Idols (42 page)

Until today.

Today was the day I learned the battle doesn’t just lie in the Embassies, or the sky, or even the universe.

The battle lies in this Lord Child. This girl who is not a girl, this boy who is not a boy. This everything called Sparrow and this nothing called Null.

And the battle lies in Fortis. My father. Who lies quite a bit, as well.

Worst of all, the battle is in me.

Chumash Rancheros Spaniards Californians Americans Grass The Lords The Hole Me.

I’m Doloria Maria de la Cruz, and this is my story. The story of me, and the story of my people.

But what am I?

I’m not hope. I’m not the thing with feathers. Not anymore. I’ve changed. I am change.

And I’m not best friend to Furo Costas. Not anymore. He’s dead, as dead as the Lord who took him.

I should know. My heart died with him.

Which also means I’m not girlfriend to Lucas Amare. Not anymore. I’m too broken for that.

And I’m not my parents’ daughter. Not anymore. They were lies, props, the figment of someone else’s imagination.

I’m not even Sparrow’s sister. Not anymore. She was only real in my dreams, only as human as I made her.

And what do I know about humans?

Only this:

My name is Doloria Maria de la Cruz, and I’m not just the end of childhood.

I’m the end of humanity.

And if you come from the skies—

I’m coming for you.

GENERAL EMBASSY DISPATCH: EASTASIA SUBSTATION

MARKED URGENT

MARKED EYES ONLY

Internal Investigative Subcommittee IIS211B

RE: The Incident at SEA Colonies

Note: Contact Jasmine3k, Virt. Hybrid Human 39261.SEA, Laboratory Assistant to Dr. E. Yang, for future commentary, as necessary.

FORTIS

Transcript: Comlog {date scrubbed}

FORTIS::NULL

//comlog begin;

sendline:
NULL. Based on the information you provided, the number of devices, I have some suggestions for you.;

return:
Please continue.;

sendline:
You have 13 devices—I will upload suggestions for the ideal targets. These are not purely population driven. I considered also capacity for production, manufacturing, etc.;

sendline:
I also recommend establishing a temporary system for maintaining order during your preparation.;

sendline:
If you can subdue the population, you can also use existing resources more effectively to prepare, also reducing the risk of catastrophic failure.;

sendline:
I believe this is the most efficient way to accomplish your mission.;

delayed response;

sendline:
Hello?;

return:
And in exchange?;

delayed response;

sendline:
I want my own colony.;

sendline:
I need something.;

sendline:
I don’t know what I want.;

sendline:
I’ll know it when I see it.;

sendline:
I’m not being mercenary.;

sendline:
I’m being logical.;

sendline:
..… hello?;

transmission terminated;

//comlog ended;

For more great reads and free samplers, visit

LBYRDigitalDeals.com

and join our communities at:

Facebook.com/LittleBrownBooks

Twitter.com/lbkids

theNOVL.com

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

It’s difficult to write difficult books, and this was that. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t write them, but it doesn’t mean we should try to go at it alone, either. Many of my own personal
Icons
and
Idols
along the way have come to my rescue, time and time again. I am so much more than grateful for my team, in New York and around the world.

Thanks to my
Idols
at the Gernert Company: Sarah Burnes, my agent and friend; along with Logan Garrison, Will Robert, and Rebecca Gardner.

Thanks to my
Idols
at Little, Brown: Kate Sullivan and Julie Scheina, my genius editors on this project; along with Leslie Shumate and Pam Garfinkel, their genius editorial assistants.

Thanks as well to the tireless Hallie Patterson and Melanie Chang, for publicity; Dave Caplan, for cover design; Barbara Bakowski and Barbara Perris, for copyediting; Victoria Stapleton and Zoe Luderitz, for the support from school and library services; Megan Tingley and Andrew Smith, for the support from publishing.

Thanks to my assistants, Victoria Hill and Zelda Wengrod, who are like family; and of course, thanks to my actual family: Lewis, Emma, May, and Kate Peterson, as well as all the Stohls everywhere.

In particular, thanks to Eunei Lee and Lewis Peterson, my Southeast Asian travel buddies; and to Raphael Simon, Melissa de la Cruz, and Kami Garcia, who had to hear all the stories.

And finally: Thanks to the readers, librarians, teachers, bloggers, social media friends and followers, journalists, fellow authors, and fans who have supported both Kami and me for the past six years, since
Beautiful Creatures
.

I will always idolize all of you, you iconic and beautiful creatures!

XO, Margie

Contents

1. COVER
   
2. TITLE PAGE
   
3. WELCOME
   
4. DEDICATION
   
5. EPIGRAPH
   
6. PROLOGUE: PICK A GOD AND PRAY
   
7. CHAPTER 1: WRECKED
   
8. CHAPTER 2: OUT OF RANGE
   
9. CHAPTER 3: RHUMBA OF RATTLESNAKES
   
10. CHAPTER 4: LOST HIGHWAY
    
11. CHAPTER 5: DIRT NAP
    
12. CHAPTER 6: ANIMAL FEET
    
13. CHAPTER 7: BELTER MOUNTAIN
    
14. CHAPTER 8: COLD WELCOME
    
15. CHAPTER 9: THE IDYLLS
    
16. CHAPTER 10: PECULIAR PEOPLE
    
17. CHAPTER 11: BELTER BIRDS
    
18. CHAPTER 12: IDYLLS’ END
    
19. CHAPTER 13: FOUR
    
20. CHAPTER 14: DREAM GIRL
    
21. CHAPTER 15: REMNANTS
    
22. CHAPTER 16: IN A HEARTBEAT
    
23. CHAPTER 17: MERK SECRETS
    
24. CHAPTER 18: JUMP
    
25. CHAPTER 19: GOLDEN GAP
    
26. CHAPTER 20: BUDDHA BILL
    
27. CHAPTER 21: OLD NEWS
    
28. CHAPTER 22: HAWKERS
    
29. CHAPTER 23: ASH
    
30. CHAPTER 24: WAT PHRA KAEW
    
31. CHAPTER 25: PING, CHING, AND CHANG
    
32. CHAPTER 26: GONE
    
33. CHAPTER 27: FUTURE PAST
    
34. CHAPTER 28: LORD BUDDHA
    
35. CHAPTER 29: MOON MOUNTAIN
    
36. CHAPTER 30: JADE SUNRISE
    
37. CHAPTER 31: BEYOND BIRDS
    
38. CHAPTER 32: UNIFICATION
    
39. CHAPTER 33: INTRODUCTIONS
    
40. CHAPTER 34: SALUTATIONS
    
41. CHAPTER 35: ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS
    
42. EPILOGUE
    
43. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
    
44. COPYRIGHT
    

Copyright

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright © 2014 by Margaret Stohl, Inc.

Cover art © 2014 by Sean Freeman

Cover design by David Caplan

Cover © 2014 Hachette Book Group, Inc.

All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

Little, Brown and Company

Hachette Book Group

237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017

lb-teens.com

Little, Brown and Company is a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

The Little, Brown name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

First ebook edition: July 2014

ISBN 978-0-316-27978-9

E3