The following is an excerpt from Before the End.
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If you know how to bluff, you can find someone who knows someone who knows a shadow in the black market, and you can fool the BrainChips and the cops about your true intentions. Dad knew how to bluff. And I had the money-after cleaning out the personal finances-to help him out. I wouldn't need an income after this.

"What is it?" I asked, examining the small metal disk.

"Put it on your forehead."

He slapped his on, and I did the same. I didn't feel any different.

"God exists!" he shouted.

I gasped. "Dad!"

Religion was forbidden.

He grinned at me wickedly. "Dar, these things block the BrainChips for a couple hours. No cop is gonna know what we're up to from now till the morning."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Go on, say somethin' wild, honey."

My throat closed up. No, this was a trick and we had no proof the blockers worked.

"Come on, Darleen, trust your old man."

I swallowed hard and said, "The . . . Government is . . . evil." I clapped a hand over my mouth. Any moment now the door would open and the cops would be there, with magnetic cuffs to drag us off to sentencing.

At Dad's request, I'd bought a permit to turn off the sensors in the house for the next few hours. I was glad he'd thought ahead.

I waited. Minutes whispered by. No one came.

Dad winked. "You believe me?"

I grinned. The feeling of freedom was . . . thrilling!

"What do we do first?" I asked.

"Like you suggested, let's celebrate. Something illegal." He fished in the package he'd brought back. A second later he pulled out a digital book.

"What is it?"

"Forbidden fruit. We're going to read some of it."

Excerpt from
Before the End
© Copyright 2009, Abby Rustad

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