Gone (Gone #1)(105)

"Okay, I'll talk to them" Astrid said. But she still looked reluctant."! can't read people like Diana does"

"That's what's bothering you? \bu're not my Diana. And hopefully I'm nol Caine"

"I guess I was hoping this would all kind of be oven At least for a while"

"I think it will be over. For a while. But first we have to plan and make sure we're ready when Caine comes back"

"You're right." She smiled wanly. "Anyway, it's not like I was dreaming ot" a big meal, a hot shower, and hours and hours of sleep"

"Yeah. You wouldn't want to start getting soft now. would you?" Something else occurred to him. "But hey, keep L. R happy, huh? I don't want you disappearing suddenly"

"That would be a shame, wouldn't it?" she said dryly. "Maybe I'll try Quinn's trick: Hawaii, Petey, Hawaii."

Astrid rounded up her brother made sure he was okay, then plunged into the crowd-Sam motioned Edilio closer. "Edilio. I have something I need you to do"

"Whatever you want."

"It involves driving. And it involves keeping a secret?

"The secret is no problem. Driving?" He gulped theatrically, like a cartoon character doing a double take.

"I need you to get a truck and go to the power plant," He explained what he wanted, and Edilio's expression grew darker with each word. When he was done, Sam asked, "Can you handle that? You'll need to take at least one other guy with you."

"I can do it," Edilio said. "I'm not happy about it, but you know that"

"Who will you take with you?"

"Elwood, I guess> if Dahra will lei me borrow him "

"Okay. Go take an hour or twc lo figure out how to drive"

"A day or two more like it," Edilio said. But then he executed a mock salute and said, "No problem. General."

Sam sat alone now. shoulders hunched, head buzzing from lack of sleep and the aftereffects of pain and fear. He needed to think, he told himself, needed to prepare. Caine would be planning.

Caine. His brother.

His brother.

How long did he have? Three Jays. In three days he would . . ■ disappear And so would Caine.

Maybe die. Maybe be changed in some way. Maybe just pop neatly back into the old universe with lots of incredible stories to tell.

And leave Astrid behind.

If Caine had been a normal, well-adjusted person, he might spend his last days preparing for whatever the poof meant—death, disappearance, escape. But Sam doubted Caine would do that. Caine would need to triumph over Sam, That need would be even greater than the need to be ready for the end.

"I never have liked birthdays,*Sam muttered.

Albert Hillsborough had finished handing out burgers to grateful Coates kids. He climbed the steps to Sam.

"Glad you're back, man," Albert said.

For some reason, Sam tell compelled to stand and offer his hand to the kid. Albert shook it solemnly.

"It's cool what you've done, keeping the Mickey D's open "

Albert looked faintly annoyed. "We don't call it Mickey D's. It's McDonald's. It will always be McDonald's. Although," he allowed,"IVe strayed pretty far from the standard operating manual"

"I saw the waffle-burgers."

There was something on Albert's mind. Whatever it was, Sam didn't have the time or the energy, but Albert was becoming an important person, someone not to blow off. "What's up, Albert?"

"Well, I've done inventory at Ralph's, and I think if 1 had a lot of help, I could put together an okay Thanksgiving dinner"

Sam stared ai him. He Winked. "What?"

"Thanksgiving. It's next week,"

"Uh-huh."

"There are ovens at Ralph's, big ones. And no one has taken the frozen turkeys. Figure two hundred and fifty kids if pretty much everyone from Perdido Beach shows up, right? One turkey will teed maybe eight people, so we need thirty-one, thirty-two turkeys. No problem there* because there are forty-six turkeys at Ralph's"

"Thirty-one turkeys?"

"Cranberry sauce will be no problem* stuffing is no problem, no one has taken much stuffing yet, although III have to figure out how to mix, like, seven different brands and styles together, see how it tastes"

"Stuffing" Sam echoed solemnly.

"We don't have enough canned yarns, we'll have to do fresh along with some baked potatoes. The big problem is going to be whipped cream and ice cream for the pies"

Sam wanted to burst out laughing, but at the same time he found it touching and reassuring that Albert had put so much thought into the question.

"I imagine the ice cream is pretty much gone," Sam said.

"Yeah. We're very low on ice cream. And kids have been taking the canned whipped crean, too"

"But we can have pie?"

"We have some frozen. And we have some pie shells we can bake up ourselves "

"That would be nice" Sam said.

"I'll need to start three days before. I'll need, like, at least ten people to help. I can haul the tables out of the church basement and set up in the plaza. I think I can do it"

"HI bet you can, Albert" Sam said with feeling.