Unwholly Tapa dura - 2012

Resumen

Extracto

1 âÈò Starkey

HeâÈçs fighting a nightmare when they come for him.

A great flood is swallowing the world, and in the middle of it all, heâÈçs being mauled by a bear. HeâÈçs more annoyed than terrified. As if the flood isnâÈçt enough, his deep, dark mind has to send an angry grizzly to tear into him.

Then heâÈçs dragged feetfirst out of the jaws of death and drowning Armageddon.

âÈêUp! Now! LetâÈçs go!âÈë

He opens his eyes to a brightly lit bedroom that ought to be dark. Two Juvey-cops manhandle him, grabbing his arms, preventing him from fighting back long before heâÈçs awake enough to try.

âÈêNo! Stop! What is this?âÈë

Handcuffs. First his right wrist, then his left.

âÈêOn your feet!âÈë

They yank him to his feet as if heâÈçs resistingâÈ'which he would, if he were more awake.

âÈêLeave me alone! WhatâÈçs going on?âÈë

But in an instant heâÈçs awake enough to know exactly whatâÈçs going on. ItâÈçs a kidnapping. But you canâÈçt call it kidnapping when transfer papers have been signed in triplicate.

âÈêVerbally confirm that you are Mason Michael Starkey.âÈë

There are two officers. One is short and muscular, the other tall and muscular. Probably military boeufs before they took jobs as Juvey-rounders. It takes a special heartless breed to be a Juvey-cop, but to specialize as a rounder you probably need to be soulless as well. The fact that heâÈçs being rounded for unwinding shocks and terrifies Starkey, but he refuses to show it, because he knows Juvey-rounders get off on other peopleâÈçs fear.

The short one, who is clearly the mouthpiece of this duo, gets in his face and repeats, âÈêVerbally confirm that you are Mason Michael Starkey!âÈë

âÈêAnd why should I do that?âÈë

âÈêKid,âÈë says the other rounder, âÈêthis can go down easy or hard, but either way itâÈçs going down.âÈë The second cop is more soft spoken with a pair of lips that clearly arenâÈçt his. In fact, they look like they came from a girl. âÈêThe drillâÈçs not so hard, so just get with the program.âÈë

He talks as if Starkey should have known they were coming, but what Unwind ever really knows? Every Unwind believes in their heart of hearts that it wonâÈçt happen to themâÈ'that their parents, no matter how strained things get, will be smart enough not to fall for the net ads, TV commercials, and billboards that say things like âÈêUnwinding: the sensible solution.âÈë But who is he kidding? Even without the constant media blitz, StarkeyâÈçs been a potential candidate for unwinding since the moment he arrived on the doorstep. Perhaps he should be surprised that his parents waited so long.

Now the mouthpiece gets deep in his personal space. âÈêFor the last time, verbally confirm that you areâÈ'âÈë

âÈêYeah, yeah, Mason Michael Starkey. Now get out of my face, your breath stinks.âÈë

With his identity verbally confirmed, Lady-Lips pulls out a form in triplicate: white, yellow, and pink.

âÈêSo is this how you do it?âÈë Starkey asks, his voice beginning to quaver. âÈêYou arrest me? WhatâÈçs my crime? Being sixteen? Or maybe itâÈçs just being here at all.âÈë

âÈêQuiet-or-we-tranq-you,âÈë says Mouthpiece, like itâÈçs all one word.

A part of Starkey wants to be tranqâÈçdâÈ'just go to sleep and if heâÈçs lucky, never wake up. That way he wonâÈçt have to face the utter humiliation of being torn from his life in the middle of the night. But no, he wants to see his parentsâÈç faces. Or, more to the point, he wants them to see his face, and if heâÈçs tranqâÈçd, they get off easy. They wonâÈçt have to look him in the eye.

Lady-Lips holds the unwind order in front of him and begins to read the infamous Paragraph Nine, the âÈêNegation Clause.âÈë

âÈêMason Michael Starkey, by the signing of this order, your parents and/or legal guardians have retroactively terminated your tenure, backdated to six days postconception, leaving you in violation of Existential Code 390. In light of this, you are hereby remanded to the California Juvenile Authority for summary division, also known as unwinding.âÈë

âÈêBlah, blah, blah.âÈë

âÈêAny rights previously granted to you by the county, state, or federal government as a citizen thereof are now officially and permanently revoked.âÈë He folds the unwind order and shoves it into his pocket.

âÈêCongratulations, Mr. Starkey,âÈë says Mouthpiece. âÈêYou no longer exist.âÈë

âÈêThen why are you talking to me?âÈë

âÈêWe wonâÈçt be for much longer.âÈë They tug him toward the door.

âÈêCan I at least put on shoes?âÈë

They let him go but stay on their guard.

Starkey takes his sweet time tying his shoes. Then they pull him out of his room and down the stairs. The Juvey-cops have heavy boots that intimidate the wood of the steps. The three of them sound like a herd of cattle as they go down.

His parents wait in the foyer. ItâÈçs three in the morning, but theyâÈçre still fully dressed. TheyâÈçve been awake all night anticipating this. Starkey sees anguish on their faces, or maybe itâÈçs relief, itâÈçs hard to tell. He hardens his own emotions, hiding them behind a mock smile.

âÈêHi, Mom! Hi, Dad!âÈë he says brightly. âÈêGuess what just happened to me? IâÈçll give you twenty guesses to figure it out!âÈë

His father takes a deep breath, preparing to launch into the Great Unwinding Speech that every parent prepares for a wayward child. Even if they never use it, they still prepare it, running the words through their minds while on lunch break, or while sitting in traffic, or while listening to some moronic boss blather on about price points and distribution, and whatever other crap that people in office buildings have meetings about.

