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"A few gallons is incredible!" I reached over and squeezed one of his gas-stained hands "We can finally ht I’ve got a good feeling"

He softened soht help with the hunger" He offered uran always loved

Realization struck me Every piece I enjoyed meant that there was one less in the world, never to be replenished I ed unco across his cheekbones At that hteen-year-old boy

I couldn’t help but s," he ht I saw a curtain flutter in a nearby house We’re being watched"

"There’re people?" I cried So houses, I’d spy a door sla in the distance Unlike Jackson, I didn’t believe that everyone was evil But no one would show their faces "Live people?"

He scowled at me "Which are the worst kind"

Still, I cranedothers? I ain’t coain, he’s surly "Of course you are, it’s just--"

"Before you go wishing for someone else to talk to, keep incity--in other words, slaver territory"

Though we both hated backtracking, ere forced to retrace our route to get to the interstate Jackson thought backtracking was a tactical error, and I had an OCD thing about it

We traversed the same speed-bump corpses--buh-dunk buh-dunk--and passed the san Someone had written Repent! in red Beneath it, another person had painted in black Or WHAT?

Then, back on the interstate, quiet stretched between us Blissful quiet I pulled out a yellowing copy of Coslove compartment, but found ht, holding the wheel with one hand, absently tracing the scars on his knuckles with the other

Was he still angry that I’d hoped to see other people? Frustrated that we hadn’t scored food today?

How could he appear lost in thought and restless at the same tis aboutI’d discovered led tostretches in total silence Whereas Brandon had been such an open book--thought to speech with no filter--Jackson kept his e, an apocalypse survivor, think about over the course of the day? Why did he often trace the scars on his hands? Was he rehts?

At other ti ent on in his mind

I should just savor the quiet The voices had been vanquished, which meant I was at peace At least for a little while

I rested ed billboards advertising things we could never again buy--a trip to Hawaii, a new computer, pero with her last year when she’d gotten herself lasered

Pack of gum in hand, I closed my eyes With each reprieve frotoday’s lull, I s to that fateful drive with Gran

"I’ll return you to Haven well before your sixteenth birthday," she said "Once you’ve been prepared for your destiny"

My destiny? Mint chocolate chip or butter pecan

"There’s a Tarot pack in my pocketbook," Gran said "I want you to look at the cards Really look at theardenia lotion, but I got distracted by bubblegu the cards out, slipping soant cards are the trump cards, the Major Arcana"

"Major whatta?"

"Major Ar-kay-nah It’s Latin for greater secrets You and I will have our share" She looked sad all of the sudden "It’s the way of our line" Shaking it off, she said, "The details of the ies are important They’re to be read like a el, one with an old s on them

I was struck by one picture of a fair-haired woown She had a crown atop her head with twelve stars Behind her, green and red hills rolled on and on

Her araze lookeddown at the card "That’s you, Evie You’re the Es that root or bloonize your scent"

I half frowned/half grinned up at her Soh another couple of cardsuntil I saw hiht in black armor atop a creamy-white mount The poor horse had bloodshot eyes I loved horses--

"The details, Evie," Gran said in a sterner voice, checking her rearviewand pleading He raised some kind of stick over their heads, and they were scared

"That one of Death frightens you, doesn’t it, sweetheart?" Gran asked "Or ry when you look at it?"

"Evie, you awake?" Jackson asked"Yeah, what’s up?" God, I could hardly wait to see Gran oncequestions would be answered

Jackson opened his et it," he finally said

I shrugged, gazing out theonce more It hadn’t escaped me that Jackson was in the same situation that I was Once we reached the Outer Banks, he’d have his puzzles solved too

My secrets were driving hiate me about the crops and the visions Yesterday he’d said, "If we do make it to North Carolina and we can caet for you? So you couldas soon as we get tofor silver bells and cockleshells"

Now he asked me, "Why are you always so quiet around me? You were a chatterbox with other people"