astrid

Come live with us, Diana. Don't argue. Just say yes."Diana looked at the ground to hide her emotions. Then she said, "Would I have to be hearing you two going at it night and day?

They said a lot of things to each other that night, but nothing that involved words.

This was how girls left. They packed up their suitcases and walked away in high heels. They pretended they weren't crying, that it wasn't the worst day of their lives.

Caine has Drake and Orc, Panda and Chaz, and I hear Mallet has made peace with him. And maybe a half dozen other guys.___re you afraid of them?_ Astrid asked him.__eah, Astrid, I am.___kay,_ she said. __ut you were scared of going into a burning building, too.___ou don__ get this, do you?_ Sam demanded with enough heat that Astrid took a step back. __ know what you want, okay? I know what you and a bunch of other people want. You want me to be the anti-Caine. You don__ like the way he__ doing things and you want me to go kick him out. Well, here__ what you don__ know: even if I could do all that, I wouldn__ be any better than him.___ou__e wrong about that, Sam. You__e____hat night when I first used the power? When I hurt my stepfather? How do you think I felt?___ad. Regretful._ Astrid looked at his face like the answer would be written there. __cared, probably.___eah. All that. And one more thing._ He held up his hand and inches from her nose squeezed his fingers into a tight fist. __ also felt a rush, Astrid. A rush. I thought, oh my God, look at the power I have. Look what I can do. A huge, crazy rush.___ower corrupts,_ Astrid said softly.__eah,_ Sam said sarcastically. ____e heard that.___ower corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. I forget who said it.___ make a lot of mistakes, Astrid. I don__ want to make that mistake. I don__ want to be that guy. I don__ want to be Caine. I want to_ He spread his arms wide, a gesture of helplessness. __ just want to go surfing.___ou won__ be corrupted, Sam. You wouldn__ do those things._ He had moved back. She moved to close the distance.__ow can you be so sure?___ell, two reasons. First, it__ not your character. Of course you felt a rush from the power. Then, you pushed it away. You didn__ grab at it, you pushed it away. That__ reason number one. You__e you, you__e not Caine or Drake or Orc.__am wanted to agree, wanted to accept that, but he felt he knew better. __on__ be so sure.___nd reason number two: you have me,

Caine__ a guy who needs to win. He needs to win before he poofs. Or he needs to win before I poof. The point is, he__ not going to just accept us freeing all these kids from Coates and taking over Perdido Beach,_ Sam said. __o we need to be ready. And we need to be ready for something else, too: tomorrow is my birthday._ He made a wry face. __ot a birthday I__ exactly looking forward to. But, anyway, we need to decide who takes over for me if_when_I step outside.__everal of the kids made sympathetic or encouraging noises about how Sam maybe wasn__ going to blink out, or maybe it would be a good thing, an escape from the FAYZ. But Sam hushed them all.__ook, the good thing is, when I go, so does Caine. The bad thing is, that still leaves Drake and Diana and other bullies. Orc_well, we don__ exactly know what__ going on with him, but Howard__ not with him. And Lana_we don__ know what happened to her, whether she left or what.__he loss of Lana was a serious blow. Every one of the Coates refugees adored her for the way she had healed their hands. And it was reassuring to think that she could heal anyone who was injured.Astrid said, __ nominate Edilio to take over if_you know. Anyway, we need a number two, a vice president or vice mayor or whatever.__dilio did a double take, like Astrid must be talking about some other Edilio. Then he said, __o way. Astrid__ the smartest person here.___ have Little Pete to look after. Mary has to care for the prees and keep them out of harm__ way. Dahra has responsibility for treating anyone who gets hurt. Elwood has been so busy in the hospital with Dahra, he hasn__ dealt with Caine or Drake or any of the Coates faction. Edilio__ been up against Orc and Drake. And he__ always been brave and smart and able._ She winked at Edilio, acknowledging his discomfort.__ight,_ Sam said. __o unless someone has an objection, that__ the way it is. If I get hurt or I ditch, Edilio__ in charge.___espect to Edilio,_ Dekka said, __ut he doesn__ even have powers.___e has the power to earn trust and to come through when he has to,

