Page 7 (1/2)

She carried it downstairs to the one light in the house That light was a small ball that floated in midair in her "family room" A Sa the weird power he had It burned night and day It was not hot to the touch, had no wire or other source of energy It siic was old news in the FAYZ Dekka had her own

Dekka rued in her cupboard and found a cold, boiled artichoke There were a lot of artichokes to be had in the FAYZ Not exactly bacon and eggs and hash browns, but better than the alternative, which was starving The food supply in the FAYZ--the enerally unpleasant, and, occasionally, literally sickening, but Dekka had endured protracted hunger in earlier months, so a breakfast artichoke was fine with her

In any case, she’d lost so

She felt more than heard a rush of air The door slammed, a sound that arrived at the sa stop in the h medicine!"

"Hi, Brianna," Dekka said "It’s kind of the ht"

"Whatever Nice pj’s, by the way You pick those up at Gap for Truck Drivers?"

"They’re comfortable," Dekka said mildly

"Yeah For you and your twelve closest friends You’ve got curves--unlike "

"Jack’s sick?" Dekka re All achy and gru for a sick boy And Coenius who, as far as Dekka could tell, had absolutely zero moral center Wave a keyboard under his nose and he’d do whatever you wanted

"Sounds like the flu," Dekka opined

"Well, duh," Brianna said "I didn’t say he had anthrax or black plague or whatever But you don’t get it: Jack coughs, he doubles up, right? Maybe stoht?"

"Ah" Jack, much to his own disrown men

"He broke my bed!"

"He’s in your bed?"

"He didn’t want to smash any of his stupid computers at his stupid place So he ca ht? And you levitate hie"

Dekka peered at Brianna "You’re loony, you know that? If there’s one thing we have plenty of, it’s houses Stick hi a bit deflated "Yeah"

"Unless you just wantthe hopeful tone in her own voice