What were the statistics? Starkey saw it on the news once. Every year the thought of unwinding passes through the mind of one in ten parents. Of those, one in ten seriously considers it, and of those, one in twenty actually goes through with itâÈ'and the statistic doubles with every additional kid a family has. Crunch those juicy numbers, and one out of every two thousand kids between the ages of thirteen and seventeen will be unwound each year. Better odds than the lotteryâÈ'and that doesnâÈçt even include the kids in state homes.

His father, keeping his distance, begins the speech. âÈêMason, canâÈçt you see that you left us no choice?âÈë

The Juvey-cops hold him firm at the bottom of the stairs, but they make no move to get him outside. They know they must allow the parental rite of passage; the verbal boot out the door.

âÈêThe fights, the drugs, the stolen carâÈ'and now being expelled from yet another school. WhatâÈçs next, Mason?âÈë

âÈêGee, I donâÈçt know, Dad. There are so many bad choices I can make.âÈë

âÈêNot anymore. We care enough about you to end your bad choices before they end you.âÈë

That just makes him laugh out loud.

And then thereâÈçs a voice from the top of the stairs.

âÈêNo! You canâÈçt do this!âÈë

His sister, JennaâÈ'his parentsâÈç biological daughterâÈ'stands at the top of the stairs in teddy bear pajamas that seem too old for her thirteen years.

âÈêGo back to bed, Jenna,âÈë their mother says.

âÈêYouâÈçre unwinding him just because he was storked, and thatâÈçs unfair! And right before Christmas, too! What if I had come storked? Would you unwind me also?âÈë

âÈêWe are not having this discussion!âÈë yells their father, as their mother begins to cry. âÈêGo back to bed!âÈë

But she doesnâÈçt. She folds her arms and sits at the top of the stairs in defiance, witnessing the whole thing. Good for her.

His motherâÈçs tears are genuine, but heâÈçs unsure whether sheâÈçs crying for him or for the rest of the family. âÈêAll these things you do, everyone told us they were a cry for help,âÈë she says. âÈêSo why didnâÈçt you let us help you?âÈë

He wants to scream. How could he possibly explain it to them if they canâÈçt see? They donâÈçt know what itâÈçs like to go through sixteen years of life knowing you werenâÈçt wanted; a mystery baby of uncertain race storked on the doorstep of a couple so sienna-pale, they could have been vampires. Or to still remember that day when you were three years old and your mom, all doped up on pain medication from your sisterâÈçs cesarean delivery, took you to a fire station and begged them to take you away and make you a ward of the state. Or how about knowing every Christmas morning that your gift is not a joy, but an obligation? And that your birthday isnâÈçt even real because they canâÈçt pinpoint when you were born, just the day you were left on a welcome mat that some new mother took too literally?

And what about the taunts from the other kids at school?

In fourth grade MasonâÈçs parents were called into the principalâÈçs office. He had flipped a boy off the top platform of the jungle gym. The kid had suffered a concussion and a broken arm.

âÈêWhy, Mason?âÈë his parents had asked, right there in front of the principal. âÈêWhy did you do it?âÈë

He told them that the other kids were calling him âÈêStorkyâÈë instead of Starkey, and that this was the boy who had started it. He naively thought theyâÈçd rise to his defense, but they just dismissed it as if it didnâÈçt matter.

âÈêYou could have killed that boy,âÈë his father had reprimanded. âÈêAnd why? Because of words? Words donâÈçt hurt you.âÈë Which is one of the hugest criminal lies perpetrated by adults against children in this world. Because words hurt more than any physical pain. He would have gladly taken a concussion and a broken arm if he never had to be singled out as a storked child ever again.

In the end, he got sent to a different school and was ordered to have mandatory counseling.

âÈêYou think about what you did,âÈë his old principal had told him.

And he did what he was told, like a good little boy. He gave it plenty of thought and decided he should have found a higher platform.

So how do you even begin to explain that? How do you explain a lifetime of injustice in the time it takes the Juvey-cops to herd you out the door? The answer is easy: You donâÈçt even try.

âÈêIâÈçm sorry, Mason,âÈë his father says, tears in his eyes as well. âÈêBut itâÈçs better for everyone this way. Including you.âÈë

Starkey knows heâÈçll never make his parents understand, but if nothing else, heâÈçll have the last word.

âÈêHey, Mom, by the way . . . DadâÈçs late nights at the office arenâÈçt really at the office. TheyâÈçre with your friend Nancy.âÈë

But before he can begin to relish his parentsâÈç shocked expressions, it occurs to him that this secret knowledge could have been a bargaining chip. If he had told his father he knew, it could have been ironclad protection from unwinding! How could he be so stupid not to have thought of that when it mattered?

So in the end he canâÈçt even enjoy his bitter little victory as the Juvey-cops push him out into a cool December night.



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The Juvey squad car leaves the driveway with Starkey locked in the backseat behind a bulletproof barrier. Mouthpiece drives while Lady-Lips flips through a fat file folder. Starkey canâÈçt imagine his life could have that much data.

âÈêIt says here you scored in the top ten percentile in your early childhood exams.âÈë

The mouthpiece shakes his head in disgust. âÈêWhat a waste.âÈë

âÈêNot really,âÈë says Lady-Lips. âÈêPlenty of folks will get the benefit of your smarts, Mr. Starkey.âÈë

The suggestion gives him an unpleasant chill, but he tries not to show it. âÈêLove the lip graft, dude,âÈë Starkey says. âÈêWhatâÈçs the deal? Did your wife tell you sheâÈçd rather be kissed by a woman?âÈë

Mouthpiece smirks, and Lady-Lips says nothing.

