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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

We didn’t, not really—but I figured it was like when Pop said it’s possible to be both happy and sad at the same time, or to take the good with the bad. “They had to leave, but they still miss what they left behind,” I said, and Jed nodded.

And I was just about to learn that something could be both illegal and the right thing to do at the same time.

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56

Get Very Far

It was close to my birthday when the escape happened.

It was another hot day, with our heads heating up underneath our helmets as Sam, Jed, and I rode our bikes to school.

Halfway to town we heard the faint sound of a siren in the distance. We didn’t think anything of it until we turned onto Ocean Beach Road and the main drag of town. Jed was in front and screeched to a stop at the corner of the footpath.

“What d’ya think that’s about?” he said, when Sam and I came to a stop on both sides of him.

Up ahead were two police cars and the haven shuttle bus parked haphazardly in the parking lots that ran down the middle of the main shopping strip.

“No idea,” I said.

We hopped off our bikes and walked them toward the commotion. As we got closer, we could see men in security vests standing around with a bunch of Sorrento police officers, including Penny.

I waved at her, and she squinted against the harsh morning sun until she recognized me and made her way over to us.

“Hey, Fred,” she said, then nodded at the boys. “Hey, kids.”

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

She gave me a tight smile. “It’s nothing, probably just a mix-up by the rent-a-cops.”

That was what Penny called the security men who worked at the haven; Luca had said she wasn’t their biggest fan.

“What kind of mix-up?” Jed asked, and Penny trained her gaze on him.

“Nothing to concern you guys with,” she said. “One of the refugees they thought they accounted for yesterday may still be in town.”

Sam and I glanced at each other, like we were sharing one brain and a single thought.

“Is it one of the kids, or—” Sam started to ask, but then someone called out to Penny and she waved at them before turning back to us.

“Like I said, nothing to worry about.” Then she smiled at me. “Tell your old man I said hi, and ask him if he’s got around to buying himself a cape yet?”

After the rescue and all the media attention, Penny had bought Luca a Superman T-shirt and told him to start assembling the rest of the costume.

“I will,” I said, and then waved as she jogged back to the other police and security guards.

“You think one of them escaped?” Sam asked as soon as Penny had gone away.