Colony East by Scott Cramer Page A

other teens were also waiting to pick up younger siblings or kids they had adopted.
    “Hey, Abby, you going to Toby’s?” It was Eddie, Jordan’s best friend. He swept away the long blonde hair covering his eyes. Streaks of grease covered his wiry, strong arms. Eddie could fix anything. He’d hold a broken part in his hand and let his fingers do the thinking. If there had been no epidemic, Abby was certain that he would have worked as a mechanic someday. The comet had simply accelerated his career path, as it had forced every kid to grow up overnight. Eddie was the island’s boat mechanic. Toby Jones was their lead negotiator, the only one who had a radio that received The Port, the teen radio station. Many island residents gathered evenings at Toby’s house to listen to The Port.
    Abby shook her head. “We’re going home. Jordan’s monitoring the two-way. I want to know if any gypsies are coming. See what they’ve heard about the Pig.”
    Gypsies sailed from trading zone to trading zone, bartering information in return for food, water, and batteries to power their shortwave radios. The last three crews to visit the island had spoken about a strange, new illness, which they called the Pig. Victims gorged for weeks and then suddenly developed a high fever. Several had died from the illness.
    “Jordan will tell you if he hears anything.” Eddie paused a moment. “Are you worried about him?”
    “No,” she blurted, maybe a little too quickly.
    Eddie raised his eyebrows. “He doesn’t need you holding his hand. He’s going to snap out of it.”
    Just then, Derek dismissed camp. “Good job, everyone.” The kids scattered.
    Glad for the interruption, Abby again told Eddie she was going straight home and then braced herself for the impact.
    Toucan was running straight at her. The wind pushed back her sister’s curly, red hair, showing a face beaming with excitement. Ounce for ounce, Touk was just as stubborn as Jordan, but she possessed twice the energy and three times the enthusiasm of Abby and Jordan combined. Toucan launched herself.
    Abby caught the bundle of flying arms and legs.
    “Abby, want to see my tent?”
    “I’ll see it tomorrow. We have to go home.” Abby found Touk’s hand and grimaced with concern as she felt her sister’s bony fingers. Because of food rationing, everyone on the island ate less during the winter months, but Toucan was a fussy eater to begin with.
    Heading home, they took a shortcut through an alley behind the hardware store and the bowling alley. Moonlight outlined the shape of garbage cans but refused to reveal potholes and other small tripping hazards. Flicking on her flashlight, Abby shook her head at the flecks of purple space dust sparkling where rains had sluiced sand and dirt into a mound. Even after two years, there was no escaping the horrible reminders of the comet. She picked out a route, memorizing the layout in her mind, and turned off the light to save batteries.
    “Touk, let’s go to the library tomorrow.”
    “I want a book about pirates.”
    Abby smiled bitterly. She used to enjoy reading books like Treasure Island aloud, but the stories of real pirates robbing victims on the mainland had soured her on the topic. “How about something new? Like, uhh, not pirates.”
    “Pirates,” Toucan insisted so enthusiastically that Abby could only sigh.
    “Sure, why not?”
    They exited the alley and started up Melrose, the street they lived on. Wheels rumbled as a pack of skateboarders zoomed down the island’s only hill. Nighttime made the run down ‘Mount Melrose’ more thrilling.
    “Touk, what did you eat at camp?” Abby heard the desperation in her own voice. “They gave you a box dinner, right?”
    “I wasn’t hungry,” Toucan replied.
    Abby faked a chuckle. “Fish isn’t that bad.” In truth, she had to pinch her nose to eat the bony, smoked mackerel.
    Toucan made a face. “Yuck.”
    “Want me to make you some french fries?” Abby