All The Pretty Ghosts (The Never Series Book 1) Jamie Campbell (best life changing books .TXT) 📖

kicked the boy in the groin, trying to hit a sensitive spot that would take him out of the fight. I didn’t want to hurt him, I just needed to stop him for a moment while I took the child.

My foot collided with his belly, a little higher than I had aimed but it hit with some force, making the boy gasp as he let go. “Bitch!”

The other older boy let go as I lined him up in my sights. The child was finally free. I wrapped an arm around his struggling little body and picked him up. I half-dragged, half-carried him around the corner.

“Let me go!” he said, squirming in my arms. I returned him to the ground when we were a block away. He was breathing heavily as he straightened his jacket. “You let them steal my blanket.”

“They were going to kill you,” I pointed out. I wasn’t going to apologize, no matter how sorry I felt for the child. I had done the right thing, I was certain of it.

“Now I’m going to freeze to death,” he replied petulantly. Clearly I was not going to get any gratitude from the kid. “You should have left me there.”

“And they would have still taken your blanket. Go to the shelter, they might have a spare one for you there.”

He stood, his arms stubbornly crossed over his little chest. He had several scratches on his red cheeks, hopefully his only injuries from the fight.

“Do you want me to take you to the shelter?” I offered. I didn’t want to just leave him here, not when those boys were still so close. They would recover soon enough.

“No. I don’t want anything from you,” the boy spat the words at me before taking off down the street. At least he had the sense to run in the opposite direction of the alley.

“So much for good deeds, huh?” Oliver’s voice startled me from behind.

“He’s not exactly in the fan club, no.”

“You did a good thing.”

I shrugged and we kept walking. Ignoring the rumbling in my stomach, we needed to find somewhere warmer to stay. Perhaps we would get lucky and find some winter coats or blankets of our own. There had to be some houses that were still yet to be ransacked.

As we moved, we passed kids curled up in the streets. It wasn’t unusual to see them out, especially in the daytime.

What was unusual was the fact they weren’t moving.

“Oliver…”

“I know. Just keep walking,” he said, refusing to let his gaze go to the kids.

They were all dead.

Frozen in place with no chance of ever getting up again.

It seemed so unfair. At times I couldn’t work out how I had managed to stay alive when so many others had perished. There was nothing special about me. No special skills that helped me to survive after the Event.

And yet here I was.

With Oliver, still alive.

I didn’t know why or how.

But I was angry. Jet and his secret adults could change things. They could make it better, protect all those children who should not have lost their lives by freezing to death in the middle of the night. It should not have happened.

The winter was only going to get colder. Things were going to get worse unless someone did something.

“Oliver, I have to go back underground,” I said, changing my course to head for the tunnels.

He kept up with me. “No, they’re going to get you again. You might not get away a second time.”

“I have to speak with Jet. He knows stuff. He might be able to help.” I never slowed my pace. I would have broken into a run if the ground wasn’t so slippery from the snow.

“They’re going to hurt you, Ev.”

“Jet won’t let them.” As I said the words, I hoped they were true. Jet had let me go for a reason, surely those reasons hadn’t changed in only two days.

“I’m going with you,” Oliver said, determination in his voice, too. I was glad for the company, but I wasn’t sure how Jet would react to another visitor. I hoped his charity would extend to Oliver.

My faith in Jet was tenuous at best.

We worked our way through the snow, some of it starting to turn to slush with the sun in the sky. Each step had to be deliberate, otherwise either one of us would end up on the ground in a heap.

It took a lot longer than usual to get to the tunnel entrance. This time, I didn’t sneak around. Oliver and I walked right into the middle of the mole peoples’ territory and waited. Every second that passed only helped to make me angrier.

“Come on! I’m waiting out here. Come and get me!” I yelled out. I knew they were watching. I could feel every single one of their eyes on me from the shadows.

“Maybe they’re not-” Oliver’s words were cut off as they arrived.

They had sent a dozen people for us. Whatever system they had for monitoring their entrance was a good one. I wondered when they had first spotted us. Down the street? Down the block? There was no way to tell.

And, of course, Perry was the first one to step forward in front of me. “Are you seriously stupid enough to come back here? Do you have a death wish or something?”

I ignored her taunting, refusing to take the bait. “I want to see Jet. Take me to him.”

She laughed, more to herself than anyone else. “You’re making demands now?” She stepped closer, putting her face directly in front of mine. “Who do you think you are?”

I pressed my arms against my side so she didn’t see them shaking. If there was something Perry loathed, it was a lack of strength. I couldn’t show