âÈêBut enough lip service,âÈë says Starkey. âÈêYou boys hungry? Because I could go for a midnight snack right about now. Some In-N-Out? Whaddaya say?âÈë

No answer from the front seat. Not that he expects one, but itâÈçs always fun to mess with law enforcement and see how much it takes to irritate them. Because if they get ticked off, he wins. WhatâÈçs that story about the Akron AWOL? What did he always say? Oh yeah. âÈêNice socks.âÈë Simple, elegant, but it always undermined the confidence of any figure of false authority.

The Akron AWOLâÈ'now there was an Unwind! Sure, he died in the attack on Happy Jack Harvest Camp almost a year ago, but his legend lives on. Starkey longs for the kind of notoriety that Connor Lassiter has. In fact, Starkey imagines Connor LassiterâÈçs ghost sitting by his side, appreciating his thoughts and his every actionâÈ'not just approving, but guiding StarkeyâÈçs hands as he wriggles his handcuffs down to his left shoeâÈ'just low enough to fish out the knife from the lining. The knife heâÈçs saved for special occasions like this.

âÈêCome to think about it, In-N-Out Burger does sound good right about now,âÈë says Lady-Lips.

âÈêExcellent,âÈë says Starkey. âÈêThereâÈçs one up ahead on the left. Order me a Double-Double, Animal Style, and Animal fries, too, because, heyâÈ'IâÈçm an animal.âÈë

He is amazed that they actually pull into the all-night drive-through. Starkey feels like the master of subliminal suggestion, even though his suggestion was not all that subliminal. Still, he is in control of the Juvey-cops . . . or at least he thinks he is until they order meals for themselves and nothing for him.

âÈêHey! WhatâÈçs the deal?âÈë He pounds his shoulder against the glass that separates their world from his.

âÈêTheyâÈçll feed you at harvest camp,âÈë says Lady-Lips.

Only now does it hit home that the bulletproof glass doesnâÈçt just separate him from the copsâÈ'itâÈçs a barrier between him and any part of the outside world. He will never taste his favorite foods again. Never visit his favorite places. At least not as Mason Starkey. Suddenly he feels like hurling up everything heâÈçs eaten, backdated to six days postconception.

The night shift cashier at the drive-through window is a girl Starkey knows from his last school. As he sees her, a whole mess of emotions toy with his brain. He could just lurk in the shadows of the backseat, hoping not to be seen, but that would make him feel pathetic. No, he will not be pathetic. If heâÈçs going down, then it will be in flames that everyone must see.

âÈêHey, Amanda, will you go to the prom with me?âÈë He shouts loud enough to be heard through the thick glass barrier.

Amanda squints in his direction, and when she realizes who it is, she turns up her nose as if sheâÈçs smelled something rancid on the grill.

âÈêNot in this life, Starkey.âÈë

âÈêWhy not?âÈë

âÈêA, youâÈçre a sophomore, and B, youâÈçre a loser in the back of a police car. And anyway, donâÈçt they have their own prom at the alternative school?âÈë

Could she possibly be any denser? âÈêUh, as you can see, IâÈçve graduated.âÈë

âÈêPipe down,âÈë says Mouthpiece, âÈêor IâÈçll unwind you right into the burgers.âÈë

Finally Amanda gets it, and suddenly she becomes a little sheepish. âÈêOh! Oh, IâÈçm sorry, Starkey. IâÈçm really sorry. . . .âÈë

Pity is something Mason Starkey canâÈçt stand. âÈêSorry for what? You and your friends wouldnâÈçt give me the time of day before, but now youâÈçre sorry for me? Save it.âÈë

âÈêIâÈçm sorry. I meanâÈ'IâÈçm sorry that IâÈçm sorryâÈ'I mean . . .âÈë She sighs in exasperation and gives up, handing Lady-Lips a bag of food. âÈêDo you need ketchup?âÈë

âÈêNo, weâÈçre good.âÈë

âÈêHey, Amanda!âÈë Starkey shouts as they drive away. âÈêIf you really want to do something for me, tell everyone I went down fighting, will you? Tell them IâÈçm just like the Akron AWOL.âÈë

âÈêI will, Starkey,âÈë she says. âÈêI promise.âÈë

But he knows sheâÈçll forget by morning.

Twenty minutes later theyâÈçre turning into the back alley of county lockup. No one goes in the front way, least of all the Unwinds. The county jail has a juvenile wing, and in the back of the juvey wing is a special box within a box where they hold Unwinds awaiting transport. StarkeyâÈçs been in regular juvey enough to know that once youâÈçre in the Unwind holding cell, thatâÈçs it. End of story. Even death row inmates donâÈçt have such tight security.

But heâÈçs not there yet. HeâÈçs still here, in the car, waiting to be transferred inside. Right here is where the hull of this little ship of fools is thinnest, and if heâÈçs going to sink their plans, it has to happen between the car and the back door of the county jail. As they prepare for his âÈêperp walk,âÈë he thinks about his chances of breaking freeâÈ'because as much as his parents may have imagined this night, so has he, and heâÈçs made up a dozen valiant escape plans. The thing is, even his daydreams are fatalistic; in every anxiety-filled fantasy, he always loses, gets tranqâÈçd, and wakes up on an operating table. Sure, they say they donâÈçt unwind you right away, but Starkey doesnâÈçt believe it. No one really knows what goes on in the harvest camps, and those who find out arenâÈçt exactly around to share the experience.

