It’s been a month since Mrs. Kalin’s death. After our first rendezvous, we all realized that we needed to stay until we were certain that every employee in Haven was out from under Kalin’s control. Some members of the FA went back to Concord right away to bring the good news. I hope the news got to Simcoe, too. I hope Dad knows that Drake and I are safe.
“You’ve got dust masks if you need them,” Jayma tells her parents. “But once we get a few miles from Haven, you won’t need them very often.”
Her mom pulls Jayma into her arms, and her dad wraps his arms around them both.
I walk over to Cal. “You ready?”
He beckons for me to follow him and we turn a corner, away from the group.
“Strange being back here again, isn’t it?”
“In Haven?” I ask.
“No, this hall.” He leans against the wall. “This is where we were when I was almost expunged for giving you a false alibi for Belando’s murder.”
“That seems like ages ago.” But it’s barely been two months. I was his dating partner then, and Cal risked his own life, hoping to save mine.
“Listen,” he says. “I need to tell you something. I’m staying in Haven.”
“For how long?”
“Maybe forever.”
“No.” I grab his arm, then let go. “How can you stay in here now that you know what’s Outside? Why would you stay? Is this because of me and Burn, because if it is, well, we can make sure we never touch each other when—”
“It’s not about you, Glory.” He smiles gently. “In fact, you’re one of the reasons my decision to stay here was hard. I’m going to miss you—Burn, too.”
“Then why?”
“There’s so much to do here. I feel useful. Working with Larsson and Alast, I’ve accomplished so much. I feel like I can make a real difference here.”
“But—”
“As soon as people are allowed to come and go freely from Haven,” he continues, “the population will grow. Especially if Shredders can recover and might want to live inside. Houston’s helping us set up a renewal center and contributing his knowledge to the research.
“Even though her motives were messed up, Kalin and her staff were actually close to developing an antidote to help Normals like me cope with the dust. They’re also researching why it changed some people’s DNA, and how it heals, and a bunch of other stuff. We just need to make sure the scientists no longer hurt people.”
His eyes are filled with excitement, and he gestures with his hands as he talks. “And that democracy system they use to run things at Simcoe—I love that idea.”
“It does sound fair,” I agree.
“Really fair. And guess what? Hidden in the Exec Building, we found some old books and public records from the city that was here BTD. It turns out democracy was the system then, too! This city used to have a Mayor, just like Simcoe’s. And a council of some kind. I think that’s what we should do from now on. Everyone I’ve talked to agrees. Mr. Alast thinks I should head the committee to organize it all.”
Red spots rise on his cheeks, and he straightens his shoulders. “Maybe some day I’ll be the Mayor.”
“You’d make a great Mayor.” Happiness for Cal starts to fill the void opened by the thought of missing him. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks.” He runs his hand down my arm. “That means a lot to me.”
Burn clears his throat, and I turn to see him standing at the corner.
“Are you ready?” he asks me.
I nod.
“Good luck.” Burn reaches for Cal’s hand.
“You too,” Cal says as they shake. “Take good care of her.” He points at me. “And you take care of him.”
Unable to stand it, I lunge forward to hug Cal.
“I’m going to miss you,” I say. “So much.”
“I’ll miss you, too, Glory.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
I SPOT DAD when we’re halfway up the ridge, and I start to run, leaving Jayma and her parents to follow behind. Drake beats me, but within seconds the three of us are wrapped in one another’s arms.
“You finished renewal!” I say.
“Yup. Only took me two weeks.”
“That’s great, Dad,” Drake says.
Dad pulls us tighter. “I’m so proud of you two.”
I press my head against his shoulder. I’d be happy to stay here for the rest of my life, but Dad pulls back and gestures to the rest of the group.
“Welcome to Concord!” he yells. “We have a meal ready for everyone at the Assembly Hall.”
As we walk, he tells me about how things have changed since we left. The absence of the FA in Concord left a gap in leadership, and although he’s too modest to say so, I can tell by what Dad’s saying that he’s been filling that gap.
“We’re planning a vote,” he says. “Concord will choose a leadership committee, and anyone over the age of ten can help choose who’s on it.”
“That’s sort of like what they’re doing in Haven,” Drake says.
“Cal’s organizing it for them,” I add.
I can barely contain my happiness as the three of us catch up on our way to the Hall.
My smile drops away when I see Olivia standing near the entrance. I look over to my dad and he’s beaming.
“Come on,” he says. “Say hello.”
“Did she quit renewal?” I ask.
“No. She passed with flying colors. Everyone was impressed at how fast she got through it.” His voice is full of pride.
I turn back to look for Burn, but he’s busy talking with someone. Jayma’s talking animatedly to her parents and gesturing toward the fields and the lake. Her father already looks less tired and wan. Her mom, too.
Unable to think of an excuse, I cautiously follow Dad as he leads us to his sister. I will not let her spoil this day.
“What about Caroline?” I ask.
“She’s great,” Dad says. “She’s gone back to Haven, hoping to talk her husband into moving here.”
Olivia’s hair is shining and clean and falls in two braids. Below a brightly dyed shirt, a skirt flows down to the top of her boots. All these details make her seem gentler and kinder than the woman I met before, but the biggest difference is in her eyes.
