hallucinating.
“Have a seat,” Emily said, indicating the couch. Caine sat gratefully. He was exhausted.
“That’s a pretty good trick,” Caine said.
“It’s useful,” Emily said. “Makes it hard for people to find us if we don’t want to be found.”
“You have any electricity?” the brother asked Caine.
“What?” Caine peered at him. “In my pocket? How would I have electricity?”
The boy pointed mournfully at the TV. A Wii and an Xbox were attached. All indicator lights off, of course. Game cartridges were stacked high.
“That’s a lot of games.”
“The other ones bring them to us,” Emily said. “Brother likes the games.”
“But we can’t play them,” the boy said.
Caine looked at him closely. He did not strike Caine as any sort of genius. Emily, on the other hand, seemed shrewd and focused. She was the one in charge.
“What’s your name?” Caine asked the boy.
“Brother. His name is Brother,” Emily supplied.
“Brother,” Caine said. “Okay. Well, Brother, those games aren’t much fun if you don’t have electricity. Are they?”
“Those others told me they’d get some of that.”
“Yeah? Well, only one person can bring electricity back,” Caine said.
“You?”
“Nope. A kid named Computer Jack.”
“We met him,” Brother interjected. “He fixed my Wii, long time back. Games still worked back then.”
“Jack works for me,” Caine said. He sat back and let thatsink in. It was a lie, of course. But he doubted Emily would know that. She wouldn’t know that Jack was in Perdido Beach. And that according to Bug he was sitting in a squalid room reading comic books and refusing to do anything.
“You can get the lights on?” Emily asked with a glance at her anxious brother.
“I can,” Caine lied smoothly. “It would take about a week.”
Emily laughed. “Kid, you look like you can’t even feed yourself. Look at you. You look like a scarecrow. Dirty, hair falling out. And lying like a rug. What can you do?”
“This,” Caine said. He raised one hand and the shotgun flew out of Emily’s hand. It hit the wall so hard, the barrel stuck in the plaster like a crossbow bolt. The wood stock quivered.
Brother leaped up, but it was like he hit a brick wall. Caine threw him casually through the window. Glass shattered. There was a loud crash as the boy landed on the screened porch.
Emily was up in a heartbeat and suddenly the house disappeared around Caine. He found himself with Bug, standing in the yard.
“That’s definitely a neat trick,” Caine yelled. “Here’s an even better one.”
With hands outstretched he yanked Brother straight through the porch screen. The mesh wrapped around the boy’s body like a shroud. And he began to rise into the air, struggling feebly, calling out to his sister to save him.
Emily was instantly a foot from Caine, face-to-face.
“Try something,” Caine snarled. “It’ll be a long drop for your idiot brother.”
Emily looked up, and Caine saw the fight go out of her. Brother was still rising, higher and higher. The fall would maybe kill him. It would at the very least cripple him.
“See, I haven’t been spending my days and nights here on the farm,” Caine said. “I’ve been in a few fights. Experience. It’s kind of useful.”
“What is it you want?” Emily asked.
“When the others get here, you let them walk on in. I have to have a little conversation with them. Your shotgun has had it. And your little tricks won’t save you or him.”
“I guess you really want to talk to those boys.”
“Yeah. I guess I do.”
Lana heard the knock at the door and sighed. She’d been reading a book. Meg Cabot. A book from a million lifetimes ago. A girl who became a real-life princess.
Lana read a lot now. There were still plenty of books in the FAYZ. Almost no music, no TV or movies. Plenty of books. She read everything from fun chick lit to heavy, boring books.
The point was to keep reading. In Lana’s
“Have a seat,” Emily said, indicating the couch. Caine sat gratefully. He was exhausted.
“That’s a pretty good trick,” Caine said.
“It’s useful,” Emily said. “Makes it hard for people to find us if we don’t want to be found.”
“You have any electricity?” the brother asked Caine.
“What?” Caine peered at him. “In my pocket? How would I have electricity?”
The boy pointed mournfully at the TV. A Wii and an Xbox were attached. All indicator lights off, of course. Game cartridges were stacked high.
“That’s a lot of games.”
“The other ones bring them to us,” Emily said. “Brother likes the games.”
“But we can’t play them,” the boy said.
Caine looked at him closely. He did not strike Caine as any sort of genius. Emily, on the other hand, seemed shrewd and focused. She was the one in charge.
“What’s your name?” Caine asked the boy.
“Brother. His name is Brother,” Emily supplied.
“Brother,” Caine said. “Okay. Well, Brother, those games aren’t much fun if you don’t have electricity. Are they?”
“Those others told me they’d get some of that.”
“Yeah? Well, only one person can bring electricity back,” Caine said.
“You?”
“Nope. A kid named Computer Jack.”
“We met him,” Brother interjected. “He fixed my Wii, long time back. Games still worked back then.”
“Jack works for me,” Caine said. He sat back and let thatsink in. It was a lie, of course. But he doubted Emily would know that. She wouldn’t know that Jack was in Perdido Beach. And that according to Bug he was sitting in a squalid room reading comic books and refusing to do anything.
“You can get the lights on?” Emily asked with a glance at her anxious brother.
“I can,” Caine lied smoothly. “It would take about a week.”
Emily laughed. “Kid, you look like you can’t even feed yourself. Look at you. You look like a scarecrow. Dirty, hair falling out. And lying like a rug. What can you do?”
“This,” Caine said. He raised one hand and the shotgun flew out of Emily’s hand. It hit the wall so hard, the barrel stuck in the plaster like a crossbow bolt. The wood stock quivered.
Brother leaped up, but it was like he hit a brick wall. Caine threw him casually through the window. Glass shattered. There was a loud crash as the boy landed on the screened porch.
Emily was up in a heartbeat and suddenly the house disappeared around Caine. He found himself with Bug, standing in the yard.
“That’s definitely a neat trick,” Caine yelled. “Here’s an even better one.”
With hands outstretched he yanked Brother straight through the porch screen. The mesh wrapped around the boy’s body like a shroud. And he began to rise into the air, struggling feebly, calling out to his sister to save him.
Emily was instantly a foot from Caine, face-to-face.
“Try something,” Caine snarled. “It’ll be a long drop for your idiot brother.”
Emily looked up, and Caine saw the fight go out of her. Brother was still rising, higher and higher. The fall would maybe kill him. It would at the very least cripple him.
“See, I haven’t been spending my days and nights here on the farm,” Caine said. “I’ve been in a few fights. Experience. It’s kind of useful.”
“What is it you want?” Emily asked.
“When the others get here, you let them walk on in. I have to have a little conversation with them. Your shotgun has had it. And your little tricks won’t save you or him.”
“I guess you really want to talk to those boys.”
“Yeah. I guess I do.”
Lana heard the knock at the door and sighed. She’d been reading a book. Meg Cabot. A book from a million lifetimes ago. A girl who became a real-life princess.
Lana read a lot now. There were still plenty of books in the FAYZ. Almost no music, no TV or movies. Plenty of books. She read everything from fun chick lit to heavy, boring books.
The point was to keep reading. In Lana’s
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