They pull him out of the car and flank him on either side, grasping his upper arms tightly. They are practiced in this walk. Lady-Lips grips StarkeyâÈçs fat file in his other hand.

âÈêSo,âÈë says Starkey, âÈêdoes that file show my hobbies?âÈë

âÈêProbably,âÈë says Lady-Lips, not really caring either way.

âÈêMaybe you should have read it a little more closely, because then weâÈçd have something to talk about.âÈë He grins. âÈêYou know, IâÈçm pretty good with magic.âÈë

âÈêThat so?âÈë says Mouthpiece, with a twisted sneer. âÈêToo bad you canâÈçt make yourself disappear.âÈë

âÈêWho says I canâÈçt?âÈë

Then, in his finest Houdini fashion, he raises his right hand, revealing the cuff no longer on it. Instead, it dangles free from his left hand. Before they can even react, Starkey slides the penknife he used to pick the lock out of his sleeve, grips it in his hand, and slashes it across Lady-LipsâÈçs face.

The man screams, and blood flows from a four-inch wound. Mouthpiece, for once in his miserable life of public disservice, is speechless. He reaches for his weapon, but Starkey is already on the run, zigzagging in the shadowy alley.

âÈêHey!âÈë yells Mouthpiece. âÈêYouâÈçre only making it worse for yourself.âÈë

But what are they going to do? Reprimand him before they unwind him? The Mouthpiece can talk all he wants, but heâÈçs got no bargaining position.

The alley turns to the left and then to the right like a maze, and all the while beside him is the tall, imposing brick wall of the county jail.

Finally he turns another corner and sees a street up ahead. He charges forward, but just as he emerges into that street, heâÈçs grabbed by Mouthpiece. Somehow he made it there before Starkey. HeâÈçs surprised, but he shouldnâÈçt be, because doesnâÈçt every Unwind try to run? And couldnâÈçt they build a twisting alley specifically designed to waste your time and give the Juvey-cops an advantage that they never really lost?

âÈêYouâÈçre through, Starkey!âÈë He crushes StarkeyâÈçs wrist enough to dislodge the knife and brandishes a tranq gun with trigger-happy fury. âÈêDown on the ground, or this goes in your eye!âÈë

But Starkey does not go down. He will not humble himself before this legalized thug.

âÈêDo it!âÈë says Starkey. âÈêTranq me in the eye and explain to the harvest camp why the goods are damaged.âÈë

Mouthpiece turns him around and pushes him against the brick wall, hard enough to scrape and bruise his face.

âÈêIâÈçve had enough of you, Starkey. Or maybe I should call you Storky.âÈë Then Mouthpiece laughs, like heâÈçs a genius. Like every moron in the world hasnâÈçt already called him that. âÈêStorky!âÈë he snorts. âÈêThatâÈçs a better name for you, isnâÈçt it? How do you like that, Storky?âÈë

Blood boils hotter than water. Starkey can vouch for that, because with adrenaline-pumped fury, he elbows Mouthpiece in the gut and spins around, grabbing the gun.

âÈêOh no, you donâÈçt.âÈë

Mouthpiece is strongerâÈ'but maybe animal-style beats strength.

The gun is between them. It points at StarkeyâÈçs cheek, then his chest, then to MouthpieceâÈçs ear, then under his chin. They both grapple for the trigger andâÈ'Blam!

The concussive shock of the blast knocks Starkey back against the wall. Blood! Blood everywhere! The ferrous taste of it in his mouth, and the acrid smell of gun smoke andâÈ'

That was no tranq bullet! That was the real thing!

And he thinks heâÈçs microseconds away from death, but he suddenly realizes that the blood isnâÈçt his. In front of him, MouthpieceâÈçs face is a red, pulpy mess. The man goes down, dead before he hits the pavement andâÈ'

My God, that was a real bullet. Why does a Juvey-cop have real bullets? ThatâÈçs illegal!

He can hear footsteps around the bend, and the dead cop is still dead, and he knows the whole world heard the gunshot, and everything hinges on his next action.

He is partners with the Akron AWOL now. The patron saint of runaway Unwinds is watching over his shoulder, waiting for Starkey to make a move, and he thinks, What would Connor do?

Just then another Juvey-cop comes around the bendâÈ'a cop he has never seen and is determined to never see again. Starkey raises MouthpieceâÈçs gun and shoots, turning what was just an accident into murder.

As he escapesâÈ'truly escapesâÈ'all he can think about is the bloody taste of victory, and how pleased the ghost of Connor Lassiter would be.



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To be an AWOL Unwind is one thing, but to be a cop killer is another. The manhunt for Starkey becomes more than just your typical Unwind chase. It seems the whole world is put on alert. First Starkey changes his look, dying his straggly brown hair red, cutting it bookworm-short, and shaving off the little victory garden goatee that heâÈçs been cultivating since middle school. Now when people see him, they might get a feeling theyâÈçve seen him before, but not know from where, because now he looks less like a face from a wanted poster and more like someone youâÈçd see on a Wheaties box. The red hair is a bit of a disconnect with his olive complexion, but then, being a genetic hodgepodge has served him well all his life. HeâÈçs always been a chameleon who could pass for any ethnicity. The red hair just adds one more level of misdirection.

He skips town and never stays anywhere for more than a day or two. Word is that the Pacific Northwest is more sympathetic to AWOL Unwinds than Southern California, so thatâÈçs where heâÈçs headed.

