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The kids I worked ere nice enough; more than nice, actually Most had never seen the inside of a caain, I had never cooked ain the life experience department What I liked most was their brand of pluck Lizzie, for instance, had been hiding out at East River for close to two years, having narrowly escaped capture by PSFs who had pulled her parents’ car over in Maryland

"You just got out and ran?" I asked

"Like the wind," she confir onI tried to ain, but they never went back to our old house I got picked up by a tribe of Greens and brought here"

That was another thing: most of the kids here were either Green or Blue, with a sroup of Yellows that didn’t really socialize outside of their own circle Lizzie claiiven them perave the do many boxes of cereal we had left

"Yeah, and there are other requirements, too" That, from Dylan, a small-boned kid who had only recently finished his Cubbies lessons He clai units Clancy had built to store all of their books and schoolwork

"You have to have at least a group of five," he continued "And then Clancy has to determine whether or not it’s safe, and you have to swear on your life not to reveal anything about the camp, unless it’s to another kid in need, and then you can only reveal the clue It’s to keep everyone safe It would kill hi happened to a kid because of him"

I felt myself soften a little then It wasn’t so much that I didn’t trust Clancy’s motivations; he just unnerved me When someone takes such an interest in you, you have to wonder what it is exactly they’re searching for in your face

"What are you doing?"

All three of us looked over to the door, where Clancy stood stiff and still, staring at ed at his dark hair, causing it to stand on end So inside of me coiled at his expression, but it wasn’t fear

"We’re sorting," Lizzie said, confused "Is so?"

Clancy snapped out of whatever daze he had been stuck in "Yeah, sorry, it’s just--Ruby, would youwith me for a second? I think there was son why her eyes narrowed at e," I said, ere standing outside on the porch

"I didn’t assign you anything," he said "I specifically told Mike that"

I’d like to think that I wasn’t the type of person to be easily intier, or better armed than I was So I’ to Clancy Gray The son of the most powerful man in the country A blue-blooded American prince, ore his black polo shirt with the collar popped under aa leather belt

I crossedht, he was far less inti than he had been in the shade And shorter It was possible his reputation had added a few iinary inches, but he was only a bit taller than I hich meant both Liam and Chubs stood a nearly a full head over hi to knock his title of The Most Attractive Person I Had Ever Seen