Do Not Become Alarmed(57)

“We don’t have any food,” she said.

“Can I have a new cartridge, for when there is food?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because your sister lost them,” Isabel said, from across the train car.

Penny glared at her. “Shut up, Isabel.”

Sebastian looked up. “Is it true?”

“I was running for the train,” Penny said. “They fell out of my pocket.”

There was a mortified silence.

Marcus asked, “Why didn’t you let Oscar carry them in the backpack?”

“Because we don’t even know him.”

Oscar had his eyes closed and seemed to be pretending they weren’t there.

“You let him hang your butt out the train door,” June said.

“I had to pee!”

“That’s crazy!” June said.

“Well, you went in your pants and I can smell it!” Penny said. “That’s crazy!”

There was another silence, in which June looked shocked and betrayed. “Hanging your butt out the door is dangerous,” she finally said, very quietly.

“Everything is dangerous,” Penny said. “I want to go home now.”

“Don’t be a child,” Isabel said.

“Shut up!” Penny felt the tears coming. But tears would just prove Isabel right. Penny wiped her wet cheeks with the back of her hand. “Our parents would have found us at that house.”

“Don’t say that,” Marcus said.

“It’s true! We should have stayed there. We only had to leave because of her.” Penny knew she was onto something, because Isabel’s face had turned a weird color. “We had a doctor there, and food, and bathrooms. But Isabel wouldn’t listen to George and stay downstairs.”

“Leave her alone,” Marcus said.

“You just don’t want to admit it, because you’re in love with her.”

“Shut up!” Marcus said.

“But she’s not in love with you. She was in love with Raúl.”

“I was not!” Isabel hissed.

“Shut up, Penny!” Marcus said.

“Stop!” Oscar said.

“You don’t understand anything,” Isabel said, low and threatening.

“I understand!” Penny said. “I understand it’s your fault that we’re on a stupid train in the middle of nowhere!”

“So go, then.”

“Fine,” Penny said, getting up. “I will.”

She stood, her split knee stinging, and went to the open door. She couldn’t stand to be with Isabel another second.

“Penny, no!” Sebastian said.

“I have to find the insulin.” She sat down at the edge, so she wouldn’t have so far to jump to the ground. It was still alarmingly high, and the ground was moving. She could tell she was about to make a terrible mistake, but she couldn’t help herself.

“Don’t go!” June cried.

“Let her,” Isabel said.

Penny pushed off, hit the ground hard, and fell sideways. The loud wheels of the train went by, too close to her head. The others were shouting. But they couldn’t tell her what to do. Her mind had gone blank with rage and indignation. She stood and brushed off her legs.

“Penny!” Sebastian said. “Wait!”

And he jumped out of the train. He took the landing pretty well, bending his knees, but he still fell over. She ran to help him up. No one had ever risked so much to join her.

“Sebastian!” June shouted.

For a moment Penny thought June might jump, too. But she didn’t. Penny was not as magnetic as all that. June in the train car’s doorway was getting farther away.

Penny took Sebastian’s hand and they set off walking back along the tracks. They would find the insulin, and then they would figure out the next thing. It was good that Sebastian had jumped, because she didn’t know how she would have gotten back to him. It hadn’t been a great plan. The train rumbled alongside.

“Penny?” Sebastian said.

“What.”

“Remember the man with the white horse?”

“Yes.”

“Did he die?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

They walked. “Do you think we’ll die, too?”

“No.”

“Look,” Sebastian whispered, pointing at the train.

Penny turned and saw a little boy peering at them from one of the cars. He was younger than Sebastian. He drew back into the dark and then the car was past.

Penny wondered if the little boy was with his family or with a coyote. Pollos, she remembered they were called, the travelers trying to get to America. Thieves robbed them.

The train’s caboose came past, and a sweating man looked out the window.

“Hey!” Penny shouted up at him. “Can you call the police? La policía?”

The man frowned down at them.

“We’re the kids from the ship!” she shouted. They watched the back of the train pull away, and get smaller. “Los ni?os del barco!” she said, but there was no way he could hear her.

The world grew quieter, with the train gone. They stood together in the silence.