“I’m telling you, he wouldn’t’ve made it if we’d carried him.”
“And I’m telling you, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Now he’s gonna die for sure.”
Book opens his mouth to speak, then thinks better of it.
“So now what, Limp?”
“Same as before,” Book says. “Return to Camp Liberty and free those Less Thans.”
“You really think we can get past Hunters and Brown Shirts with slingshots and arrows? After what just happened?”
“We don’t have a choice.”
Dozer spits and shakes his head from side to side.
It occurs to Hope they should be relieved. They survived an ambush from the Brown Shirts. But a single glance makes it clear they’re stuck in the middle of a barren wilderness—far to the south from where they want to be. And they don’t have Cat.
“Let’s get a fire going and dry off,” Hope says. “We can talk about this later.”
Dozer’s gaze flicks between Hope and Book, as though he can’t decide if they’re crazy or just plain idiots. Then he turns and calls out to the others, “Let’s get a fire going and dry off!” Like it was his idea all along. He begins digging a pit in the sand.
“Not on shore,” Hope points out. “Somewhere hidden behind a hill, so the Brown Shirts can’t spot us.”
Dozer stares her up and down. “Whatever you say, Last Hope.”
As he walks away, he mutters to Red, “First this crazy Camp Liberty plan, then abandoning Cat, then jumpin’ in that river. I’m tellin’ ya, these two are dangerous.”
The more Hope surveys her surroundings, the more she realizes how dire their situation is. There’s not a single tree in sight. It’s bald savannah for as far as they can see. Thin grass bending under a blazing sun. No trees. No shade. Just undulating grasslands beneath sky, sky, and more sky.
As Flush puts it, “This place is as bare as my butt.”
Because of the endless acres of dry grass, tinder is no problem, and they’re able to get a flame going fairly easily, propped up with driftwood. Hope is surprised to see a separate fire fifty yards away: Dozer and three others. Perhaps it makes sense. Twelve is too many to crowd around a single flame.
That’s their new number now: twelve. In addition to losing Cat, two Sisters died as well. Rosa was shot down by Brown Shirts, and Taran drowned. So even though six Less Thans and six Sisters have made it, there is a somber atmosphere throughout camp. Survivor’s guilt. Hope knows it well.
They huddle around the meager fire, drying out wet and ragged clothes. No one speaks, their eyes lost in the waving flames. Hope feels responsible for the two Sisters’ deaths. She didn’t protect them.
It’s not the first time she’s felt this way.
She moves away from the fire, offering as an excuse that she’s going to find more wood. The river beckons her, and she walks its barren shore deep in thought. It bends and winds like a slithering snake, sand squishing between her toes.
She is grateful for the solitude, and surprised when she spies someone else looking for wood.
Book.
At first they work in silence. Just the river lapping against the bank, the breeze tugging at Hope’s hair. She tucks what little there is behind an ear. When she looks up, Book is studying her.
“What?” she asks.
“Sorry about your friends,” he says. “I know you lost two back there and—”
“I’m fine.” Hope regrets that her tone is so brusque, but she can’t help herself. The fact is: she isn’t fine—not by a long shot. She misses Faith. And her dad. And mom. And now Book abandoned Cat and she’s leading her Sisters to some camp way on the other side of the Western Federation Territory. No, she’s not remotely fine.
If he’s offended, he doesn’t show it. “That was a good call,” he says, “jumping in the river.”
“You think so? We lost two girls back there.”
“We would’ve all been lost if we hadn’t done it. If you hadn’t jumped in first.”
Something softens her. Maybe it’s his kindness. Maybe it’s the quiet of the dusk. The river gurgles and coos, and a fish breaks the surface and plops back down into the murky depths. An indigo haze settles on the riverbanks. The sense of peace is like an actual warmth spreading through her chest.
She sits back on her haunches and for a brief instant, their eyes catch … and then they return to scrounging for wood. Their palms and knees are damp from sand.
“Can I ask you something?” she says.
“Sure.”
“Why’d you do it?”
“What?”
“Leave Cat behind.” It’s something she can’t stop thinking about.
Book looks up. The expression on his face is stiff, and his jaw has tightened.
“Because it was the only thing to do,” he says.
Hope hears the tension in his voice, but she can’t help asking more. “What makes you think they won’t kill him? Or let him die?”
“The Brown Shirts won’t let that happen.”
“Why not? You really think they’re gonna stop everything and take care of a wounded Less Than?” She doesn’t mean it to come out as sarcastic as it does.
“Yes, that’s exactly what they’re going to do,” Book says through gritted teeth. “Before Cat was a Less Than, he was a Young Officer. He was in training to be one of the Republic’s leaders. He knows things. He knows things about us. He’s more valuable to them alive than dead. So yes, the Brown Shirts’ll do their best to revive him. I don’t doubt that for a second.”
It does make a certain kind of sense, but Hope’s not sure if she agrees. Before she can even respond, Book grabs an armful of wood and marches off. Hope watches him go, cursing herself for pushing him away.
Why did I have to do that? Why didn’t I just keep my big mouth shut?
She leans forward and buries her face in her hands.
I HAD NO APPETITE. Even though the Sisters carved lances from driftwood and caught a dozen brown trout feeding in the shallows, I couldn’t eat. How could I put food in my stomach as long as Cat was gone? And just when I thought I was okay with my decision to leave him behind, Hope had to bring it back up.
Thanks a lot.
I sat by the fire’s edge, my eyes trained on the swirling smoke. Maybe it was silly of me to be so paranoid, but I couldn’t help it. It was impossible not to notice how the others regarded me. My decision to “abandon” Cat brought scorn from my fellow Less Thans, raised eyebrows from the Sisters, suspicion from everyone. I could just imagine what they were thinking: Book was jealous of Cat, so he decided to leave him behind.
And it was true: I was jealous of Cat. I saw how he and Hope looked at each other. I’d even caught them red-handed, sneaking off in the woods together.
Which hurt even more because Cat was my friend. We’d confided in each other. Told each other things we hadn’t shared with anyone. My suicide attempt. The fact that Major Karsten—the most ruthless