Saving Sky Read Online Free PDF Page B

spite of the way he and his family were being treated, caused Sky to belch out another sob.
    The father unzipped his jacket and was reaching into one of the pockets when the guard stopped him.
    â€œPut your hands above your head,” he barked.
    â€œYou asked to see my identification papers.”
    â€œWhat did I just tell you?”
    â€œTo put my hands above my head.”
    â€œThen do it! Both of you.”
    And so they stood there like victims of a holdup while the guard, eyes flickering suspiciously back and forth between the terrified boy and the father’s jacket pocket, reached in and brought out a wallet, which he droppeddisdainfully on the floor, then the small red folder with the gold-embossed eagle on the front. Sky knew what it was, of course. She had one of her own, though she sometimes forgot to carry it. Luke and Ana each had one, as did Mouse and all the people in the store. It was the man’s perfectly legal national ID. The guard flipped it open, glanced at it, then slipped it into the breast pocket of his uniform.
    â€œAll right, both of you,” he said, “let’s go.”
    â€œBut I don’t understand….”
    The crowd stepped aside to let them through—they even moved their carts out of the way. A few of them clapped and cheered.
    â€œWhat?” Mouse screamed at the guard. “No! Hey, mister !”
    Ana put her hand over her daughter’s mouth, gently but firmly. She was more successful than Sky had been. She was Mom, after all. She also had a bigger hand.
    â€œSky,” Ana said quietly, “I want you to stay here with the cart while I go and find Dad. I’ll take Mouse with me.”
    â€œNo!” Mouse protested, wiggling free, fiercely determined to stand her ground. Ana leaned down and whispered something in her ear.
    Eyebrows went up.
    Oh!
    In a flash Sky understood everything. Ana was not going to look for Luke. She could do that perfectly well from where she was by calling him on his cell phone. They were going to look for the mother and daughter, who were probably cowering in some far corner of the enormous store. When she found them, she’d connect with Luke.
    Then—what would they do? Well, most likely Luke would take the family’s cart through a different checkout line while Ana and Mouse escorted the mother and daughter safely to their car. Eventually they’d meet up in the parking lot, and Luke would help unload their purchases into their trunk. They’d tell the mother what had happened to her husband and son and offer to help in any way they could.
    Sky knew these things without being told. She might not have every single detail right, but she doubted she was off by much. She knew because it was exactly what her parents would do. They’d give up an hour of crucial time while things they needed were disappearing forever off shelves all over town. They’d risk the chance of being taken away by the security guard themselves. And they’d do it for a family they didn’t even know, because it was the right thing to do.
    The crowd was still buzzing over the incident. Goat-Man, having spent his pent-up rage, was holding court, getting compliments and high fives as if he’d just slainGoliath with his slingshot. Sky turned away. She couldn’t bear to look at him.
    That was when it hit her—a hard, paralyzing blow. Throughout this entire, ugly episode, she—Sky—had done nothing. Nothing! Mouse, all of eight years old, had stood up to Goat-Man. Her parents, right that minute, were helping the terrified wife and daughter.
    And Sky? She was minding the cart.

8
Penance
    S KY WAS UP ON THE ladder, a net bag over her shoulder, stripping the last of the fruit from one of their apple trees. These were the hardest to reach, the ones they’d left for the birds.
    This was a lot harder than the regular harvest. There was the endless climbing up and down, and scrambling among the