planet!"
Father hesitates, exchanging a nervous glance with the stern young man who had come in with him. The young man nods. "Actually," Father replies, "it can and it did. You two are the last hope for humanity."
Traylor and I exchange skeptical looks at that moment, and I see that my little brother is nearing the brink.
Then he goes over.
"It's all my fault!" he bawls, wrapping his arms around Father again. "I touched the Box! I'm the one who set it off!"
Father hunkers down, grabbing Traylor by the shoulders. "No, Traylor. No. You were just curious. You and Juno both. If your sister hadn't found that Box, someone else would have." Father pauses, sighing deeply. "It was a modified weapon of the Forerunners, sent here by the mutants of Everwinter."
I blink at my Father, disbelieving what I've just heard. "What are you saying? That Everwinter attacked us?"
"That is exactly what I am saying," Father confirms in his usual, no-nonsense tone.
I can feel the color draining from my face. "But... Why? I thought we had an understanding with Everwinter. Why would they attack us?"
"It do esn't matter right now, Juno" my Father replies, his eyes suggesting he knows more than he's willing to tell. "What matters is that you two are in grave danger. You have to leave Krakelyn."
"And go where?" I immediately interject. "If the whole world is now mutated..."
"Ryonyx," Father calls to the servant, "bring it in for me, will you?" Ryonyx bows and leaves the room, returning less than a minute later with a large, rolled up parchment. Father unceremoniously clears the center island of the kitchen by sweeping all of the clutter to the floor, taking the parchment and laying it out. I recognize the document immediately as the map of Eversummer from the wall in his study, depicting a narrow strip of land circling the globe at the equator. He quickly finds Krakelyn on the grid and points to it. Traylor and I track his finger as he moves it to the great port cities of the southern coast. He stops at Venecici, the eastern most of the southern cities.
"You must travel here," he says. "It should only take a week or two if you use the new canyon route. There you will find a woman named Ursa. She is a scientist. Before all this happened, she was working on a cure for mutations."
My jaw drops, stunned. I look around the room and see I'm not the only one. Traylor and the re st of the servants are just as shocked. Clearly, the time for secrecy has passed.
"But why us?" I finally manage to ask. "Once word gets out that Traylor and I are still, um, normal , we'll be more famous than we already are!"
"That's why it's important that no one finds out. Disguise yourselves so that... What? What is it?"
I stare at my Father sheepishly. "Um, someone may already know. About me anyway."
Father frowns. "What happened?"
"Um, I might have been kidnapped by a man cleaning up dead bodies in the city. He knows who I am, and he knows I'm not a mutant. He wanted to sell me..." Bitter bile rises at the back of my throat.
"That complicates things," Father states simply. He turns to the young man who came in with him and says something so low I cannot hear it. He turns back to us. "You leave immediately," he says.
"What!?" I protest. "No! Father, I have to find Jude and–"
"Out of the question, Juno. This is no time for romantics. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to tell you this but..." I shudder, shoring myself for the blow that Father was about to deliver. "I searched for Jude after you left Krakelyn, thinking you might have made contact with him. I found nothing."
" No ..." I say, nearly a whisper. Sobs begin to wrack my chest. "He went into hiding, Father, shortly after we found the Box. It marred his face and we were afraid the Deacons would–"
"That may be true, Juno, but what reason would he have to stay in hiding once everyone else became a mutant? It should not have been difficult to locate him."
I sag, realizing the truth, and nod dejectedly.
Father hesitates, exchanging a nervous glance with the stern young man who had come in with him. The young man nods. "Actually," Father replies, "it can and it did. You two are the last hope for humanity."
Traylor and I exchange skeptical looks at that moment, and I see that my little brother is nearing the brink.
Then he goes over.
"It's all my fault!" he bawls, wrapping his arms around Father again. "I touched the Box! I'm the one who set it off!"
Father hunkers down, grabbing Traylor by the shoulders. "No, Traylor. No. You were just curious. You and Juno both. If your sister hadn't found that Box, someone else would have." Father pauses, sighing deeply. "It was a modified weapon of the Forerunners, sent here by the mutants of Everwinter."
I blink at my Father, disbelieving what I've just heard. "What are you saying? That Everwinter attacked us?"
"That is exactly what I am saying," Father confirms in his usual, no-nonsense tone.
I can feel the color draining from my face. "But... Why? I thought we had an understanding with Everwinter. Why would they attack us?"
"It do esn't matter right now, Juno" my Father replies, his eyes suggesting he knows more than he's willing to tell. "What matters is that you two are in grave danger. You have to leave Krakelyn."
"And go where?" I immediately interject. "If the whole world is now mutated..."
"Ryonyx," Father calls to the servant, "bring it in for me, will you?" Ryonyx bows and leaves the room, returning less than a minute later with a large, rolled up parchment. Father unceremoniously clears the center island of the kitchen by sweeping all of the clutter to the floor, taking the parchment and laying it out. I recognize the document immediately as the map of Eversummer from the wall in his study, depicting a narrow strip of land circling the globe at the equator. He quickly finds Krakelyn on the grid and points to it. Traylor and I track his finger as he moves it to the great port cities of the southern coast. He stops at Venecici, the eastern most of the southern cities.
"You must travel here," he says. "It should only take a week or two if you use the new canyon route. There you will find a woman named Ursa. She is a scientist. Before all this happened, she was working on a cure for mutations."
My jaw drops, stunned. I look around the room and see I'm not the only one. Traylor and the re st of the servants are just as shocked. Clearly, the time for secrecy has passed.
"But why us?" I finally manage to ask. "Once word gets out that Traylor and I are still, um, normal , we'll be more famous than we already are!"
"That's why it's important that no one finds out. Disguise yourselves so that... What? What is it?"
I stare at my Father sheepishly. "Um, someone may already know. About me anyway."
Father frowns. "What happened?"
"Um, I might have been kidnapped by a man cleaning up dead bodies in the city. He knows who I am, and he knows I'm not a mutant. He wanted to sell me..." Bitter bile rises at the back of my throat.
"That complicates things," Father states simply. He turns to the young man who came in with him and says something so low I cannot hear it. He turns back to us. "You leave immediately," he says.
"What!?" I protest. "No! Father, I have to find Jude and–"
"Out of the question, Juno. This is no time for romantics. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to tell you this but..." I shudder, shoring myself for the blow that Father was about to deliver. "I searched for Jude after you left Krakelyn, thinking you might have made contact with him. I found nothing."
" No ..." I say, nearly a whisper. Sobs begin to wrack my chest. "He went into hiding, Father, shortly after we found the Box. It marred his face and we were afraid the Deacons would–"
"That may be true, Juno, but what reason would he have to stay in hiding once everyone else became a mutant? It should not have been difficult to locate him."
I sag, realizing the truth, and nod dejectedly.
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