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Back Daughter of Eden
Chapters (68)
  1. Title page
  2. Dedication
  3. Part I
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Three
  7. Four
  8. Five
  9. Six
  10. Seven
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. Twelve
  16. Thirteen
  17. Fourteen
  18. Fifteen
  19. Sixteen
  20. Seventeen
  21. Eighteen
  22. Nineteen
  23. Twenty
  24. Twenty-one
  25. Twenty-two
  26. Twenty-three
  27. Twenty-four
  28. Twenty-five
  29. GAIA YOUNG. SUBJECTIVE IMPRESSIONS.MISSION DAY 20. 20:25 MT.
  30. Part II
  31. Twenty-six
  32. Twenty-seven
  33. Twenty-eight
  34. Twenty-nine
  35. Thirty
  36. Thirty-one
  37. Thirty-two
  38. Thirty-three
  39. Thirty-four
  40. Thirty-five
  41. Thirty-six
  42. Thirty-seven
  43. GAIA YOUNG. SUBJECTIVE IMPRESSIONS.MISSION DAY 22. 20:05 MT.
  44. Thirty-eight
  45. Thirty-nine
  46. Forty
  47. Forty-one
  48. GAIA YOUNG. SUBJECTIVE IMPRESSIONS.MISSION DAY 25. 15:30 MT.
  49. Forty-two
  50. Forty-three
  51. Forty-four
  52. Forty-five
  53. Forty-six
  54. Forty-seven
  55. Forty-eight
  56. Forty-nine
  57. Fifty
  58. Fifty-one
  59. Fifty-two
  60. Fifty-three
  61. Fifty-four
  62. Part III
  63. Fifty-five
  64. Fifty-six
  65. Fifty-seven
  66. Fifty-eight
  67. Also by Chris Beckett
  68. Copyright page

‘I don’t want to get involved in this, Tom,’ I told him. I was worried for my own kids as much as anything. Fox and Candy were watching Tom and Trueheart with big scared eyes as round as a bat’s. They’d been through so much already that waking, but they knew as well as I did that Tom might suddenly decide at any moment that it was time to give Trueheart a beating, and they always dreaded that. ‘We’re all tired,’ I said to Tom. ‘We’re all tired and scared, and—’

Clare came striding in between her daughter and Tom. ‘You’re as bad as each other, Tom and Trueheart. Just shut up both of you, and think of the rest of us for once.’

‘You shut up!’ Tom bellowed at her. ‘You will not talk to me like that! I’m the cluster head of Michael’s Place, and you’re just one of my shelterwomen. No wonder Trueheart behaves like she does, the example you give her!’

‘One of your shelterwomen! Listen to yourself ! Harry’s sister-­slipping dick, Tom, who do you think you are? David Strongheart?’

‘As to those shadowspeakers, Dad,’ Trueheart said, ‘doesn’t it ever strike you as funny that whenever they tell us something Mother Gela is supposed to have said to them, it’s always exactly what the high people say as well? They know where their meat comes from, that’s pretty obvious; they know who to please if they want to keep their fancy wraps!’

Tom didn’t answer her in words. He just kind of roared, and, pushing past Clare, he began slashing down at his daughter with the end of his spear, not just across her back, but onto her face, her belly, anywhere at all that he could reach. Trueheart screamed, holding her arm in front of her face to shield it, and sinking to the ground. Four five littles started to cry, including my Candy. And everyone else, weary from walking and lack of sleep, and just from being so scared for so so long, either simply turned away from them and began to trudge on, or yelled at the two of them to stop.

‘Gela’s heart, Tom, just leave her alone for once, can’t you,’ some folk shouted, ‘and let us have some peace?’

Others told Trueheart to apologize. ‘Why have you always got to be so bloody stubborn, girl? Just say you’re sorry for once, and he’ll let you be.’

‘Yes, that’s right, say you’re sorry,’ bellowed Tom, still trying to hit her with his spear, while Clare and Kate and Davidson grabbed hold of his arm to stop him, and dragged him slowly away from his cowering daughter. ‘Say you’re sorry, you bad bad girl.’

Trueheart climbed to her feet again, though she was bleeding from the side of her mouth and had a big red weal across her arm.