Starkey is prepared for life as a fugitive, because he has always lived in a kind of protective paranoia. DonâÈçt trust anyone, not even your own shadow, and look out for your own best interests. His friends appreciated his clear-cut approach to life, because they always knew where they stood. He would fight to the end for his friends . . . as long as it was in his own interest to do so.

âÈêYou have the soul of a corporation,âÈë a teacher once told him. It was meant as an insult, but he took it as a compliment. Corporations have great power and do fine things in this world when they choose to. She was a glacier-hugging math teacher who got laid off the following year, because who needs math teachers when you can just get a NeuroWeave? Just goes to show you, hugging a chunk of ice gets you nothing but cold.

Now, however, StarkeyâÈçs one with the huggers, because theyâÈçre the kind of people who run the Anti-Divisional Resistance, harboring runaway Unwinds. Once heâÈçs in the hands of the ADR, he knows heâÈçll be safe, but finding them is the hard part.

âÈêIâÈçve been AWOL for almost four months now and havenâÈçt seen no sign of the resistance,âÈë says an ugly kid with a bulldog face. Starkey met him while hanging out behind a KFC on Christmas Eve, waiting for them to throw out the leftover chicken. HeâÈçs not the kind of kid Starkey would hang with in real life, but now that real life has flipped into borrowed time, his priorities have changed.

âÈêIâÈçve survived because I donâÈçt fall for no traps,âÈë Dogface tells him.

Starkey knows all about the traps. If a hiding place seems too good to be true, it probably is. An abandoned house with a comfortable mattress; an unlocked truck that happens to be full of canned food. TheyâÈçre traps set by Juvey-cops for AWOL Unwinds. There are even Juvies pretending to be part of the Anti-Divisional Resistance.

âÈêThe Juvies are offering rewards now for people who turn in AWOLs,âÈë Dogface says, as they stuff themselves sick with chicken. âÈêAnd there are bounty hunters, too. Parts pirates, they call âÈçem. They donâÈçt bother with collecting rewardsâÈ'they sell the AWOLs they catch on the black marketâÈ'and if you think regular harvest camps are bad, you donâÈçt wanna know about the illegal ones.âÈë The kid swallows a mouthful so big, Starkey can see it going down his gullet like a mouse being swallowed by a snake. âÈêThere never used to be parts pirates,âÈë he says, âÈêbut since seventeen-year-olds canâÈçt be unwound no more, thereâÈçs a shortage of parts, and AWOLs fetch a huge price on the black market.âÈë

Starkey shakes his head. Making it illegal to unwind seventeen-year-olds was supposed to save a fifth of the kids marked for unwinding, but instead it forced a lot of parents to make their decision earlier. Starkey wonders if his parents would have changed their mind if they had another year to decide.

âÈêParts pirates are the worst,âÈë Dogface tells him. âÈêTheir traps arenâÈçt so nice as the ones the Juvies set. I heard this story about a trapper who got put out of business when fur was made illegal. So he took his heaviest animal traps and retooled them for Unwinds. Man, one of those traps snaps around your leg, and you can kiss that leg good-bye.âÈë He snaps a chicken bone in half for emphasis, and Starkey shivers in spite of himself. âÈêThere are other stories,âÈë Dogface says, licking chicken grease from his dirty fingers, âÈêlike this kid in my old neighborhood. His parents were total losers. Strung-out druggies who prolly shoulda been unwound themselves, if they had unwinding back in the day. Anyway, on his thirteenth birthday, they sign the unwind order and tell him about it.âÈë

âÈêWhy would they tell him?âÈë

âÈêSo heâÈçd run away,âÈë Dogface explains, âÈêbut see, they knew all his secret hiding places, and they told a parts pirate where to find him. He caught the kid, sold him, and split the fee with the kidâÈçs parents.âÈë

âÈêSon of a bitch!âÈë

Dogface shrugs, and flicks away a chicken bone. âÈêThe kid was a stork-job anyways, so it was no great loss, right?âÈë

Starkey stops chewing, but just for a moment. Then he grins, keeping his thoughts to himself. âÈêRight. No great loss.âÈë

That night the dogfaced kid takes Starkey to a drainage tunnel where heâÈçs been hiding out, and once the kid falls asleep, Starkey gets to work. He goes out into a nearby neighborhood and leaves a bucket of chicken at some strangersâÈç front door, rings the bell, and runs.

ThereâÈçs no chicken in the bucket, though. Instead thereâÈçs a hand-drawn map, along with the following note:

Need money? Then send the Juvey-cops here, and youâÈçll collect a fat reward. Happy holidays!

Right around dawn, Starkey watches from a nearby rooftop as Juvies storm the drainage tunnel and pull out the dogfaced kid like so much earwax.

âÈêCongratulations, asshole,âÈë he says to himself. âÈêYouâÈçve been storked.âÈë



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âÈêWhen my parents signed the unwind order, I was scared. I didnâÈçt know what would happen to me. I thought, âÈæWhy me? Why am I being punished?âÈç But once I got to BigSky Harvest Camp, all that changed. I found other kids like me and was finally accepted for who I was. I found out that every single part of me was precious and valuable. Thanks to the people at BigSky Harvest Camp, IâÈçm not afraid of my unwinding anymore.

âÈêThe divided state? Wow. What an adventure!âÈë



Every AWOL Unwind will steal. ItâÈçs an argument that the authorities like to use to convince the public that Unwinds are rotten apples from skin to coreâÈ'that criminality is part of their very nature, and the only way to separate them from it is to separate them from themselves.

