I Will Breathe (Forbidden Book 1) Read Free Page A

by demanding an entire case of seals in return. That case would probably last though her lifetime, and with any luck, even longer. Besides, Shatter wasn’t getting any younger and might not even be alive the next time she stopped at his trading post.
    Deciding on a splurge, she carefully unwrapped the paper from around an apple and sat to enjoy her feast. It would have been easier to savor her breakfast had Boy not kept distracting her with his endless prowling through drawers and looking into cupboards. She giggled and accidentally spit out a chunk of apple when he held a jar of applesauce millimeters from his eyes, as if a closer examination would somehow explain the mystery of what was inside.
    “Sit down. I’m going to choke on my breakfast if you don’t.”
    Boy put the jar back into the cabinet. Maybe he wasn’t going to be so hard to live with after all. He was neat, did what he was told without question and could be used as a light when needed. Those were all good qualities in a shipmate.
    Once seated, the robot, without blinking, watched Liberty eat her apple. He finally said, “I’ve never seen a real apple before. Of course I have photos of them in my files, but Father thought the trees were extinct.”
    Liberty ate the remaining last few bites, core and all, before answering. “My father found a source on the upper east coast. We’re heading toward the coast now. We’ll stop first and trade for a load of dried fish, take that and trade it for cheese, then head farther north to swap the dried fish and cheese for apples, applesauce and cider. Our last stop before winter will be to trade for honey.”
    “I did not know bees still existed either.”
    “That is my favorite stop. It’s in the most beautiful valley. There are wild flowers growing everywhere.” She closed her eyes, trying to bring the sights and sounds of that special oasis into clearer focus.
    Liberty reopened her eyes and sighed. She chewed on the last two bites of cheese before remembering what Boy had said earlier. “What do you mean you saw photos of apples? I’ve only seen a couple of photos in all my travels. I didn’t know others had survived The Great War.”
    Boy slid open a plate on his chest, and like magic, images appeared. They flashed by in quick succession, photos of apples still on trees, row after row of them in baskets and others of people picking them. Liberty had never seen so many apples or people together in one place before. People were rarer than apples these days. In a few years, there would probably be no one left, because everyone she came across didn’t trust anyone else enough to let them get close. They traded goods to stay alive but no one let their guard down long enough to carry on a conversation, let alone procreate.
    “Where did you get these pictures?” She reached over and touched his chest. “I’ve heard stories of the times before the war but didn’t think they were true. Everything seems to have been in such abundance then.”
    As soon as she’d said that, the photos changed from apples to unfamiliar things. She had visited the ocean before but had never seen what she now saw jumping out of it, or flying above it like her airship. “They’re beautiful. What are they?”
    “Whales, dolphins, seagulls and pelicans.” Boy named each photo, “Flamingos, giraffes, elephants, deer, lions, swans, cats, dogs, a newborn baby, cars, Times Square at night, ballerinas, wheat fields, people ice skating…”
    Soon Liberty no longer heard his words because the photos were so beautiful, but at the same time so very strange. So many things she had never known existed. The world she lived in was so stark by comparison. Each day was just another one to survive, but right there on Boy’s chest were scenes of beauty and happiness. If these wonderful things had really existed, how had people been able to hate so much that they had to destroy it all?
    “Why are you crying?” Boy reached over and trailed a