“Glory, Drake,” she says. “Hello. I’m your aunt, Olivia.”
“We’ve met,” I say coldly. Drake bumps me with his hip and frowns.
“I know we met.” She looks down to her feet, then up again. “But I was hoping to start over. I wasn’t my best self before. I hope you’ll give me another chance.”
“Of course we will,” Drake says and hugs her.
I cross my arms over my chest.
“Don’t be rude, Glory,” Dad says.
Olivia nods. “It’s okay, Hector. Give her time.” She shows me her palms so I can see that her razors are retracted.
Dad wraps one arm over my shoulders and then pulls Drake and Olivia toward him with the other. As the four of us stand close, joy spreads through me like fire.
“This is everything I wanted,” I say, choking on tears. “What’s left of our family is together, and nothing can ever separate us again.”
There’s only one thing missing.
I break away and look for Burn. He’s standing alone about twenty feet away, and when our eyes meet he waves.
I practically skip to his side and grab his hand. “My family’s back together.”
“I’m happy for you.”
My heart breaks for Burn. How could I be so insensitive? I rise on my toes and hold his face between my palms. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be flaunting this—”
He raises a hand. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”
“Great. Because you’re part of my family now, too.”
He raises his eyebrows. “Don’t you think you’re rushing things a bit?”
I drop my arms. “What’s wrong?”
He grabs my hands and pulls me closer. “Nothing. Ever
ything’s very right.” He bends down to touch his forehead against mine. “But we’ve got all the time in the world. Let’s take it slow and enjoy the ride.”
“But I want you to know that you belong. That you’re loved. My family is your family.”
He pulls me against him. Nestling in his arms, I turn to watch my family joke and laugh.
Everywhere around us there’s joy. Although being Outside is still new for the Haven employees who joined us, everyone seems happy as they file into the Assembly Hall for the welcome meal—Normals and Deviants alike.
Although it will be a hard habit to break, I never want to use the word “Deviant” again. So much of what they taught us in Haven was wrong.
As soon as I was old enough to think for myself, I knew that Haven didn’t equal safety. And maybe there’s no such thing as safety. Not in this world. Not anymore.
But at this moment, for me, family equals safety; Burn equals safety; love equals safety.
And if I trust my heart, my instincts, my strength, I know I’ll always be safe.
Acknowledgments
Glory and The Dust Chronicles have been part of my life for about three-and-a-half years, and it’s bittersweet to be wrapping up Glory’s story. Writing a trilogy carries extra challenges and rewards, and I thoroughly enjoyed creating three complete stories inside of one larger story.
And as always, I couldn’t have done it alone.
First, I’d like to thank the readers and fans of this series. A big thank-you to EVERYONE who has read The Dust Chronicles, especially those who’ve posted reviews at Amazon or Goodreads. And a very special thanks to Team Burn: Nicki, Elly, Guida, Crystal, and Anabel. You ladies rock!
Authors write in isolation, creating stories and characters we can only hope will resonate with others, and every moment of stress, hard work, and angst becomes worth it when a reader posts a great review or contacts me. I invite every single reader to sign up for my mailing list on my website.
In my writing camp, a multitude of thank-yous to Molly O’Keefe and Ripley Vaughn. You two are not only my trusted critique partners, pushing me to get better every day, but also my counselors, my strategists, my advisors, my drinking buddies, and my very best friends. I love you guys.
Also invaluable is the support and help and education I consistently get from my various writing communities, including #torkidlit, Toronto Romance Writers, CANSCAIP, Backspace, SCBWI, Blue-boarders, and the monthtowrite girly-whirlies.
Young adult and romance authors are the most supportive and generous people I’ve ever encountered, and I couldn’t possibly list all the fellow writers who’ve impacted my career, but a special shout-out to Diana Peterfreund and Kelley Armstrong for generously agreeing to read advance copies of Deviants before it came out.
I’d also like to thank my fabulous agent, Charlie Olsen, and everyone at InkWell Management for all their support and guidance. I still pinch myself some days, marveling that I have such a great agency and agent in my corner.
On the publishing front, a special thank you to Robin Benjamin for helping me make Glory’s final episode better than I could have made it on my own. Your insights and keen eye for detail were much appreciated. And thank you to everyone at Skyscape and Amazon Publishing including Courtney Miller, Amy Hosford, Timoney Korbar, Katrina Damkoehler, Paul Barrett, Erick Pullen, Andrew Keyser, Deborah Bass, Louise A. Hutner, and Erica Avedikian and to Terry Goodman for being the first one to believe in Glory.
Finally, thank you to my friends and family for all your support. I’m so much stronger having you all in my corner.
About the Author
© Marti Corn 2014
Maureen McGowan always loved writing fiction, but sidetracked by a persistent practical side, it took her a few years to channel her energy into novels. After leaving a career in finance, she hasn’t looked back. Aside from her love of books, she’s passionate about films, fine handcrafted objects, and shoes. Maureen grew up in various Canadian cities. Her previous career moved her to Palo Alto and Philadelphia before she settled in Toronto, where she attends the Toronto International Film Festival each year. Visit her online at www.maureenmcgowan.com.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication Page
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Acknowledgments
About the Author
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