Monsters of Men (Chaos Walking Book 3) by Patrick Ness

Author:Patrick Ness
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9780763652111
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Published: 2010-10-18T05:00:00+00:00

{VIOLA}

He looks back at me, puzzled.

But he doesn’t sound puzzled. He doesn’t sound like anything.

“It’s a good thing that I’m quiet, Viola,” he says. “It’s gonna help us, help me, cuz if I can . . .”

He trails off because he’s still seeing the look on my face.

I have to turn away from him.

“I’m still me,” he says quietly. “I’m still Todd.”

But he isn’t. He isn’t the same Todd whose thoughts spilled out all over the place in a big, colourful mess, the one who couldn’t tell a lie if his life depended on it, who didn’t tell a lie when his life did depend on it, the Todd that saved my life more than once, in more than one way, that Todd who I could hear every uncomfortable thought of, who I could count on, who I knew–

Who I–

“I ain’t changed,” he says. “I’m just more like you, more like all the men you grew up knowing, more like Bradley used to be.”

I keep looking away from him, hoping he can’t see how weary I feel, how my arm throbs with every breath, how bad the fever is gouging me out. “I’m really tired, Todd,” I say. “It’s only tomorrow morning. I have to rest.”

“Viola–”

“You need to be out there with them anyway,” I say. “Make sure the Mayor and Mistress Coyle don’t set themselves up as interim leaders.”

He stares at me. “I don’t know what interim means.”

And that’s close enough to the Todd I know that I smile, a little. “I’ll be fine. I just need some sleep.”

He still stares. “Are you dying, Viola?”

“What?” I say. “No. No, I’m not–”

“Are you dying and yer just not telling me?” His eyes are boring into me now, filled with concern.

But I still can’t hear him.

“I’m not getting better,” I say, “but that doesn’t mean I’m going to die any time soon. Mistress Coyle’s bound to find something, and if she can’t, the convoy has all kinds more advanced medical stuff than the scout ship has. I can hang on ’til then.”

He’s still staring. “Cuz I couldn’t stand it if–” His voice is thick. “I just couldn’t take that, Viola. I just couldn’t.”

And then there it is–

His Noise, still way too quiet, but there, burning away underneath him, burning away with how he’s feeling and how true it is and how worried he is for me and I can hear it, just faintly but I can hear it–

And then I hear, I am the Circle–

And he goes quiet again, quiet as a stone.

“I’m not dying,” I say, looking away from him.

Todd just stands there for a second. “I’ll be right outside,” he finally says. “You call if you need anything. You call me and I’ll get it for you.”

“I will,” I say.

He nods, his lips held tight. He nods again.

Then he goes.

I sit there quietly for a while, listening to the ROAR of the army in the square outside and the raised voices of the Mayor and Mistress Coyle and Simone and Bradley and Lee still arguing.

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