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Back The Year the Maps Changed Save as PDF
Chapters (75)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. Map
  6. Prologue
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. Acknowledgments
  74. About the Author
  75. About the Publisher

Vi caught my eye in the mirror as she turned Sam this way and that, looking at his head from different angles. “Just the last couple of weeks . . .”

“Can I come the next time you go out?” I asked, and Vi’s face changed as she shook her head.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said. “It’s very bad there now.”

“What do you mean?” Sam caught Vi’s eye in the mirror, but she busied herself choosing a different pair of scissors.

Jed piped up. “You didn’t say anything, Mẹ—I thought you liked cutting the kids’ hair?”

Vi came back to Sam and ran her fingers through his hair. “I do it for those poor kids,” she said, sighing, “but it’s very bad there now. The little girls want their hair all cut off—”

“What! Why?” I snapped.

“Sometimes they come to us or their mommies bring them in.” Vi placed her hands on Sam’s shoulders, and we watched her in the mirror but she seemed far away. “They ask us to cut their hair short so the girls look like boys, for when they go home.”

“Why would they do that?” Jed asked.

“To protect them, of course.” Vi turned around and frowned at Jed, then reached for his hand and squeezed it. “War ends, but bad things still happen—you kids are so lucky living here, you’ve never had to know. . . .” Then she shook her head again and let go of Jed’s hand. “Now, Văn, help me clean up!”

But Vi’s words had made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

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47

The Announcements

That night over dinner, Sam brought up what Vi had said.

“She’s been volunteering at the haven, cutting kids’ hair,” he started, “but the way she talked, it sounded so different from the last time we were there.”

Luca wasn’t working that night, and Anika had joined us for the first time in days, although she only picked at the gnocchi that Pop had made.

“She’s going there again tomorrow,” I cut in. “I thought maybe we’d ask if she’d take us with her.”

“No,” Luca said, quick and hard.

I blinked at him.

“But why not? You let me and Sam go before.”

“Because I’m saying no now.”

Sam and I looked at each other, and I tried again. “But I want to see. . . .”

Pop started to say, “Fred, leave it—” but Luca cut him off before he could finish.

“You don’t want to see!” he snapped, and even Anika jumped a bit at the crack of his words.

There was silence around the dinner table, except for the sound of Luca’s fork scraping the bottom of his bowl. He shook his head. “We’re in September now, and the November deadline is fast approaching. The haven is . . . different.”

“What do you mean, different?” Pop asked.