away. I pass Mrs. Windsong still sitting on the staircase with both of her hands in fists. We don’t say a word to each other.
The early morning sky is a hopeless gray. I can only think about Star as I step around cars and stare at my boots. Deep sadness pulls down on my heart. Star is leaving me. The warmest person in the Dark Zone is going to join the filthy Easies, and the light of my life is about to turn off. I’m not going to be able to stay here without her. Just the thought of it now is an unbearable weight. I’m going to have to go with her.
My mind turns faster. No matter what the Easies have in store, my best shot of being with Star is to cross the Frontier. I might not see her on the other side, but I’ll sure as hell never see her here. Not with their wall between us. Over there, I could find her and keep her safe. God only knows what dangers await her outside the Dark Zone. And suddenly it’s clear: I need to make the journey, too. Like a calling from somewhere above or from somewhere deep inside, I know this is what I must do. No matter what happens, it’s our best shot.
Now that I’ve made my choice, I don’t have a moment to spare. I have to get to the Frontmen and consent before dawn, or my one chance to be with Star will disappear. I’m about to run when I notice something glow from the direction of my neighborhood. Not fire, there’s no smoke. Closer, I see the light is coming from inside my home. Yellow beams radiate through every hole, crack, and scrap of glass. My heart races as I break into a sprint. I know what this means. The ground passes quickly beneath my feet as I run toward the one thing that could save what’s left of my life. If I’m right, one Troublefield is going to the United States: me.
7
Electricity.
I sprint over the threshold and wheel myself around our doorway, glimpsing Skye and Leiter’s names blur past me. I run so fast I can barely breathe, but I’m smiling. Beaming like this goddamn light. I halt too abruptly in the living room and teeter forward on one foot, swinging my arms in circles to stay balanced.
My parents sit on the floor with their backs against the far wall. Next to them, in front of the fireplace, a familiar electric sphere glows on one hulking metal pole. Every inch of this house is exposed in the glare, and I notice a trail of large, wet boot prints leading from the front door to the pole and back. From the size of the prints, I’d guess the Frontmen were here. Dropped off the machine. Left.
I block the bright gleam with one hand and squint around it. My parents scramble to their feet and stand in front of the light. It shines over them like a halo. They step to the side so we can actually see each other. Standing by the window, Burn puts his arm around Aura and we are silent. Dark bags sag under their eyes, and I can tell they have been up all night. Guilt overtakes me to see them so strained, and now Aura starts to cry quietly. I sense how torn they are about this. How much they don’t want to let me go.
“Aura and I saw Star by a gate this afternoon,” Burn says heavily. “She was talking to a Frontman, alone. When we reached her, the Frontman was silent again, and Star explained how she had just consented for herself. Then she didn’t want to cry in front of us and had to leave. It was…hard to watch. That’s when Aura and I knew what had to be done. We turned to the Frontman and consented for you son. We…” He clears his throat, clearly pained. “We know how much she means to you.”
“The though t of the Frontier between you two…” Aura shakes her head. “We had to.”
My chest tightens. Burn and Aura have followed another one of the Troublefield traditions: giving family what they need before they have to ask. Aura raises her pale and shaking hand to her mouth as quiet tears flow down her cheeks. She is between sad and happy. She wants to hug me, so I hug her first. She feels much smaller without her coat
The early morning sky is a hopeless gray. I can only think about Star as I step around cars and stare at my boots. Deep sadness pulls down on my heart. Star is leaving me. The warmest person in the Dark Zone is going to join the filthy Easies, and the light of my life is about to turn off. I’m not going to be able to stay here without her. Just the thought of it now is an unbearable weight. I’m going to have to go with her.
My mind turns faster. No matter what the Easies have in store, my best shot of being with Star is to cross the Frontier. I might not see her on the other side, but I’ll sure as hell never see her here. Not with their wall between us. Over there, I could find her and keep her safe. God only knows what dangers await her outside the Dark Zone. And suddenly it’s clear: I need to make the journey, too. Like a calling from somewhere above or from somewhere deep inside, I know this is what I must do. No matter what happens, it’s our best shot.
Now that I’ve made my choice, I don’t have a moment to spare. I have to get to the Frontmen and consent before dawn, or my one chance to be with Star will disappear. I’m about to run when I notice something glow from the direction of my neighborhood. Not fire, there’s no smoke. Closer, I see the light is coming from inside my home. Yellow beams radiate through every hole, crack, and scrap of glass. My heart races as I break into a sprint. I know what this means. The ground passes quickly beneath my feet as I run toward the one thing that could save what’s left of my life. If I’m right, one Troublefield is going to the United States: me.
7
Electricity.
I sprint over the threshold and wheel myself around our doorway, glimpsing Skye and Leiter’s names blur past me. I run so fast I can barely breathe, but I’m smiling. Beaming like this goddamn light. I halt too abruptly in the living room and teeter forward on one foot, swinging my arms in circles to stay balanced.
My parents sit on the floor with their backs against the far wall. Next to them, in front of the fireplace, a familiar electric sphere glows on one hulking metal pole. Every inch of this house is exposed in the glare, and I notice a trail of large, wet boot prints leading from the front door to the pole and back. From the size of the prints, I’d guess the Frontmen were here. Dropped off the machine. Left.
I block the bright gleam with one hand and squint around it. My parents scramble to their feet and stand in front of the light. It shines over them like a halo. They step to the side so we can actually see each other. Standing by the window, Burn puts his arm around Aura and we are silent. Dark bags sag under their eyes, and I can tell they have been up all night. Guilt overtakes me to see them so strained, and now Aura starts to cry quietly. I sense how torn they are about this. How much they don’t want to let me go.
“Aura and I saw Star by a gate this afternoon,” Burn says heavily. “She was talking to a Frontman, alone. When we reached her, the Frontman was silent again, and Star explained how she had just consented for herself. Then she didn’t want to cry in front of us and had to leave. It was…hard to watch. That’s when Aura and I knew what had to be done. We turned to the Frontman and consented for you son. We…” He clears his throat, clearly pained. “We know how much she means to you.”
“The though t of the Frontier between you two…” Aura shakes her head. “We had to.”
My chest tightens. Burn and Aura have followed another one of the Troublefield traditions: giving family what they need before they have to ask. Aura raises her pale and shaking hand to her mouth as quiet tears flow down her cheeks. She is between sad and happy. She wants to hug me, so I hug her first. She feels much smaller without her coat
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