Crystal Keepers by Brandon Mull Page B

it.”
    â€œMe neither,” Jace said wholeheartedly. “Should we go?”
    â€œI wish I had an ID card with credits on it,” Cole said. “I’d love to go for a ride.”
    â€œYou heard Joe, right?” Jace checked. “We need to ditch our IDs.”
    â€œI heard him,” Cole said. “I was just wishing.”
    â€œMight be smart to get moving,” Jace suggested. “Who knows if those patrolmen are searching for us? We should get away from the station.”
    The reminder helped snap Cole out of his fascinated trance. Just because they had made it a couple of stations away from where Joe got arrested didn’t mean they were safe. There would be time to pay more attention to the amazing technology of Zeropolis later.
    Tearing his gaze away from the interweaving parade of hover cars, Cole noticed the park on the far side of the road. Tall trees presided over neat hedgerows, wide walkways, lush lawns, and splashing fountains. Beyond the borders of the park, Cole could see a variety of buildings.
    The street was much too busy to cross without making a scene. Cole wondered if the vehicles were programmed to avoid a person on the road, or if they’d just mow him down. He didn’t want to be the guinea pig for that experiment.
    Picking a random direction, Cole followed the sidewalk, Jace at his side. Before too long they came to a flight of stairs that gave access to a pedestrian tunnel under the road. “Should we cross?” Cole asked.
    â€œSure.”
    They started down the steps. “Look,” Cole said, pointingat a sign. “Zenith Park. Joe said Axis is across the street from there.”
    â€œThen it could be on this side of the street,” Jace said.
    â€œWhat street did he say Axis is on?”
    â€œLeaf?”
    â€œIs this Leaf Street?”
    â€œDo I seem like a local?” Jace complained.
    Cole waved at a young guy coming up the stairs. “Excuse me. What street is this?”
    â€œGrant,” the guy said.
    â€œWhich way is Leaf?” Cole asked politely.
    â€œFar side of the park,” the guy said, not slowing.
    Cole picked up his pace. “Thanks.”
    He and Jace passed through the pedestrian tunnel, then climbed the stairs at the far side. They emerged into the park. The sun was getting low but wouldn’t set for a couple more hours. Cole could smell the nearby lawn. Birds twittered in the trees. It was too pretty of a day to be on the run from patrolmen. Frisbee golf seemed more appropriate.
    â€œThis feels too much like home,” Cole said.
    â€œYou live in a park?” Jace asked.
    â€œI mean everything. This city.”
    â€œYour home is like this place?”
    Cole studied the buildings beyond the perimeter of the park. Some were skyscrapers. Some were apartments. Some looked like banks or museums. There was a nice variety. It all felt modern.
    â€œWhere I’m from is way more like this than Sambria or Elloweer,” Cole said. “We have public parks and big cities.We have trains and even some monorails. We have tall buildings. We have cars, but people drive them.”
    â€œYou drove one of those?” Jace asked, pointing back at the road.
    â€œI wasn’t old enough,” Cole said. “My dad drove. He let me steer a couple of times, but not on busy streets.”
    They strolled toward a plaza with a multitiered fountain at the center. After spouting up in the middle, the water flowed from level to level in a series of broad cascades.
    â€œMust be nice to feel at home,” Jace said.
    â€œI don’t know,” Cole replied. “I’ve never been alone in a big city like this. That much is unfamiliar. Some of the technology is pretty different from what I know. And back home I was never a wanted fugitive.”
    Jace took a deep, cleansing breath. “Cities are the place to be. You can find so much without going very far. Places to eat. Things to do.