Sam,_ Astrid yelled. __uick.__am thought he was too far gone to respond, but he somehow started his feet moving again and went up to where Little Pete was standing and Astrid kneeling.There was a girl lying in the dirt. Her clothing was a mess, her black hair ratty. She was Asian, pretty without being beautiful, and little more than skin and bones. But the first thing they noticed was that her forearms ended in a solid concrete block.Astrid made a quick sign of the cross and pressed two fingers against the girl__ neck. __ana,_ Astrid cried.Lana sized up the situation quickly. __ don__ see any injuries. I think maybe she__ starving or else sick in some other way.___hat__ she doing out here?_ Edilio wondered. __h, man, what did someone do to her hands?___ can__ heal hunger,_ Lana said. __ tried it on myself when I was with the pack. Didn__ work.__dilio untwisted the cap from his water bottle, knelt, and carefully drizzled water across the girl__ cheek so that a few drops curled into her mouth.__ook, she__ swallowing.__dilio broke a tiny bite from one of the PowerBars and placed it gently into the girl__ mouth. After a second the girl__ mouth began to move, to chew.__here__ a road over there,_ Sam said. __ think so, anyway. A dirt road, I think.___omeone drove by and dumped her here,_ Astrid agreed.Sam pointed at the dirt. __ou can see how she dragged that block.___ome sick stuff going on,_ Edilio muttered angrily. __ho would do something like this?

He__ becoming useless. Worse than useless,_ Sam said. Then, relenting, he said, __e__l get past it.___ou mean you and Quinn?___eah.__strid considered just keeping her mouth shut, not pushing it. But this was a talk she needed to have with Sam sooner or later. __ don__ think he__ going to get over it.___ou don__ know him that well.___e__ jealous of you.___ell, of course I am so terribly handsome,_ Sam said, straining to make a joke of it.__e__ one kind of person, you__e another. When life is going along normally, you__e sort of the same. But when life turns strange and scary, when there__ a crisis, suddenly you__e completely different people. It__ not Quinn__ fault, really, but he__ not brave. He__ not strong. You are.

More than two dozen kids lined a low railing around the gazebo. They were all tied to it by a rope leash that gave them no more than a few feet of movement. Neck to rail, like tethered horses. Each of the kids was weighed down by a concrete block that encased their hands. Their eyes were hollow, their cheeks caved in.Astrid used a word that Sam had never imagined coming from her.__ice language,_ Drake said with a smirk. __nd in front of the Pe-tard, too.__ cafeteria tray had been placed in front of each of the prisoners. It must have been a very recent delivery because some were still licking their trays, hunched over, faces down, tongues out, licking like dogs.__t__ the circle of freaks,_ Drake said proudly, waving a hand like a showman.In a crusty old wheelbarrow to one side, three kids were using a short-handled shovel to mix cement. It made a heavy sloshing sound. They dumped a shovelful of gravel into the mix and stirred it like lumpy gravy.__h, no,_ Lana said, backing away, but one of the Coates kids smashed her behind the knee with his baseball bat, and she crumpled.__otta do something with unhelpful freaks,_ Drake said. __an__ have you people running around loose._ He must have seen Sam start to react because he stuck his gun against Astrid__ head. __our call, Sam. You so much as flinch and we__l get to see what a genius brain really looks like.___ey, I got no powers, man,_ Quinn said.__his is sick, Drake. Like you__e sick,_ Astrid said. __ can__ even reason with you because you__e just too damaged, too hopelessly messed up.___hut up.

Sam?___eah.___ was on the school bus that day. Remember?___aguely,_ he said, and laughed. __y fifteen minutes of fame.___ou were the bravest, coolest person I__ ever known. Everyone thought so. You were the hero of the whole school. And then, I don__ know. It was like you kind of just_faded.__e resented that a little. He hadn__ faded. Had he? __ell, most days the bus driver doesn__ have a heart attack,_ Sam said.Astrid laughed. __ou__e one of those people, I think. You go along in your life just sort of living. And then something goes wrong and there you are. You step up and do what you have to do. Like today, the fire.___eah, well, to tell you the truth, I kind of prefer the other part. The part where I just live my life.__strid nodded like she understood, but then she said, __hat__ not going to happen this time.

