Anomaly - Softcover

Mcgee, Krista

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1401688721 ISBN 13: 9781401688721

Verlag: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2013

Inhaltsangabe

Thalli has fifteen minutes and twenty-three seconds to live. The toxic gas that will complete her annihilation is invading her bloodstream. But she is not afraid.

Decades before Thalli’s birth, the world was decimated by a nuclear war. But life continued deep underground, thanks to a handful of scientists known as The Ten. There they created genetically engineered human beings who are free of emotions in the hope that war won’t threaten the world again.

Thalli is an anomaly, born with the ability to feel emotions and a sense of curiosity she can barely contain. She has survived so far by hiding her differences. But then her secret is discovered when she’s overwhelmed by the emotion of an ancient piece of music.

The Ten quickly schedule her annihilation, but her childhood friend, Berk—a scientist being groomed by The Ten—convinces them to postpone her death and study her instead. While in the Scientists’ Pod, Thalli and Berk form a dangerous alliance, one strictly forbidden by the constant surveillance.

As her life ticks a way, she hears rumors of someone called the Designer—someone even more powerful than The Ten. What’s more, the parts of her that have always been an anomaly could in fact be part of a much larger plan. And the parts of her that she has always guarded could be the answer she’s been looking for all along.

Thalli must sort out what to believe and who to trust, before her time runs out.

“. . . the first in what has the potential to be a fascinating trilogy of general appeal. McGee’s simple narrative belies the novel’s complexity, a factor that will make this intriguing book accessible to a wide variety of teen readers.” —Booklist

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

When Krista McGee isn't living in fictional worlds of her own creation, she lives in Tampa and spends her days as a wife, mom, teacher, and coffee snob. She is also the author of Anomaly , First Date , Starring Me , and Right Where I Belong . Twitter: @KristaMcGeeYAFacebook: krista.a.mcgee

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ANOMALY

By KRISTA MCGEE

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2013 Krista McGee
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4016-8872-1

Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

I suppose I've always known something was wrong withme. I've never quite been normal. Never really felt like I fit.Don't get me wrong. I've tried. In fact, I spent most of my lifetrying.

Like everyone in Pod C, I was given a particular set ofskills, a job I would eventually take over from the generationbefore us.

I am the Musician of Pod C.

My purpose is to stimulate my pod mates' minds throughthe instruments I play. I enable the others to do their jobs evenbetter.

And that is important because being productive is important.Working hard is important. I have always been able to dothat. But being the same is also important.

This is where I have failed.

I started realizing this in my ninth year, the year my podmate Asta was taken away. We were outside in the recreationfield and our Monitor had us running the oval track. We rannine times—one time for each year of life. This was part of ourdaily routine.

Sometimes, I would like to say no. To just sit down, not torun. Sometimes I want to ask why we have to do this. And whywe always do everything in the same order, day after day. Whycouldn't we run ten laps? Or eight? Or skip laps altogether and dosomething else? But I knew better than to ask those questions,to ask any questions. We are only allowed to ask for clarification.Asking why is something only I would consider.

I am an anomaly.

So was Asta. But I didn't know it until that day. She alwaysdid what she was told, and nothing in her big black eyes madeher appear to be having thoughts to the contrary. She was trainingto be our pod Historian, so she was always documentingwhat we were doing and what we were discovering. Her fingerscould fly over her learning pad faster than any I'd ever seen. Butthat day, when we were running, she stopped. Right in the centerof the track. I was so shocked that I ran right into her back,knocking her to the ground.

"I apologize." I reached for her hand, but when she lookedup at me, I saw a yellowish substance coming from her nose. Ihad never seen anything like it. Her eyes were red and she waslaboring to breathe—all of this was quite unusual. I pulled myhand back and called for the Monitor to come over and helpAsta.

But the Monitor didn't help her. She looked down intoAsta's face and her eyes grew large. She pressed the panel onher wrist pad. "Please send a team to Pod C. We need a removal."

The Monitor motioned for me to finish my laps. No one elsehad stopped to see what happened. The rest of my pod matessimply ran closer to the edge of the track, eyes forward, completingthe circuit.

I stood and tried to run, but I did not want to run. I wantedto stay here, to help Asta. She looked ... I do not know how todescribe it. But whatever it was made my heart feel heavy.

