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I studied her, trying to align this new vision with the irown back in long enough to curl around her ears Everything else about her had changed, too She was taller, but thinner Painfully thin The skin on her cheeks had sunken in And even in the dark, I could see the same was true for the others who came out froainst the cars’ lights I counted twelve in all, different heights, different shapes, but all kids All kids

Kylie and Zu’s cousin Hina ca Lucy for me to remember the dozens of times I’d taken food she’d spooned out at all of East River’s meals Sheon the nearby lakes And the three of the them

"I’m sorry," Kylie said "I didn’t realize it was you, otherwise I wouldn’t have fired, we justthe skip tracers and the soldiers and everything--"

Behindto need to find another car," he said "Aren’t we?"

5

FOR ALL THE HOPE I HAD that we’d find her, I’ht about ould actually happen to Zu if we did But it became clear, froht running through his ht you’d be at her uncle’s house," I said "What happened? Why did you leave?"

"He wasn’t there We would have stayed anyway, but there wasan incident just after we got there," Kylie was explaining as alked The trees pulled back to reveal a sed with darkness When they heard our cars co was still filled with the smell of smoke

"What kind of incident?" Liauy Henever mind, it doesn’tdown the front of her ripped shirt "We’ve beenfrom town to town since then When I saw the trail of road code I picked it up, hoping we’d find so an easy tiht of the soaking-wetbed sheets, and the old food cans and buckets they’d left out to catch water

"You drove in, right?" Liam asked "Where did you stash the car?"

"Behind the shed at the back of the house" Kylie tried to wring her shirt out, withoutaround her had introduced thenize any of them Lucy had been quick to specify that two of them, Tommy and Pat, had left East River a few months before we’d ever arrived The other three otten too rough for theers, all about fifteen, were strays they’d picked up as theyand narrow as the tree flanking hi head of copper red hair mostly hidden under a beanie Pat was about a head shorter, and walked and talked with a frantic, buy that made it almost i at the sad ca" Lucy stepped out in front of us, her braided blond hair swinging over her shoulder She earing an oversized 49ers sweatshirt and black leggings that were shredded at the knees "What are you guys doing here? When did you leave East River?"

Oh, damn--of course they wouldn’t know They couldn’t have found out I glanced over to Lia to his hand

"Save story tiuys want to bring with you"

"Wait, what?" Lia into"

Cole rolled his eyes and turned back to the other kids, clapping his hands together "I’ll break it down for you We used to be part of a group called the Children’s League Then the president decided he wanted to destroy us, the Federal Coalition, and all of Los Angeles Noe’re heading up north to set up shop and figure out new, fun ways to kick his ass Are there any questions?"

Toeles? Like, literally?"

"I don’t think we speak figuratively anyuys are welcome to park yourselves here, but the military has control of the borders and freeways, and they’ve likely got a new stranglehold on what gas and food is out there Meaning life is about to get a hell of a lot harder if you don’t find yourselves a safe place"

I think the kids were actually too shocked to cry They traded stunned glances, clearly struggling to process this

Starvation doesn’t helpat the way the rainto her sharp hip bones

"And where we’d be going, that’s a safe place?" Pat asked

"Tell them the truth," Liam said sharply "Itto have targets on our backs You’ve never done anything just out of the goodness of your heart, so what’s the catch, Cole? They coht? They have to work for their food and beds?"