Reap (The Harvest Saga Book 1)

  Reap

  Copyright © 2014 by Casey L. Bond. All rights reserved.

  First Edition.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior express permission of the author except as provided by USA Copyright Law. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by fines and federal imprisonment.

  This book is a work of fiction and does not represent any individual, living or dead. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge, 1769. All rights reserved.

  Author photo taken by Sarah Dunlap.

  Book cover designed by Casey L. Bond.

  Professionally Edited by Anna Coy of AGC Editing and Services.

  Paperback and E-book formatted by Nadege Richards of Inkstain Interior Book Designing.

  Published in the United States of America.

  ISBN-13: 978-1496046154

  ISBN-10: 1496046153

  THE LORD HAS BLESSED ME in unimaginable ways. I am thankful for each and every one. I’m thankful for my husband, Elton and our two beautiful daughters, Juliet and Eris. Watching them grow into beautiful young ladies is one of the best and most profound experiences of my life. I pray that I never take that blessing for granted.

  I’m blessed with loving, supportive parents and grandparents, along with amazing extended family members. My friends and family mean the world to me. Some friends, I’ve had since childhood. I want to mention a few of those amazing chicks here. Heather Persinger, Erica Dixon and Tiffany Cabell have had my back since the sixth grade. They still do. My Church girls, Lisa Lovejoy, Tara Sansom, Emily Bond and Nikki Midkiff are beyond wonderful. They are uplifting and challenge me to be better.

  Since my first book was published in October 2013, I’ve been on a wild ride. Sometimes it’s been daunting and there have been several authors who have helped me trudge through and emerge on the other side of this adventure unscathed. I could fill a book with everyone who has helped me and I appreciate you all.

  Just to mention a few, I want to thank my awesome friend Rachael Brownell. Her daily support and friendship has been such a blessing to me. She is my sister from another mister! I just love her. Delisa Lynn is another wonderful new friend. She is kind and sweet and incredibly supportive. Anna Coy has become more than just an editor, she’s become my friend and for that I am grateful. She is hilarious, kind and a beautiful human being.

  I want to mention the awesome authors who I’ll get to meet at the Louisville Authors Event, UtopYA Con and anywhere else that will put up with me! I also love the Indie-pendents! You divas know who you are!

  To the readers: Thank you for reading what I spent so long writing. Without you, there would be no point in my dream. You give it wings. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

  —Anna Coy, I don’t know what I’d do without you. You’re an amazing editor, a wonderful person and have been such a great friend to me. Thank you for all that you do and for your love and support.

  —Nadege has some amazing talent as a formatter and I am really excited to have been fortunate enough to work with her on Reap.

  —To my awesome beta-readers: I want to thank you for taking the time to read over Reap in its infancy. I took all of your suggestions and observations into consideration and hope that you will also be proud of the final product. So, thank you, Mom (Sherry Bayless), Jill Holton, Rachael Brownell, Delisa Lynn, Anna Coy, Ericka Pasco, Megan Bracken-Bagley, Kristina Renee, Allyson Gottlieb, Cydney Lawson & Amy Miles. You are all very busy people and I appreciate the time you spent reading and helping me better Reap.

  —I want to thank all of my UtopYA peeps for their encouragement and for sharing tips and advice on the boards.

  —Thank you to everyone who spreads the word about my book, whether by mouth, on social media sites, or in the press. I appreciate you so very much. Thanks to all who attend my book signings or come to my booths at the local festivals and national conferences. I want to thank all of the amazing venues who have hosted book signings for me in the past, and those who might do so in the future. Thank you Eliot Parker for featuring me and my books on your television program, “Chapters.” I hope my nervousness didn’t freak you out. I’m outgoing, but am camera-shy. Thanks to the Herald-Dispatch for their recent coverage, and Cindy Martin / WV South magazine for its upcoming feature.

