face, surrounded by wild masses of black hair, looked scared. “I … I still don’t know.”
“You have to decide,” Lillie said relentlessly. Then, because she knew how scared Theresa was, she added in a softer tone, “You don’t have to come, you know. It’s all right to stay. The pribir might need people here, too.”
Theresa gave a strangled little laugh. “I’m afraid to stay here, too.”
“Well, you have to do one or the other.”
“I’ll … I’ll come.”
She grabbed Lillie’s hand. Theresa’s was icy. Lillie squeezed her friend’s fingers reassuringly. “Get dressed. Something warm.”
“Wait for me! Don’t go ahead!”
Lillie waited while Theresa pulled on jeans, running shoes, and a Land’s End sweater. She threw more clothes, all her make-up, and a plush stuffed turtle into her pillowcase. “Okay, I’m ready.”
The two girls slipped down the hallway. In the lounge downstairs most of the others waited. The ones who were going carried suitcases or pillowcases of belongings. The ones who were staying still wore nightclothes.
In the lobby a Marine lay stretched out on the floor, deeply asleep.
“It’s like fucking Sleeping Beauty,” Jessica Kameny snickered. She was the only one of the girls who had taken time to put on make-up.
Jon Rosinski said, “So how many are going? Stand over here.”
Twenty kids moved toward Jon, fourteen girls and six boys. Some, Lillie knew, had only decided in the last fifteen minutes, even though they’d all smelled the plan last evening. She scanned the leavers. Mike Franzi, good, you could always count on Mike. Tess, Amy, Sajelle, Rebecca, Bonnie … Elizabeth? That could be real trouble. Jason, Susan, the obnoxious Jessica, too bad she didn’t stay down here. Madison, Emily, Sam, that was another one she could do without. Hannah, Rafe, Alex, Derek, Sophie, Julie … Julie? A major surprise. And Jon, their not-unchallenged organizer, although Lillie wasn’t too bad at organization herself.
The kids looked at each other.
Theresa said suddenly to Robin, who was staying, “Tell my dad I said I love him, okay?” Robin nodded. “Let’s go,” Jon said.
The twenty-one walked out of the dorm. Another Marine lay asleep outside. The night was warm, but of course they didn’t know what weather might come next. Weather? Wrong word.
Theresa groped for Lillie’s hand and held on tight.
“Well, now what, genius?” Jessica said to Jon. She spoke very loud, as if to challenge the sleep infecting everyone for … how many square miles? Lillie didn’t know.
“Lay off, Jessie,” Bonnie told her. Lillie approved. Jon didn’t know what was going to happen, any more than anybody else. The pribir had smelled to them clear pictures of where to wait, but nothing after that.
Jon led them to the empty grassy area. Lillie didn’t know what it was for; she’d never been on a Marine base before. A flagpole, now with no flag, they must take it down at night, stood at one end. The pribir had smelled to go to a big open area. They would see the kids if they did. That didn’t surprise Lillie; she had learned at school that even humans had space satellites that could read license plates. And these were the pribir.
A long slow tightening started in her belly. She wasn’t afraid, exactly. But this was the biggest thing that had ever happened to her. Or anybody! She clutched her red suitcase.
Half an hour passed and nothing happened. Everyone sat down on the grass. People talked in low voices, but not very much. Even Jessica and Sam weren’t harassing anybody. Elizabeth had her rosary out and was saying her beads, but nobody jeered at her. Elizabeth’s glasses, thick as pottery, glinted in the moonlight.
A light appeared in the sky. Grew brighter.
As one everybody stood up, even though there was no smell. Somebody whimpered … Julie, probably. Julie was afraid of everything. Well, everybody was afraid, why not? But Lillie knew no one would change their
“You have to decide,” Lillie said relentlessly. Then, because she knew how scared Theresa was, she added in a softer tone, “You don’t have to come, you know. It’s all right to stay. The pribir might need people here, too.”
Theresa gave a strangled little laugh. “I’m afraid to stay here, too.”
“Well, you have to do one or the other.”
“I’ll … I’ll come.”
She grabbed Lillie’s hand. Theresa’s was icy. Lillie squeezed her friend’s fingers reassuringly. “Get dressed. Something warm.”
“Wait for me! Don’t go ahead!”
Lillie waited while Theresa pulled on jeans, running shoes, and a Land’s End sweater. She threw more clothes, all her make-up, and a plush stuffed turtle into her pillowcase. “Okay, I’m ready.”
The two girls slipped down the hallway. In the lounge downstairs most of the others waited. The ones who were going carried suitcases or pillowcases of belongings. The ones who were staying still wore nightclothes.
In the lobby a Marine lay stretched out on the floor, deeply asleep.
“It’s like fucking Sleeping Beauty,” Jessica Kameny snickered. She was the only one of the girls who had taken time to put on make-up.
Jon Rosinski said, “So how many are going? Stand over here.”
Twenty kids moved toward Jon, fourteen girls and six boys. Some, Lillie knew, had only decided in the last fifteen minutes, even though they’d all smelled the plan last evening. She scanned the leavers. Mike Franzi, good, you could always count on Mike. Tess, Amy, Sajelle, Rebecca, Bonnie … Elizabeth? That could be real trouble. Jason, Susan, the obnoxious Jessica, too bad she didn’t stay down here. Madison, Emily, Sam, that was another one she could do without. Hannah, Rafe, Alex, Derek, Sophie, Julie … Julie? A major surprise. And Jon, their not-unchallenged organizer, although Lillie wasn’t too bad at organization herself.
The kids looked at each other.
Theresa said suddenly to Robin, who was staying, “Tell my dad I said I love him, okay?” Robin nodded. “Let’s go,” Jon said.
The twenty-one walked out of the dorm. Another Marine lay asleep outside. The night was warm, but of course they didn’t know what weather might come next. Weather? Wrong word.
Theresa groped for Lillie’s hand and held on tight.
“Well, now what, genius?” Jessica said to Jon. She spoke very loud, as if to challenge the sleep infecting everyone for … how many square miles? Lillie didn’t know.
“Lay off, Jessie,” Bonnie told her. Lillie approved. Jon didn’t know what was going to happen, any more than anybody else. The pribir had smelled to them clear pictures of where to wait, but nothing after that.
Jon led them to the empty grassy area. Lillie didn’t know what it was for; she’d never been on a Marine base before. A flagpole, now with no flag, they must take it down at night, stood at one end. The pribir had smelled to go to a big open area. They would see the kids if they did. That didn’t surprise Lillie; she had learned at school that even humans had space satellites that could read license plates. And these were the pribir.
A long slow tightening started in her belly. She wasn’t afraid, exactly. But this was the biggest thing that had ever happened to her. Or anybody! She clutched her red suitcase.
Half an hour passed and nothing happened. Everyone sat down on the grass. People talked in low voices, but not very much. Even Jessica and Sam weren’t harassing anybody. Elizabeth had her rosary out and was saying her beads, but nobody jeered at her. Elizabeth’s glasses, thick as pottery, glinted in the moonlight.
A light appeared in the sky. Grew brighter.
As one everybody stood up, even though there was no smell. Somebody whimpered … Julie, probably. Julie was afraid of everything. Well, everybody was afraid, why not? But Lillie knew no one would change their
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