The Sowing Read Free Page A

fairy tales.
    I watch Vale and wonder if he ever thinks about those dreams. If he remembers what we shared, our hopes, our passions, the hours spent laughing at each other and fast becoming more than friends. But then Tai was murdered, we fled the Sector, and I lost everything I once knew—including Vale.
    Vale has lost nothing. He still has his parents and all of his friends; he is surrounded by wealth and power. His future is secure. But as I watch him on the stage I have to ask myself: Does he know why we left? Does he know what his parents—what his government—has done to drive those of us in the Resistance underground? Does he care about the crimes they’ve committed in the name of the greater good? I watch him and wonder if there’s anything left in him of the idealist I once knew.
    “Ladies and gentlemen,” Vale begins. “It’s a beautiful evening and I know everyone on the stage and out there in the audience is ready to get out of our formal attire and start the celebrations, so I will keep my remarks short.”
    “Not short enough,” Soren growls, dropping into a chair in front of me and stretching out his long legs. His blonde hair glints in the light from the screen, and I can see his silhouetted jaw clench and unclench as he grinds his teeth. Soren’s mother used to be the chancellor, before Vale’s father was appointed. I never heard the full story, but Soren’s always suspected foul play. He’s hated Vale ever since, and it probably didn’t help that after Soren’s mother was removed from the chancellorship, Vale got all the media attention and Soren fell from the spotlight.
    “As the newest leaders of our nation, we pledge to do everything in our power to ensure security and stability for future generations. To that end, I am pleased to accept my placement position in the role of director of the newly-formed Seed Bank Protection Project.”
    A creeping dread clutches its chilly fingers at my spine as the audience on-screen erupts into loud cheers and vigorous clapping. He sounds so valiant, so righteous, that for a half second I almost want to believe him, too. What they don’t know, those in the jubilant crowd, is that for the last three years the Resistance has been quietly chipping away at the Sector’s control over the seeds used to feed its citizens. We’ve been stealing the genetic codes to the OAC’s modified seeds and disseminating untainted, safe food to those few people willing to listen, those who have escaped the OAC’s manipulation. Vale’s placement somehow seems targeted directly at us—at me.
    “This new role allows me to pursue our goals with singular purpose. Our nation’s priority is to ensure we have enough food and fresh water to nourish our people. Our Farms, and the men and women who work on them, are the cornerstone of our society, and without their dedication and passion for their work, the Okarian Sector would not survive.” He gestures out to the crowd as if honoring the actual Farm laborers—who are, of course, not at an elite ceremony like this one. The onlookers clap and cheer enthusiastically. “But after the Religious Wars and the Famine Years, tillable land and potable water remain scarce, and we must strive to use our resources wisely. That is why it is imperative that OAC researchers continue to hybridize and engineer new strains of seeds so they will grow—and even flourish—in the contaminated land left to us from the Old World. We will do whatever it takes to feed our people.
    “Of course, the task of safeguarding our Farms, our scientists, and the hybridized seeds they create is not new. The government and the OAC have long joined forces to protect our agricultural future from the mistakes of our past. Now, establishing the Seed Bank Protection Project as an official joint effort allows us to wield both the power of the government and the resources of the OAC to achieve our goals.”
    He turns directly to the camera and says, “I promise I