This World We Live In (The Last Survivors, Book 3) by Susan Beth Pfeffer Page A
Book: This World We Live In (The Last Survivors, Book 3) by Susan Beth Pfeffer
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Authors: Susan Beth Pfeffer
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our two kids, Alex and Julie, and the baby and my brother-in-law, Charlie. Who's going to know different?"
"Why should they believe you?" Matt asked. "I was there to vouch for Syl."
"Then I'l take one of you with me," Dad said.
"Miranda? How would you feel about coming along and swearing I'm Bob Nesbitt?"
"Hal, I didn't bring up the kids to lie," Mom said.
"No," Dad said. "But you didn't bring them up to starve, either."
"I don't mind," I said, because I hated the thought of Mom and Dad going after each other. "If Syl's entitled, I don't see why Dad shouldn't be. And it would be great having everybody at Mrs. Nesbitt's."
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"There's a woodstove in the kitchen," Matt said.
"You'l need firewood. And some space heaters."
"We can look for those," I said. "And toilet paper and everything else they'l need. Oh, Mom, it'd be so great to have Dad there."
"Where's Mrs. Nesbitt's?" Alex asked, and Julie asked, "Who's Mrs. Nesbitt?" at the exact same time.
That got us laughing again. "She was our closest neighbor," Matt said. "Her house is right down the road. You can't see it from here, but there's a path through the woods we used to take."
"Then we're agreed?" Dad asked, although it wasn't exactly a question. "Miranda and I wil go into town on Monday and see if they'l give us food. We'l spend the next few days here, until we can get set up at the Nesbitt house. Maybe if we can get food, we can convince Alex and Julie to stay a little longer."
"Please, Alex," Julie said.
"We'l see," Alex said.
Julie smiled, and suddenly I understood why Jon likes her so much. Her smile made you forget everything that's happened in the past year.
"We might as wel give it a try," Mom said. "If Miranda is wil ing."
"I am, Mom," I said. But I don't think my smile made anyone forget anything.
June 4
I was in my bedroom, trying to decide what would be the absolutely safest place to hide my diaries, when I heard a knock on my door and Alex softly saying, "Miranda?"
Even though I hadn't touched a thing and my diaries
114
were as hidden as they ever are, I instantly decided I needed to find an even better place for them. That was after I finished jumping at the sound of a strange boy's voice.
"Yeah," I said, which didn't come off quite as friendly as it should have. "I mean, hi, Alex. What do you want?"
He stood in the doorway until I gestured for him to come in.
"I hope I'm not bothering you," he said. "I was wondering if you might have some clothes Julie could borrow. Just for the time we're here."
"Oh, sure," I said. "Julie's smal er than I am, but we can work something out." Syl already has half my wardrobe. Julie could have the other half.
"Thank you," he said. "It'l mean a lot to her."
"Do you want me to ask Matt if you could borrow some of his clothes?" I asked. Why should I be the only naked one in the house?
"That would be great, thank you," Alex said. "It's just for a few days, until Julie's rested up enough."
"There's no rush," I said. "I'l see what I can find."
Alex looked around my room. "You have a lot of books," he said.
"Not that many," I said. "And I've read al of them three times by now."
"I miss reading," he said, taking my copy of Pride and Prejudice off the shelf. "I miss learning useless things. Latin. Calculus."
"I miss friends," I said. "Friends. Family. Food.
The three Fs." I smiled, but Alex didn't smile back.
"I miss home," he said. "And the feeling you got in a library carrel, like nothing in the world mattered except the
115
book you were reading." He put Pride and Prejudice back on the shelf. "I miss pride. The sin of pride."
"I don't think it's a sin to be proud," I said, looking at my skating trophies. "Not if you've worked to achieve your goal."
Alex shook his head. "You don't understand," he said. "It's different for you. You work to keep your house clean, and you take pride in how it looks.
That's not what I mean."
It annoyed me that Alex thought my only accomplishment in life was in
"Why should they believe you?" Matt asked. "I was there to vouch for Syl."
"Then I'l take one of you with me," Dad said.
"Miranda? How would you feel about coming along and swearing I'm Bob Nesbitt?"
"Hal, I didn't bring up the kids to lie," Mom said.
"No," Dad said. "But you didn't bring them up to starve, either."
"I don't mind," I said, because I hated the thought of Mom and Dad going after each other. "If Syl's entitled, I don't see why Dad shouldn't be. And it would be great having everybody at Mrs. Nesbitt's."
113
"There's a woodstove in the kitchen," Matt said.
"You'l need firewood. And some space heaters."
"We can look for those," I said. "And toilet paper and everything else they'l need. Oh, Mom, it'd be so great to have Dad there."
"Where's Mrs. Nesbitt's?" Alex asked, and Julie asked, "Who's Mrs. Nesbitt?" at the exact same time.
That got us laughing again. "She was our closest neighbor," Matt said. "Her house is right down the road. You can't see it from here, but there's a path through the woods we used to take."
"Then we're agreed?" Dad asked, although it wasn't exactly a question. "Miranda and I wil go into town on Monday and see if they'l give us food. We'l spend the next few days here, until we can get set up at the Nesbitt house. Maybe if we can get food, we can convince Alex and Julie to stay a little longer."
"Please, Alex," Julie said.
"We'l see," Alex said.
Julie smiled, and suddenly I understood why Jon likes her so much. Her smile made you forget everything that's happened in the past year.
"We might as wel give it a try," Mom said. "If Miranda is wil ing."
"I am, Mom," I said. But I don't think my smile made anyone forget anything.
June 4
I was in my bedroom, trying to decide what would be the absolutely safest place to hide my diaries, when I heard a knock on my door and Alex softly saying, "Miranda?"
Even though I hadn't touched a thing and my diaries
114
were as hidden as they ever are, I instantly decided I needed to find an even better place for them. That was after I finished jumping at the sound of a strange boy's voice.
"Yeah," I said, which didn't come off quite as friendly as it should have. "I mean, hi, Alex. What do you want?"
He stood in the doorway until I gestured for him to come in.
"I hope I'm not bothering you," he said. "I was wondering if you might have some clothes Julie could borrow. Just for the time we're here."
"Oh, sure," I said. "Julie's smal er than I am, but we can work something out." Syl already has half my wardrobe. Julie could have the other half.
"Thank you," he said. "It'l mean a lot to her."
"Do you want me to ask Matt if you could borrow some of his clothes?" I asked. Why should I be the only naked one in the house?
"That would be great, thank you," Alex said. "It's just for a few days, until Julie's rested up enough."
"There's no rush," I said. "I'l see what I can find."
Alex looked around my room. "You have a lot of books," he said.
"Not that many," I said. "And I've read al of them three times by now."
"I miss reading," he said, taking my copy of Pride and Prejudice off the shelf. "I miss learning useless things. Latin. Calculus."
"I miss friends," I said. "Friends. Family. Food.
The three Fs." I smiled, but Alex didn't smile back.
"I miss home," he said. "And the feeling you got in a library carrel, like nothing in the world mattered except the
115
book you were reading." He put Pride and Prejudice back on the shelf. "I miss pride. The sin of pride."
"I don't think it's a sin to be proud," I said, looking at my skating trophies. "Not if you've worked to achieve your goal."
Alex shook his head. "You don't understand," he said. "It's different for you. You work to keep your house clean, and you take pride in how it looks.
That's not what I mean."
It annoyed me that Alex thought my only accomplishment in life was in
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