The older the chicken and duck got, the more Maddie felt herself shutting out her affections for them. Not because she didn’t like them anymore, but because both birds were considered food by the majority of the compound. She kept expecting someone to insist they hand their pets over to be turned into dinner. She didn’t withdraw her affection altogether, but she was more selective about it. More hesitant. Getting attached to something like that wasn’t a very good idea.
“Disappear only to reappear as dinner.” Maybe the joke was in bad taste, but she was trying to lighten the mood. “That might be true for a dog, but I dunno about animals people consider food.” There was a very good chance she was missing the whole point of Caitie’s explanation.
Maddie shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve never believed that it’s selfish to not want to risk getting killed.” She hesitated. “But that usually only applies to not risking your life for people who aren’t family. I don’t really know what the rules are about risking yourself for family.”
It sounded similar to what Mr. and Mrs. Johnson had done, sending all their kids to Sing Sing so they’d be safe. Micah had told her they were alive, though, and that was amazing news. Maddie wished she could’ve done the same for Caitie. “Wouldn’t it be pretty cool if you’re worrying for nothing and your brother and sister are getting the Johnson family treatment in the city?” She offered a smile. That would’ve been a pretty damn cool coincidence. “That’s what I like to imagine. That my parents are your brother and sister are just hanging out, waiting for the moment when they can come here and be with us.”
Maddie nodded. She understood the older brother mindset. “Yeah, Zach’s kinda the same way. Except at least he listens to me. Sometimes.”
With an emphatic shake of her head, Maddie said, “No, you’re gonna stay here.” She awkwardly rubbed Caitie’s shoulder, but stopped abruptly when she realized just how awkward that probably was. “It’d be stupid to go off on your own looking for them. Same reason I haven’t gone back to look for my parents. They’d be super pissed if I tried to get back into the city.” Because with their luck, they probably wouldn’t be able to get out again.
“You can yell at me, if you want.” After all, Maddie knew how Caitie felt. Not with the exact same circumstances, but extremely close.