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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

Luca smiled down at me, then tucked the roll of paper under one arm as he bent to kiss my forehead too. “I’ll see what I can do.”

I was woken by a knock on my door. Luca opened it a crack and I sleepily waved him in, then he lay down beside me like he used to when I was kid, leaning his back against the headboard, throwing an arm over my pillow, and carving out a place for me by his side.

“Did you hang my poster up?” I asked, and then yawned.

Luca squeezed my shoulder. “I did, in one of the girls’ dorm rooms—I’m sure they’ll love it.”

“Were there lots of people there?”

“So many people, and it was so dark. All us volunteers had to point our cars toward the entrance and pop our headlights on so people could see the way once they stepped off the buses.”

“Were they scared?”

Luca shifted, and I could feel the cold denim of his jeans through my blanket—it must have been freezing out there.

“I think they were tired, mostly.”

“Were there many kids?” I yawned again, then closed my eyes as I listened to him.

“Yes, there were a lot of kids . . . plenty are teenagers, mothers were carrying babies and toddlers, and there were a few who were the same age as you and Sam.” I blinked my eyes open to look up at him, but he was staring off at the far wall. He seemed to be thinking very deep thoughts.

“Just little kids in these big, bulky jackets that people had donated. Some of them were carrying donated toys, too, and had small backpacks—but that was it. That was all they had. Everything they managed to take with them when they ran.”

“Were there cameras there? And newspeople?”

Luca seemed to shake himself, then he looked down at me and frowned. “No, none that I could see.”

“So you won’t be on the TV tomorrow?”

“Tonight, Freddo—it’s the next day already—and no, I very much doubt that you’ll be seeing my ugly face on the TV.”

“Can I come out there with you next time you go?”

“We’ll see.” Then he squeezed my shoulder again. “It’s so far away, Freddo; in the middle of nowhere surrounded by all that bushland and those cliffs. . . .”

I was getting sleepy again. I didn’t think it was time for me to get up, so I closed my eyes for a second.

But I must have drifted off, because when I woke up again Luca was gone—and I had to get ready for school.

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20

Axis

The Earth moves at about thirty kilometers per second. That’s nearly 110,000 kilometers per hour. We just don’t feel any of it because the speed stays the same.

You only feel motion if your speed changes, you see.