The Brink of Darkness (The Edge of Everything) by Jeff Giles

Author:Jeff Giles [Giles, Jeff]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781619637559
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2018-07-09T18:30:00+00:00

Val never lied more than twice about being there when she wasn’t actually there. Zoe went to the kitchen, where Mom was teaching Rufus how to make nut milk, and Rufus, whose crush was clearly off the charts now, was doing an Oscar-caliber performance of pretending to be interested.

Her mom always brightened when she got to play vegan missionary. She looked pretty, Zoe thought. Hair up in a haphazard knot. Turquoise earrings. No makeup. She looked happy. How often had her mother looked happy over the last six months? Over the last six years, even? Zoe felt one of those pangs that are half gratitude, half pain.

Rufus had spent the afternoon working in his shed, covered in sawdust. But he had showered and changed into a clean work shirt and jeans. He looked shiny and new. He looked—as he always did when he spent time with Zoe’s mom—like a nervous boy on a date.

When Zoe’s mother looked away from the blender, Rufus tried to sneak sugar into it. She caught him, and swatted his hand.

“Hey, Mom,” said Zoe. “Hey, Rufus.”

“Hey, Zo, what’s shaking?”

He’d never called her Zo before. He seemed not to know if he was allowed to. Zoe nodded infinitesimally to let him know it was okay.

“Mom’s showing you how to make nut milk?” she said.

“Almond milk,” her mother said.

“Awesome,” said Zoe. “Almond milk is the best. All the kids love almond milk.”

“Rad,” said Rufus. “What’s it taste like?”

“Oh, you know—paint,” said Zoe.

“Ahem,” said her mother. “Humans are the only—literally the only—species to drink the milk of another species. Think about that. It’s like a sick science fiction movie.”

“I could drink Red Bull instead,” said Zoe. “But that’s from bulls.”

Her phone pulsed yet again. She could see Val’s blue Jeep through Rufus’s not-very-clean kitchen window. Val was parked by the giant hole that X had punched into the road.

“Before you go,” said Zoe’s mother, “how does Jonah seem to you?”

“He’s all right,” said Zoe, “but if Uhura dies—or we have to put her down—it’s gonna squash him.”

“It is,” her mom said. “It really is. And we’ve all been squashed enough.”

“I could talk to him, bro to bro,” said Rufus. “If you want? He’s always giving me advice about stuff. I could find a way to bring it up? I can be pretty slick.”

“You can, huh?” said Zoe’s mom. “Let me think about it.” She turned to Zoe. “What are you and your friends doing tonight?”

“Teenager things,” said Zoe.

“I used to do some epic teenager things, man,” said Rufus wistfully. “Until I was about thirty.”

“I need more information, Zoe,” said her mother.

“Dallas has a plan, but he hasn’t declassified it yet,” said Zoe. “I’ll tell you when I know. But I’m sure it’s just a teenager thing.”

“Okay, repeat after me,” said her mom. “I will keep my phone charged, and answer all my mother’s texts promptly—with words, not emojis.”

“I will keep my phone charged, and answer all my mother’s texts promptly—with words, not emojis,” said Zoe.

“I will be back by 11 p.

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