Read Seed for Free Online Page B

nervously and hesitates, before she opens the back door of her car. A little girl steps out, about the same age as Ruby and Bobby. She doesn’t smile, but her eyes are wide as she looks around at the beauty of Seed.
    “This is Sophie,” the woman says, and Kindred Smith smiles and bends down and says something so quietly to the girl that I cannot hear.
    “And this is Ellis,” the woman says as a boy gets out of the car. A boy from the Outside. On the front of his T-shirt is a faded, wide-open mouth with a tongue sticking out. He must be Jack’s age, but he has already grown his hair and his curls fall into his eyes. He puts his hands into his back pockets as he looks at our home. His eyes move slowly across the bricks, the ivy, the windows. Then he’s looking at us. He makes me feel uneasy and I want to duck down under the sink, but I don’t move. He smiles a lazy smile and seems to nod before he looks away.
    “Well,” Kate says. “Look at our new converts.” She doesn’t seem to notice that her hands are still dunked in the bubbly water.
    “She looks nice,” says Ruby. I think she means Sophie, who has silently taken the woman’s hand as Kindred Smith talks quietly to them all, sweeping his arms across the fields beyond.
    “I’ll show you around,” I hear him say and they all follow him toward the front door.
    The boy still has his hands in his back pockets as he turns to glance at us again. I don’t know why, but I wish I’d already looked away.
    “Ellis,” says Kate as she brushes a sponge around the inside of a mug.
    “It’s a nice name,” says Ruby.
    Kate looks at me, smiling. “It certainly is. And he looks like a nice boy, doesn’t he?”
    “Yes, he does,” I say. “It’ll be nice for Jack to have another boy our age.”
    “Oh, Pearl, please,” Kate says. And I can’t tell whether she’s angry or laughing.
    “Are they really coming to stay?” Ruby asks.
    Just then, the kitchen door opens and Kindred Smith comes in. The new family are behind him.
    “Ah, some more people for you to meet,” Kindred Smith says. “Kate, Pearl, Ruby, this is Linda, Ellis, and Sophie. They are our new family members.”
    “I’m Kate. It’s nice to meet you,” Kate says, looking at Ellis.
    “You too,” he says. His voice is low and soft. Hearing it makes my skin tingle, like I’ve been out in the sun too long. He turns to look at me. “Hello,” he says. It’s strange, because I don’t really know what to say. Maybe it’s because his hair is already longer, it makes me awkward, unsure of who he is.
    “So, are you Ruby, or Pearl?” He has a funny smile on his lips.
    “Pearl,” I manage. I suddenly wish I’d had just a few more months to let my hair grow as long as Kate’s.
    “Hi, Sophie,” Ruby says. “Will you sleep in our room?” I know that Ruby is staring at Sophie’s dress with butterflies all over it. I can’t tell whether she’s envious, or confused.
    “Do you want to show her your room?” Kindred Smith asks.
    “Will she not be sharing with me?” Linda looks unsure. From this close, I can see dry patches of skin on her face. They look sore.
    “The women sleep in different rooms.” Kindred Smith touches her arm, and it seems to melt her hesitation.
    “It will be fun to share with other children, won’t it?” Linda asks Sophie. The little girl doesn’t say a word, doesn’t even nod her head. She just looks at her mother with those wide eyes.
    “I’ll show you,” says Ruby, and she reaches for Sophie’s hand. Before the little girl has time to realize it, they’re walking out of the room. Her mother’s smile looks a bit forced, as though she’strying too hard to relax. Mother. Sophie knows her true mother. There’s a rush of something in me, but I know it is dark, so I push it away.
    “So, Ellis,” says Kate. “Where do you think you’ll sleep?” There’s a crackle of unease in the air. Kindred Smith stares at Kate. If she notices the look he gives her,