.

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