"Forget it," Jeanne said shortly. "We can't takeher."
Maggie looked up at her, shocked. "What are youtalking about? Why not?"
Chapter 6
Because there's no point. She's as good as dead already." Jeanne's expression was as hard andclosedas it had been in the beginning.
"But - "
"Can't you see? She'd slow us down. There's noway she could run without help. And besides that,P.J. says she's blind."
Blind. A new little shock went though Maggie.What would that be like, to be in this situation andsick and blind on top of it?
She tugged on the girl's shoulder gently, tryingto see the averted face.
But she's beautiful.
The girl had smooth skin the color of coffee with cream, delicate features, high cheekbones, perfectlips. Her black hair was pulled into a loose, glossyknot on her neck. Her eyes were shut, long eye lashes tremblingas if she were dreaming.
It was more than just the physical features,though. There was a serenity about this girl's face,a gentleness and stillness that was ... unique.
"Hey, there," Maggie said softly. "Can you hearme? I'm Maggie. What's your name?"
The girl's eyelashes fluttered; her lips parted. ToMaggie's surprise, she murmured something. Maggie had to lean down close to catch it.
"Arcadia?" she repeated. It was a strange name; she wasn't sure she'd heard right.
The girl seemed to nod, murmuring again.
She can hear me, Maggie thought. She canrespond.
"Okay. Can I call you Cady? Listen to me, Cady."Maggie shook the girl's shoulder slightly. "We're ina bad place but we're going to try to escape. If we help you out, do you think you can run?"
Again, the eyelashes fluttered. Then the eyesopened.
Doe eyes, Maggie thought, startled. They wereextraordinarily large and clear, a warm brown withan inner radiance. And they might be blind, butMaggie had the oddest sensation that she had justbeen seen more clearly than ever before in her life.
"I'll try," Cady murmured. She sounded dazedand in pain, but quietly rational. "Sometimes I feelstrong for a little while." She pushed herself up. Maggie had to help her get into a sitting position.
She's tall. But she's pretty light...and I've gotgood muscles. I can support her.
"What are you doing?"Jeanne said in a voice thatwas not just harsh and impatient but horrified. "Don't you see? You're only making it worse. You should just have let her sleep."
Maggie glanced up. "Look. I don't know whatyou're thinking, but we can't leave anybody with them. How would you like to be left behind if itwas you?"
Jeanne's face changed. For a moment, she lookedmore like a savage animal than a girl. "I'd understand," she snarled. "Because that's the way it has to be. It's the law of the jungle, here. Only strongpeople survive. The weak ones ... ."She shook her head. "They're better off dead. And the faster youlearn that, the more chance you'll have."
Maggie felt a spurt of horror and anger-and,fear. Because Jeanne clearly knew the most about this place, and Jeanne might be right. They mightall get caught because of one weak person who wouldn't make it anyway....
She turned and looked at the lovely face again.Arcadia was Miles's age, eighteen or nineteen. And although she seemed to hear what Jeanne was say
ing-she'd turned her face that way-she didn'tspeak or argue. She didn't lose her still gentleness, either.
I can't leave her. What if Miles is alive but hurtsomewhere, and somebody won't help him?
Maggie shot a glance at P.J. in her baseball cap.She was young-she might be able to take care ofherself, but that was all.
"Look, this isn't your problem," she finally saidto Jeanne. "You just help P.J. get away safe, okay?You take care of her, and III be responsible for Cady."
"You'll be caught with Cady," Jeanne said flatly."Don't worry about it."
"I'm not. And I'm telling you right now; I'm notgoing to help you if you get in trouble."
"I don't want you to," Maggie said. She lookedright into Jeanne's angry eyes. "Really. I don't wantto wreck your chances, okay? But I'm not going toleave her."
Jeanne looked furious for another moment; thenshe shrugged. All the emotion drained from herface as if she were deliberately distancing herself.The bond she and Maggie had shared for that brief moment was severed.
She turned, looked through a crack behind her,then turned back.
"Fine," she said in a dull, indifferent tone. "Whatever you're going to do, you'd better get ready todo it now. Because the place is coming right up."
"Ready?" Maggie said.
They were all standing-or crouching, actually,since there wasn't room to straighten up-withtheir backs against the walls of the cart. Jeanneand P.J. on one side, Maggie on the other, with Cady in the corner.
"When I say go, you guys jump over here. Thenall of us throw ourselves back that way," Maggie whispered.
Jeanne was peering out of the crack. "Okay, thisis it," she said. "Now."
Maggie said,"Go!"
She had been a little worried that P.J. would freeze. But the moment the word was out of Maggie's mouth, Jeanne launched herself across thecart, crashing heavily into her, and P.J. followed.
ThecartrockedsurprisinglyhardandMaggieheard the groan of wood.
"Back!" she yelled, and everybody lunged the other way. Maggie hit a solid wall and knew shewould have bruises, but the cart rocked again.
"Come on!" she yelled, and realized that they were all already coming on, throwing themselvesto the other side in perfect sync. It was as if someflocking instinct had taken over and they were all three moving as one, throwing their weight alter nately back and forth.