Page 41 of Places We've Never Been

I swiped the stick from him and pointed at the tree with it. “This used to be up there, flying in the sky.”

Skyler’s eyes lit up and he rushed to his backpack. “I can’t believe I forgot.”

“What?”

He pulled a long, thin electronic thing out of his backpack.

“What is it?”

“A recording device.” When I didn’t process what that meant, he held it up to his mouth and pushed a button. Then he cawed like a bird. He pushed another button and the same caw echoed through the orchard. “A recording device. So we can collect sounds you can put in your video games.”

“Is that how it works?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “I think.”

Later I’d found out that sort ofwashow it worked, but on much higher-quality equipment. Our thousands of statickysound bites we would collect over the years would be useless. But at the time I’d thought it was the best thing in the world. He’d tossed me the recorder.

I studied the buttons along the side, then pushed the middle one with the red circle. “I am a robot who steals brains in my quest to become a real person,” I said into the microphone in my best robot voice.

Skyler laughed. “And I was just a boring bird.”

A rattling of the door handle brought me out of my memory. Then there was a knock. “Norah!” It was Ezra. “Did you seriously lock the door?”

I opened it for him. “Yes, I lock the door when we’re at an RV park and I take a shower,” I said, smoothing my hair. “Do you know how many creeps stay at these places?”

“I’ve never counted them.”

I pointed to him. “One…”

“Funny.” From behind his back he pulled out a cookie. “I’m sorry for ditching you on the river earlier.”

I took the cookie. “Apology not accepted.”

He let out a grunt. “Then give me back the cookie.”

I turned around and took a big bite. “Never.”

“You’re really still mad at me?”

“Yes.” I stood on my tiptoes to see if he was alone. When I saw he was, I pulled him inside and shut the door. “Because you have a secret.”

“What?” A look of surprise took over his face for a split second before it was gone and he said in a perfectly convincing voice, “No, I don’t.”

“Seriously? You’re not going to tell me?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I know it’s about the parents.”

He shook his head. “The parents?”

I shoved the half-eaten cookie back into his hands. “I don’t want your secret-keeping bribes.”

“Norah, just eat the cookie. And if you think something is going on with Mom and Dad, then talk to them.”

“Ezra, do you swear to me that you’re not keeping a secret about Mom or Dad?”

He held up his hand like he was taking an oath. “I swear.”