Free Escape from Eden (Original Series book 2) by Rachel McClellan Page B

and sounds. With just the two of you, you may go unnoticed, but with more you’ll disrupt the balance. Those creatures who rule the night will sense it and be upon you in minutes.”
    “Tell that to Jerry,” Tank says. “I don’t think anyone can change his mind.”
    “We need to get our packs,” Link says. “And Jerry said to get one for you too, Tank.”
    “I want to pick out my own gear,” Tank says.
    “This way.” Link guides him from the room. His shoulders are pulled back, and his chin is out as if he’s leading an army to victory. I realize then that this is probably a dream come true for him: gearing up his hero.
    Stella turns to me and smiles. "I have complete faith in you, but remember what I said. You are the only one who can save your mother.”
    I nod and motion toward the door with my head. “I better go find Max. He should've been back by now.”
    “You take care and always remember what makes you special.”
    The way she says it, her voice soft, yet commanding, has me looking at her strangely. “Okay. And thanks for giving me this chance to leave. It won’t be wasted.”
    “I know it won’t.”
    I leave the room, my chest so light I feel I could fly. I'm finally getting off the island.

10
    M ax is in his room alone. His other five roommates are probably at the nightly activity, which, if I remember correctly, is a 3D movie, one everyone has already seen at least a dozen times. New movies won’t be brought in until Jerry sends people out for supplies late in the spring. Max sits hunched over on his bed, his attention on a black device in his lap.
    “Max?” I ask.
    He keeps staring down at whatever is in his hands. “It’s almost ready. Sort of, I guess.”
    “What is it?” I walk to the other side of his bed and sit down, bending my head so I don’t hit the bunk above me.
    Max unhooks a small, silver disc slightly bigger than a quarter from a black box that looks like a crudely made battery. He hands it to me and says, “It’s the beginning of a communication device. It uses electromagnetic waves, which is super old, instead of satellite. I thought if we had something like this, the Institute wouldn’t be able to track it.”
    I turn it over in my hand. The disc looks like two metal milk lids glued together. “What does it do?”
    “There’s a chip in it that will beep Morse code. Do you remember our father telling us about people using it centuries ago?”
    “I do, but how does it work?”
    Max removes another disc, this one blue, from the other side of the battery box. “I keep this one, and when I press it like this,” he squeezes it between his forefinger and thumb, “yours will beep no matter how far away. That way I can communicate with you if Eden is ever in trouble or if we need something important.”
    Sure enough my disc hums a high-pitched note until Max lets go. I look up at him “This is so cool. Can I communicate back to you?”
    His head lowers. “Not yet, but soon. Only one can send while the other receives. I should’ve had them both communicating by now, but I thought I’d have another month before showing it to Jerry. I hoped he could take it off the island with him and give it to good Primes.”
    I palm it gently, my chest full of pride. “You are so smart, Max. I’m lucky to have a brother like you.”
    He cracks a smile.
    “So do you have the code I can memorize?” I ask.
    Max jumps from the bed and turns around. From under his mattress, he removes a folded sheet of paper and hands it to me. “Each letter is based on a combination of a short beep and a long beep. If I do need you for any reason, I'll keep it simple and only if it's an emergency.”
    I unfold the paper and stare at the letters with their corresponding dots and dashes. They instantly go to my memory where I’ll easily be able to retrieve them later. “Let’s hope you never need to use it, but I have to admit—it makes me feel better knowing you can contact me if you ever get