all, but just knowing that Sara and I were both orphans made me feel suddenly close to her, like we belonged to some secret club that only orphans could be in. She must have felt the same because she reached out and took my hand in hers and we continued walking around the block like that until we got cold and headed back to the house.
— Are you going to stay at Uncle Roger’s?
— I was hoping to, but it looks kind of crowded now. Maybe I should just find somewhere else.
— Do you have anywhere else to go?
— I don’t know. I’ll find something.
I shrugged and looked away.
— No, please stay, for a while at least. They’re already talking about sending us back to school and I’m not going. So I may not be here for very long either. How about you? Do you want to go back? To school, I mean?
I’d never even thought about going back to school. After all I’d been through, after all everyone had been through, it just seemed absurd to do something as normal as going back to school. If I did, I knew I’d be forced into a foster home or maybe even an orphanage, and the thought of either one of those terrified me for some reason.
— No way. I’m not going either!
— Let’s just run away together. There has to be tons of abandoned buildings or empty houses we could live in. We’ve survived without power for five months; we could survive alone until we’re 17. After that, we could legally be on our own.
— How do you know that?
— Uncle Roger told me I have to stay with him until I could be legally emancipated at 17. But I’m not staying if he’s going to force me to go to school! I just couldn’t stand the drama and the pity.
I understood exactly what she was saying. I also didn’t want to face seeing how many of my friends hadn’t made it through the winter. It was much better to just believe that they were carrying on their lives like nothing had happened. But I knew my life was forever changed. And Sara’s too. She made so much sense that I agreed immediately and we began to think of ways to make our escape.
Chapter 9
Sara
Sara and I grew close over the nex t few days. It was amazing how everyone around us was looking forward to life getting back to normal, while Sara and I knew it never would for us. Everything just seemed so superficial and unimportant now, like TV, school, and phones. The only thing we wanted to do was talk to each other, hold hands and, starting that first night I met her, when she gave me a quick peck on the lips, kissing each other. Our kisses were sad, though, like we were doing it just to share our sorrow with each other.
Landline phones were partially functional, although service to every household and most long distance service had not yet been restored. Cell phones were still out and would probably not be usable for quite some time since most of the satellites, which relay the calls, had been lost. We found that out from the news on TV, which was the only programming, besides reruns, that was available. The newscasters were calling the day of the CME “Power Failure Day”, or PF Day. I didn’t care to watch TV, though, I didn’t feel like playing video games, and I didn’t have anyone that I cared to call. I was afraid to try to call my grandparents in New York in case they had died, too. Better to just go on believing that they were fine.
The one electronic thing that Sara and I did enjoy together was listening to her iPod, which is the first thing she plugged in to charge when the power was back on. She had a great mix of songs in lots of different styles, from classical to country to rock and even a little rap. I was familiar with some of the songs, but there were many that I’d never heard before. Sara’s favorite song, which we listened to together, one earphone in her ear and the other in mine, was If I Die Young by The Band Perry. She loved that song and would sing along with the iPod or even by herself when she wasn’t listening
— Are you going to stay at Uncle Roger’s?
— I was hoping to, but it looks kind of crowded now. Maybe I should just find somewhere else.
— Do you have anywhere else to go?
— I don’t know. I’ll find something.
I shrugged and looked away.
— No, please stay, for a while at least. They’re already talking about sending us back to school and I’m not going. So I may not be here for very long either. How about you? Do you want to go back? To school, I mean?
I’d never even thought about going back to school. After all I’d been through, after all everyone had been through, it just seemed absurd to do something as normal as going back to school. If I did, I knew I’d be forced into a foster home or maybe even an orphanage, and the thought of either one of those terrified me for some reason.
— No way. I’m not going either!
— Let’s just run away together. There has to be tons of abandoned buildings or empty houses we could live in. We’ve survived without power for five months; we could survive alone until we’re 17. After that, we could legally be on our own.
— How do you know that?
— Uncle Roger told me I have to stay with him until I could be legally emancipated at 17. But I’m not staying if he’s going to force me to go to school! I just couldn’t stand the drama and the pity.
I understood exactly what she was saying. I also didn’t want to face seeing how many of my friends hadn’t made it through the winter. It was much better to just believe that they were carrying on their lives like nothing had happened. But I knew my life was forever changed. And Sara’s too. She made so much sense that I agreed immediately and we began to think of ways to make our escape.
Chapter 9
Sara
Sara and I grew close over the nex t few days. It was amazing how everyone around us was looking forward to life getting back to normal, while Sara and I knew it never would for us. Everything just seemed so superficial and unimportant now, like TV, school, and phones. The only thing we wanted to do was talk to each other, hold hands and, starting that first night I met her, when she gave me a quick peck on the lips, kissing each other. Our kisses were sad, though, like we were doing it just to share our sorrow with each other.
Landline phones were partially functional, although service to every household and most long distance service had not yet been restored. Cell phones were still out and would probably not be usable for quite some time since most of the satellites, which relay the calls, had been lost. We found that out from the news on TV, which was the only programming, besides reruns, that was available. The newscasters were calling the day of the CME “Power Failure Day”, or PF Day. I didn’t care to watch TV, though, I didn’t feel like playing video games, and I didn’t have anyone that I cared to call. I was afraid to try to call my grandparents in New York in case they had died, too. Better to just go on believing that they were fine.
The one electronic thing that Sara and I did enjoy together was listening to her iPod, which is the first thing she plugged in to charge when the power was back on. She had a great mix of songs in lots of different styles, from classical to country to rock and even a little rap. I was familiar with some of the songs, but there were many that I’d never heard before. Sara’s favorite song, which we listened to together, one earphone in her ear and the other in mine, was If I Die Young by The Band Perry. She loved that song and would sing along with the iPod or even by herself when she wasn’t listening
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