Berk ran up beside me. "You will never beat me." His grinshook me from my thoughts. I was determined to beat Berk. Healways thought he was faster, but I knew I could outrun him.So I picked up my pace. Berk did the same.

We were on our fifth lap when I saw a floating white platformwith four Medical Specialists land beside Asta on thegrass inside the track. "Where will they take her?"

"I don't know." Berk slowed a little. He was watching themedics lift Asta onto the platform, then wrap her in some sort ofcovering. "Maybe take her to the Scientists. They will help her."

Berk was going to be a Scientist. One of the Scientists whogovern the State. That made him different—but in a good way.The Monitors never corrected him, and he was allowed to studyany subject that interested him during the time the rest of usworked on improving knowledge in our specialty areas.

I didn't say anything else, but the image of Asta being takenaway—removed—stayed with me. And somehow I didn't thinkshe was going to be helped. The look on the Monitor's face wasnot the look she gets when one of us falls and scrapes a knee onthe track. It was the look she gets when we do something weshouldn't. But Asta hadn't done anything wrong. She just hadsomething wrong inside her.

Like me.

A few days later I asked the Monitor if Asta would be comingback. I had worked on how I would phrase that questionfor days. It could not sound like a "why." It had to sound like Isimply wanted information, clarification. I had to sound likemy pod mate Rhen. Logical. Not emotional.

"Excuse me." I tried to ask with an air of indifference. "WillAsta be returning to Pod C?"

The Monitor did not even look up from her communicationspad. "No."

And that was all. I had to bite my lip to keep from askingwhy. I imagined all kinds of reasons. None of them made sense,and none of them, I knew, could ever be voiced.

In the quiet of our cube, I asked Rhen, "What do you thinkhappened to Asta?"

But Rhen just looked at me like she did not understand thequestion. "She was removed."

And that's all she needed to know.

When I still couldn't stop thinking about it, I asked Berk. Wewere back on the track several days after Asta's removal. "If shewent to the Scientists, why don't they fix her and send her back?"

Berk slowed his pace a little before answering. "Maybe theywill keep her with them."

"But she's our Historian." I could argue with Berk. He actuallyenjoyed it, liked questions. "They already have one of theirown."

"Whatever they are doing, it is right." This is what we havealways been taught. And, of course, it is correct.

"But I want to see her."

"When I leave to live in the Scientists' compound, I will tellher that."

That made me feel better. And worse. Better because I knewBerk would do what he said. Worse because I knew that whenhe did, I would lose another pod mate. I would lose Berk.

I did not want to think about that.

"I will win this time." I pushed all thoughts of Asta frommy mind and ran as hard as I could to the line marking the endof our circuit.

I won.

* * *

Berk left when we were twelve. It was very different from whenAsta left. Lute, our Culinary Specialist, created a pastry thatwas huge and delicious. We are rarely given pastries—theScientists say that we function best with vegetables and proteins.We are allowed fruit once a day, but pastries are only forspecial events: like Berk leaving us to begin his training withThe Ten. One day he would be one of the leaders of our State,with a variety of specialties and more knowledge than any ofus could imagine.

I always knew he would have to go. But I did not want himto. Berk was the only one who understood me. He was the onlyone who would argue with me. He let me ask questions and didnot think I was peculiar for having them.

"Will you ever come back to visit?" Berk and I sat in thegathering chamber. Everyone else had returned to their cubes.But the Monitors allowed Berk to stay. And because theyallowed Berk to do anything he wanted, they allowed me toremain behind as well.

Berk shrugged. "If I can."

I knew then he would be just like Asta—gone forever.Suddenly, my throat felt tight.

The lights flickered off.

Berk groaned. "Power outage."

It happened often. Berk was sure he could help solve thatproblem. The solar panels, he said, were overtaxed. They neededto either add more panels or find a way to use less energy. Whenhe got to the Scientists' compound, he would make solving thatproblem his priority.

Berk tapped his communications pad and the small squaremade enough light for me to see...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Thomas Nelson Publishers
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2013
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1401688721
• ISBN 13: 9781401688721
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 320
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: HarperCollins Publishers Ireland; enquiries@harpercollins.ie; ; Macken House, 39/40 Mayor Street Upper; Dublin 1; D01 C9W8; Irland