The Glass Arrow(100)
He waits a beat.
“I hope that’s what you want.”
In the quiet, the rest of my memories return, beginning with the past and catching up to the present. Kiran has followed the plan, and now we’re all safe. My family is free. Tam. Nina. Lorcan. Even Daphne. They’re waiting for me in the mountains. Or maybe they’re already at the Driver camp.
We’re going to be safe.
I think of Salma’s last words to me in the shop—that we are just women. As if that weren’t enough. It makes me sad—not angry, not bitter. She always wanted more and in the end settled for nothing.
I see all of it then. Watchers, Pips and their beaters, the medical check. All the fights, all the running, every time I should have given up but didn’t. I see a gray wolf and a boy in the solitary yard with gold flecks in his eyes and a man with a scar on his throat who was there for me when it mattered.
I see Daphne and am proud of the friend she’s become. I see us age—see our hair grow long and wild and our skin tan in the sun as the last of the treatments from the Garden fade away. We are strong and proud and beautiful and there are not enough stars in the night sky to measure our worth.
I will honor my mother and take care of my family.
Yes, I think. I am just a woman.
I’m awake now. I could open my eyes and tell Kiran I’m back, but something in his tone tells me we have time, so I keep them closed.
I think I’ll let him talk a little longer.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I AM HONORED TO be able to thank the following people, because they have been absolutely awesome to work with:
Melissa Frain, who is more or less the best editor/friend/comedian ever. (See what I did there? I used “more or less” right!) How she continues to put up with my rapidly firing anxious e-mails and my brilliantly executed (if I do say so myself) pranks, I’ll never know.
My agent, Joanna MacKenzie, who always knows the right thing to say about pretty much anything—revisions, contracts, chocolate, you name it—and Danielle Egan Miller, who is fierce in the best way, and ever encouraging.
Kathleen Doherty, the kick-ass publisher of Tor Teen, who took a chance on me with Article 5 and has quite literally made many of my dreams come true. Alexis Saarela, my wonderful publicist, who has been kind enough to help me schedule all things bookly around my son; Seth Lerner for all the beautiful covers he has made for my books, including this one; and Christopher Gibbs for lending his incredible talent to create the artwork. And of course, a huge thank-you to Amy Stapp, the best pranking accomplice ever, for all of her help.
I am grateful for wonderful writerly friends, including Katie McGarry, who has pulled me out of more plot holes than you can imagine; and Kendare Blake for her encouragement and thoughtful reads. And for the people who dance with me at Jazzercise, and all the bloggers, readers, teachers, and librarians who have shared their enthusiasm.
Every day I am thankful for my family. For my mom, who is as proud of me now as she was when I was writing stories about my hamster when I was seven; and my dad, a real genuine cowboy, who taught me responsibility by feeding horses and cleaning stalls and who was there to welcome a little chestnut filly, Dell, into the world when I was fourteen. For the support and unending love from the Simmons side, and for open arms and patient hearts of the Fairfields.
And last but not least, I am grateful for my boys. Thank you, Jason, for giving me the best story of all: our story. And thank you, Ren, for filling the pages.