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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 both just let the bell tell us that nothing more needed to be said.

Luca came home from the town meeting late. I heard the floorboards creaking as he came through the front door, and then the sound of Anika in the living room with the TV still on, waiting for him.

“What was that about?” she asked.

Since there was now stuff worth overhearing, I’d grown good at sneaking. If I opened my door a little, I could see from my bedroom to the living room opposite, where Luca crashed down on the couch as Anika muted the television.

“What? What’s that face, Luca?”

He was shaking his head. “They’re bringing them here.”

“Who?”

Luca leaned forward, running his hands back and forth over his scalp. “Four hundred of them—to Portsea.”

“Babe, what are you talking about? Who’s coming?”

He sighed and said, “Refugees from Kosovo. The ones who have been on TV.”

I felt my stomach drop from the shock of Luca’s words, like I was on a roller coaster.

Anika said something under her breath that I couldn’t hear, and then Luca was leaning back, looking up at the ceiling like he couldn’t believe it.

“Where in Portsea?”

“The Quarantine Station.”

“What? That’s . . . that’s in the middle of nowhere—that’s Point Nepean!”

Luca threw up his hands. “Trust me, I know! We tried explaining to them, but it’s all been arranged.” He laughed, but not like it was funny. “Apparently they wanted to keep it under wraps. The optics aren’t great, they said.”

“Who? Who said?”

“Some lackey from the minister’s office came down to tell us. . . .”

Anika shook her head. “Wait, when is this supposed to be happening?”

“Next month. They’ll be bussed in from the airport.” I heard Luca take a deep breath before he said, “They’ll be coming straight from a war zone.”

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16

Rosebud

Over the next week, I kept waiting for Luca to tell me about the refugees coming to Point Nepean. But he didn’t, not even when we watched the evening news and saw refugees arriving in America too. The newscaster said how good it was that America had decided not to put the Kosovars on a naval base in Cuba anymore, because it wouldn’t have been right to lock them up like that.

Instead, the footage showed refugees flying into an American airport and being greeted by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton before being driven to a place called Fort Dix, New Jersey. They showed American people welcoming the refugees. One even held a sign up that said “Mirësevini në Amerikë,” which the journalist said meant “Welcome to America” in Albanian.

Still, Luca said nothing until the following Wednesday. I was pushing open the doors and leaving the RRC after visiting Pop when Luca pulled up in his squad car.