  THE FEW MINUTES BEFORE DAWN were usually the most serene. Not today. Today, everything would change. Today, we would protect the future against the tyrants who ruled over us. The sky was lightening little by little, shedding the thick, dark blanket of night. Worn wooden planks creaked underfoot as I paced back and forth. Standing still wasn’t an option. The platform of the village’s train depot was empty. I’d made sure of it. So, my feet wore a path into the weathered wood as I silently prayed that everything would go smoothly, would go as planned.

  My brother had gotten himself in trouble. Four years ago he’d been transferred from our village to work in the factories in Olympus, a Greater City. Two years ago, his lover had given birth to a baby girl. He was unable to marry her. He was a Lesser. She was a Greater. It was illegal for them to even speak. He wasn’t even permitted to make eye contact with her. So, how they had met, fallen in love, and been intimate was beyond me.

  A few generations ago, a great plague swept through The United States of America, what had until then, been a great and powerful country. The world had been connected in ways that I could hardly wrap my head around. It was said that people could ride great ships through the air, cross oceans in a matter of hours.

  The plague spread from America to the other continents and countries, leaving nothing but death and sorrow in its wake. Ninety percent of the Earth’s population was wiped out in a matter of only a few months. Certain technologies survived, along with a few of the experts who knew how to use them. Precautions against further spread of the disease were taken, and eventually, the plague was laid to rest along with its victims.

  Those who had survived the disease, which affected everyone regardless of station, were tested. Those deemed to have superior genes, whose bodies could likely survive another onslaught of illness in the future, were separated from those whose genetics were less-than-ideal. And so began the separation of Greaters and Lessers.

  The Lessers served the Greaters from small villages where their lives were consumed with producing raw materials that the Greaters needed. Over time, the divide between the two groups had formed into a deep, dangerous chasm. The Greaters had become power-hungry and oppressive, abusive of the power that they’d claimed.

  So, I was shocked about my brother’s news. He could be beheaded for consorting with the woman. I shuddered to think about what they might do if the Greaters discovered their child. She was a hybrid, a mix of both worlds. I had to help. I would hide her. Keep her safe. She was our future, the best of both Greater and Lesser, belonging to neither side, yet an equal and important part of both.

  When the Greater woman had been questioned about the pregnancy, she had lied. She’d protected him. No doubt she loved him. But the baby had grown into a toddler and was now much more difficult to conceal. I knew this day would probably come, but had no idea what the urgency was. I’d received a communication from him, which was risky enough for both of us. If someone found it, we’d both be hanged, so I deleted it almost as quickly as I read it. The thr
ee needed a way out of Olympus, and the baby needed to be hidden. She needed a new home—a loving home. I was their only option. But having no children of my own, I would have to figure out how to provide that for her. I had no idea how to care for a toddler. But, I supposed we’d learn together.

  The sky lightened further, lofty clouds streaked happily across the sky, tinged with oranges and yellows. The train would be here any minute. The smell of spring was everywhere; fresh and earthy. The fields were being fertilized. New ones were being sown. We would nurture and care for them until they bore their fruit in the fall. Our village was Orchard, and we grew apples for the Greaters who required the bounty of the Earth.

  The loud horn of the train sounded in the distance, between two hills, further than I could see. Soon, puffs of gray smoke rose slowly and hung thickly in the valley beyond. Old and rusty, the wheels of the train screeched and squealed as the engineer applied his brake. Sparks flew from the contact with the rail in various places. The metal cars themselves were also rusted. It was a cargo train, the only kind that would be expected here in Orchard.

  Car after car rattled past me. Third car from the back, I thought. That’s where they were supposed to be. I knocked lightly on the steel door and then slid open the latch. It was hollow, with the exception of stacked wooden crates, buckets and bushels. I whispered for him. “Adam.”

  “Lulu?” A voice whispered in return.

  “You have to hurry. The train is only supposed to stop for twenty minutes.”

