The Ask and the Answer (Page 95)

I’m still stepping back.

Till I’m behind even Davy.

“I want no harm to come to Viola, either,” the Mayor says. “All along I promised both of you a future. That promise still stands.”

Even without looking right at him, his voice is buzzing in my head, weighing it down, making it seem like it’s easier just to–

“Don’t listen to him!” Viola shouts. “He’s a liar.”

“Todd,” says the Mayor. “I think of you as my son. I really do.”

And Davy turns to me, his Noise rising all hopeful, and he says, “C’mon, Todd, you hear that?”

And his Noise is reaching for me, too, eagerness and worry coming forward like fingers and hands, asking me, begging me to put the gun down, put it down and make everything all right, make it so all this stops–

And he says, “We could be brothers–”

And I cast my eyes to Davy’s–

And I see myself in them, see myself in his Noise, see the Mayor as my father and Davy as my brother and Viola as our sister–

See the hopeful smile rising to Davy’s lips–

And for the third time, I have to ask–

Forgive me.

I point the rifle at Davy.

“Let her go,” I say to the Mayor, not quite able to look Davy in the face.

“Todd?” Davy asks, his forehead furrowing.

“Just do it!” I snap.

“Or you’ll what, Todd?” the Mayor teases. “You’ll shoot him?”

Davy’s Noise is spilling over with more asking marks, with surprise and shock–

With a betrayal that’s rising–

“Answer me, Todd,” the Mayor says. “Or you’ll what?”

“Todd?” Davy says again, his voice lower this time.

I look him briefly in the eyes and look away again.

“Or I’ll shoot Davy,” I say. “I’ll shoot yer son.”

Davy’s Noise is pouring with disappointment, disappointment so thick it falls off him like mud. I don’t even read no anger in his Noise, which makes it worse. He ain’t even thinking of jumping me or punching me or wrestling the gun away.

The only thing in his Noise is me holding a gun on him.

His only friend holding a gun on him.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

But he don’t look like he hears.

“I gave you yer book,” he says. “I gave you back yer book.”

“You let Viola go!” I shout, looking away from Davy, anger at myself snapping my voice loud. “Or I swear to God–”

“Go ahead then,” the Mayor says. “Shoot him.”

Davy looks at the Mayor. “Pa?”

“Never much use as a son anyway,” the Mayor says, still pushing Viola forward with the rifle. “Why do you think I sent him to the front line? I was at least hoping he’d die a hero’s death.”

There’s pain on Viola’s face still but it ain’t all her ankles.

“Never mastered his Noise,” the Mayor continues, looking at Davy, whose Noise–

I can’t say what his Noise is like.

“Never followed an order he couldn’t get out of. Couldn’t capture you. Couldn’t take care of Viola. Only ever showed improvement because of your influence, Todd.”

“Pa–” Davy starts.

But his pa ignores him.

“You are the son I want, Todd. Always you. Never this waste of space.”

And Davy’s Noise–

Oh, Jesus, Davy’s Noise–

“LET HER GO!” I shout so I don’t have to hear it. “I’ll shoot him, I’ll do it!”

“You won’t,” says the Mayor, smiling again. “Everyone knows you aren’t a killer, Todd.”

He pushes Viola forward again–

She calls out from the pain of it–

Viola, I think–

Viola–

I grit my teeth and raise the rifle–

I c**k it–

And I say what’s true–

“I would kill to save her,” I say.

The Mayor stops edging forward. He looks twixt me and Davy and back again.

“Pa?” says Davy. His face is twisted and crumpled.

The Mayor looks back at me, reading my Noise.

“You would, wouldn’t you?” he says, almost under his breath. “You’d kill him. For her.”

Davy looks back at me, his eyes wet but anger rising there, too. “Don’t, Todd. Don’t do it.”

“Let her go,” I say again. “Now.”

The Mayor’s still looking twixt me and Davy, seeing that I’m serious, seeing that I’d really do it.

“Just put the gun down,” I growl, not looking at Davy’s eyes, not looking at his Noise. “This is over.”

The Mayor takes in a long breath and lets it out.

“Very well, Todd,” he says. “As you wish.”

He steps away from Viola.

My shoulders relax.

And he fires his gun.

{VIOLA}

“Todd!” I shout, the sound of the rifle shot blasting past my ear, erasing everything but him, the whole world reduced to not knowing if he’s all right or not, if he’s been hit, if–

But it’s not him–

He’s still holding up his gun–

Unfired–

Standing next to Davy–

Who falls to his knees–

Sending up two small clouds of dust as he hits the rubble–

“Pa?” he asks, his voice pleading, like a little kitten–

And then he coughs, spilling blood down his lips–

“Davy?” Todd says, his Noise rising like he’s the one that’s been shot–

And I see it–

A hole high in Davy’s chest, in the fabric of his uniform, just below the base of his throat–

And Todd runs to him, kneeling down beside him–

“Davy!” he shouts–

But Davy’s Noise is staring at his father–

Asking marks sent everywhere–

His expression shocked–

His hand reaching up to the wound–

He coughs again–

And gags–

Todd’s looking at the Mayor, too–

His Noise railing–

“What did you do?” he shouts–

[TODD]

“WHAT DID YOU DO?!” I shout.

“I removed him from the equation,” the Mayor says calmly.

“Pa?” Davy asks again, holding out a bloodied hand towards him–

But his pa is only looking at me.