Have either of you seen Sam? Brianna can__ find him.__lbert sighed. __e__ out of town.__dilio felt the blood drain out of his face. __e__ what?__strid arrived, coldly furious. ____ not on the council anymore. You have no right____hut up, Astrid,_ Edilio said.Astrid, Albert, and Howard all stared. Edilio was as amazed as any of them. He considered apologizing__e had never spoken to Astrid that way. He__ never spoken to anyone that way.The truth was he was scared. Sam was out of town? With Drake running loose?__hat makes you think Sam is out of town?_ Edilio asked Albert.__ sent him,_ Albert said. __im and Dekka. Taylor and Jack, too. They__e looking for water.___hey__e what?___ooking for water.

Anna and Emma just poofed.___hat?___ was standing there. I was watching them. I was holding Anna__ hand when it happened.__strid rose and without really thinking about it wrapped her arms around Sam like she did when she was trying to comfort Little Pete.But unlike Little Pete, Sam responded to her touch by awkwardly hugging her back. For a moment his face was in her hair and she heard his ragged breathing close to her ear. And it seemed like they might do it again, the kissing thing, but then, both at once, they pushed away.__he was scared,_ Sam said. __nna, I mean. She saw Emma disappear. They were born just six minutes apart. So, first Emma. Then Anna, waiting for it. Knowing it was coming.

We__e not going to give in. We__e going to fight.___ot that right,_ a voice cried out.__irst thing we need to have clear: there__ no line between freak and normal here. If you have the power, we__l need you. If you don__, we__l need you.__eads were nodding. Looks were being exchanged.__oates kids, Perdido Beach kids, we__e together now. We__e together. Maybe you did things to survive. Maybe you weren__ always brave. Maybe you gave up hope.__ girl sobbed suddenly.__ell, that__ all over now,_ Sam said gently. __t all starts fresh. Right here, right now. We__e brothers and sisters now. Doesn__ matter we don__ know each other__ names, we are brothers and sisters and we__e going to survive, and we__e going to win, and we__e going to find our way to some kind of happiness again.__here was a long, deep silence.__o,_ Sam said, __y name is Sam. I__ in this with you. All the way._ He turned to Astrid.____ Astrid, I__ in this with you, too.___y name is Edilio. What they said. Brothers and sisters. Hermanos.___huan Vong,_ said a thin boy with yet-unhealed hands like dead fish. ____ in.___ekka,_ said a strong, solidly built girl with cornrows and a nose ring. ____ in. And I have game.___e too,_ called a skinny girl with reddish pigtails. __y name__ Brianna. I_well, I can go real fast.__ne by one they declared their determination. The voices started out soft and gained strength. Each voice louder, firmer, more determined than the one before.Only Quinn remained silent. He hung his head, and tears rolled down his cheeks.__uinn,_ Sam called to him.Quinn didn__ respond, just looked down at the ground.__uinn,_ Sam said again. __t starts fresh right now. Nothing before counts. Nothing. Brothers, man?__uinn struggled with the lump in his throat. But then, in a low voice, he said, __eah. Brothers.

What is the matter with people?_ Sam fumed. __ said we needed a hundred kids and we get thirteen? Fifteen, maybe?___hey__e just kids,_ Astrid said.__e__e all just kids. We__e all going to be very hungry kids.___hey__e used to being told what to do by their parents or teachers. You need to be more direct. As in, Hey, kid, get to work. Now._ She thought for a moment then added, __r else.___r else what?_ Sam asked.__r else_I don__ know. We__e not going to let anyone starve. If we can help it. I don__ know the __r else._ All I know is you can__ expect kids to just automatically behave the right way. I mean, when I was little my mom would give me a gold star when I was good and take away a privilege when I wasn__.___hat am I supposed to do? Tell three hundred kids spread out in seventy or eighty different homes that they can__ watch DVDs? Confiscate iPods?___t__ not easy playing daddy to three hundred kids,_ Astrid admitted.____ not anyone__ daddy,_ Sam practically snarled. Another sleepless night, in a long string of them, had left him in a foul mood. ____ supposed to be the mayor, not the father.___hese kids don__ know the difference,_ Astrid pointed out. __hey need parents. So they look to you. And Mother Mary. Me, even, to some extent.

