by Linsey, Tam
While their organs regenerated, the children were vulnerable to diseases, not to mention the ultraviolet rays from the sun. Consequently, they stayed at the Protectorate, in the covered Garden, visited only by a few well-scrubbed doctors and teachers. One young teacher from the Holdout volunteered to live with the children and looked out of place with her pale face and long dress as she sat reading from her Bible.
The children wore short pants and sleeveless tunics much like the ones the Fosselites had given Levi. The clothing was the best compromise between the two worlds. The first generation of the New Order.
A woman entered the room, hair pinned up beneath a kerchief, a short sleeved black coat wrapped around her.
“Tula.” His vision narrowed, closing around her like an embrace.
Sister Rachel looked at him and then back to the children. Levi hardly realized he’d spoken aloud. How many months since he’d seen her? He still wasn’t sure where she stood with God. But he was hopeful.
A shout rose up among the children, “Tula!” Josef abandoned the game and flew into her arms. The rest of the students followed, flocking around her like chickens. She hugged and patted each one, then said a few words and pointed to the window Levi stood behind. Josef squealed and ran to his Papa. Levi grinned, pressing fingers to the glass to meet the flat of Josef’s tiny green palm.
Looking up, his eyes caught Tula’s and she looked away. The oldest girl spoke to her and Tula nodded and attempted to smile, but her brows were pinched in that little knot of worry he’d grown so used to.
“Papa, look!” Josef scurried to collect a gamma pad from one of the tables. He’d been describing the neat “paper” the Blattvolk used.
Tula looked toward the window again, holding long enough for him to mouth, “Thank you.”
Her lips turned up into a trembling smile and she nodded. They stared a few more heartbeats. He yearned for her voice. Her touch. Did she want to talk to him? If the New Order was to integrate, would it be so bad to talk to her? Levi licked his lips. Why not? “Meet you later?”
She hesitated, swallowed hard enough for the cords of her neck to stand out, and looked over the children pressed against the window. Then she smiled. The most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. And she nodded agreement.
Josef pounded on the glass, eager to show off his new somersault skills.
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GLOSSARY
Amarantox — a mutation of a common weed, which secretes toxins into the soil to prevent other vegetation from taking hold. Largely responsible for the Botanicaust.
Bann, The — a roster of those being shunned within the Old Order. A punishment just shy of excommunication.
Blattvolk — what the Old Order call Haldanians. Literally “leaf people.”
Blow Out — a sandstorm.
Botanicaust — an event 400 years ago during which invasive weeds wiped out most plant life on Earth, including the major food crops.
Burn, The — a five-mile radius of scorched earth around the Haldanian Protectorate, maintained by Burn Operatives to keep both cannibals and plant life at bay.
Cannibal — people roaming the Reaches and beyond who survive by not wasting any food opportunity.
Confinement — the prison where captive Cannibals are kept prior to conversion.
Convert — one who has undergone genetic therapy to insert chloroplasts, as opposed to those born with the gene.
Days of the Prophet — what the Old Order refers to when speaking about the Botanicaust.
Duster — a silent aircraft powered by electromagnetic engines used by Burn Ops to keep the Burn cleared.
Flame runna — what the Cannibals call the Haldanians.
Fosselites — a group of scientists who have found the secret to eternal life.
Gamma pad — electronic palm pad and stylus. Various versions exist, such as a simple, indestructible one for children, and more complicated versions capable of higher computations.
Garden — the nuvoplast houses where Haldanian children are kept until they finish puberty and can withstand ultraviolet light.
Gotte’s Wille — God’s Will.
Haldanian Protectorate — the government formed after the Botanicaust by the scientists who developed conversion technology. Mission statement is to offer conversion to the population of the world in an attempt to minimize humanity’s need for food.
Holdout — the Old Order name for their protected community.
Integration — the heavily supervised time period during which converted children acclimate to their new environment and society.
Knowing, The — cannibals who retain certain kinds of knowledge, such as healing or locating water. They are marked by scars to keep them safe from other cannibal hunters.
Mark of the Beast — an Old Order belief. The green skin of the Haldanians is the obvious sign that someone is marked.
Native Haldanian — one born to parents already expressing the chloroplast genome.
Nuvoplast — a bio plastic grown and used by Haldanians to build everything from gamma pads to sand-skimmers to the walls of their dwellings.
Old Order — a remnant Amish society who survived the Botanicaust by erecting electric fences to protect their hand-cultivated acreage.
Ordnung — the set of earthly rules believed to be sent by God which are followed by the Old Order.
Reversion — a convert who regresses to cannibalistic ways. Punishable by death.
Ripening — a once common autoimmune condition among naturally born Haldanians in which the body attempts to purge itself of chloroplasts. The faulty gene has been largely eliminated from the population, but still appears as a random mutation in one out of ten thousand births.
Rumspringa — a time during adolescence just before a young person chooses to be baptized into the Old Order. Literally “running around.”
Sand-skimmer — a land vehicle used by the Protectorate to cross portions of the Burn.
Sunstorm / UV flare — a short period of time, more common in autumn and winter, when the atmosphere allows excess ultraviolet to reach the earth. Largely due to improperly tested herbicide use during the Botanicaust, which created gaps in the ozone layer.
Telomerase — an enzyme that prevents genetic deterioration by replicating the telomere regions of DNA strands during mitosis. Used by the Fosselites to extend life indefinitely, although telomerase cannot pass the blood-brain barrier and therefore does not function on neural DNA.
Verification of Consent — a signed document required for cannibals or other potential converts over the age of sixteen in which they express their desire and reasons for becoming a convert. Outlined in Ordinance 317 under the Protectorate Mission.
Yuvee tree — a genetically altered tree originally introduced to “fix” nitrogen in cropland and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers. Later discovered to foretell an incoming ultraviolet flare by the rapid leaching of color from its leaves. Called mgunga tree by the Fosselites.
Dedication
Deepest gratitude to my husband, who has supported me through the baby steps of my career and been my first reader, even when the writing was awful. May we take many more strides together.
Acknowledgements
I also want to thank my wonderful critique partners, who weathered my ups and downs, and were never afraid to be honest with me; Maxine Mansfield, Lynn Lovegreen, DeNise Woods, Morgan Q. O’Reilly, Jae Awkins, Boone Brux, Jennifer Bernard, Lizbeth Selvig, Lizzie Newell, Peter Paul Morgan, and Dena Hankins.
And finally I’d like to mention my editor, Tina Winograd at TRW Enterprises, who worked faster than I could on perfecting the manuscript.
About the author
Tam Linsey is a lifelong Alaskan who is obsessed with self-sufficiency. In spite of the rigors of living in the High North, she grows, hunts, or fishes for much of her family’s food needs. She believes that we should have the right to choose what we eat, and therefore is also a GMO labeling advocate (not to be confused with a GMO opponent.) When she is not farming, fishing, or cooking, she writes speculative fiction.
You can learn more about her at http://www.tamlinsey.com
Or visit her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/!/TamLinsey
Or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/TamLinsey/241217872556029
Other books by Tam Linsey