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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

“Fred! You don’t have to—” Jed started to protest.

Before I knew what was happening, Aidan had his arms wrapped around my middle and was lifting me off the ground and spinning me around.

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37

Drumlin’s Due Date

The town may have been looking forward to August 1 and the soccer match, but in our house Luca had circled August 14 in red on the calendar in the kitchen. It couldn’t come soon enough for Anika.

“I am very ready to be out of this place!” she said one day when Luca, Sam, and I visited her in the hospital.

“I know, baby, I know,” Luca said. “I’m sure Drumlin feels the same way.” He stroked her belly, as though greeting him.

“If Drumlin’s all healthy and nearly here, then why can’t you come home for a bit before he arrives?” Sam asked.

Luca cleared his throat and Anika frowned down at her lap in a way that made my stomach flip. “What, what is it?” I asked.

“It’s nothing. . . . The doctors just want to keep an eye on things. I’m a little older having this baby and they want to make sure things are going according to plan,” Anika explained.

I wanted to say that nothing seemed to be going according to plan with Drumlin, but I didn’t, and not just because someone interrupted us before I had the chance.

“Knock, knock.”

We turned and saw a woman standing at the door, holding two blue balloons in her hand.

“May I?” she asked, gesturing to Nora’s side of the room. The curtain was drawn, and Anika told her to go ahead.

When the lady pulled back the curtain, it wasn’t Nora sitting in the bed but a redheaded woman I’d never met.

I took a step back and watched as the visiting lady swooshed the curtain closed again.

“Wh-where’s Nora?” I asked.

“The Albanian woman?” Anika said. “She went back to the haven—her baby isn’t due until November.”

“But I thought . . .” I shook my head.

“Are you okay, Freddo?” Luca asked.

I couldn’t speak for a second. I was thinking about how scared Nora had been the first time I’d seen her—when she was just the lady in the atrium. And then weeks ago, when she’d cried while watching the TV. She was all alone and having a baby, and all the way out there. . . .

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38

Game Day

Game day arrived. Sam and I were sitting at Luca’s and Penny’s desks, waiting for them to finish up a report so Luca could take us. He said he’d get us there in plenty of time for the Under 18s match. Jarman Oval was just a stone’s throw from the Quarantine Station and had been built for the army cadets when they used the site.