Then an idea came to her that made her...
Then an idea came to her that made her skin
prickleWhat if she were to shout into the silence right
now? What if she were to say, Listen, people! We've found the way out of Ember! It's the river--we go on the river! She could announce the astounding news, just as
she and Doon had planned to do, and then--and then
what would happen? Would the guards rush to the
roof and seize her? Would the people in the square
223
think her news was just a child's wishful thinking, or
would they listen and be saved? She could feel the
words pushing upward in her throat, she wanted so
much to say themShe took a deep breath and leaned
forward
But before she could speak, a rumble of voices
arose belowSomeone shouted, "Don't move!" and
someone else shriekedThe rumble rose to a roar, and
then cries flew into the replica cartier tank darkness from everywhereThe
crowd was erupting into panic
There was no hope of being heard nowLina
clutched the edge of the clock tower as if the tumult
below might cause her to fallShe strained her eyes
against the darknessWithout light, she could go
nowhereLights, come back on, she prayed
Then she saw somethingAt first, she thought her
eyes were tricking herShe closed them tightly and
opened them againIt was still there: a tiny point of
light, movingAs she watched, it moved along slowly
in a straight lineThen it turned and moved in a
straight line againWas it on River Road? She couldn't
tellBut suddenly she knew what it wasIt was Doon,
with a candleDoon, going toward the Pipeworks in
the dark
And she wanted to go, tooShe could feel it all
through her, the urge to run and meet him and find
the way gucci men watches out of Ember, to the new placeShe listened to
224
the shouts and wails of the terrified people in the
square belowMurdo down there
in the dark, being bumped and pushed, with her arms
wrapped tightly around Poppy, trying to protect her,
and all at once everything seemed clearLina knew
what she would do--if only the lights would come
back on, if only this was not the very last blackout in
the history of EmberWatching the tiny light following
its steady course, she made a wish with the whole force
of her heart and mind
Then the floodlights flickered--there was a great
cry of hope from the crowd--and the lights came on
and stayed onLina ran to the back edge of the roof,
dropped easily down onto the roof of the Prison
Room, and, seeing no guards in the crowd that was
now streaming into the chanel white watch street, she jumped from there
to the ground and joined the throng of peopleShe
made her way down Greystone Street, going at the
same pace as everyone else so she wouldn't stand outWhen she came to the trash-can enclosure behind the
Gathering Hall, she squatted down and hidHer heart
was beating fast, but she felt strong and purposeful
nowAs soon as she spotted MrsMurdo and Poppy on their way home, she'd put it into
action
225
CHAPTER 17
Away
At three-twenty, Doon took his pillowcase pack, left
the school by the back door, and started up Pibb StreetHe went fast--the lights had gone out for a few
minutes just before three, and he was nervous about
being outsideHe planned to take the long way to the
Pipeworks, out at the very edge of the city, to avoid any
guards that might still be looking old omega for himHe was filled with dread about LinaHe wouldn't
know what had happened to her until he got to the
Pipeworks and she either showed up or didn'tAll he
could do now was runHe raced down Knack StreetIt was strange to be
out in the city with the streets so utterly desertedWithout the people passing back and forth, the streets
seemed wider and darkerNothing moved but himself,
his shadow, and his fleeting reflection in shop windows
226
he passedIn Selverton Square, he saw a kiosk where
the poster with his and Lina's names on it had been
pinned upEveryone in the city must have seen these
posters by nowHe was famous, he thought wryly,
but not in the way he'd wantedThere would be no
glorious moment on the Gathering Hall steps after allInstead of making his father proud, he would cause
him dreadful chanel vintage jewelry wor
