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not at all nervous. Although she’d known Will for only a few days, she trusted him. And she knew why. They shared something important that they could talk to each other about. Both had lost a parent—Kit, her mom and Will, his dad—and that left both of them emotionally scarred. It made them different from the other kids. A lot different. They always felt a sadness and emptiness when trying to remember things about their dead parent. Other people didn’t understand it. One had to have lost a parent early in life to know the feeling. “Where are we going?” Kit whispered.
    “You’ll see,” Will whispered back.
    They went down another flight of stairs and came to a metal door that had a sign on it:
    DANGER
    HIGH VOLTAGE
    “Will!” Kit cautioned. “I don’t think we should go in there.”
    “We’ll be fine,” Will said confidently. “Just follow me.”
    They entered a large room that was hot and sticky despite several ventilation ducts that circulated the air. Behind one wall were giant, screened-off generators. The opposite wall was lined with bundles of wire and big metal pipes.
    “Will, if you get us electrocuted, I’ll never forgive you,” Kit warned.
    “That’s not going to happen,” Will assured her. “Now watch.”
    He reached down beneath a large pipe and pulled out a crumpled-up blanket. Atop the makeshift nest was a big, gray bird. It lay motionless except for a brief fluttering of one wing. There was a thick discharge drooling from its beak.
    “It’s a goose,” Will explained. “I found it up on deck under a lounge chair yesterday. I think it landed accidentally on the ship and hurt itself.”
    “Is it dying?” Kit asked, concerned.
    “I don’t know,” Will replied. “I gave him some food and water, but he barely touched it. That’s not a good sign in animals.”
    “Maybe you should tell the captain.”
    “No! No!” Will refused adamantly. “They’d probably destroy it or throw it overboard. With some rest, he might be able to fly again.” He considered the matter at length. “Maybe the food I left for him is something he doesn’t like.”
    “Or maybe he’s got a broken bone,” Kit suggested.
    “Maybe. But yesterday he was still moving his wings, and that means nothing important is broken.”
    Will bent down farther and was now face to face with the bird. The large goose quivered as spittle drooled off its beak. Then it had a cough-like spasm, and more spittle sprayed out.
    “Watch it, Will!” Kit admonished. “That stuff will get all over you.”
    “Don’t worry,” Will said. “I’ll wash my hands when we leave.”
    He carefully fluffed up the small blanket to construct a better nest and keep the bird more comfortable. Then he pushed the small bowls of food and water closer to the bird’s beak.
    The large bird coughed again and sprayed the air with droplets that were heavily laden with the avian flu virus.
    Some of the deadly droplets floated toward the children. Others drifted up into the ship’s ventilation system.
    ———
    David peeled off his T-shirt and began some stretching exercises to relieve the stiffness in his scarred upper back. “I think I’ll shower before dinner.”
    “Want some company?” Carolyn asked playfully.
    “Oh, yeah.”
    As Carolyn slipped out of her jeans, she shivered noticeably. “Jesus! It’s cold in here. Should I turn down the air conditioning?”
    “Leave it on high,” David said while starting a series of shoulder rolls that caused the large joints beneath his deltoids to crack pleasantly. “I like it cold.”
    Carolyn nodded thoughtfully, remembering that heat bothered David, particularly at night when he always slept under a single sheet, with the air conditioner on full blast. If he began to perspire in his sleep, he would suddenly throw off the sheet and start yelling, “Get out! Get out! Get out!” At first David refused to talk about it, saying it was just a bad dream. But Carolyn persisted and prodded him