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Sammy nodded Slipped his hand intoto ride a bus!"

The black loved hand went up

"Just the boy"

I started to tell hi Dad behind, but Sa anywhere without me

The corporal cut me off "Only the boy"

"She’s his sister," Dad tried He was being reasonable "And she’s a child, too She’s only sixteen"

"She’ll have to stay here," the corporal said

"Then he’s not getting on," I said, wrapping both arms around Sammy’s chest He’d have to pull my damn arms off to take my little brother

There was this awful e to rip the linted off the visor, a hateful ball of light

"You want him to stay?"

"I want him to stay with me," I corrected him "On the bus Off the bus Whatever With me"

"No, Cassie," Dad said

Saainst ot it before I did

"He can stay," the soldier said "But we can’t guarantee his safety"

"Oh, really?" I shouted into his bug-face "You think? Whose safety can you guarantee?"

"Cassie…," Dad started

"You can’t guarantee shit," I yelled

The corporal ignored me "It’s your call, sir," he said to Dad

"Dad," I said "You heard him He can stay with us"

Dad chewed on his bottom lip He lifted his head and scratched under his chin, and his eyes regarded the e about the drones, about what he knew and what he didn’t know He was re odds and calculating probabilities and ignoring the little voice piping up froo

So of course he did theHe was a responsible adult, and that’s what responsible adults do

The reasonable thing

"You’re right, Cassie," he said finally "They can’t guarantee our safety--no one can But sorabbed Sammy’s hand "Come on, sport"

"No!" Saht red cheeks "Not without Cassie!"

"Cassie’s going," Dad said "We’re both going We’ll be right behind you"

"I’ll protect hi happen to hiht? We’ll just wait for them to co face The one that usually got ht We have to stay together, we have to"

It wasn’t going to work He had that hard look in his eyes again: cold, clamped down, remorseless

"Cassie," he said "Tell your brother it’s okay"

And I did After I told myself it was okay I told e, trust the Others not to incinerate the school buses full of children, trust that trust itself hadn’t gone the way of computers and microwavable popcorn and the Hollywood movie where the slimeballs from Planet Xercon are defeated in the final ten round in front of o, Sa the bear to his chest

"But, Cassie, who’s going to hold you when you’re scared?" He was being totally serious He looked so much like Dad with that concerned little frown that I alhed

"I’m not scared anymore And you shouldn’t be scared, either The soldiers are here now, and they’re going to make us safe"

I looked up at Corporal Branch "Isn’t that right?"

"That’s right"

"He looks like Darth Vader," Saht, and reuy at the end"

"Only after he blows up a whole planet and kills a lot of people"

I couldn’t help it--I laughed God, he was sht he was s to come later, Cassie?"

"You bet I am"

"Promise?"

I promised Whatever happened No Matter What

That was all he needed to hear He pushed the teddy bear into my chest

"Sam?"

"For when you’re scared But don’t leave hier to eet"

He stuck out his hand to the corporal "Lead on, Vader!" Gloved hand engulfed pudgy hand The first step was als The kids inside squealed and clapped when he turned the corner and hit the center aisle

Sammy was the last to board The door closed Dad tried to put his arine revved The air brakes hissed

And there was his face against the salaxy far, far away in his yelloing starfighter, ju to warp speed, until the dusty yellow spaceship ed by dust

18

"THIS WAY, SIR," the corporal said politely, and we followed him back to the coht-Patterson The ree shed, the barrels of their round, like the dipped heads of so

The coone inside the barracks

Everybody except one