Why are we sneaking out in the night?_ Jack repeated.__ already explained,_ Sam snapped. __f you don__ listen___aylor jumped in to say, __ecause otherwise Astrid would find some way to stop him._ She mimicked Astrid__ voice, injecting it with steel and a tense, condescending tone. __am. I am the smartest, hottest girl in the world. So do what I tell you. Good boy. Down, boy. Down!__am remained silent, walking steadily just a few feet ahead.Taylor continued, __h, Sam, if only you could be as smart plus as totally goody-goody as I am. If only you could realize that you will never be good enough to have me, me, wonderful me, Astrid the Blond Genius.___am, can I shoot her now?_ Dekka asked. __r is it too soon?___ait until we__e over the ridge,_ Sam said. __t__l muffle the sound.___orry, Dekka,_ Taylor said. __ know you don__ like talking about boy-girl things.___aylor,_ Sam warned.__es, Sam?___ou might want to think about how hard it would be to walk if someone were to turn off gravity under your feet every now and then.___ wonder who would do that?_ Dekka said.Suddenly Taylor fell flat on her face.__ou tripped me!_ Taylor said, more shocked than angry.__e?_ Dekka spread her hands in a completely unconvincing gesture of innocence. __ey, I__ all the way over here._____ just saying: you can see where that could make a long walk just a lot longer,_ Sam said.__ou guys are so not fun,_ Taylor grumped. She bounced instantaneously to just behind Sam. She grabbed his butt, he yelled, __ey!_ and she bounced away innocently.__o answer your question, Jack,_ Sam said, __e are sneaking out at night so that everyone doesn__ know we__e gone and why. They__l figure it out soon enough, but Edilio will have to have more of his guys on the streets if I__ not there playing the big, bad wolf. More stress for everyone.___h,_ Jack said.__he big, bad wolf,_ Taylor said. She laughed. __o, when you play that fantasy in your head is Astrid Little Red Riding Hood or one of the Three Little Pigs?___ekka,_ Sam said.__ah! Too slow!

I wanted to tell her not to entertain despair like this. Despaire wasn't a guest, you didn't play its favorite music, find it a comfortable chair. Despair was the enemy."-white oleander

What am I doing here?_ she demanded, bewildered.__ou__e having dinner,_ her little brother said.__top it! I__ not hungry. Stop it!__ohn held the spoon in front of her. His cherubic face was dark with anger. __ou said you wouldn__ leave me.___hat are you talking about?_ Mary demanded.__ou said you wouldn__ do it. You wouldn__ leave me alone,_ John said. __ut you tried, didn__ you?___ don__ know what you__e babbling about._ She noticed Astrid then, leaning against a filing cabinet. Astrid looked like she__ been dragged through the middle of a dog fight. Little Pete was sitting cross-legged, rocking back and forth. He was chanting, __ood-bye, Nestor. Good-bye, Nestor.___ary, you have an eating disorder,_ Astrid said. __he secret is out. So cut the crap.___at,_ John ordered, and shoved a spoonful of food in her mouth. None too gently.__wallow,_ John ordered.__et me____hut up, Mary.

...you have me,_ Astrid said.__o I?___es.__hat drained the anger and frustration from him like someone had pulled a plug. For a long moment he was lost, gazing into her eyes. She was very close. His heart shifted to a deeper rhythm that vibrated his whole body.There were just inches between them. He closed the distance by half, stopped.__ can__ kiss you with your little brother watching,_ he said.Astrid stepped back, took Little Pete by the shoulders, and turned him so he was facing away.__ow about now?

We__e here to execute a murderer,_ Zil said, pointing at Hunter. __e are bringing justice in the name of all normals.___here__ no justice without a trial,_ Astrid said.Zil grinned. He spread his hands. __e had a trial, Astrid. And this chud scum was found guilty of murdering a normal.__he penalty,_ he added, __s death.__strid turned to face the mob. __f you do this, you__l never forgive yourselves.___e__e hungry,_ a voice cried, and was immediately echoed by others.__ou__e going to murder a boy in a church?_ Astrid demanded, pointing toward the church. __ church? In God__ house?__il could see that those words had an effect. There were some nervous looks.__ou will never wash the stain of this off your hands,_ Astrid cried. __f you do this, you will never be able to forget it. What do you think your parents would say?___here are no parents in the FAYZ. No God, either,_ Zil said. __here__ just humans trying to stay alive, and freaks taking everything for themselves.