Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14 The stars came out, more stars than Barry had ever imagined. Was one of them Beta Draconis, Akivo's secret star? Beta Draconis was a real star. Barry and Jay had found the name in an astronomy book in the library. They'd learned that there were trillions and trillions of stars in the universe, more stars than grains of sand on every beach and desert on earth. They all seemed to be out that night.

Barry searched the sky and picked out one of the very brightest stars. "See that, Cruz?" he whispered, pointing into the sky. "That's Akivo's star." That probably wasn't true. But right then, Barry decided to believe it. Cruz looked at the sky, and his brown eyes filled up with light. He and Barry leaned their heads together. And soon the sky seemed to wrap itself around them, a glittering blanket to protect them from the awful sights and sounds and smells of their ruined neighborhood. They sat like that for hours on their little dry patch of roof. A few small boats motored by. Barry called out, but nobody seemed to hear him. Until, finally, one of the boats slowed down. It wasn't really a boat. It was more like a raft. A yellow rubber raft with a motor. The driver was a woman, younger than Mom. She drove the boat right onto the roof and stopped it just a few feet from Barry and Cruz. "Well, look at you, brave soul," the woman said, her voice low and smooth.

She had very dark skin and huge eyes and dozens of long, skinny braids that seemed to dance around her face. Barry stared at her, sure he was imagining things. She seemed like some kind of fairy — a beautiful fairy in a yellow rubber boat — from one of Cleo's bedtime stories. But she was real, stepping out of her boat and wading up to Barry in tall rubber boots. She put a hand on Cruz's head. The dog didn't growl. Like Barry, he seemed hypnotized. "Who are you?" the woman asked. Barry's throat was dry and swollen. But he managed to say his name. "I'm Nell," she said. "Where's your family?" Barry looked around him at the endless water. His eyes filled with tears. Nell put her hands on Barry's shoulders. "How about we get you and your friend out of here?" she asked. "Sound like a plan?" Barry wiped his eyes and somehow choked out the word "yes." Barry and Cruz climbed into the boat after Nell.

Nell handed Barry a big bottle of water. She filled a cup for Cruz and held it while he lapped the water up. Barry gulped down his water, almost choking at first. When he was finished, he took a deep breath. He opened his mouth to say thank you, but the only sound that came out was a sob. Suddenly tears were pouring down his face. He turned away from Nell. She had called him a brave soul. So why couldn't he act brave? He was finally off that roof. But now all the terror he'd felt those past hours came back to him, second by second. He felt as if he was shrinking, as though his fear was boiling up inside him and he was melting away.

"We're going to the St. Claude Avenue Bridge," Nell said. "There will be people to help you there." Of course there would be. Police and firemen. Doctors and nurses. Barry knew what happened in disasters. He'd seen it on the news. He imagined a big tent on the bridge, with cots set up in neat rows. He would get fresh clothes, more water, good food. The people there would know how to track down Mom and Dad and Cleo. Barry took a deep breath.

Nell carefully wove the little boat through the maze of uprooted trees and wreckage. People stranded on rooftops called to them as they rode by. "Help us!" "We've got a baby here!" "We're hurt! Please help!" Nell called back to all of them. "I'll be back!" she said over and over. "Hang on there! I'll be back." She whispered a prayer under her breath. "There are thousands of people stranded, just here in the Lower Nine," Nell said to Barry. "I've already picked up more than thirty people." Finally the bridge appeared in the distance. And even from far away, Barry could see that there were no tents. No flashing lights or police cars or fire engines or ambulances. Other boats — little boats, like Nell's — pulled up to the bridge, let people off, and then headed back out into the water. There were at least a hundred people packed on the bridge. Families huddled together; old couples sat on the ground; people walked around dazed.