“We have our own skeleton,” Martin said proudly.
“You can join them when you’re feeling better,” Theo said. “The President is sending a company of military bots out to protect them. Agents Zebulon and Abel have been instructed to travel out there to take charge of security. You can go with them.”
“I could be outside and on television,” Martin said, and for the first time since Chip left, he felt a spark of interest in the future.
Director Montgomery had sent Mom’s glass bowl back to Martin and Sim’s circuit board back to the prototypes. Theo told Martin that Sim’s board was fine. The traps had used only his gel. After Mom and Dad’s show, Theo left the room to see about fixing Sim.
A knock sounded soon after, and Cassie skipped in. She looked cute and happy and only a little skinnier than she used to be, and Martin blinked back tears when he saw her.
“I came to see if you’re decent,” she said.
“Well, duh, I’m decent,” he scoffed. “I’m always decent.”
Cassie skipped back to the door. She was wearing the school uniform of blue T-shirt and jeans, but over the top, she had on a frilly pink sweater. It tied in a bow at the neck and had bunny designs around its sleeves.
“Hey!” Martin said. “Is that my blanket?”
Cassie twirled to show off the pink sweater and patted it affectionately. “Isn’t it clever?” she said. “Everybody in my class wishes they had one just like it.”
She came back into the room with William—and a thing. William was pulling the thing along by a collar and leash, but it seemed to have other plans.
Martin glared at it. “What’s that supposed to be?” he growled.
“I told you he’d act like this,” Cassie said to William.
“I grew up with one too,” William reminded her.
“I don’t want another dog,” he said, and only the part of his brain that invariably turned to mush over William’s beauty kept his tone of voice from being a shout. “And even if I did want another dog, I wouldn’t want that. It’s not even a dog!”
“You’re right,” William said. “She’s not a dog. She’s a puppy. A ten-week-old baby German shepherd.”
“A baby?” Martin said, unsure of his ground. “The stork brings baby dogs?”
“Not generally,” William said, and her green eyes looked just enigmatic enough that he was positive she was laughing at him. “But we know a scientist who raises them as a hobby, and we got in touch with her to see if she had any pups.”
The puppy was a sloppy, absurd caricature of Chip. She was black-and-tan where he had been black-and-tan, but where he had been lean and taut, her soft little body resembled a hot dog bun. She had short, stubby legs that were as thick as young trees, and she blundered around on them with no grace whatsoever. Her tall ears were huge, and they couldn’t fit properly on her narrow little head, so they leaned in toward each other and came to a point like a party hat.
“You mean to tell me that thing is supposed to be a German shepherd like Chip? That’s idiotic! That’s—Did it—did it just pee?”
The puppy stood splay-legged over a small yellow puddle and yipped high-pitched barks at the custodial bot. Cassie whooped with laughter and had to sit down to catch her breath. It’s good to see her laughing, Martin thought.
“Yes, she did,” William replied, dragging the puppy away from her puddle. “Baby dogs have to be taught where to go.”
“Well, she’s a moron,” Martin said with feeling. “And thanks, but I don’t want another dog.”
“How would you know?” William retorted. “You’ve never had a dog. You had a bot with special executive branch powers, and that’s not at all like having a dog. This puppy has to eat right and sleep right and stay warm and go to the bathroom, and she doesn’t have the first idea how to take care of herself. She’ll stick her nose in scalding water if you let her, and eat poison or plastic toys or garbage. She doesn’t know how to behave, either, and she won’t learn unless you teach her. She’ll be dead in a day without the right care.”
“So . . . she’s like a human baby,” Martin said. “Like when we got Cassie.”
“Only she’ll grow up quicker.”
The puppy bumbled around William’s legs and got tangled up in her leash. When she couldn’t move, she barked to get free. Martin slid off the bed and sorted her out, and she lurched up to him. He stroked her baby fuzz, and she wagged her entire back end.
You are a wonderful person, her dark eyes told him. You are my whole world. Then she bit him on the arm.
Martin couldn’t speak for a moment. He fended off the little baby teeth and blinked hard. “Well, she’s still a moron,” he said gruffly.
The puppy went exploring in her circle of leash. She found one of his sneakers by the bed and pounced on it happily. By the time he could reel her in, she had it in her mouth and was chewing for all she was worth.
William burst out laughing. “She shares your taste in shoes!”
Martin glowered. But then he relented. He thought, it’s good to see William laughing too.
“I’ve got the perfect name for her,” he said. “I’m gonna name her after you.”
William stopped laughing, and her brows gathered in an ominous line. “Why?”
“Just because,” Martin said. “I think William’s a beautiful name. Come on, William, let’s find you some shiny new sneakers, and you can chew on them all you want.” And he tugged on the leash and headed for the door.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Clare B. Dunkle earned a degree in library science from Indiana University and worked as a librarian for almost a decade before turning her attention to writing. She is the author of several acclaimed books for young adults, including the award-winning Hollow Kingdom trilogy and The Sky Inside, which was the first book featuring Martin and Chip. She lives with her family in San Antonio, Texas.
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