Luminary
PRAISE FOR
ANOMALY
“. . . the first in what has the potential to be a fascinating trilogy of general appeal. McGee’s simple narrative belies the novel’s complexity, a factor that will make this intriguing book accessible to a wide variety of teen readers.”
—
Booklist
“McGee’s versatility as an author really shines with this latest offering . . .
Anomaly
. . . should encourage inspirational romance readers who haven’t yet tried out dystopian lit to give it a shot.”
—USAToday.com
“
Anomaly
grabs the reader and refuses to let go. From the introduction to misunderstood anomaly, Thalli, to the boy she loves, one is never completely sure what is fact and what is a horrifying virtual reality. This is sure to be a favorite of teens everywhere.”
—Heather Burch, author of the critically acclaimed Halflings series
“A razor-edged look at the resilience of Christian faith,
Anomaly
is taut, high-stakes dystopia that grips on the first page and twists all the way through.”
—Evan Angler, author of the Swipe series
“
Anomaly
is a fabulous read! Krista McGee is a fresh and gifted voice in YA apocalyptic fiction. Excellent characters and an intriguing plot provide readers with great entertainment—as well as a call to go ‘outside’ themselves. I can’t wait for book two!”
—Kathryn Mackel, author of
Boost
“A beautiful story that has me wondering if I would have the strength to be an Anomaly. Fans of James Dashner’s
Maze Runner
will love Krista McGee’s
Anomaly
.”
—Jon Lewis, author of the C.H.A.O.S. trilogy
ACCLAIM FOR KRISTA MCGEE
“McGee’s debut novel is an absolute gem. Anyone who enjoys reality television and a well-told story shouldn’t hesitate to read this great book.”
—
Romantic Times
TOP PICK! Review of
First Date
“[A] touching, fun, edifying, campy, quick and downright delicious teen read.”
—USAToday.com regarding
First Date
“Good things come to those who wait—and pray.”
—
Kirkus Reviews
regarding
Starring Me
“An abundance of real-life problems . . . should keep this story relevant for many teens.”
—
Publisher’s Weekly
review of
Right Where I Belong
OTHER NOVELS BY KRISTA MCGEE
Anomaly
First Date
Starring Me
Right Where I Belong
© 2014 by Krista McGee
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].
Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.
Scripture quotations are from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
McGee, Krista, 1975-
Luminary / by Krista McGee.
pages cm. — (Anomaly trilogy ; book 2)
Summary: Able to experience emotions that should have been eradicated by genetic modification, Thalli must journey across an unknown land to find a hidden civilization of people actually born to families.
ISBN 978-1-4016-8874-5 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-1-4016-8875-2 (eBook)
[1. Emotions—Fiction. 2. Families--Fiction. 3. Love—Fiction. 4. Christian life—Fiction. 5. Science fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.M4784628Lu 2014
[Fic]—dc23
2013029517
Printed in the United States of America
14 15 16 17 18 RRD 5 4 3 2 1
To my mother, Pamela Brush Henderson. Thank you for always encouraging me to develop my talents and my imagination. I love you!
CONTENTS
O
ur four travelers haven’t stopped moving yet.” Dr. Loudin continues to stare at the screen, his gaze following the four green dots that represent Thalli, Berk, Rhen, and John. “That’s a good sign.”
“Yes, but it’s only been a few days.” Dr. Williams picks up an orange and slowly peels it. The other Scientists continue eating, their gazes darting from the screen back to their plates.
“We have a problem.” Dr. Grenz enters the Scientists’ eating quarters, and every pair of eyes rests on him. “James is dying.”
The room is silent. One Scientist already died suddenly. Medical tests were run on each of the remaining Nine after his
death. All were healthy. With continued genetic treatment and medications, the Scientists anticipate their life spans will be well over one hundred years.
“Impossible.” Dr. Williams places both hands flat on the table as she stands. “He was just here—two days ago, when we watched the four leave the State. He was fine then. He probably just has a slight sickness.”
“He’s been working in the medical center in Pod C since then, studying data and compiling research. He collapsed an hour ago. He was barely able to call me on his communications pad.” Dr. Grenz sighs. “His symptoms are exactly the same as the others who have died from oxygen deprivation. We simply cannot sustain life down here anymore.”
“Which is why we allowed our four travelers to escape aboveground.” Dr. Loudin points to the screen where the green dots continue to move south. “They have everything they need to find our rogue Scientists. Once they find them, we bring them here. Together, we will find a solution to the oxygen problem.”
“So all our lives depend on them?” Dr. Grenz shakes his head. “What about James? No one knows more about genetics than he does. We lose him, we lose all his knowledge. How do we replace that?”
“We don’t lose James.” Dr. Loudin’s face is red, his eyes bloodshot as he tears them away from the screen to look at Dr. Grenz. “If he needs new lungs, then give him new lungs. Take them from someone in Pod A. Replace the heart as well. There is no reason we cannot ensure his survival.”
“But the oxygen levels—” Dr. Grenz groans. “Why don’t we just leave with them? Return aboveground?”
“No!” Dr. Loudin stands, his voice echoing in the large
room. “Have you forgotten why we created the State? The world we grew up in was destroying itself, day after day in a billion different ways. We created a new world with order and peace. If we return above now, then we forfeit all of this. The world—those pockets of survivors—will take us back to where we were forty years ago. Is that what you want?”
“Of course not.”
“Exactly.” Dr. Loudin takes a deep breath. “So we find the Scientists who left us, bring them back, and work together to repair the State. We find out what those pockets of survivors have and what they need. Then we give them what they need. We become as indispensable above as we are below. Then we can infiltrate every corner of the world. Then—and only then—we can ensure that the world will move forward according to our vision.”
Dr. Williams nods. “You are right, of course. In our fear, we have forgotten our purpose.”
Dr. Loudin’s voice softens. “And have the Engineers work to build transports that can go farther, faster. Similar to the jet airplanes of old.”
“I will give them your instructions.”
“I will keep watching our four,” Dr. Loudin says. “They are the key to everything.”
“But what if they fail to find the Scientists?” Dr. Grenz laces his fingers together.
“They will still be useful.” Dr. Loudin shrugs. “Whether they find our colleagues or not, they are still living projects—once we retrieve them, dead or alive, we can examine their bodies to determine how their organs processed life aboveground. Hopefully, they will make it past the area that is still
toxic with radioactive particles so they can breathe in the atmosphere, eat food grown on the earth. Seeing how their bodies cope with the change from State-living to earth-living will better prepare us to make that transition, when and if we choose to live above.”
Dr. Loudin looks around the room. “How much time do you hypothesize we have, Grenz, before our oxygen supply reaches fatal levels?”
“No more than three months.” Dr. Grenz rubs his temples with his fingertips. “If we divert all the oxygen supplies to this building. We move the survivors from Pods A and B here.”
“All right.” Dr. Loudin nods. “Then we do that. For two months.”