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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

Then Pop did something I’d never seen him do before. He went over to Luca, reached up, and held his face in his hands so they looked eye-to-eye. “It is entirely possible to do the wrong thing for all the right reasons.” Then he leaned forward a little and placed a kiss on Luca’s forehead. When he pulled back he said, “I love you, but you have everything to lose and I have this to give—so take it.”

Not long after that we had police cars at our door. Not too unusual for a policeman’s house, except when the lights are flashing blue and red and the siren whoops a warning.

Even more unusual is to be standing on your front lawn in pajamas, watching as your pop and favorite teacher get taken away by your dad’s partner in the back of her cruiser, while you hold your brother’s hand and can’t do anything.

Then to see an ambulance pull up, and you watch a woman you met in a glass atrium—who changed your life completely—getting wheeled out on a gurney, holding her baby girl and trying not to cry while you’re left wondering if you’ll ever see them again.

But that’s what happened.

And I play it over and over in my mind, like retracing my steps. I keep trying to see if there was another path we should have taken—a different way from the one where we all ended up.

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65

Point of View

It was a quiet, stay-at-home birthday for me, with just the family. Pop was home, but he was still in trouble—just like Luca said—for aiding and abetting Nora to flee the haven.

Mr. Khouri was in trouble too. As Luca had said, it looked like he’d lose his job for his role in helping Nora.

All in all, it was a pretty rotten birthday.

Except for when Sam had given me a present, wrapped in newspaper—a book called My Sister Sif by Ruth Park.

“I know you liked that Beatie Bow time-travel one because of the book report you gave, and the bookstore person at Farrells said this other one by her was really good, even though it’s old now. . . .”

It had a beautiful blue-green cover with this girl in a red bathing suit swimming with dolphins.

“I wrote inside too,” Sam said.

I opened it up, and there in Sam’s neat handwriting it said: To Fred, Love Sam on your twelfth birthday. 1999.

That had been good.

It also hadn’t been entirely rotten when Jed came over and ate sponge cake with whipped cream and fresh fruit that Vi had made for me. Or when I walked him back to his house afterward, until the last ten steps to the front door, when he suddenly reached over and held my hand in his.

That was really good.