Chapter 1
Max uses the mallet harder than he needs to, and the burnt remains of the chook coop fall together in a loud pile.
The chooks that survived the explosion and the fire are now living wild in the forest, and it seems like they’re having the time of their lives for all they let me or Pop get close.
They still gather around Max like he’s a prophet whenever he goes to check on them, but he’s refused to bring them back to the chook paddock, saying they’re happier where they are.
Pop was so mad to find Burly talking to us, he dragged us immediately back to the farm, dismissing all talk of an invasion as lies to give Burly more control.
Burly didn’t like this, of course, but Pop is pretty scary when he’s mad.
In fact, he was so mad, I’m not even sure he told Mom before shoving me and Max in a fissioncar and taking us out here.
Mom would definitely have an opinion on whether it’s safe yet even though there’ve been no gods for over a week.
Pop’s Noise is a stew of irritation and Max is still not talking to me, so it’s been a pretty quiet day, aside from all the angry malleting. I guess I’ve had enough, because I go over and grab Max’s arm as he’s about to take another swing. He looks at me with a face so mad I nearly step back.
“Leave me alone, Ben,” he says.
I sign, You know Burly’s right about some of it.
“I don’t know any such thing. What I know is what I saw. And I’m not going to pretend I didn’t.”
But you also know how people are. How they react when they’re afraid. Look at what happened to you.
“That’s not fair. Don’t ever use that against me.”
I’m not using it against you. I’m just saying how some people reacted when you told them your truth.
He steps into my space, putting his face into mine. “The truth,” he says. “Not my truth. That’s exactly the kind of shit Burly would say. He’d call seeing the gods ‘our truth’ and he’d never have to be responsible for it because hiding in that phrase are the words ‘they’re lying.’”
I’m sorry, I sign, I didn’t mean your truth. But you saw how people reacted when you told them the truth.
He relaxes, but only just a little bit. “Yeah,” he says. “Yeah, I did. But what you’re forgetting is if you hide the truth because people are weak and afraid, how are they ever going to get strong and brave?”
He goes back to working on the chook coop, bashing it into charcoal.