Page 4 (2/2)

"I don’t care if God will be angry at ed her to me

"God’s not ht that if you were a person who believed in God, and you lived in Monument, Colorado, in the fall of ’24 you really had to wonder

We tried to clean Luna’s wounds but she scooted between the back of the futon couch and the wall of the Train

Astrid had gathered a shopping cart full of lights that ran on batteries

To Henry’s and Caroline’s delight, and Chloe’s, once she stopped pouting, there were sohts

Astrid let the Roo to find batteries for the lanterns when I felt Astrid’s hand on my shoulder

"Hey," she said

"Hey," I answered I’m cool like that

"Can I talk to you?"

"Sure," I said

She noddeda lantern I hadn’t been in the Train in … how long? More than twenty-four hours, to be sure

It was easy to re roo quarters They still looked pretty commercial, no matter how homey Josie had tried to make them when she redecorated

On the doors to the rooms ritten the names of the kids who’d slept there

"Max, Batiste, and Ulysses" read the door to

That made me feel sad and scared I aze

"Do you think they could be there yet?" Astrid asked me

"Maybe I sure as hell hope so"

"Yeah,down at her feet She was still wearing the knit hat I’d given her after she’d hadthatshe and I had ever shared

Suddenly Astrid looked up and the glow frolinted off her nose ring The nose ring made her look cool, but also a little fierce, too

Iwhat she would look like without it

"I’ to sleep with you," she said

And I nearly sed my heart

"Wh-what?" I staht think that because you stayed, I would, like, sleep with you And I’ to"

Then she turned and walked out of the Train

I just stood there like an idiot, with ot angry

I caught up with her in the Kitchen She was starting to go through the shelves, pulling out food we didn’t need to heat up to be able to eat

"Astrid, I never expected you to sleep withabout that I would never think or expect so like that!"

"Fine," she said "Good Then we’re straight"

"I stayed because you were right It was too dangerous for the other kids, to have us with thenant And staying was the decent thing to do"

"And I’ her words, like she thought I was an idiot "But I’rateful"

"I can’t believe you’re saying this," I stammered "Do you think I’et the facts straight," she said, turning her back onto her sorting "I’ so cold and so …

I don’t know I turned and walked away

Had I been nursing a dreaether and fall in love, and one day, one day far in the future, maybe we’d have sex?

Yes Dur Of course I had That’s what you do when you have a horrible crush on so it right in the open It wasn’t kind and it wasn’t fair

I stormed away into the dark, e

I needed a project

CHAPTER FOUR

ALEX

53–42 MILES

Niko had blisters coot pushed to the side during the fight with Josie

I guess the blisters were in his s

Niko rooted around in the plastic storage tub of medicines and found a bottle of Children’s Benadryl

He broke the seal and chugged straight froasped "We’ll rest Tento breathe

"Can we take our masks off?" Max asked

"NO!" Sahalia and I both shouted at once

"Only people who are type B can take their ain?" asked Batiste

"You andher eyes<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>