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“If you don’t believe one numb

“If I don’t believe you, you’re all on the next bus to Berkeley, and we’re parting ways before the sun comes up,” the senator said and turned his back on resswo back into his voice as if he’d flipped a switch “You’re looking lovely tonight—is that your wife? Well, Mrs Lancer, it surely is a pleasure to finally have the opportunity toyou in so many of those Christalone in the middle of the crowd, the i all around ues standing not ten feet aaiting to hear what I’d accomplished

The truth had never felt like it was further away, or harder to make sense of And I had never in my life felt like I was more lost, or more alone

We were eleven when I first understood that eren’t iical son named Phillip Our folks didn’t talk about him much, but he came up every time someone mentioned Mason’s Law It’s funny, but I sort of hero-worshipped him when I was a kid, because people remembered him I never really considered the fact that they re for our Christmas presents when she found the box It was in the closet in Mom’s office, and we’d probably overlooked it a thousand tie’s eye that day for some reason, and she hauled it out, and we looked inside That was the day I raphs we’d never seen, pictures of a laughing little boy in a world where he’d never been forced to worry about the things we lived with every day Phillip riding a pony at the state fair Phillip playing in the sand on a beach with no fences in sight Phillip with his long-haired, short-sleeved, laughinglike our h to hide the body arood night He had a s, and I hated him a little, because his parents were so much happier than mine

We never talked about that day We put the pictures back in the closet, and we never found our Christmas presents, either But that was the day I realized if Phillip, this happy, innocent kid, could die, so could we Someday, we’d be cardboard boxes at the back of so we could do about it George knew it, too; maybe she even knew it before I did We were all we had, and we could die It’s hard to live knowing soets to ask us for anything more Not now, not ever When history looks our way—stupid, blind history, that judges everything and never gives a shit e paid to get it—it better reht to ask us for this No one

—Fro of Shaun Mason, June 19, 2040

Twenty-five

Georgia, what just happened?”

“George? You okay?”

Both of the to screa server, draining it in one convulsive gulp, and snapping, “We have to go Now”

That just redoubled their concern Rick’s eyes ide, while Shaun’s narrowed, accompanied by a sudden frown “How pissed is he?” he asked

“He’s pulling our press passes in fifteen minutes”

Shaun whistled “Nice Even for you, that’s i an affair with the librarian?”

“It was the tutor, that was the Mayor of Oakland’s wife, and I was right,” I said, starting to stalk for the exit True to for about Eon a burst of speed to get in front of ot us kicked out of a major political event, Senator Ry so at us?”

“If looks could kill—”

“We’d be joining Rebecca Ryman I’ll fill you in once we’re in the car”

Rick hesitated, licking his lower lip as he registered the anxiety in oing as fast as I couldto a run Shaun took the cue fros to givehis questions until we got outside Bless hiet back to the car Since everyone on the banquet level was assuet there, the elevator came at the press of a button, no needles involved until anted to exit Like a roach motel—the infected could check in, but they couldn’t check out My earlier curiosity about ould happen if more than one person took the elevator at the same time was answered as the interior sensors refused to let the doors open until the system detected three different, noninfected blood saly boarded the elevator with a person undergoing viral amplification would just die in there Nice

Steve was still next to the car, arhtened when he saw the three of us co out of the elevator but he restrained his curiosity better than Rick had, waiting until ere reaching for the doors before he asked, “Well?”