with dangers of all kinds, including hunger and thirst and the perils of unfamiliar terrain. When Malloy’s parents still hadn’t come back after two months, other people in the camp started shaking their heads, first in worry and then in sorrow. A month after that, the whole group had to break camp and move on to find food. Malloy went with them, but he slipped away the first night and returned to the ruins of the old camp. He waited alone for his parents to come back.
“I knew they just got lost,” he explained. “My dad has a terrible sense of direction and my mom does everything he says cuz she thinks he’s great. I figured they were out there, walking in circles, making each other laugh like they always did . . .”
Behind Malloy’s back, Luke glanced at Devin and shook his head.
Malloy had waited in the camp for seven or eight days, living on tiny scraps of leftover food and searching for plants that were safe to eat. At last, hunger drove him to move on. One day he walked three miles to the south, finding nothing but dust and rocks and coyote tracks. He came down a bank of loose stones and found himself by the side of an empty road, stretching far into the distance. A single car, the sunlight glinting on its polished sides, was coming toward him. When it reached him, it stopped and the window glided down silently.
“Need a ride?” somebody said.
It was Roman.
“He was on his way back from the city,” Malloy explained. “Only I didn’t know that then. He asked me where I came from and who my parents were. Then he said he would take me somewhere they could keep me safe while they looked for Mom and Dad. Instead, he brought me here.”
He paused. “I know they’re still out there. I know it.”
Luke squeezed his shoulder quickly. “Of course they are! And they’ll find you, any day now. Right, Devin?”
Devin nodded.
“You’ll be back in your teepee, eating gophers and getting wisdom and all that Nomad crap,” Luke said. “You’ll see.”
“Gophers are really good,” Malloy said, immediately cheering up. “Especially when they’re all crispy . . . little bit of sage . . . you should try ’em.” He looked from Luke to Devin. “When Mom and Dad do get here, I bet they take you away too. I won’t leave without you guys.”
“Good to know, my man,” Luke said, a touch sadly. “Good to know.”
“You don’t think Malloy’s parents are really going to come get him, do you?” Devin asked Luke.
“If I was going to quantify the level of certainty, I’d estimate the probability would be infinitesimally low.”
Devin just stared at him.
“No,” Luke said. “No, I don’t think they’re going to come get him. I doubt they’re even still alive.”
They were talking in Luke’s room. It was so untidy that it was a while before Devin could even locate the bed underneath all the clothes and snack wrappers. Pieces of paper lay scattered everywhere. Even the desk was a mess, with one entire edge splintered and ragged. The minute Luke sat down at it, he began automatically plucking at the wood, his fingers nervous and busy.
Devin noticed a smallish, framed photograph among the scraps of paper on the desk. It showed a smiling man in a sailor’s cap and a woman with sleek blond hair by his side.
“Is that your mom and dad?”
Luke nodded. “On our yacht,” he said with a curl of his lip. “The good ship Swindler. ”
“You’ve seen the ocean?”
“Sure,” Luke said, his fingers tugging frenetically at the edge of the desk.
“Listen, don’t tell Malloy what I said about his parents,” he said abruptly.
Devin shook his head. “No, ’course not.”
“Believing they’ll come back keeps him happy, and Malloy, well, he cheers everyone up.”
“I won’t say anything,” Devin assured him.
“The trouble is,” Luke continued, “he won’t stop nagging me to help him escape. He doesn’t want to be adopted. He doesn’t think he needs it.”
“I was wondering
“I knew they just got lost,” he explained. “My dad has a terrible sense of direction and my mom does everything he says cuz she thinks he’s great. I figured they were out there, walking in circles, making each other laugh like they always did . . .”
Behind Malloy’s back, Luke glanced at Devin and shook his head.
Malloy had waited in the camp for seven or eight days, living on tiny scraps of leftover food and searching for plants that were safe to eat. At last, hunger drove him to move on. One day he walked three miles to the south, finding nothing but dust and rocks and coyote tracks. He came down a bank of loose stones and found himself by the side of an empty road, stretching far into the distance. A single car, the sunlight glinting on its polished sides, was coming toward him. When it reached him, it stopped and the window glided down silently.
“Need a ride?” somebody said.
It was Roman.
“He was on his way back from the city,” Malloy explained. “Only I didn’t know that then. He asked me where I came from and who my parents were. Then he said he would take me somewhere they could keep me safe while they looked for Mom and Dad. Instead, he brought me here.”
He paused. “I know they’re still out there. I know it.”
Luke squeezed his shoulder quickly. “Of course they are! And they’ll find you, any day now. Right, Devin?”
Devin nodded.
“You’ll be back in your teepee, eating gophers and getting wisdom and all that Nomad crap,” Luke said. “You’ll see.”
“Gophers are really good,” Malloy said, immediately cheering up. “Especially when they’re all crispy . . . little bit of sage . . . you should try ’em.” He looked from Luke to Devin. “When Mom and Dad do get here, I bet they take you away too. I won’t leave without you guys.”
“Good to know, my man,” Luke said, a touch sadly. “Good to know.”
“You don’t think Malloy’s parents are really going to come get him, do you?” Devin asked Luke.
“If I was going to quantify the level of certainty, I’d estimate the probability would be infinitesimally low.”
Devin just stared at him.
“No,” Luke said. “No, I don’t think they’re going to come get him. I doubt they’re even still alive.”
They were talking in Luke’s room. It was so untidy that it was a while before Devin could even locate the bed underneath all the clothes and snack wrappers. Pieces of paper lay scattered everywhere. Even the desk was a mess, with one entire edge splintered and ragged. The minute Luke sat down at it, he began automatically plucking at the wood, his fingers nervous and busy.
Devin noticed a smallish, framed photograph among the scraps of paper on the desk. It showed a smiling man in a sailor’s cap and a woman with sleek blond hair by his side.
“Is that your mom and dad?”
Luke nodded. “On our yacht,” he said with a curl of his lip. “The good ship Swindler. ”
“You’ve seen the ocean?”
“Sure,” Luke said, his fingers tugging frenetically at the edge of the desk.
“Listen, don’t tell Malloy what I said about his parents,” he said abruptly.
Devin shook his head. “No, ’course not.”
“Believing they’ll come back keeps him happy, and Malloy, well, he cheers everyone up.”
“I won’t say anything,” Devin assured him.
“The trouble is,” Luke continued, “he won’t stop nagging me to help him escape. He doesn’t want to be adopted. He doesn’t think he needs it.”
“I was wondering
Similar Books
