Free Unwind by Neal Shusterman Page B

it now and you’ll be a whole lot happier.”
    Between them, the baby still cries. It’s like a game of steal the bacon, where no one wants to take the bacon. Finally, Risa bends down and lifts the baby from the welcome mat, holding it close to her. It still cries, but much more softly now.
    â€œNow get out of here,” says the fat woman, “or you’ll be talking to those cops.”
    Connor turns to see the cop car partially blocked by the school bus. Lev stands halfway in and halfway out of the bus, keeping the door from closing, a look of utter desperation onhis face. The irritated bus driver peers out at him. “C’mon, I don’t have all day!”
    Connor and Risa turn away from the woman at the door and hurry for the bus.
    â€œRisa, I—”
    â€œDon’t,” she snaps. “I don’t want to hear it.”
    Connor feels as broken as he did the moment he found out his parents had signed the order to unwind him. Back then, however, he had anger to help dilute the fear and the shock. But there’s no anger in him now, except for anger at himself. He feels helpless, hopeless. All of his self-confidence has imploded like a dying star. Three fugitives running from the law. And now, thanks to his short-circuit stupidity, they are three fugitives with a baby.

12 • Risa
    She can’t even begin to guess what possessed Connor.
    Now Risa realizes he doesn’t just make bad decisions, he makes dangerous ones. The school bus only has a few kids on it as they step on, and the driver angrily closes the door behind them, making no comment about the baby. Perhaps because it’s not the only baby on the bus. Risa pushes past Lev and leads the three of them to the back. They pass another girl with her own little bundle of joy, which couldn’t be any older than six months. The young mother curiously eyes them, and Risa tries not to make eye contact.
    After they’re sitting in the back, a few rows away from the nearest riders, Lev looks at Risa, almost afraid to ask the obvious question. Finally he says. “Uh . . . why do we have a baby?”
    â€œAsk him, ” says Risa.
    Stone-faced, Connor looks out the window. “They’re lookingfor two boys and a girl. Having a baby will throw them off.”
    â€œGreat,” snaps Risa. “Maybe we should all pick up a baby along the way.”
    Connor goes visibly red. He turns toward her and holds out his hands. “I’ll hold it,” he says, but Risa keeps it away from him.
    â€œYou’ll make it cry.”
    Risa is no stranger to babies. At the state home she occasionally got to work with the infants. This one probably would have ended up at a state home too. She could tell that the woman at the door had no intention of keeping it.
    She looks at Connor. Still red, he intentionally avoids her gaze. The reason Connor gave was a lie. Something else drove him to run to that porch. But whatever the real reason was, Connor’s keeping it to himself.
    The bus comes to a jarring halt and more kids get on. The girl at the front of the bus—the one with the baby—makes her way to the back and sits right in front of Risa, turning around and looking at her over the seat back.
    â€œHi, you must be new! I’m Alexis, and this is Chase.” Her baby looks at Risa curiously, and drools over the seat back. Alexis picks up the baby’s limp hand, and makes it wave like she might wave the hand of a toy doll. “Say hello, Chase!” Alexis seems even younger than Risa.
    Alexis peers around to get a look at the sleeping baby’s face. “A newborn! Oh, wow! That’s so brave of you, coming back to school so soon!” She turns to Connor. “Are you the father?”
    â€œMe?” Connor looks flustered and cornered for a moment before he comes to his senses and says, “Yeah. Yeah, I am.”
    â€œThat’s sooooo great that you’re still seeing