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“Yeah, I thought so I can’t get you people to show up and pick melons, let alone throith Drake”

“That’s your job,” Zil said

“Oh, I see,” Sa to the surface “It’s my job to pick the fruit, and collect the trash, and ration the food, and catch Hunter, and stop Caine, and settle every stupid little fight, and et a visit froht: you spray hateful graffiti Thanks for taking care of that, I don’t knoe’d ever e without you”

“Sa

Too late He was going to say what needed saying

“And the rest of you Howin the last teeks aside fro movies?

“Letto you people I’m not your parents I’m a fifteen-year-old kid I’ic ability to ers and o away I’m just a kid”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Sam knew he had crossed the line He had said the fateful words so many had used as an excuse before him How many hundreds of times had he heard, “I’m just a kid”

But now he see out “Look, I have an eighth-grade education Just because I have powers doesn’tUntil all this happened I was just a B student All I wanted to do was surf I wanted to grow up to be Dru Adler or Kelly Slater, just, you know, a really good surfer”

The croas dead quiet now Of course they were quiet, soht bitterly, it’s entertaining watching someone melt down in public

“I’ the best I can,” Sam said

“I lost people today…I…I screwed up I should have figured out Caine o after the power plant”

Silence

“I’ the best I can”

No one said a word