1//Call Her Rose
“Martha’s Theme”—Doctor Who soundtrack*
“Waiting For the World to Fall”—Music Inspired by Narnia
 “The Rainbow Connection”—The Muppet Movie
“My Mind Rebels at Stagnation”—Sherlock Holmes soundtrack

Peter’s shoulder smelled faintly of seasoned salt and cinnamon. The mixed scents were not quite unpleasant, but they wearied Rachael’s already weary brain. For hard months, she and he had trudged until their spines ached from toting backpacks and their minds narrowly missed the brink of shutting down.
“Have you thought about what we can call me now?” Rachael—for now—asked her cousin.
Peter flexed his fingers and pushed back his dark brown hair. It brushed her face.
He hesitated before exhaling, “Rose.”
 “Rose? I… hmm.” Tones of wonder, then a pause: “I actually like it. Rose Gray?”
“ ‘I actually like it,’” he mimicked—not well because of his New York accent. “Then Rose Gray you are.”
Briefly, Rachael Rose Gray lifted her head from his rumpled shoulder, which was broad and muscular, though Peter was neither large nor tall. She shook out her spiky jaw-length black hair.
The untied shoelaces of her black trainers dangled from the sandbank. In the lapping waves beneath, she made out a murky reflection of her freckles and the black makeup outlining and shadowing her green eyes, as if she’d recently taken two sound punches.
Mist cached the beach, unbalancing her bearings. She reached over her shoulder, trying to reach her backpack’s zipper like a puppy chasing its tail. Peter finally took pity on her. “Want the map?” he asked, pulling it out.
“Yeah,” she said, taking it. Opening the map also challenged her, as the worn creases threatened to tear, and the faded compass rose didn’t clearly point north. She turned the map around and wrinkled her pointed nose at its glue-like smell. She squinted at it for awhile, crossing and uncrossing her sand-caked legs.
“Still having trouble, Rose Gray?” Peter snickered.
“Shut up, Pete,” Rose mumbled, shooting a dirty look at his ocean-blue eyes. “How old is this thing, anyway?”
“Don’t know.” Peter shrugged.
“I can’t find the High City.”
“Might be called New Shipton, like the founders named it when they first built it up from Boston.”
“Oh.” She turned the map counter-clockwise once more, tracing a line with her finger. “Then we’re nearly there.”
“First stop, the High City, second stop…?”
“I’m desperate to leave planet earth. Any other will serve.”
He hesitated. “The universe is big, Rose.”
“You’re one for generalizations.”
He crossed his strong arms. “Well, as long as we’re so vague, why not go to all the planets?”
 “If we find a ship that’ll take us to all of them,” she said with a snort of laughter. “And if we have money after paying our cyclopean fare for such a ship, do you think I could buy a new pair of trainers—but green, with sequins?” She raised her feet slightly and paused. Despite the uncertain mixed currency in Peter’s backpack, more excitement than uneasiness and nervousness stirred in her chest. “Do you think the ships really float?”
“I don’t think Thalia made that up. A few days ago—you remember, when the clouds were thin—I even thought I saw a ship… her keel anyway.”
“I envy you.”
“Because I saw a floating ship, or because of my good looks?”
“And your big mouth,” she laughed, “and uncomplicated family life.”
“Says the girl who dragged me from my world to go planet-hunting. Nuh-uh.” And it took him only two seconds to: “Ya know, I’ve figured out your problem!”
“My what?” she pretended to huff.
“You’re a rebellious snot!”
The idea half fascinated her. “I am?” she asked, batting her eyelashes.
Immune, he went on more seriously, “You’re gonna get us in trouble someday, kid. Just because the Council let ya leave doesn’t mean you’re off the hook.”
“But you seem to discount that they did let me leave,” she protested, pouting slightly. “Doesn’t that score any points?”
“Not with me. They let you leave ‘cause the law makes them—and to get rid of a punk. Now I’ve gotta put up with that. No credit to you.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, pulling her black wool jacket tight and forcing the hood around her neck. “Ever since Thalia died… I’ve been… pretty detached from my life. I don’t look like I care, but I do… Really.”
“We all have our issues,” he said.
 “Oh, Peter…”
“Stop worrying. We’re gonna make it.” His voice got husky, and the oscillating blueness of his eyes froze.
“We had better.” She hesitated. “Oh, and cuz… Thanks.”
He put his arm around the girl now called Rose Gray and rubbed her shoulders in silence. Finally he said, “Yeah. No prob.”
XXX

*Songs to listen to while you read the chapter

Now please help me by answering these questions:

1. Did this grab your attention? If you knew nothing about me and the book and had only pulled this off the library shelf, would you check it out based on this?

2. What opinions have  you formed of the characters personalities? Did you like the characters? Why or why not?

3. Did you see any grammar/spelling issues; awkward sentences; flowery, distracting wording; wordiness in general; inconsistencies; or clumsy phrasing? Please specify.

4. Was the dialogue boring or predictable? Did it, and the rest, make sense?

5. Did you even bother to listen to the songs under the chapter title? Did they add or detract? (And, out of curiosity, did you like them?)

Please give me any other input you have!