Theft, however, is not about predisposition when it comes to Unwinds. ItâÈçs simply a matter of necessity. Kids who would never steal a penny find their fingers stickier than molasses and full of all sorts of pilfered goods, from food to clothes to medicineâÈ'the various things they need to surviveâÈ'and those who were already prone to crime simply become even more so.

Starkey is no stranger to criminal activityâÈ'although until recently most of his crimes were misdemeanors of the rebellious sort. He shoplifted if a shopkeeper looked at him suspiciously. He tagged bits of his own personal philosophy, which usually involved some choice four-letter words, on buildings that stood for the very things that ticked him off. He even stole a car from a neighbor who always made his young children go inside whenever Starkey came out. He took that guyâÈçs car on a joyride with a couple of friends. Fun was had by all. Along the way he sideswiped a row of parked cars, losing two hub-caps and a bumper. Their ride ended when the car jumped a curb and mounted a very unresponsive mailbox. The damage was just enough to have the car labeled a total loss, which was exactly what Starkey wanted.

They never could prove it was him, but everybody knew. He had to admit, it wasnâÈçt one of his shining moments, but he knew he had had to do something to a man who didnâÈçt think Starkey was good enough to breathe the same air as his own children. The guy simply had to be punished for that kind of behavior.

All of it seemed to pale now that he was a murderer. But noâÈ'It would do him no good to think of himself that way. Better to think of himself as a warrior: a foot soldier in the war against unwinding. Soldiers were given medals for taking out the enemy, werenâÈçt they? So even though that night in the alley still plagues him in moments of insecurity, most of the time his conscience is clear. His conscience is also clear when he begins parting people from their wallets.

Starkey, imagining himself as a big-time Las Vegas magician someday, used to amaze friends and terrify adults by making their watches disappear off their wrists and turn up in other peopleâÈçs pockets. It was a simple parlor trick, but one that had taken lots of time to perfect. Making wallets and purses disappear followed the same principle. A combination of distraction, skilled fingers, and the confidence to get it done.

On this night, StarkeyâÈçs mark is a man who comes stumbling drunk out of a bar and slips an overstuffed wallet into the wide pocket of his overcoat. The drunk fumbles with his keys on the way to his car. Starkey strolls past, bumping him just hard enough to dislodge the keys, and they fall to the ground.

âÈêHey, man, IâÈçm sorry,âÈë Starkey says, picking up the keys and handing them to him. The man never feels the fingers of StarkeyâÈçs other hand in his pocket, lifting the wallet at the same moment StarkeyâÈçs handing him the keys. Starkey strolls off whistling to himself, knowing the man will be halfway home before he realizes that his wallet is gone, and even then, heâÈçll think he just left it at the bar.

Starkey turns a corner, making sure heâÈçs out of sight before he opens the wallet, and the second he does, a jolt of electricity courses through him with such power his feet fall out from under him and heâÈçs left semiconscious on the ground, twitching.

A stun-wallet. HeâÈçs heard of such things but never saw one in action until now.

Within seconds, the drunk is there, not so drunk after all, with three others whose faces he canâÈçt make out. They lift him up and shove him into the back of a waiting van.

As the door is pulled closed and the van accelerates, Starkey, only barely conscious, sees the face of the drunk/not-drunk man looking down at him through an electrically charged haze.

âÈêAre you an Unwind, a runaway, or just a lowlife?âÈë he asks.

StarkeyâÈçs lips feel like rubber. âÈêLowlife.âÈë

âÈêGreat,âÈë says the un-drunk. âÈêThat narrows it down. Unwind or runaway?âÈë

âÈêRunaway,âÈë mumbles Starkey.

âÈêPerfect,âÈë the man says. âÈêNow that weâÈçve established youâÈçre an Unwind, we know what to do with you.âÈë

Starkey groans, and some woman beyond his limited peripheral vision laughs. âÈêDonâÈçt be so surprised. Unwinds all got this look in their eye that lowlifes and runaways donâÈçt. We knew the truth without you saying a thing.âÈë

Starkey tries to move, but he can barely lift his limbs.

âÈêDonâÈçt,âÈë says a girl he canâÈçt see from somewhere behind him. âÈêDonâÈçt move or IâÈçll zap you even worse than the wallet did.âÈë

Starkey knows heâÈçs fallen for a parts pirateâÈçs trap. He thought he was smarter, and he silently curses his luck . . . until the man who pretended to be drunk says, âÈêYouâÈçll like this safe house. Good food, even if it does smell a little.âÈë

âÈêWh-what?âÈë

Laughs from everyone around him. There may be four or five people in the van. But his vision still isnâÈçt clear enough to get an accurate count.

âÈêI love that look on their faces,âÈë the woman says. Now she comes into his field of vision and grins at him. âÈêYou know how they tranq escaped lions so they can bring them back to safety before they get themselves in a heap of trouble?âÈë she says. âÈêWell, today youâÈçre the lion.âÈë



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The safe house is a sewer pump station. Automated. No city workers ever show up unless something breaks.

âÈêYou get used to the smell,âÈë Starkey is told as they bring him in, which he finds hard to believeâÈ'but it turns out to be true. Apparently oneâÈçs sense of smell realizes itâÈçs going to lose the battle and just goes with itâÈ'and, as they told him in the van, the food makes up for it.

The whole place is a petri dish of angst, generated by kids whose parents gave up on them, which is the worst kind of angst there is. There are fights and ridiculous posturing on a daily basis.

StarkeyâÈçs always been a natural leader among sketchy outcasts and borderline personalities, and the safe house is no exception. He quickly rises in the social ranks. Word of his escape act is already churning out smoke in the rumor mill, helping his status from the very beginning.

