Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 68870 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68870 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
The Regime still tries to sneak in and put up hidden cameras from time to time, but we always find them. We have even caught a few of the men who have tried to install them before.
We held them for a few days then tried to send them back, but they often didn’t want to leave. I don’t blame them. Life is so different on this side. It’s almost like going from black and white to color. Who would want to go back to that?
“Good job,” I tell him. He smiles, happy with my appraisal.
“I’m going to train some of the teens,” Ryan says, then takes off and heads toward the playground with the rest of the kids. Our school houses all the grades, but we are going to have to look into a second soon. I’m still not sure how we will divide it up, but we’ll get there soon enough.
“We better get out there. I told Jamie I’d help her finish building the birdhouse.” I grab my wife’s hand, and she picks up the two books off the table before I lead her outside and over to Jamie. She sits down and watches us.
A few of the kids run up to sit next to her when they see she has a book in her hand and she starts to read aloud. More kids gather around to listen to her. I don’t blame them. I could listen to her speak for hours. Though tonight I’m going to have her making a different sound for me for hours. I study her for a moment, transfixed just like the kids.
“Dad.” I glance back to our daughter who is waiting for me. Her hand is on her hip and she’s giving me the same look her mom does when she is waiting for me to do something.
“Measure twice, cut once,” I tell her. Our little girl, Jamie, is a mix of us. Sandy-brown curls, a pale face with deep brown eyes and a sparkle for learning like you wouldn’t believe. She loves building things more than anything, and I love showing her how to build and make things. I want to raise a practical and resourceful girl, and by the looks of it I’m succeeding.
I help her with the board, marking down the length. After that I cut it for her and help her nail it in. We work for an hour or so until all the kids have left the playground with their own parents.
After a while Jamie, Sylvia and I walk over to the community garden and pick raspberries. They are Jamie’s favorite and it’s something we do almost every day after school.
After going into hiding with Sylvia I missed eating good food so much I taught myself how to garden. Sylvia’s green thumb isn’t as good as mine, but many others jumped in to do the same. There is no more fighting for food. We all work together to make sure everyone is fed. Everyone has their own little patch in the garden and we all try to plant different things and share.
We have more than we started with, and we are growing each day. I place a hand on my Sylvia’s round belly and lean down to kiss her. Life is more perfect than I ever knew it could be. Sylvia brought me to life. Showed me the real world and what was out there. I could never live without her after having found her. We may not have everything, but I have all I really need. Our future is full of hope now, and so are we.
THE END
Her Rebel
by Alexa Riley
Prologue
Owen
I shouldn’t watch her so closely, but I can’t help myself. I could draw unwanted attention too soon and ruin everything. But I’ve waited years, and I don’t have any patience left.
This first time I saw her I was just a boy. I didn’t know what a man’s obsession could feel like. How consuming it would be. I knew I loved her, even before I could figure out what that was. But I also knew we both had roles to play.
We were separated, and it took me years to find her. Years I spent creating the resistance and making my way back to her. I waited for her, never touching another woman while I searched. I respected and honored her, even though she may have forgotten about me long ago.
I can’t take my eyes off of her. The way she moves, the way her fingers brush through her hair, the way the sun shines on her cheek. All of it pulls me in. She’s dangerous. Everything I’ve built could come crashing down around me because of her. She could destroy all of it, including me, and yet I won’t stop her. She’s my destiny, and I must see it through.