Eve of Destruction Read Online Free PDF Page A

the biblical Eve, she had stripped them of their innocence, opening their minds to the truth and blowing my world apart in the process.
    Marisa’s warm, soft hand slipped completely away from mine, and I knew everything had suddenly changed.
    She’d stopped trusting me.
    It took some convincing.
    Mrs. Goring had to tell more than she wanted to and so did I, but finally, a half hour later, all the pancakes but one were gone and everyone believed. Old Rainsford had become young Davis. He had taken something from each of us in order to make that happen. He had figured out a way to become young again at our expense.
    Mrs. Goring picked up the one remaining pancake and took a bite out of it; then she spoke with her mouth full.
    â€œWhat creature in the morning goes on four legs, at midday on two, and in the evening on three, and the more legs it has, the weaker it be?”
    Kate was in no mood for riddles as she pushed away from the table and stood up.
    â€œI’m leaving. Who’s with me?”
    â€œSit down,” said Mrs. Goring. Her words were slow, measured, and powerful—but not powerful enough to stop Kate Hollander.
    â€œNews flash! You can’t make me stay here. You can’t make any of us stay.”
    Alex got up, too. Then Marisa and Connor. This potential mass exodus rattled Mrs. Goring as she looked at me for help.
    â€œSorry, Mrs. Goring, I don’t even know why we’re here,” I said, and it was true.
    Mrs. Goring watched as Ben Dugan also got up and the whole procession began moving for the door. It was only me at the table, alone. I stared at the empty chairs around me and answered Mrs. Goring’s question.
    â€œIt’s man,” I said, which was a strange enough thing to say that it got Kate to turn on her heels and glare at me.
    â€œYou’re as loony as she is.”
    â€œI’m just looking for answers. Don’t you want some answers, Kate?”
    â€œYeah, I want answers. Ones that make sense!” Kate started moving back toward me, her enraged splendor in full bloom. “ It’s man? You’re a freak, Will. A total freak.”
    â€œAll I know is I have at least one answer right.”
    Mrs. Goring repeated the riddle.
    â€œWhat creature in the morning goes on four legs, at midday on two, and in the evening on three, and the more legs it has, the weaker it be?”
    â€œMan?” Connor said, as he and the gang slowly walked back toward the table. “How is it man? I don’t get it.”
    â€œIt’s the riddle of the sphinx,” I said. “It’s mythology.”
    â€œHey, I remember that!” Ben was back at the table, bolstered with memory. “We went through the whole thing in eighth grade. He’s right, it’s man. We start on four legs, you know, like babies crawling around on the floor. Then we stand up and walk until we get old. Then we get a cane to help us walk, that’s the three legs.”
    â€œThen we die,” Marisa concluded. She’d returned to the table, too, but she was no longer next to me.
    â€œUnless you’re Rainsford,” said Mrs. Goring, a sad sort of rage in her voice. “If you’re him, you never die. You just stay on two legs forever, walking on all the dead people you leave behind. Laughing.”
    Mrs. Goring did sound crazy as a loon, and maybe she was. But she had our attention.
    â€œWhy are we here?” asked Kate. She was confused and annoyed, but she was also curious.
    â€œWhat if I told you I could get back what’s been taken from you?”
    That caught everyone’s interest, including mine. She looked at Connor Bloom.
    â€œWhat if you could stop having those dizzy spells? You could be the captain of the football team again. And you,” she turned her gaze on Marisa, pausing to stare deep into her eyes. “You want to take a long nap right now, don’t you? Wouldn’t it be nice to stop seeing the world as a