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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

Everyone went quiet again and started stepping away, until all we could hear was the click click click of the camera. We watched the paramedics rush up to Luca and the lifeguard, who were talking in low murmurs to Merjeme. She only whimpered in reply.

Eventually the paramedics eased her off the lifeguard’s back, leaving a streak of glistening blood on the wetsuit where her gashed leg had been resting. We could all see she was trembling and hiccup-crying, and her short hair was a matted mess on her head. Her eyes were wide and wild as she looked around until they landed on someone who was pushing her way through the crowd—her mëma.

And all the while the click click click of that camera.

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51

Waves Crashing

The photos of the rescue didn’t just appear in our local paper—they were in the big national papers and on the evening news. It got to the point where I looked at them so much, I started to imagine I’d been there with Merjeme—I knew how she felt to be stranded, and to wait for Luca to come save us.

For weeks after the rescue, I dreamed of being back on Jed’s roof, between the gutter and the window, wanting my mom—and in my dreams I could hear waves crashing.

On the day of the rescue, Penny had insisted on driving Luca to the hospital to be checked over, and she took Sam and me too. Pop and Anika met us there, and when Anika saw Luca sitting up in the hospital bed, her face just sort of melted.

He opened his arms and she fell into them, both of them heaving with tears as he stroked her wild hair.

“I’m okay, I’m okay, I’m okay,” he said, again and again and again.

Pop came over and squeezed my shoulder. “How about you, Fred?” I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure I meant it.

Anika pulled away from Luca to cup his cheeks in her hands as she said, “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you too.”

“Not gonna happen,” Luca said, and then they kissed, and me, Pop, and Sam looked everywhere else but at them.

“Anika and I will get the car, bring it around,” Pop said, and then he went up to Luca and laid a hand on his shoulder. I was surprised when he bent over and placed a kiss on Luca’s forehead too.

Anika nudged my shoulder and said, “You stay and keep him company while we get things sorted.”

And then it was just me and Luca in the room. But it also felt like it could have been just the two of us in the whole world, it felt so quiet and still.

“What are you feeling, what’s in your head?” Luca said to me, and I could have cried right then.

“Come here, Fred.”