In Other Lands

by Sarah Rees Brennan

ideally we would have been able to reason with the trolls, and there would have been no bloodshed,” said Elliot, sinkingly conscious that he was saying the exact wrong thing but not sure what else to say, now they were talking about this. “Oh yeah?” Luke demanded. “You think you’re so smart. Did it seem to you that those creatures were going to listen to reason?” “Well, I mean, maybe,” said Elliot. “We’re never going to know now, are we?” Luke was white under his tan. “Are you serious? I know what you think of me,” he said. “You’re always really clear on the subject. But is this the time to have a go at me?” “That came out wrong,” said Elliot. “Obviously, there were extenuating circumstances. There was the child—” “You know what, Elliot?” Luke demanded. “Could you shut up for once in your life and leave me alone?” He pushed himself off the wall and shoved past Elliot, fairly hard, on his injured side. Elliot went and leaned against the wall until the jolted pain in his arm subsided, and by then Luke was long gone. Elliot blamed himself for trying. He was not a comforting type of person: it was stupid, like a hedgehog trying to be a hot-water bottle. Of course he was only going to make Luke more upset.