  My brother stepped forward, carrying a child, whose head lolled limply on his shoulder. She was asleep and looked more peaceful than anything I’d ever seen before in my life. Drool pooled in the corner of her little mouth and her eyelashes fluttered lightly. Her curly brownish-red hair was stirred lightly by the breeze. My heart attached to her immediately. My niece.

  A woman stepped out from behind Adam. He cleared his throat. “Lu, this is Kaia.” He looked wearily from her to me. I stepped forward and offered her my hand.

  “Hello, Kaia. I can’t imagine how difficult this must be for you.”

  She nodded and tears cascaded from her greenish eyes, their pupils rimmed in Greater gold. It was an attribute they all bore, though the rings of some Greaters were more pronounced than others. “Does she have the ring?”

  Adam swallowed and shifted his feet. “Yes. But it’s very small. Almost unnoticeable. Will she be safe here?”

  “I believe so. I have traveled out of the village a handful of times, but I’m the only one who has seen a Greater in years.”

  They both nodded. Tears welled in Adam’s eyes as he peeled the child away from his torso and transferred her onto mine. She probably weighed 30 pounds. The little one stirred for a moment and then settled back down. “Please say goodbye quickly and hide yourselves again. This train will continue to Vesuvius. A man named Brock will meet you there and provide you with new identification.”

  “Thank you, Lulu. Please take care of her. If anyone finds out about her, please send word, or get her to safety.”

  “Why is this so urgent? What’s happening in Olympus?”

  A great burst of steam and smoke sizzled from the train’s engine, several cars away.

  Kaia jumped at the sound and huddled into Adam, who wrapped his arm around her lovingly. “I don’t have time to explain. Just please keep her safe. No one can know she’s a Greater, or part Greater, anyway.”

  “Luella?” The engineer called over my comm.

  I depressed the button and answered. “Yes?”

  “Are you finished? I need to pull out as soon as possible.”

  “Yes. Everything is secure. Please continue to your destination.”

  “Thank you. Preparing for departure.”

  “Have a safe trip.”

  His static-filled chuckle rang out. “Always. See you on the next pass-through.”

  Looking back at Adam and Kaia, my heart thundered in my chest. “Hide. I will keep her safe. I promise. I would give my life to keep that promise. It doesn’t mean she’ll be treated well here. Life is hard in Orchard, as in all Lesser villages, but I will give her a normal Lesser life.”

  My brother kissed my cheek and then brushed the child’s hair back from her little face and kissed her, too. “Goodbye, Abby Blue.”

  “Abby Blue?”

  “Yeah,” he stroked her cheek. “Her name is Abigail Blue Kelley. I call her Abby Blue.”

  Kaia kissed her baby girl goodbye, and Adam had to pull her away and back onto the train car so that I could latch the door. As the wheels began to move them down the track and away from me, I could hear her cries. They echoed through the old metal car, fading into the cool morning air. I was certain that that sound would haunt me for the rest of my life.

  I KISSED LULU GOODBYE AND rushed out the door pausing only for a moment to tie the lace of my left shoe. Most evenings I flung the shoes off, still tied, into the corner of my bedroom. They must have come undone. I valued my sleep and mornings weren’t my thing, so even stopping to tie the stupid things wasn’t normally an option. If I didn’t run fast, I would be late and late wasn’t tolerated. I wrapped my hair band around my wrist and ran—ran like the devil himself was on my heels.

  The earth beneath me was parched despite the dew that hung heavy off of the grass and leaves around us, glittering coyly in the morning sunshine. Clouds of dust billowed up underfoot as I jumped over fallen logs and dodged ruts in the well-worn pathways of the village. Chest heaving and breath shallow, I finally spotted the whitewashed wooden fence surrounding the orchard. Running down the path and cutting the corner in the grass, I used the corner fence post to turn with so I wouldn’t lose speed or momentum, and propelled myself forward.

