Defiant: Quantic Dreams Book 2 by Elizabeth McLaughlin (reading list txt) 📗

whole life in, Pawter was able to find awe and delight in the one animal she should have been afraid of. “Would you like to go out and help the scientists document them?” I flinched a little as Martin shot me a look. “With grownups, of course.” I scrambled to save myself. “And not very far away from camp.” The glare receded a little. Pawter’s eyes grew huge. It was like she had been offered the chance to go flying. She looked back at Martin.

“Can I go Martin? Can I?”

“We’ll talk to Mom about it.” Martin had it more difficult than most kids his age. At the young age of sixteen it was his job to become the man of the family and he was performing his duties admirably. He had chosen the wisest of parental answers: maybe. Whenever I used it with Marcus as a child, it usually meant no, but perhaps it would be possible to involve Pawter in some kind of project. She might feel more at ease if she were part of the group instead of one of the group of children who pretended to keep up their schoolwork. Getting the kids to participate in building the colony would serve the double purpose of training our replacements. Provided that we survived out here at all, of course. We waved goodbye to Pawter and Martin and finished our lukewarm meals in silence.

About the Author

When she's not playing pirate aboard tall ships or hunting down the best place to grab ramen in whichever country she's found herself in, Liz McLaughlin can be found at her keyboard, bringing to life science fiction stories to change the world. A lifelong avid reader and winner of her seventh grade Young Authors contest (thanks Mom and Dad!), Liz broke into writing in search of a way to bring diversity and representation to science fiction and beyond. Her stories seek to change the genre through normalizing people of color and LGBTQIA+ as participants in the futuristic epics we all know and love.