Read Skylight (Arcadium, #2) for Free Online Page A

I
groan and roll her off me, and we both spill onto the floor. For a
moment I lie on the carpet, cooling my face because it’s a few
degrees lower than the air temperature.
    “Up, up, up.”
Liss tugs on my arm, brightly determined.
    “I am up,” I
mumble.
    “You’re on the
floor.”
    I nod slowly
and sigh. “Yes but, at least I’m not in the bed anymore.”
    A horrible
sound sails though the open window, the lace curtains fluttering in
the breeze. A forlorn moan, frustrated and inhuman. I jolt up and
rush to see. Liss grabs my arm and I drag her along. We peer out
the window. At first there’s nothing, and then Jacob comes into
view. He’s walking backwards, gun loose in his hand. The infected
woman, swipes at him with anger. She’s never quite close enough to
get him. She jerks along, swiping and groaning and raging at Jacob,
who is as calm as ever.
    “What’s he
doing?” Liss asks.
    “Leading it
somewhere.”
    The infected
woman has long brown hair and is in remarkably good shape—no blood
on her at all, all limbs attached.
    Jacob looks up
at us and waves.
    Liss waves
back.
    We watch until
we can’t see them anymore. The air goes silent.
    “Get changed,”
Liss says. “I have a surprise for you!”
     
    I narrow my
eyes at the bowl Liss holds out. “What is it?” I sit at the dining
table and Liss forces a big silver spoon into my hand.
    “Barbecue baked
beans, obviously.”
    What she omits
is that the smiley face is made out of pineapple chunks and its
hair is fashioned from something like spam.
    “Mmm.” My lips
tighten automatically.
    The moment Liss
disappears upstairs to get ready for our excursion, I push the
additions to the side of the bowl and make a start on the baked
beans. I sit in the oven-like heat for about a minute before
scooping up the bowl and heading outside.
    Kean stands,
leaning back against the corner railing, a can of lemonade in his
hand. I join him and see what he’s watching.
    “Oh. My.
God.”
    Trouble is
doing pushups with his feet raised on the wooden swing. And he just
keeps going and going, staring at the wooden planks, muscles
pumping. The swing barely moves.
    My stomach
muscles clench.
    “How is that
even possible?” I say.
    Kean hands me
his drink. I take a sip and pass it back.
    “How is that even possible?” Kean says, points to my breakfast
bowl.
    “It’s a gift
from my sister.”
    “Ah, so you
have to eat it or she’ll think you don’t love her.”
    I peer over the
edge of the balcony. “I was thinking of chucking it over the side,
but I think she’ll know.”
    Kean laughs.
“I’ll do it. I’ll take one for the team.”
    I finish the
beans and hand the barbecue and pineapple spam soup over.
    “It’s like
we’ve joined forces with the Terminator.” Kean nods to Trouble and
shovels in a mouthful. He chews quickly, swallows and pulls a
dramatic sour face. “Oh, wow. That was disturbing.” Kean finishes
Liss’ creation as quick as possible, washes it down with lemonade
and wipes his forehead. He hands me the empty bowl.
    “How many do
you think he can do?” I ask.
    Kean scoffs. “A
million, I bet. No, no. It’s probably insulting to put limitations
on Trouble.”
    “How many can
you do?”
    Kean laughs.
“Like, at least five. You?”
    “Yeah, sure. I
could do five.”
     
    Trouble drops
his feet to the ground and lines up next to the swing. He lowers
himself, his chin almost touching the balcony, his arms barely
struggling. Liss grabs one of the swing ropes for balance and
climbs on Trouble’s back. Slowly he pushes up, and Liss cackles,
almost falling off. When she gathers her balance, Trouble busts out
a row of twenty pushups with my sister standing on his back. And he
does this with a smile.
    Me and Kean
share our feelings of inadequacy with a long look.
    “I mean, how
can you beat that,” I say.
    As Trouble
refreshes in the bathroom, the rest of us gather on the balcony,
breathing in the late morning heat. Liss and Henry are both