  I threw one leg over the bottom rail and ducked underneath the top one before taking off again, weaving my way through the thousands of rows that would lead me to my work for the day. A shrill scream stopped me in my tracks. The dust cloud that followed in my wake caught up with me. I coughed and swiped the air to get it away from my mouth, but I could still taste the earth on my tongue.

  Another high-pitched scream. From the left. I jogged to the end of the row and saw her. Megan’s trembling little body was backing quickly toward me. She shook her head fiercely, brown curls frantically bouncing to and fro. She turned to run toward me, but I caught her and turned her around to face me. Her eyes were wide with fear. “Megan? What’s the matter?”

  Swallowing thickly, she turned and looked behind her. My eyes followed hers. Norris stood nearby with his back leaning against one of the fence posts, an evil grin plastered on his face.

  “Back to work. This isn’t your business, Abigail.”

  Clenching my teeth, I ignored him. “Megan, what happened?”

  Her trembling little voice shook when she explained. “I was so hungry. I just wanted one apple. I took it. I’m so sorry.” Tears exploded from her eyes and her tiny arms and hands wrapped around my neck. I hugged her tight and shushed her.

  Locking eyes with the disgusting man in front of me, I squared my shoulders, preparing for the fight I knew was inevitable now. “She was hungry. She won’t steal again.”

  Chuckling, he grinned at us both, the scar on his face puckering and pulling his flesh. “You don’t get any say in this, Abigail. She stole. You know the punishment for stealing. Don’t you, girl?”

  Megan nodded.

  “If she’s old enough to understand the consequences, she’s old enough to know better than to steal. She gets five lashes.” Before I even saw him flinch, he grabbed Megan from my arms and tucked her under his own. She kicked, screamed, and thrashed to get away. But, it was all in vain. Shrieking, she pleaded, “Please! Please, I promise I’ll never take another apple. Please!”

  Gritting my teeth, I ran after them and snatched her back from him. I set her on her feet and pushed her toward the sanctuary of the Orchard. “Run, Megan.” She hesitated. I pointed into the orchard. “Find Kyan. Run!” Megan looked at Norris and then
back to me. She took off as fast as her little legs could carry her and disappeared into the trees.

  Barely able to breathe, I turned to face Norris. Judge, jury, and executioner all rolled into one fun package. That was Norris. Fear and adrenaline coursed through my body, shaking its very foundation. A sickening grin erupted on his face. “Looks like you’re taking her punishment. You’re old enough to be considered an adult now. You’ll get the full fifteen.”

  There was no point in arguing. I was almost seventeen. And I’d learned the hard way more than once, that arguing with Norris always made things worse.

  ∞

  A GUTTURAL SOUND ECHOED AROUND me. Sweat beaded heavily upon my brow and upper lip, before the droplets could no longer withstand the force of gravity, and carved their way down my face. I sank my teeth deep into the fullness of my bottom lip in a feeble attempt to draw attention away from the searing pain slicing through my back. A tangy, coppery taste flooded my mouth. I released my lip. Tried to lick away the blood.

  “Shh. It’s okay. I’ve got you. I’m taking you to the healer.” He never paused, just carried me like a child, my legs wrapped around him hooking together by the ankles at the small of his back. I clung tight to him like a tick, choking his neck, afraid to let go. With each step, each jostle, the pieces of the torn flesh on my back separated ever so slightly further apart. But, the pain didn’t feel slight at all. Another sound was ripped from my throat.

  “Ky,” I whimpered almost inaudibly, the words carried on an exhaled breath.

  “Shh. Almost there.” I forced my eyes open, allowing tears to escape in big pooling puddles that spread over the gray cotton of Ky’s shirt and soaked in. The world bounced around me. Leaves that only hinted at the yellow that would soon overcome them, waved solemnly at me moved by the steady wind that blows constantly through the valley. Bile burned my throat. My back. Oh, God. I clamped them shut again.