by Laura Burns
“Parents will hear about the fire on the news,” Ethan continued. “They’ll come to get their kids. At least we saved some of them, Sarah.”
“Yeah,” she murmured, but all she could think about was the ones they hadn’t been able to save.
“My parents might even come,” Ethan said. “But I can’t—” He shook his head. “I can’t trust them. My mom might give me a hug, then turn me over to Fortitude. Same with my dad.”
“I can’t believe my dad is alive,” Sarah said, wrapping one arm around Ethan’s waist, wanting to be even closer to him. He pressed a kiss onto the top of her head. “But he works for Fortitude. How is that possible? What if he’s…”
“Like mine,” Ethan finished when she didn’t continue.
“Like yours.” A head filled with nanites. No will of his own. “Or worse, like Dave.”
“You’re going to look for him,” Ethan said, studying her face.
Sarah nodded. “I know he was a scientist, at MIT, I think. I remember we lived in Boston before all the hotels, all the rules. And Dave said my name was Johnson. My real name, I guess. So that’s my father’s name.”
“That’s enough to start with,” Ethan said. “But Sarah, if he’s one of them…”
“I’ll take him down,” she cut him off. “I’m going to take them all down.”
“Okay. Then we’re agreed. Fortitude can’t be allowed to rebuild.” Ethan turned toward shore. “We’re getting close to the dock.” There were people waiting, more EMTs and locals eager to help, to offer thermoses of hot chocolate, blankets, beds for the night, phones that could call anywhere. “We can’t trust anyone to—”
“I know,” Sarah interrupted. A few houses dotted the shoreline, windows glowing with welcoming light. But behind them lay dark, dense woods. “We’ll go to the forest.”
“Good,” Ethan agreed. “We’ve handled worse than mosquitoes and raccoons. Come on.” He took her hand and they headed for the gangplank. People were already gathering there.
When the gangplank lowered, she and Ethan walked off with the rest of the crowd. They headed down the dock, surrounded by their friends and classmates and teachers. But when they reached the end, they veered away from the group and let themselves disappear into the shadows, and then into the woods beyond.
Once they were shielded by the thick branches of the pines, Sarah turned back. In the distance, the island burned. But here, other figures were gliding into the shadows of the forest, melting into the darkness, following the last command she’d given them: Escape.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
LAURA J. BURNS & MELINDA METZ have written many books for teens and middle-grade readers, including the Edgar-nominated mystery series Wright & Wong, and the young adult novels Crave and Sacrifice. They have also written for the television shows Roswell, 1-800-Missing, and The Dead Zone. Laura lives in New York and Melinda lives in North Carolina, but really they mostly live on e-mail, where they do most of their work together!. You can sign up for email updates here.
MELINDA METZ: You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Epilogue
About the Authors
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously.
SANCTUARY BAY. Copyright © 2015 by St. Martin’s Press. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Kerri Resnick
Cover photographs: girl © Galya Ivanova/Arcangel; branches © apiguide/Shutterstock
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-05136-3 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-6917-2 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781466869172
Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at (800) 221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at [email protected].
First Edition: January 2016