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We’re driving along the bay as we head north to San Francisco The water sparkles like a field of diaic hands and grab the leaves and trash by the side of the road I don’t re trash by the freeway in the World Before, but a lot has changed since then

My eyes lazily follow a piece of paper as it flitters across the road It dances in the breeze, floating up and down, then pirouetting on the wind It lands in the water, causing a ripple of sparkles around it

Instate, it looks like one of the twins’ talent show flyers

‘Coreatest show of all’ Isn’t that what the flyer says?

I can see the twins standing on an apple crate, wearing striped suits and hats like barkers at a carnival They’re calling to the ragged refugees ‘Step right up, folks This will be the biggest fireworks show in history There’ll be bangs, there’ll be screams, there’ll be popcorn! This is your last chance – your last chance to show off your aether

I sit up, as wide awake as if I’d been zapped byback in to the conversation Sanjay is saying soy

‘The talent show’ I look at the tide eyes ‘Who could resist a talent show?’

Everyone looks at rin on my face

55

By the time we arrive at Golden Gate, it’s noon We have about six hours until sunset

The faes around the bay Several of the suspension cables swing in the air, tethered only at the top It’s broken in four sections, with a big chunkjust past the middle One of the sections leans precariously, and I wonder how long it’ll be before it falls

The last ti in Raffe’s aret out of our SUV, the salty air tasting like tears

A e beneath the bridge, waiting for someone to tell them what to do I didn’t expect thousands of people, but I was hoping that more would be here

‘We’re the ones who rescued the people off Alcatraz,’ Dee shouts He acts as if there are hundreds of people here ‘You’ve heard of that, right? Those sa here When they arrive, do what you can to help It’s the nice thing to do’

‘If you’re not inclined to do the nice thing,’ says Duels e’re made of!’

I look around and see that there are more people here than I realized Ss, and weapons shift all around us in the trees, the cars, and the wreckage of ships washed up on shore

People are hiding nearby, listening, watching, ready to disappear at the slightest sign A few yell questions out to us fro?’

‘Are there really de after us?’

I answer the questions as best I can

‘Are you Penryn?’ soel killer?’

‘Hell, yeah!’ says Duel killer’

Dum nods his head toward the car ‘Go on,’ he says to us ‘I’ll spread the gospel about the talent show here and catch up’

Dee grins ‘Do you have any idea what the betting pool will be like tonight?’