Read Online In a Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis - Free Book Online

not in you, and Lynn’s leaving her whole life behind just to be at your side. My mom, she heard it might be me and she wouldn’t even look in my face anymore for fear of catching it herself. With Maddy gone and me on my own, I just can’t . . .”
    Lucy tightened her grip on him. “You can’t what?”
    “I can’t see anything for me.”
    She tossed his hand away. “So what then, you give up? You’re done? You going to find a nice place to curl up in a ball like a sick possum and just die? Even with me offering you a way out? Follow me, Carter. I’ll leave food out. Lynn’s leading us straight to water every day. You can make it.”
    “I can’t keep up, Lucy,” he said, looking away from her. “I can’t keep your pace, and you can’t give me half your food without hurting yourself. I won’t let you do that.”
    “I don’t usually eat much,” she said stubbornly.
    “You’re not usually walking across the country either,” Carter said.
    “I’m leaving it out anyway,” she said, sticking to her plan. “So you can either follow and make it matter, or the critters can have it and I’m weaker for no good reason.”
    “Lucy, don’t do this—”
    “It’s done. Now you get out of here before Lynn comes back and shoots you.”
    He placed one hand on either side of her face with a sad smile, and her thoughts raced for a string of words that would make the feelings in her heart and the harsh nature of their world work hand in hand.
    But there was nothing.
    Deceiving Lynn wasn’t an entirely new experience for Lucy. She’d snuck out of their house more than a few times, told small fibs about broken windows, even bailed out of chores once or twice on a whim. But failing to tell her Carter was trailing them outdid all her white lies, and the guilt didn’t sit well. But she could bear the burden, knowing the alternative was to leave Carter to die.
    Lucy ignored her conscience pangs as Lynn wrapped her foot in some bandages she’d found, padding the heel well before sliding the new boots over Lucy’s feet.
    “How they feel?” Lynn asked.
    “Pretty good, might be a little loose.”
    “Loose can give you a blister just as bad as tight can,” Lynn said, her forehead creasing.
    “Yeah, but I need the room for the bandage,” Lucy said quickly, not wanting Lynn to leave the camp again. “And who knows how long it will take us to get to California . . . I might grow into them.”
    “Hopefully not that long,” Lynn said, as she lay down on her blanket, eyes sliding to the horizon and the dark clouds piling up above the sunset. “Might rain.”
    “Feels weird not running for buckets.”
    “We should set out our bottles. They’ll catch something at least.”
    They piled their backpacks and blankets underneath the spreading canopy of the pine as the clouds neared, flickering lightning licking the edges of the storm front.
    “Think it’ll be bad?” Lucy asked.
    Lynn watched the clouds for a moment. “Not very,” she decided. “It’ll be one of those that gives us a soaking and then moves on. I should’ve noticed it sooner. We could’ve been in one of them houses below.”
    Lucy slid under the lowest branches of the pine, the needles tickling her back as she lay on her stomach. “There’s good cover here. We’ll be fine.”
    Lynn scooted over to lie next to Lucy, her face propped in her hands. “Something’s not right,” she said, her eyes darting over the horizon. “I don’t know if it’s bothering me I didn’t see that storm coming sooner, or . . .”
    “Or what?”
    “Or if it’s like I feel somebody is watching.”
    “Nobody is watching us,” Lucy said quickly. “There’s nobody out here but you and me.”
    “Maybe. But keep your gun close,” Lynn said, her nerves still clearly on edge. “I guess I’ll lay here in the dirt and watch the first rainfall I’ve never been running around willy-nilly to collect.”
    The next day dawned clear. As Lucy dragged herself out