Page 50 (1/2)

"This is the point where you bop me over the head," I say I smell like the earth, and for so in the rose bed and the white sheet "Or offer to go in o in my place"

He ju to bop me over the head, he’s that upset Instead, he wraps his arms around himself like he’s cold--or he does it to keep hi me over the head

"It’s suicide," he snaps "We’re both thinking it One of us o Dead or alive, he’s lost"

I pull the Luger froround at his feet Then the M16

"Save these for et back And by the way, somebody should say this: You look ridiculous in those pants" I scooch over to the backpack without getting up Pull out Bear No need to dirty hi

"Are you listening to me?" he demands

"The problem is you don’t listen to yourself," I shoot back "There’s only one way in, and that’s the way Sao I have to So don’t even open your , I’ll slap you"

I stand up, and a weird thing happens: As I rise, Evan seeet my little brother, and there’s only one way I can do it"

He’s looking up atHe has been inside an He knohat I’ to say:

Alone

74

THERE ARE THE STARS, the pinpricks of light stabbing down

There is the eirl on the road with the sled in her short, curly hair, clutching a battered old teddy bear, on the e down

There is the growl of engines and then the twin bars of the headlights cutting across the horizon, and the lights grow larger, brighter, like two stars going supernova, bearing down on the girl, who has secrets in her heart and prohts that bear down on her, she does not run or hide

The driver sees me with plenty of time to stop The brakes squeal, the door hisses open, and a soldier steps onto the asphalt He has a gun but he doesn’t point it at hts, and I look back at hi a white ar says PARKER I renizes me? I’m supposed to be dead

What’s my name? Lizbeth Am I hurt? No A the landscape He doesn’t see the hunter in the woods who is watching this play out, his scope trained on Parker’s head Of course Parker doesn’t see him The hunter in the woods is a Silencer

Parker takes my arm and helps me onto the bus It smells like blood and sweat Half the seats are eh Only Parker and the driver and the soldier with the naency door, the salass and watched me shrink until the dust sed ummies and a bottle of water I don’t want either, but I consuuooey, and I’ to be sick

The bus picks up speed So Besides that, there’s the huine and the cold wind rushing through the cracked s

Parker coainst lows red I’ood, he says What’s hts on the horizon That’s Camp Haven, Parker tellsI nod Perfectly safe

The light grows, seeps slowly through the windshield, then rushes in as we get closer, flooding the bus now, and we’re pulling up to the gate and a loud bell goes off and the gate rolls open The silhouette of a soldier high in the watchtower

We stop in front of a hangar A fat ht on the balls of his feet like a lot of fat guys His name is Major Bob We shouldn’t be afraid, he tells us We are perfectly safe There are only two rules to remember Rule one is remember our colors Rule two is listen and follow

I fall into line with ar He pats Lizbeth on the shoulder and wishes her good luck

I find a red circle and sit down There are soldiers everywhere But most of these soldiers are kids, some not much older than Saer ones The really young ones are the most serious of all

You canal With the right training, there are few things e than a ten-year-old

I have a number: T-sixty-two T for Terminator Ha

The numbers are called out over a loudspeaker

"SIXTY-TWO! TEE-SIXTY-TWO! PROCEED TO THE RED DOOR, PLEASE! NUMBER TEE-SIXTY-TWO!"

The first station is the shower room

On the other side of the red door is a thin wo comes off and into the hamper Underwear, too They love children here but not lice and ticks There’s the shower Here’s the soap Put on the white robe when you’re finished and wait to be called

I sit the bear against the wall and step naked onto the cold tiles The water is tepid The soap has a pungent mediciny ss to h it I pick up Bear and wait