No Safety in Numbers by Dayna Lorentz

Author:Dayna Lorentz [Lorentz, Dayna]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Juvenile Fiction, Science Fiction
ISBN: 9781101585597
Publisher: Puffin
Published: 2012-05-29T07:00:00+00:00

DAY

FOUR

TUESDAY

S

H

A

Y

There were limits to how long a person could remain positive in the face of adversity, and Shay had reached hers. She had spent the night in SnoozeSelect taking care of Nani, who shivered with cold one minute and threw her blankets off the next. Around midnight, she developed a cough. Of course, when Shay asked Nani what was wrong, she said It’s nothing, I’m feeling better, just a cold. How was Shay supposed to help when Nani lied about her symptoms?

Although the mall god had announced at Lights On that free food would be provided at the former testing stations, there was a long line at the Burger Baron. Shay had eaten her free ration, but was hoping the servers would give her some soup, as Nani refused to eat solid food.

Shay had scoured the entire diabetes section of the Merck Manual, for which she’d paid a significant chunk of change yesterday afternoon, and had found nothing to explain what a cough and chills had to do with diabetes. She’d ordered Preeti to buy Tylenol, since that was what Ba gave them when they were sick, but Nani couldn’t swallow the pills. She spat them out, complaining that the pills stuck in her throat. So Shay had Preeti get children’s liquid Tylenol. Nani spilled half the bottle when a fit of coughing took her mid-sip.

Apart from the two shopping trips, Preeti had been useless. She whined about going to Hollister, how Shay had promised they could sleep in Hollister. Shay had finally blown up at her and screamed You want to go to Hollister, then go! And Preeti had left.

“We’re out of toaster sticks,” the girl at the register droned when Shay reached the front of the line.

“Do you have any soup?”

The girl spoke into her headset mic. Shay heard the voice on the other end reply in the negative. “Not until noon,” she said.

“Then just a coffee,” Shay said, dropping a bill on the counter.

Shay slunk away from the registers with her steaming cup and plopped into a seat. She considered going to the clothing depot—along with the free food, it had been announced that people on the outside had donated clothing—but from the shouts echoing up from the first-floor fountain, it sounded like it was already too much of a madhouse. She was definitely not volunteering for the requested “Cleanup Crew.” No gift certificate was worth entering the bathrooms for longer than absolutely necessary.

Brilliant sunlight streamed through the glass ceiling. Shay closed her eyes, let the bright light burn through her eyelids. It must have been a beautiful day outside. She tried to remember what day it even was.

“Hey there.”

Shay cracked open her eyes and shielded them with her hand. Ryan stood in front of her, the sunlight behind him forming a blazing halo. God, he was pretty.

“I’m so glad I found you,” he said. He had a bruise on his face. Somehow, it made him even better looking.

“You were looking for me?” she asked, trying to seem nonchalant.

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