Ice Shock Page 25
Outside, the sky is flat and gray, like a beach pebble. High above the clouds, the air stirs, preparing for a storm. We bury my father on the slope of the nearby hill, in the shade of a tree. It feels like reaching the end of a very, very long day.
As I watch the coffin being lowered into the ground, I clasp my hands together hard, to stop them shaking. It doesn’t work. Ixchel moves closer to me, her fingers reaching for mine. Her hand is small and hot. She’s trembling too.
At the touch of Ixchel’s hand, my mind flicks back to the memory of my dad in his hut on the slopes of the volcano, listening to Miles Davis on his iPod while Ixchel made the tea. How his eyes filled up with tears.
I sense Ixchel next to me, our shoulders touching. She turns to me, but I can’t bear to look at her. I blink rapidly; tears sting my eyes as I stare directly ahead. In my chest there’s an almost unbearable ache.
“You’ll get through this, Josh,” Ixchel whispers, and squeezes my hand.
I was desperate to have all my questions answered … I never imagined it would end like this. But I guess it has. Now I really do know how my father died … he was saving my life.
Meanwhile, pieces of the puzzle keep falling into place; the human race still has an appointment with the super-wave in 2012. As to how things will turn out for me and my family … I’m still in the dark.
On my wrist, under the sleeve of a crisp white shirt and the suit jacket, the Bracelet of Itzamna tingles gently against my skin. I find myself focusing on the sensation. It’s as though the Bracelet were communicating with me:
This isn’t over.
Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank good friends and expert consultants: Reba Bandyopadhyay for astrophysics, Kate Salesse for forensic science, and Barry Clarke for codes and ciphers.
Thanks also to all the wonderful team at Scholastic, especially my editors, Elv Moody and Jessica White, and publicists, Alyx Price and Camilla Allen.
Also to my agent, Peter Cox, for a truly brilliant suggestion and steadfast enthusiasm. Finally to my husband, David, and daughters for their support and patience. It’s not easy keeping Joshua’s secrets …
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M. G. HARRIS
M. G. Harris was born in Mexico City but moved to England as a young child. On regular visits back to Mexico, M. G. became fascinated by Mayan archaeology and made several trips to Mayan ruins in Yucatán and Chiapas. One such trip provided the seed of the idea for The Joshua Files.
M. G. studied biochemistry at Oxford University and spent several years working in research laboratories before setting up an Internet company. While recovering from a skiing accident, M. G. began writing Invisible City, the first book in the Joshua Files series.
M. G. lives in Oxford, England.
Also by M. G. Harris
The Joshua Files: Invisible City
In memory of my Aunty Jose, who told me to go to Veracruz
Copyright © 2009 by M. G. Harris
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Originally published in Great Britain in 2009
by Scholastic Children’s Books, an imprint of Scholastic Ltd.
First published in the United States of America in July 2011
by Walker Publishing Company, Inc., a division of Bloomsbury Publishing, Inc.
E-book edition published in July 2011
www.bloomsburyteens.com
For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to
Permissions, Walker BFYR, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010
Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:
Harris, M. G. (Maria G.)
The Joshua files : ice shock / by M. G. Harris.
p. cm.
Sequel to: The Joshua files : invisible city.
ISBN 978-0-8027-2302-4 (paperback) • ISBN 978-0-8027-2303-1 (hardcover)
[1. Fate and fatalism—Fiction. 2. Mayas—Fiction. 3. Fathers and sons—Fiction. 4. Science fiction.] I.
Title. II. Title: Ice shock.
PZ7.H242245Jop 2011 [Fic]—dc22 2010035850
ISBN 978-0-8027-2301-7 (e-book)