Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11 EARLY THE NEXT MORNING SHOGAHAMA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Ben lay wrapped in blankets on the floor of a school gym. Nya slept on his stomach. They both shivered. There was no power at the school, and it was dark except for the glow of a few flashlights. Ben made out the shapes of people around him: at least fifty of them, laid out on straw mats or blankets. There were very old people, older than Ojisan, and young people, mothers with babies, men by themselves. People spoke in whispers and murmurs. Some were crying softly.

This was where Ben and Nya had ended up last night after their endless trudge through the ruins — to this school on a hill. They'd walked for hours. Ben hoped that one day he'd forget the terrible things he'd seen as he walked: the arm sticking out from under a pile of wreckage, the old man carrying a lifeless-looking woman on his back. He passed a young man sitting motionless in front of a ruined house. Ben went up to him, to see if he needed help. But the man just stared straight ahead, barely blinking, like a statue. Ben waited, kneeling in front of him, but the man refused to speak, or even to look at Ben. And so Ben walked on, until he finally reached the end of the wave's path of destruction. He saw the school up on the hill, but getting there was the hardest part of the journey. By then, he was so freezing cold that he was completely numb. His feet were bricks of ice. In Health class last year, he'd learned about what happens to a person when their body gets too cold. Their muscles stop

working right. Their mind gets all confused. Their heart slows down so there's not enough blood flowing. That's what must have happened to Ben. By the time he made it to the lobby of the school, he could no longer walk. He'd staggered in, a frozen ghost with a shivering cat around his neck. He collapsed onto the floor. After that, Ben's memories were blurry. There were strong arms that picked him up, soft voices speaking to him, a warm blanket wrapped tight around him. Gentle hands cleaned the mud from his face. Someone put a cup of water to his mouth and Ben drank. He drifted in and out of a kind of shadowy sleep. The next thing he knew he was here, on the floor of the gym. His muddy clothes were gone, and he was wearing a worn sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants. Nya had been cleaned off, too, the oil wiped from her fur. There was a bandage on

Ben's hand, and more on the cuts and gashes that covered his legs. People had taken care of him, but he had no idea who. Without any power, the school was very cold. He shivered under his blankets, glad for the extra bit of heat from Nya's skinny body curled up on his stomach. Lying next to Ben were a little girl and her mother. The mother was asleep, but the girl was awake, staring at Ben with steady, thoughtful eyes. Ben guessed she was around Harry's age. She had a Hello Kitty doll clutched in her arms. The girl sat up. She reached for a bottle of water, and slid it over to Ben. He couldn't remember ever being this thirsty. The bitter metal taste of the wave coated his tongue like glue. He managed to smile a little, but he shook his head, No thank you. He couldn't take any water from the little girl.

She woke up her mother, and spoke to her in a high whisper. The woman sat up. Even in the dim light, Ben could see the sadness and worry on her face. Ben wondered where the girl's father was. The woman gave Ben a kind smile. She even spoke a bit of English. "Please," she said. "Take. You need." She pushed the bottle of water to Ben. Then she reached into her bag and took out a bag of chips. "Please," she said again. He still had the feeling he should say no, that the woman hardly had enough for herself and her daughter. But he couldn't resist. At least he knew the Japanese word for thank you. "Arigato," he said. "Arigato." Ben drank half the water and shared some with Nya. He made himself save some for later. Then he closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep, into his dreams.

He dreamed of Dad, and this time they were together in Shogahama, walking through the pine forest, running along the beach. And somewhere in the dream, a man's voice called out to Ben. But it wasn't Dad's voice, or Ojisan's. Ben opened his eyes. There was a man kneeling next to him. "Hello, old friend," he said. "I was hoping we'd see each other again." It was Dr. Sato.