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chance to see what David had left me. I reached under my bed for the satchel, then turned toward the light coming in from the lamppost outside.
    The scent hit me first. Musty. Dry. A touch of old bark. I reached inside and pulled out a square object. It was Naomi’s jewelry box. I knew the jewelry box would contain no gems, just as it never had when I was a child. The Examiner would have scanned it to ensure that it didn’t. All gems and minerals were reserved for advancing technology. But I had seen images of jewelry on the WorldNet.
    I tried to lift the lid but found it locked. Strange. I didn’t remember it ever being locked. When I shook the box, something knocked against the sides. Trying to keep completely silent, I searched in the latrine for anything thin and sharp, and finally settled on a small pair of scissors.
    Back on the bed, I pried open the lock and lifted the lid. My mouth dropped open.
    It was a book.
    I had never held a real book. Most of them had been destroyed in the Burning in the first year of the rains, but I’d seen one in the museum behind a protective case. How had the Examiner missed the book? His scanner must not pick up old paper or bindings.
    My hands trembled as I opened the book, unsure of what I’d find. It made a rustling sound, and I paused, glancing over at Chalice. Her breathing remained even and undisturbed, so I carefully turned the front cover and read: 2061.
    As I lifted the first page, a delicate-looking piece of paper came loose. I picked it up, handling it carefully. There was strange writing on it—it looked like writing I’d seen on display in the museum—actual letters written by hand with curves and loops. It took me a moment to decipher the words, but once I figured out the first few, it became easier.
    A hard lump formed in my throat. The paper was addressed to me and signed by Naomi, dated five years ago.
    Jezebel,
    Soon I will meet my fate. I don’t know if I’ll get to say goodbye one last time, and I don’t know how long David will be around. We have always loved you, even though we were never able to speak it often. I’m giving you my caretaker’s story—she is your ‘grandmother.’ Her name was Rose. You are very much like her. You know what she refused to reveal and that she gave her life after passing on the Carrier key. I hope Rose’s story will help you be strong in your resolve.
    Burn the book and this letter to ash after reading.
    Your mother,
    Naomi
    My eyes pricked with tears. I exhaled and reread her letter. Were they the last words she ever wrote? What had happened to her? And David? No one returned from being Taken when the cycle of life was concluded. I squeezed my eyes shut, blocking out the thoughts that said I’d never see David again.
    After a few moments, my breathing evened and I was able to look past the paper from Naomi and read the first line of the book. It was also handwritten, the ink faded. January 8, 2061 was at the top, then the words: Dear Journal.
    It was hard to believe that I was holding an actual record written in the Before by Naomi’s caretaker, Rose. I couldn’t quite think of her as “grandmother,” although I knew that’s what she would have been considered in the Before.
    I tilted the book toward the light to get a sharper image and read the first sentence—words written nearly forty years ago.
    Today I fell in love.
    My face burned, and my hands went cold. Dread started in my stomach and crept throughout my whole body. I knew then that the story couldn’t end well, and that explained why I had never even known Rose’s name.
    After the Burning, one of the first rules passed by the Legislature was Statute 3:1: Romantic interludes are forbidden.
    Falling in love was the third way to get Banished.

Six
    I woke with a start—Chalice was staring at me, her face inches from mine.
    “Are you all right?” I asked, sitting up.
    “Fine.” But her voice sounded distant, and her eyes looked puffy and red. “Where