won’t even tell me how they feel about it. They just blame it on their jobs and expect me to believe we’re still a big, happy family, that we just happen to be separated by a thousand miles right now. It’s like they think I’m stupid.”
“No one thinks you’re stupid, Erin. No one.”
They were quiet for a moment.
“I’m gonna fix it, though,” Erin said. “I’m bringing us all back together. I’m going to do it. That’ll make it all better. I’m sure it will. It’ll work.” Hailey nodded, and Erin said it again, almost as if it was herself she was trying to convince.
57
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Evan Angler
“How will you fix it?” Hailey said. “If you don’t mind my
asking.”
Erin frowned and looked down at her knees. “Hey, I gotta get
going. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“Sure,” Hailey said. “Yeah.”
And Erin stood suddenly and walked away.
Hailey sat for another moment. “Hey, you forgot your—” But
Hailey stopped herself. On the bench was Erin’s tablet computer, left behind. When Hailey picked it up, she saw a message from
Erin’s father displayed in the corner of its screen.
DOMe BreakthrOugh:
Markless gang
ruineD sectOr
unDerpass
Hailey cleared her throat. “Your tablet,” she called. “Erin, you forgot your tablet!” And she quickly held it out.
Erin turned around, her face going very red. “Thank you!” she
said, and she walked back to the bench and took the tablet from Hailey’s hands. “Boy . . .” Erin glanced at its screen. “ That would have been a bad thing to leave behind.”
7
Hailey opened the door to her house and sneezed twice when she stepped inside.
Dusty in here , she thought. Worse than usual . . .
“You home?” Mrs. Phoenix called from upstairs.
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Sneak
“Yeah, it’s me,” Hailey said. “I’m going for a walk.”
There was a pause. Hailey winced at the awful rhythm of her
mother’s coughing. “Another one? You’ve been out all night.”
“I know.” Hailey frowned. She sat at the kitchen table and ran her hand across its surface. “I want you to come with me on this one.”
“Hailey, it’s too late. I’m already in bed.”
“Well, then you’ll have to get up,” Hailey called. She looked at her palm. It was white with chalk.
And a strip of clear tape lined the edge of her chair.
8
“Put it out .”
“ Make us .”
Joanne and Eddie had been arguing about the campfire from
the moment Tyler lit its first twigs.
“There are agents in these woods ,” Jo said.
“And, yeah, I’m sure the first thing they’d assume about a
totally reasonable amount of smoke coming from the private
farm of an honorably Marked citizen is that a band of skinflints is responsible for—”
But Jo had already dumped a mound of snow on the fire,
snuffing out the flames. “Great,” Eddie said. “I was hoping tonight would be the night I’d finally freeze to death.”
The two of them stopped arguing when Dane and Blake
entered the circle and sat on a nearby log.
“If you were hoping for ghost stories and marshmallows, you
can forget it,” Eddie said. He kicked at the soaking firewood.
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But Tyler looked at what Dane was holding and said, “Hey,
whaddaya got there?” immediately forgetting about the fire.
Dane held it up for the three of them to see. “A radio,” he said, almost as if it were a question instead of an answer. “Papa gave it to us. Told us to bring it by you guys and tune in. I guess he’s broadcasting right now.”
“How do you work this thing?” Tyler asked. He’d come over
and was leaning down, looking closely at the device Dane held in his hands. It was old plastic, pre-Unity for sure. There wasn’t any touch screen, nothing that lit up or glowed. Just a boxy black thing with a long, stiff antenna, two knobs, a strip with a bunch of numbers on it, and a grid of holes covering some
“No one thinks you’re stupid, Erin. No one.”
They were quiet for a moment.
“I’m gonna fix it, though,” Erin said. “I’m bringing us all back together. I’m going to do it. That’ll make it all better. I’m sure it will. It’ll work.” Hailey nodded, and Erin said it again, almost as if it was herself she was trying to convince.
57
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6/22/12 4:09 PM
Evan Angler
“How will you fix it?” Hailey said. “If you don’t mind my
asking.”
Erin frowned and looked down at her knees. “Hey, I gotta get
going. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“Sure,” Hailey said. “Yeah.”
And Erin stood suddenly and walked away.
Hailey sat for another moment. “Hey, you forgot your—” But
Hailey stopped herself. On the bench was Erin’s tablet computer, left behind. When Hailey picked it up, she saw a message from
Erin’s father displayed in the corner of its screen.
DOMe BreakthrOugh:
Markless gang
ruineD sectOr
unDerpass
Hailey cleared her throat. “Your tablet,” she called. “Erin, you forgot your tablet!” And she quickly held it out.
Erin turned around, her face going very red. “Thank you!” she
said, and she walked back to the bench and took the tablet from Hailey’s hands. “Boy . . .” Erin glanced at its screen. “ That would have been a bad thing to leave behind.”
7
Hailey opened the door to her house and sneezed twice when she stepped inside.
Dusty in here , she thought. Worse than usual . . .
“You home?” Mrs. Phoenix called from upstairs.
58
Sneak.indd 58
6/22/12 4:09 PM
Sneak
“Yeah, it’s me,” Hailey said. “I’m going for a walk.”
There was a pause. Hailey winced at the awful rhythm of her
mother’s coughing. “Another one? You’ve been out all night.”
“I know.” Hailey frowned. She sat at the kitchen table and ran her hand across its surface. “I want you to come with me on this one.”
“Hailey, it’s too late. I’m already in bed.”
“Well, then you’ll have to get up,” Hailey called. She looked at her palm. It was white with chalk.
And a strip of clear tape lined the edge of her chair.
8
“Put it out .”
“ Make us .”
Joanne and Eddie had been arguing about the campfire from
the moment Tyler lit its first twigs.
“There are agents in these woods ,” Jo said.
“And, yeah, I’m sure the first thing they’d assume about a
totally reasonable amount of smoke coming from the private
farm of an honorably Marked citizen is that a band of skinflints is responsible for—”
But Jo had already dumped a mound of snow on the fire,
snuffing out the flames. “Great,” Eddie said. “I was hoping tonight would be the night I’d finally freeze to death.”
The two of them stopped arguing when Dane and Blake
entered the circle and sat on a nearby log.
“If you were hoping for ghost stories and marshmallows, you
can forget it,” Eddie said. He kicked at the soaking firewood.
59
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6/22/12 4:09 PM
Evan Angler
But Tyler looked at what Dane was holding and said, “Hey,
whaddaya got there?” immediately forgetting about the fire.
Dane held it up for the three of them to see. “A radio,” he said, almost as if it were a question instead of an answer. “Papa gave it to us. Told us to bring it by you guys and tune in. I guess he’s broadcasting right now.”
“How do you work this thing?” Tyler asked. He’d come over
and was leaning down, looking closely at the device Dane held in his hands. It was old plastic, pre-Unity for sure. There wasn’t any touch screen, nothing that lit up or glowed. Just a boxy black thing with a long, stiff antenna, two knobs, a strip with a bunch of numbers on it, and a grid of holes covering some
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