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And for an entire week I’d regretted taunting hi days I’d had to come home from school and play all by myself I’d lost my best friend because I’d h, had saved that ball He said it was one of his favorite mementos I used to think he ame--his as our coach and ht of it, I wonder if it was more than that I wonder if it was because of the lesson I’d learned, about how to treat those I cared about

My dad had always been big on the power of words and respect

"The tongue pierces deeper than the spear," he’d told me when I’d coh I kneas trying to teachwas that it was too bad it wasn’t true, because how cool would it be if our tongues really were spears? First graders thought of things like that, I guess

"We better getthe ball back He had his own collection of things, and I appraised his findings with a dubious eye His nose had stopped bleeding, and his toilet paper co up a fanny pack by its strap "You think your dad wouldhad ? You’re not seriously planning to wear that thing, are you?"

"You never knohen you’ll need both hands free" He strapped it around his waist and started filling it with the things he’d gathered: sos, a USB thu beneath the papers on the floor, and a CD with a handwritten 2009–2014 scrawled across it

"This isn’t a looting fully at all the junk in my hands "Are you sure about that? Here, I bet you can fit all your stuff in this thing" He held the pouch open forMy hands work just fine You know your nerd status just shot up like a million points, don’t you?" I didn’t tell hi space in his fanny pack, that I wasn’t planning to go with hi deal, but I loved that he didn’t care that he wasa fool of himself with that ridiculous pouch

His eyes shot skyward as his body went entirely rigid "Shh!" The crooked grin melted frohtly, and he strained--we both strained--to find whatever it was he thought he’d heard

"No," I whispered, slightly thrown by the sudden shift in his demeanor "I don’t" But I’d spoken too soon It was there, and now, just barely and so faraway, I could hear it too My throat ached, and I nodded this time "We’re too late"

The who helicopter pounded within h my veins I felt more human in that instant than I had in my entire life More mortal More defenseless and exposed, even within the suddenly-too-crao," I said I bundled the -person flier and the map and the prints of the fireflies into a roll and stuffed theiven me

I loohts along the way Tyler was right onme closely, and he’d noticed o,’ Kyra, and I don’t care what you think, but you’re not leavingthe front door, I pulled back the lass and realized how useless the curtains in my dad’s crappy trailer were They were textured The surface of the glass was buht as well have covered the ith newspaper or tinfoil All I could ue," I shot back "But you can’t go with me Stay here and tell them this was all so aboutthe dust that puffed up when I did

Tyler grabbedso stubborn" When I openedstupid again, and this tiood kind You’re out of your hts filtered in through the impractical privacy s and filled the darkened trailer, casting blurred bea the wood-paneled walls Others came from above, accompanied by the louder, and much closer, whoht on top of us now They caht that was obscured by layers of fir needles and caked-on dirt

I reached for Tyler’s hand, deciding that noasn’t the tiue over whether I would let him stay without of this hts washed over Tyler’s skin as his lips tightened "Come on" He hauled me back toward my dad’s trashed office He ripped the curtain rod off the wall, where it had hung above the , and pressed his face to the rough-surfaced glass "I don’t see any lights out there If we hurry, we ht be able to slip out back before they catch us"