Children of Eden Read Online Free Page A

trouble.
    Then I hear a silky voice speaking social pleasantries, its unique upper-class Center accent marking the speaker as one of the Eden elite. The voice sounds familiar, but I can’t place it until Dad addresses him by his title.
    â€œPlease, have a seat, Chancellor,” my father says, his voice more polite and deferential than I’ve ever heard it. As the physician general he is a high-ranking government minister himself, and looks down on most of Eden.
    The bot rolls across the floor, coming closer to my hiding spot.
    I’ve heard Chancellor Cornwall’s voice on newsfeeds, seen the man himself on vids. I remember that wherever he appears, he has a cohort of Greenshirts standing guard behind him.
    What is the head of the government doing in our house?
    Part of me is starkly terrified. Another part is almost reassured. A hidden second child might be a serious, even capital offense. But it certainly doesn’t warrant a visit from the leader of all Eden. He’d just send in a Greenshirt strike force to capture me. He wouldn’t be standing in my living room while Dad ordered a servebot to fetch him a cup of fauxchai, the fragrant drink made of algae that is genetically modified to taste like pre-fail tea. He must be here for something really terrible, or really wonderful.
    It turns out to be both, I think.
    I listen, amazed, as Chancellor Cornwall tells my father that the current vice chancellor is resigning due to medical reasons.
    â€œI’d be happy to examine him and offer a second opinion,” my father ventures, but the chancellor ignores him.
    â€œI believe you would serve Eden well as the next vice chancellor.”
    There is dead silence in the room. My father, who came from an outer ring of Inner City, has risen high in the government ranks to become physician general. It was mostly by his skill as a surgeon, I always thought. But apparently Dad has been playing a deeper political game than I ever realized. Why else would the chancellor notice him? My father makes occasional pronouncements about health, monitors publicpolicy on mandatory sterility surgeries and vaccinations, and occasionally provides personal treatment to ranking members of the government and their families.
    This is a surprise to me. Perhaps it is to Dad, too. He always seems to keep as low a profile as he can, given his position. By “position” I mean me, his shameful secret. He keeps his head down and doesn’t socialize or network as much as other people in the government. He can’t exactly host cocktail parties with me hiding in the cellar, can he?
    But somehow, he’s attracted notice.
    The silence hangs too long. At last my father says, “I would be honored to serve Eden in any capacity.” His voice is tight, and I wonder if it’s from humility or nerves.
    They speak of this awhile, and I listen, almost forgetting the first visitor, wondering what this will mean for my family. Will Dad have to move to the Center like all the uppermost Center officials? Will we? Impossible. My safety depends entirely on this house.
    Then I hear the small bot roll across the room, pausing right near the vent. I hold my breath. Has it spotted something suspicious, some sign of my existence? I don’t know what kind of bot it is, but if it is a variety with good visual acuity it might be able to actually see me if it scans directly into the tiny openings in the vent. It inches closer, and beeps. If a bot can sound uncertain, this one does.
    Then the chancellor says, “I won’t take up any more of your time now. Let me know what you decide by tomorrow morning.” The Greenshirt guards wheel in formation. The chancellor snaps his fingers, the bot glides away after him, and the room is quiet. Though my legs are stiffening and the air is growing stale with my breath, I don’t dare leave until I receive the all-clear signal. It takes so long I think they’ve forgotten about