âÈêIs it true you shot two Juvey-cops?âÈë

âÈêYep.âÈë

âÈêIs it true you shot your way out of lockup with a machine gun?âÈë

âÈêSure, why not?âÈë

And the best part is that the storked kidsâÈ'who, even among Unwinds, are treated like second-class citizensâÈ'are now the elite, thanks to him!

Starkey says the storks get served first? They get served first. Starkey says they get the best beds, farthest from the stinking vents? They get the best beds. His word is law. Even those running the place know that Starkey is their greatest asset, and they know to keep him happy, because if he becomes an enemy, then every Unwind there is an enemy too.

He starts to settle in, figuring heâÈçll be there until heâÈçs seventeenâÈ'but then in the middle of the night theyâÈçre rounded up and taken away by the ADRâÈ'shuffled like a deck of cards to different safe houses.

âÈêThis is the way it works,âÈë theyâÈçre all told. The reason, Starkey comes to understand, is twofold. One, it keep the kids moving closer to their destination, wherever that might be. Two, it splits them apart to keep any alliances from becoming permanent. Kind of like unwinding the mob rather than the individuals to keep them in line.

Their plan, however, backfires with Starkey, because in each safe house he manages to earn respect, building his credibility among more and more kids. In each new location he comes across Unwinds who fancy themselves alpha males, trying to take charge, but in truth theyâÈçre just betas waiting for an alpha to humble them into submission.

In every instance, Starkey finds his opportunity to challenge, defeat, and rise above. Then thereâÈçs another midnight ride, another shake-up, and a new safe house. Each time Starkey learns a new social skill, something to serve him, something to make him even more effective at gathering and galvanizing these scared, angry kids. There could be no better leadership program than the safe houses of the Anti-Divisional Resistance.

And then come the coffins.

They show up at the final safe house: a shipment of lacquered wood caskets with rich satin linings. Most kids are terrified; Starkey is just amused.

âÈêGet in!âÈë theyâÈçre told by armed resistance fighters who look more like special ops. âÈêNo questions, just get in. Two to a box! Move it!âÈë

Some kids hesitate, but the smarter ones quickly find a partner like itâÈçs a sudden square dance, and nobody wants to be stuck with someone too tall, too fat, too unwashed, or too randyâÈ'because none of those things would fare well in the confines of a coffinâÈ'but no one actually gets in until Starkey gives the nod.

âÈêIf they meant to bury us,âÈë he tells them, âÈêthey would have done it already.âÈë As it turns out, heâÈçs more persuasive than the guys with the guns.

He chooses to share his little box with a wisp of a girl who is giddy at having been chosen by him. Not that he particularly likes her, but she is so slight that sheâÈçll barely take up any room. Once theyâÈçre wedged in together in a tight spoon position, theyâÈçre handed an oxygen tank and then closed into the darkness of the coffin together.

âÈêIâÈçve always liked you, Mason,âÈë says the girl, whose name he canâÈçt recall. HeâÈçs surprised that she knows his first name, since he never uses it anymore. âÈêOf all the boys in the safe houses, youâÈçre the only one who makes me feel safe.âÈë

He doesnâÈçt respond; he just kisses her on the back of her head, to maintain his image as the safest port in her storm. ItâÈçs a powerful feeling to know you make others feel safe.

âÈêWe . . . could, you know . . . ,âÈë she says coyly.

He reminds her that the ADR workers were very clear. âÈêNo extracurricular activities,âÈë they had said, âÈêor youâÈçll use up your oxygen and die.âÈë Starkey doesnâÈçt know if itâÈçs true, but it certainly is a good argument for restraint. Besides, even if someone were stupid enough to tempt fate, thereâÈçs not enough space to move, much less generate any sort of friction, so the point is moot. He wonders if itâÈçs some sort of twisted joke the adults are having, shoving hormonal teens into tight quarters but making it impossible to do anything but breathe.

âÈêI wouldnâÈçt mind suffocating if it was with you,âÈë the girl says, which is flattering, but makes him even less interested in her.

âÈêThereâÈçll be a better time,âÈë he tells her, knowing that such a time will never comeâÈ'at least not for herâÈ'but hope is a powerful motivator.

Eventually they settle into a sort of symbiotic breathing rhythm. He breathes in when she breathes out, so their chests donâÈçt fight for space.

After a while, thereâÈçs a jarring motion. With his arm now around the girl, he holds her a little more tightly, knowing that easing her fear somehow eases his own. Soon thereâÈçs a strange kind of acceleration, like theyâÈçre in a speeding car, but the angle changes, tilting them.

âÈêA plane?âÈë asks the girl.

âÈêI think so.âÈë

âÈêWhat now?âÈë

He doesnâÈçt answer because he doesnâÈçt know. Starkey begins to feel light-headed and, remembering the oxygen tank, turns the valve so that it slowly hisses. The coffin isnâÈçt quite air tight, but closed tightly enough that they would suffocate without that oxygen, even in the pressurized hull of a plane. In a few minutes the stress-induced exhaustion puts the girl to sleep, but not Starkey. Finally, an hour later, the sudden jar of landing jolts the girl awake.

âÈêWhere do you think we are?âÈë the girl asks.

Starkey is feeling irritable from the tight quarters but tries not to show it. âÈêWeâÈçll find out soon enough.âÈë

Twenty minutes of anticipation, and finally the lid is unlatched and opened, resurrecting the two of them from the dead.

ThereâÈçs a smiling kid with braces above them.

