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his eyes like a hammer, and the twittering noise burst into full volume around him. It was nearly deafening. He squinted and put a hand up to shield his face until his eyes adjusted. Evan caught his breath. Stretching into the distance before him was a field dotted with a series of ponds that made green and blue circles under a dazzling azure sky. Odd trees of a kind Evan had never seen before lined some of the ponds. Tall grass surrounded others, and a few had sandy shores. It was amazing. Australia had been battling constant drought when Evan had left, and he had never seen so much freestanding water in his life, except for the ocean.
     A wide strip of green grass bisected by a dirt path separated the pond area from the barn, and Evan saw people moving along other pathways between the little pools, though he couldn’t make out what they were doing. The sun was hot overhead.
     "What is it?" Evan asked, still awed at the water.
     "Frog farm," Pup said. "We take care of the frogs. Come on—the house is this way."
     Pup lead Evan around behind the barn and across another wide green field. The grass was soft and green under Evan’s soles. It felt soothing and pleasant. Plants in the Outback were scrubby, tough, and usually prickly, certainly no pleasure to walk on. Sydney was a place of concrete and broken glass. Walking barefoot on something soft was a new sensation.
     Ahead of them lay a wide, white house, three stories tall, with a gently sloping red roof. Several outbuildings dotted the grass around it like chicks around a hen, and people moved slowly among them. Bright sunlight glittered off silver bands.
     The slaves working around the house wore white, and Pup and Evan’s brown clothing drew baleful stares. Pup clearly felt uncomfortable but lead Evan around to a back door. The smells of yeast and onions floated on the air. Pup knocked shyly and a moment later, Rebecca stuck her head out. She wore a white blouse, white trousers, and a blue apron dusted with flour. Her silver wristband was coated with it.
     "Mom," Evan said, and she gathered him into her arms even though he was as tall as she was. He stayed like that for a moment, pretending everything was safe and all right.
     "Are you all right?" she asked. "They wouldn’t let me see you."
     "I’m fine." He reluctantly backed up a step, ending the embrace. "This is Pup. He took care of me. He said my name is ‘Lizard’ now." He said the last with distaste.
     "They call me ‘Bell,’ " Rebecca said. "Blanc—" she winced and clutched her wrist "— Mistress Blanc always renames her slaves. I guess everyone does. We’ll just have to live with it until we can figure out what else to do."
      Evan gave a grim nod. A voice from inside the kitchen said, "Bell! We need that pastry rolled out!"
     "I have to go," Rebecca said. "Here, hold on."
     She vanished into the kitchen and came back with a pair of large rolls, which she handed to Evan and Pup. The latter snatched it eagerly. Evan realized he was hungry, too.
     "I don’t know if they fed you or not," Rebecca said. "If you get short of food, come round and see me. I’ll see what I can do."
     "Where are they keeping you?" Evan asked. "Where do you sleep?"
     "In the garret with the others," she replied.
     "Bell!"
     "I’ll see you later." Rebecca stood on tiptoe to kiss the top of Evan’s head and vanished back into the house.

CHAPTER TWO

    Every so often, life just sucks
    —Yeoman Daniel Vik

      "Come on," Pup said, his mouth full of bread. "I’m supposed to show you around."
      He took Evan back around the house toward the pond area, and they ate as they walked. The rolls had a spicy meat filling that tasted unfamiliar to Evan, but he was hungry enough not to care.
      The heat lay hard on the boys as they walked. The very air itself was heavy with moisture, and Evan’s shirt began to stick to his back. He felt as if he were pushing his way through the muggy air. He had never felt anything