like.
“Yes!” Lily said. “That’s me! I still get frustrated when people say ‘that’ when they mean ‘who.’”
“Language is fluid,” April said.
Lily smiled. “You’re right. You always said that and you’re right.” Lily leaned her bike over to the side and swung her leg over the handle bars. “You need help finding your house, Ms. Yettin?”
“No,” April said. The girl wasn’t a robot, but the robots might be tracking her. The last thing she wanted was for the robots to know where she lived. She shook her head to reset everything. Of course the robots already knew where she lived—they were the ones who kept moving the house. Why shouldn’t this girl help her find her house?
“Yes,” April said.
Lily’s face melted from concern to a smile. She was pleased. This made April pleased. The girl was too skinny to be tracked by robots.
“Come on,” Lily said. “I think I know where to look for your house.”
“Don’t let them see,” April said.
“No,” Lily said, shaking her head. “Of course not.”
Chapter 9 : Hazard
[ Shepherd ]
“M S . Y ETTIN !” L ILYSAID .
Her grade school teacher, April Yettin, had been veering towards the street again. Lily let Ms. Yettin roam ahead and then snuck between her and the road. She used the bike to separate herself from Ms. Yettin. She wasn’t afraid of her; not exactly. She was a little scared, but she still saw the kind teacher under the layers of disease.
Every time she veered, it started the same way. Ms. Yettin would blink several times and then jerk her head. Lily’s father kept an old record player in his study. The arm of the record player moved like Ms. Yettin’s head. It would hit a scratch and then jerk back. That’s what Ms. Yettin would do right before she veered off course—her needle would skip.
“My house should be over here somewhere.”
“No, Ms. Yettin,” Lily said. “You’re on the other side of the dam, remember? You moved two years ago.”
Ms. Yettin turned and looked directly at Lily. The girl’s hand automatically clamped down on the handlebars of the bike. She accidentally squeezed one of the brake levers and the bike skidded to a stop under her hands.
“ They moved me,” Ms. Yettin said. “They move the whole house. They do it all the time.”
“Okay,” Lily said. “You’re on the other side of the dam, okay? Let’s go over there and I’ll show you.”
Ms. Yettin laughed at Lily. “We’ll see.”
“There’s Ricky,” Lily said. She pointed as she got her bike rolling again. Ricky was taking a black bag of trash across to the green dumpster. When he saw Lily and Ms. Yettin, he waved.
Ms. Yettin stopped.
“Come on, Ms. Yettin, there’s a way to go yet. You’re in the house up here on the right, remember?”
Lily thought it was nice that Ms. Yettin could walk around Kingston Lakes and remain pretty safe. Lily’s mother didn’t agree. She thought that Ms. Yettin should be taken somewhere supervised, where she wouldn’t be a danger to herself or the people around her. Lily hated that idea. Lily thought that a community should take care of its own, especially when that person used to be a teacher. They were public servants—they deserved respect.
Ms. Yettin was focused on Ricky.
“You remember Ricky? You loved him—he wrote that essay on boats that you sent to that magazine? Remember?”
“He’s infected,” Ms. Yettin whispered.
“Pardon?” Lily asked.
Ms. Yettin turned to Lily and then jabbed a finger towards Ricky. A dozen yards away and preoccupied with disposing of the trash bag, Ricky didn’t notice.
“Can’t you see the thing following him around like a dog on a leash?” Ms. Yettin asked.
Lily’s eyes grew wide.
“Ms. Yettin, that’s just Ricky…”
“He thinks that it’s doing his bidding, but it’s the other way around,” Ms. Yettin said. “He’s infected with robots and they’re going to boil his bones for the marrow. It’s not as
“Yes!” Lily said. “That’s me! I still get frustrated when people say ‘that’ when they mean ‘who.’”
“Language is fluid,” April said.
Lily smiled. “You’re right. You always said that and you’re right.” Lily leaned her bike over to the side and swung her leg over the handle bars. “You need help finding your house, Ms. Yettin?”
“No,” April said. The girl wasn’t a robot, but the robots might be tracking her. The last thing she wanted was for the robots to know where she lived. She shook her head to reset everything. Of course the robots already knew where she lived—they were the ones who kept moving the house. Why shouldn’t this girl help her find her house?
“Yes,” April said.
Lily’s face melted from concern to a smile. She was pleased. This made April pleased. The girl was too skinny to be tracked by robots.
“Come on,” Lily said. “I think I know where to look for your house.”
“Don’t let them see,” April said.
“No,” Lily said, shaking her head. “Of course not.”
Chapter 9 : Hazard
[ Shepherd ]
“M S . Y ETTIN !” L ILYSAID .
Her grade school teacher, April Yettin, had been veering towards the street again. Lily let Ms. Yettin roam ahead and then snuck between her and the road. She used the bike to separate herself from Ms. Yettin. She wasn’t afraid of her; not exactly. She was a little scared, but she still saw the kind teacher under the layers of disease.
Every time she veered, it started the same way. Ms. Yettin would blink several times and then jerk her head. Lily’s father kept an old record player in his study. The arm of the record player moved like Ms. Yettin’s head. It would hit a scratch and then jerk back. That’s what Ms. Yettin would do right before she veered off course—her needle would skip.
“My house should be over here somewhere.”
“No, Ms. Yettin,” Lily said. “You’re on the other side of the dam, remember? You moved two years ago.”
Ms. Yettin turned and looked directly at Lily. The girl’s hand automatically clamped down on the handlebars of the bike. She accidentally squeezed one of the brake levers and the bike skidded to a stop under her hands.
“ They moved me,” Ms. Yettin said. “They move the whole house. They do it all the time.”
“Okay,” Lily said. “You’re on the other side of the dam, okay? Let’s go over there and I’ll show you.”
Ms. Yettin laughed at Lily. “We’ll see.”
“There’s Ricky,” Lily said. She pointed as she got her bike rolling again. Ricky was taking a black bag of trash across to the green dumpster. When he saw Lily and Ms. Yettin, he waved.
Ms. Yettin stopped.
“Come on, Ms. Yettin, there’s a way to go yet. You’re in the house up here on the right, remember?”
Lily thought it was nice that Ms. Yettin could walk around Kingston Lakes and remain pretty safe. Lily’s mother didn’t agree. She thought that Ms. Yettin should be taken somewhere supervised, where she wouldn’t be a danger to herself or the people around her. Lily hated that idea. Lily thought that a community should take care of its own, especially when that person used to be a teacher. They were public servants—they deserved respect.
Ms. Yettin was focused on Ricky.
“You remember Ricky? You loved him—he wrote that essay on boats that you sent to that magazine? Remember?”
“He’s infected,” Ms. Yettin whispered.
“Pardon?” Lily asked.
Ms. Yettin turned to Lily and then jabbed a finger towards Ricky. A dozen yards away and preoccupied with disposing of the trash bag, Ricky didn’t notice.
“Can’t you see the thing following him around like a dog on a leash?” Ms. Yettin asked.
Lily’s eyes grew wide.
“Ms. Yettin, that’s just Ricky…”
“He thinks that it’s doing his bidding, but it’s the other way around,” Ms. Yettin said. “He’s infected with robots and they’re going to boil his bones for the marrow. It’s not as
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