BooksBarbecue
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 it was Luca’s turn to sit back in his chair. “Khoa, that would be amazing! All they ever ask for is access to computers so they can search for their families back home. The ones at the library get booked so quickly, and the queues for them are ridiculous. . . .” Luca shook his head. “The internet cafés eat up their allowance in no time too. Setting up a free computer bank for them to use would be a godsend!”

Khoa nodded. “This is what I thought!”

“This is what I thought!” Vi said.

Khoa waved at her. “Yes, yes—it was my lovely wife’s idea first!”

Jed, Sam, and I smiled at that, and even Lily only faked it when she pretended to gag as her parents kissed.

“When the haven is finished with them, we can donate them to the kids’ school and the library,” Khoa said, once he and Vi had pulled apart.

Luca nodded. “I’ll have a talk to the Red Cross people—see if we can’t get this thing set up before the week is out.” He took a sip from the wine Vi had poured for him. “I’m warning you, though, Khoa, I don’t know what the wiring at this place is like. If you try plugging in ten computers, it could blow their fuse box!”

Khoa waved him away. “I’ll come in, I’ll set up.”

“Will you need help, Bố?” Jed put his fork down and sat up straighter.

Khoa looked closely at his son, deep in thought. Eventually he nodded once, then glanced at Luca. “He’s good with the setting up.” He clapped a hand on Jed’s shoulder. “Can I bring him along, do you think?”

As soon as he’d said it, Sam and I were opening our mouths to plead to come too. Vi and Lily rolled their eyes in the exact same way, and Luca waved his hands to quiet us.

“Maybe. Let me think!”

He looked between us, and I hoped Sam was making an effort to pull the same pleading face I was.

Luca sighed. “I’ll have to get permission. . . .”

“But if they say yes, we can come?”

Luca nodded.

image

34

The Greater Good

We went on a Thursday, after school.

We were so excited that we told Mr. Khouri during lunch. While he was eating a sandwich at his desk, we crowded around to tell him.

“Are there still graves and stuff?” Sam asked. “From the pirates and people who died there?”

I’d tried explaining what the Quarantine Station was to Sam, but from the look on Mr. Khouri’s face, I hadn’t done as good a job as when Luca had explained it to me.