âÈêHello, IâÈçm Hayden, and IâÈçll be your personal savior today,âÈë he says brightly. âÈêOh look! No vomit or other unpleasant bodily fluids. Lucky you!âÈë

With barely any blood circulating in his feet, Starkey joins a limping procession out of the jetâÈçs cargo hold and into the blinding day. What he sees before him as his eyes adjust seems more like a mirage than anything real.

ItâÈçs a desert filled with thousands of airplanes.

StarkeyâÈçs heard of places like this, airplane boneyards where decommissioned aircraft go to die. Around them are teens in military camouflage, carrying weapons. TheyâÈçre not unlike the adults back at the last safe house, just younger. They herd the kids into a loose formation at the bottom of the ramp.

A Jeep drives up. Clearly this is the approach of someone important, someone who will tell them why theyâÈçre here.

The Jeep comes to a halt, and out steps an unremarkable-looking teenager in blue camouflage. HeâÈçs StarkeyâÈçs age or maybe a little bit older, and he has scars on the right half of his face.

As the crowd gets a good look at him, people begin to murmur with excitement. The kid raises his hand to quiet them down, and Starkey spots a shark tattoo on his arm.

âÈêNo way!âÈë a fat kid next to Starkey says. âÈêYou know who that is? ThatâÈçs the Akron AWOL! ThatâÈçs Connor Lassiter.âÈë

Starkey scoffs, âÈêDonâÈçt be ridiculous, the Akron AWOL is dead.âÈë

âÈêNo, he ainâÈçt! HeâÈçs right there!âÈë

The very idea sends a surge of adrenaline through StarkeyâÈçs body, finally bringing circulation back to his limbs. But noâÈ'as he looks at this teen trying to rein in the chaos, he realizes this couldnâÈçt be Connor Lassiter. This kid does not look the part at all. His hair is tousled, not coolly slicked back, the way Starkey always imagined it would be. This kid looks too open and honestâÈ'not quite innocent, but he has nowhere near the level of jaded anger that the Akron AWOL would have. The only thing about him that could even slightly resemble StarkeyâÈçs image of Connor Lassiter would be the slight smirk that always seems to be on his face. No, this kid before them, trying to command their respect, is nobody special. Nobody at all.

âÈêLet me be the first to welcome you to the Graveyard,âÈë he says, delivering what must be the same speech he delivers to every batch of new arrivals. âÈêOfficially my name is Elvis Robert Mullard . . . but my friends call me Connor.âÈë

Cheers from the Unwinds.

âÈêTold you so!âÈë says the fat kid.

âÈêDoesnâÈçt prove anything,âÈë says Starkey, his jaw set and teeth clenched as the speech continues.

âÈêYouâÈçre all here because you were marked for unwinding but escaped, and thanks to the efforts of a whole lot of people with the Anti-Divisional Resistance, youâÈçve made it here. This will be your home until you turn seventeen and canâÈçt be unwound. ThatâÈçs the good news. . . .âÈë

The more he speaks, the more StarkeyâÈçs heart sinks, and he comes to realize the truth of it. This is the Akron AWOLâÈ'and heâÈçs not larger than life at all. In fact, he barely lives up to reality.

âÈêThe bad news is that the Juvenile Authority knows about us. They know where we are and what weâÈçre doingâÈ'but so far theyâÈçve left us alone.âÈë

Starkey marvels at the unfairness of it all. How could this be? How is it possible that the great champion of runaway Unwinds is just some ordinary kid?

âÈêSome of you just want to survive to seventeen, and I donâÈçt blame you,âÈë Connor says. âÈêBut I know that many of you would risk everything to end unwinding forever.âÈë

âÈêYeah!âÈë Starkey shouts out, making sure itâÈçs loud enough to draw everyoneâÈçs attention away from Connor, and he starts pumping his fist in the air. âÈêHappy Jack! Happy Jack! Happy Jack!âÈë He gets a whole chant going in the crowd. âÈêWeâÈçll blow up every last harvest camp!âÈë Starkey shouts. Yet even though heâÈçs riled them up, one look from Connor throws a wet blanket over the whole crowd, silencing them.

âÈêThereâÈçs one in every crowd,âÈë says Hayden, shaking his head.

âÈêIâÈçm sorry to disappoint you, but we will not be blowing up Chop Shops,âÈë Connor says, looking right at Starkey. âÈêThey already see us as violent, and the Juvies use public fear to justify unwinding. We canâÈçt feed into that. WeâÈçre not clappers. We will not commit random acts of violence. We will think before we act. . . .âÈë

Starkey does not take the reprimand well. Who is this guy to shut him down? He keeps talking, but StarkeyâÈçs not listening anymore, because Connor has nothing to say to him. But the others listen, and that makes Starkey burn.

Now, as he stands there, waiting for the so-called Akron AWOL to shut up, a seed starts to take root in StarkeyâÈçs mind. He has killed two Juvey-cops. His legend is already set, and unlike Connor, he didnâÈçt have to pretend to die to become legendary. Starkey has to smile. This airplane salvage yard is filled with hundreds of Unwinds, but in the end, itâÈçs no different from the safe housesâÈ'and like those safe houses, here is just one more beta male waiting for an alpha like Starkey to put him in his place.

Reseñas en medios

Citas

• Booklist, 07/01/2012, Page 64
• Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks, 09/01/2012, Page 0
• Horn Book Magazine, 09/01/2012, Page 105
• Hornbook Guide to Children, 01/01/2013, Page 0
• Kirkus Reviews, 07/15/2012, Page 0
• School Library Journal, 09/01/2012, Page 156
• Voice of Youth Advocates, 08/01/2012, Page 286