Maybe if I’d known it was coming, I could have ducked out of the way.
Maybe I did know it was coming.
I didn’t duck.
Just for the cameras, I told myself.
His lips were as cold as mine, his eyes open, watching me.
No different from any of the others, I told myself.
His lips were so soft.
His chest was silent, an empty cavity pressed against the emptiness of my own. A perfect fit.
This is harmless, I told myself.
It couldn’t have lasted more than a few seconds. And then I remembered what fifteen days had almost made me forget: that I could act, that sometimes the puppet could pull her own strings—and that the people liked a fight.
I slapped him.
He saw it coming, like I did; and he let me, like I did. There was a sharp crack, but he didn’t flinch. There was no angry red welt left behind on the synthetic flesh. Like nothing had happened.
“When you want me, you’ll know where to find me,” he whispered. And let go. He melted into the crowd before I could stop him. Not that I would have tried. I told myself I wanted him gone, for good this time.
I almost believed it.
About the Author
ROBIN WASSERMAN is the author of the Cold Awakening trilogy (Frozen, Shattered, Torn), Hacking Harvard, the Seven Deadly Sins series, and the Chasing Yesterday trilogy. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
PRAISE FOR SHATTERED
“Robin Wasserman’s writing cuts straight to the bone, even when it’s metal! This series is mind-bending.”
“Fast-paced … A thought-provoking bioethical conundrum that raises difficult questions about the definition of life, this text will intrigue and entertain readers.”
“[Shattered] is a wonderful follow-up to [Frozen]. The world Robin Wasserman creates is creative and fascinating, and even though the main characters are mechanical, many still find a way to be dynamic and evolve during the story. [Shattered] is the second in a planned trilogy, and I, for one, can’t wait for the conclusion.”
“This installment in the trilogy has intense action, a fast-paced plot, and interesting characters…. Give it to fans of Mary E. Pearson’s The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Holt, 2008) or Nancy Farmer’s The House of the Scorpion.”
ALSO BY ROBIN WASSERMAN
The Cold Awakening trilogy
Hacking Harvard
The Seven Deadly Sins series
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
This Simon Pulse paperback edition October 2011
Copyright © 2009 by Robin Wasserman
Previously published as Crashed.
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. SIMON PULSE and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Also available in a Simon Pulse hardcover edition.
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Designed by Mike Rosamilia
The text of this book was set in Edlund.
Manufactured in the United States of America
2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1
The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:
Wasserman, Robin.
Crashed / by Robin Wasserman
p. cm.
Sequel to: Skinned.
Summary: Living with other “mechs” since her wealthy parents transplanted her brain into a mechanical body to prevent her from dying in a horrible accident, Lia becomes a pawn in a religious leader’s movement to outlaw “mech” technology and eradicate machines such as Lia.
ISBN 978-1-4169-7453-6 (hc)
[1. Science fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.W25865Cr 2009
[Fic]—dc22
2009003271
ISBN 978-1-4424-2039-7
(pbk) ISBN 978-1-4424-3360-1 (eBook)