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.Slumped against the tree was Rose--unwashed, wild-eyed and sleepless--her coat in tatters.Dark circles beneath her eyes gave her a scary, witchlike appearance."Rose, it's really you!" Max threw his arms around her."I was afraid I'd never see you again!"Rose gave him a listless hug and he could tell her heart wasn't in it.She was exhausted--probably hungry, too.He noticed she seemed extra-thin, as if she'd snap in two if he squeezed too hard."You're not safe here!" he gasped."The Dark Brigade's looking for you!""I know, Max, the town's crawling with them.They chased me all over the place and someone shot an arrow at me!" Rose's eyes flashed angrily."It went through my coat and stuck right here, in my arm, but I pulled it out."Max sucked in his breath."It didn't hurt much," she said, and he could tell she was trying to sound brave."I was so angry, Max! I'm the one called Artemis, I'm the huntress--it should be me shooting arrows at them!"140"Are you okay?" asked Max, wondering nervously how the poisoned arrow had affected her vision."Can you see me?"Rose pulled away, staring at him with haunted eyes.It looked to Max as if the light had gone out of them."Course I can see you," she said, frowning."You look like the same goofy kid as always.Got any food? I'm starving."Max breathed a sigh of relief.Rose hadn't been blinded after all! Maybe, he told himself, the experimental medicine had been faulty, or the dose too low."I've got peaches," he said, searching through his knapsack."What's with the red tape around the tree?" she asked as he handed her a peach."The Dark Brigade was here! They marked the owl tree." A weary sadness fell over him.One by one, the High Echelon was taking away the things he cared about most."I guess they'll cut it down soon.""Told you, didn't I?"While Rose devoured the fruit, Max noticed with alarm that her hands were raw and bleeding, and there was a nasty scrape down the side of her face."I forgot the thermos," he said, feeling bad."Sorry, there's nothing to drink."Max thought guiltily of his comfortable bed, his warm house and its well-stocked pantry.While he'd been sulking in his room, Rose had been running, hiding, scavenging for food.How could he feel sorry for himself when he lived in comfort and security?"That's okay, owl boy." Rose huddled against the bark, gnawing on the peach."I don't trust Crumlin's hot cocoa anyway."141Max had never seen her so shaken.He was used to Rose being bossy and confident, but now it seemed all the fight had gone out of her.Should he tell her that the arrow was a poison-tipped dart? Was this the right time to mention it? Somehow he didn't think so.What if it made her even more disheartened?Rose gave a tired sigh as she lifted a clump of hair from her neck.Max caught a flash of yellow."A tattoo!" he said."Don't you know anything, Max Unger? I'm a Night Seer, same as you.They marked me for the diamond mines."It hadn't occurred to him that Rose must have a tattoo as well.But of course she did--he remembered her mentioning it the night she told him about the Mark of the Owl.Intrigued, he asked, "Can I see it?"She leaned forward, pushing a strand of knotted hair off the nape of her neck.In the light of the two moons Max could see the diamond-shaped tattoo.He traced it slowly with his index finger."It feels kind of rough," he said, wondering how many other kids their age had similar tattoos."If I squinch up my eyes, I can see your owl mark underneath." It was sad to think that the Night Seers had been banished to the darkness, when once they had been magical and revered, able to understand the language of silver owls."My dad and I ran away before the High Echelon could take me off to the mines." Rose used her sleeve to wipe her mouth."We had this plan, see, we were going to spring my mom out of jail." She had eaten every bit of the peach and was sucking on the pit."Your mother's in jail?" said Max, caught off guard.He felt hurt and angry.This was one more secret Rose had kept from142him."Why didn't you tell me? I mean, people get arrested every day in this country--it's nothing to be embarrassed about!"Rose got a little haughty then, but that only endeared her to Max.It was like the old Rose."I'm not embarrassed!" she bristled."I'm proud of her! Her name is Violet Silvertree-Eccles-- it's hyphenated--and they took her to prison when I was eight.But I don't like to talk about it."Max winced, thinking of other parents who had been taken away by the Dark Brigade.As far as he knew, none of them had returned.His own parents never mentioned the subject, but Mrs.Crumlin was always quick to condemn, saying the High Echelon never arrested anyone without good reason.He realized now that the opposite was true, that ordinary people were being arrested for speaking against the government."My mother used to write letters," Rose continued."They came folded up in skinny envelopes with words crossed out in black ink.I answered every single one.""Who would cross words out?" Max wondered why Rose had said "used to." Didn't her mother write letters anymore?"I hate the Dark Brigade! My life got wrecked because of them! It's their fault my family got busted up." Rose punched the air with her fist."My mom's in a high-security prison in the Low Dreadlands [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.Slumped against the tree was Rose--unwashed, wild-eyed and sleepless--her coat in tatters.Dark circles beneath her eyes gave her a scary, witchlike appearance."Rose, it's really you!" Max threw his arms around her."I was afraid I'd never see you again!"Rose gave him a listless hug and he could tell her heart wasn't in it.She was exhausted--probably hungry, too.He noticed she seemed extra-thin, as if she'd snap in two if he squeezed too hard."You're not safe here!" he gasped."The Dark Brigade's looking for you!""I know, Max, the town's crawling with them.They chased me all over the place and someone shot an arrow at me!" Rose's eyes flashed angrily."It went through my coat and stuck right here, in my arm, but I pulled it out."Max sucked in his breath."It didn't hurt much," she said, and he could tell she was trying to sound brave."I was so angry, Max! I'm the one called Artemis, I'm the huntress--it should be me shooting arrows at them!"140"Are you okay?" asked Max, wondering nervously how the poisoned arrow had affected her vision."Can you see me?"Rose pulled away, staring at him with haunted eyes.It looked to Max as if the light had gone out of them."Course I can see you," she said, frowning."You look like the same goofy kid as always.Got any food? I'm starving."Max breathed a sigh of relief.Rose hadn't been blinded after all! Maybe, he told himself, the experimental medicine had been faulty, or the dose too low."I've got peaches," he said, searching through his knapsack."What's with the red tape around the tree?" she asked as he handed her a peach."The Dark Brigade was here! They marked the owl tree." A weary sadness fell over him.One by one, the High Echelon was taking away the things he cared about most."I guess they'll cut it down soon.""Told you, didn't I?"While Rose devoured the fruit, Max noticed with alarm that her hands were raw and bleeding, and there was a nasty scrape down the side of her face."I forgot the thermos," he said, feeling bad."Sorry, there's nothing to drink."Max thought guiltily of his comfortable bed, his warm house and its well-stocked pantry.While he'd been sulking in his room, Rose had been running, hiding, scavenging for food.How could he feel sorry for himself when he lived in comfort and security?"That's okay, owl boy." Rose huddled against the bark, gnawing on the peach."I don't trust Crumlin's hot cocoa anyway."141Max had never seen her so shaken.He was used to Rose being bossy and confident, but now it seemed all the fight had gone out of her.Should he tell her that the arrow was a poison-tipped dart? Was this the right time to mention it? Somehow he didn't think so.What if it made her even more disheartened?Rose gave a tired sigh as she lifted a clump of hair from her neck.Max caught a flash of yellow."A tattoo!" he said."Don't you know anything, Max Unger? I'm a Night Seer, same as you.They marked me for the diamond mines."It hadn't occurred to him that Rose must have a tattoo as well.But of course she did--he remembered her mentioning it the night she told him about the Mark of the Owl.Intrigued, he asked, "Can I see it?"She leaned forward, pushing a strand of knotted hair off the nape of her neck.In the light of the two moons Max could see the diamond-shaped tattoo.He traced it slowly with his index finger."It feels kind of rough," he said, wondering how many other kids their age had similar tattoos."If I squinch up my eyes, I can see your owl mark underneath." It was sad to think that the Night Seers had been banished to the darkness, when once they had been magical and revered, able to understand the language of silver owls."My dad and I ran away before the High Echelon could take me off to the mines." Rose used her sleeve to wipe her mouth."We had this plan, see, we were going to spring my mom out of jail." She had eaten every bit of the peach and was sucking on the pit."Your mother's in jail?" said Max, caught off guard.He felt hurt and angry.This was one more secret Rose had kept from142him."Why didn't you tell me? I mean, people get arrested every day in this country--it's nothing to be embarrassed about!"Rose got a little haughty then, but that only endeared her to Max.It was like the old Rose."I'm not embarrassed!" she bristled."I'm proud of her! Her name is Violet Silvertree-Eccles-- it's hyphenated--and they took her to prison when I was eight.But I don't like to talk about it."Max winced, thinking of other parents who had been taken away by the Dark Brigade.As far as he knew, none of them had returned.His own parents never mentioned the subject, but Mrs.Crumlin was always quick to condemn, saying the High Echelon never arrested anyone without good reason.He realized now that the opposite was true, that ordinary people were being arrested for speaking against the government."My mother used to write letters," Rose continued."They came folded up in skinny envelopes with words crossed out in black ink.I answered every single one.""Who would cross words out?" Max wondered why Rose had said "used to." Didn't her mother write letters anymore?"I hate the Dark Brigade! My life got wrecked because of them! It's their fault my family got busted up." Rose punched the air with her fist."My mom's in a high-security prison in the Low Dreadlands [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]