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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

“And I won’t put Rose or any of you in danger,” she said. I looked up at her and saw that she had started to cry. “I give her this name to remember a place that is special in our hearts—from when I start to feel safe again.”

Nora bent her head a little to nuzzle Rose’s mane of black hair and when she looked back to me her eyes were filled with tears, but she was trying to smile too. “One day I will tell her what it took for us to come here, everything left behind, and why I give her this name to hope that we come back again.”

I started shaking my head. “Just stay,” I said. “What if we could find a doctor, one who’ll promise not to tell. . . .”

Nora gently lifted a hand to my face, cupped one of my cheeks, and rubbed my tears away with the pad of her thumb. “I need to get strong, for my baby. I need to be strong for her now, too, because she’s here, and I realize hiding is not living, and it is no way to make a home.”

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64

What Came Next

The police and an ambulance were coming.

Nora told us to call them, Vi and Anika said it was the right thing to do, too—that Nora could get very sick if we didn’t call for help—but that didn’t make it any easier. I stood with Sam in front of me, my arms around his chest while he cried into the sleeve of his pajama top. I couldn’t even promise him that it would be okay, because I wasn’t so sure myself.

“I could lose my job over this,” Luca said. We were all crowded in the small bedroom by then.

Pop stood up. “No, you won’t,” he said, “because you didn’t know about any of it.”

“Jeffrey. . . .”

Pop waved a hand. “No, you listen to me—this is my property, and it was me and Ferman who helped her escape and hid her away, not you—you and Anika just came in at the tail end, literally, when all you were doing was saving this young woman’s life, and that of her baby.”

Luca started to shake his head again, until Mr. Khouri interrupted. “They know a volunteer likely aided Nora—that’s my connection accounted for—and Mr. Owen . . . he was just picking the grandkids up from school, in the right place at the wrong time, that’s all.”

“This is insane!” Luca said, throwing his hands out. “I can’t let you.”