The Lunar Chronicles - Deleted Scenes

iv.

SPOILERS WARNING: Even though this scene was ultimately deleted (or heavily altered), it still contains information and references to things that did make it into the book. I strongly encourage readers to enjoy the published books before proceeding!

Lunar Chronicles Deleted Scene #4

From: Scarlet, 1st draft

Featuring: Scarlet and Wolf

Helpful set-up: Some important clarification notes on this one...

– The Travel Ban: In this early draft, Scarlet's grandmother was being kept in Los Angeles, not Paris. However, due to the widespread plague, America had instated a travel ban preventing anyone from coming or going across its borders. Wolf and Scarlet got into America by flying her ship into Canada and hiring a trucker to smuggle them across the border.

– As you might recall from the previous deleted scene, Wolf has amnesia in this draft and remembers nothing at all about his life prior to arriving in France.

– The wolf soldiers in the early drafts were closer to traditional werewolves in that they went through a physical transformation to become predators. (I don't remember now if the transformation was caused by the full moon, or if Levana was able to "trigger" it at will.)

* * *

The bridge that spanned the river into Portland was ancient, unused since hovers had replaced the old vehicle technology and new hoverpaths had been constructed for them. Scarlet couldn't help but be a little afraid of the giant steel structure, rusting and crumbling over the immense river, so long abandoned for anything other than a tourist attraction.

But surely if it had stood for this long...

Plus, it was pretty, as the sun rose to the east, highlighting the bridge in gold and pink and stretching its shadowed fingers out toward the ocean.

If Wolf had any trepidation about it too, he didn't show it, his pace not even slowing as he led over its grated threshold. Holding her hand. He hadn't stopped holding her hand all morning, as if the privilege of touching her might be ripped away if he didn't take full advantage of it every minute they were together.

She found that she didn't really mind. If his presence had been comforting before, the feel of his always-warm, strong hand wrapped around hers made her feel like she had her own personal body guard.

And maybe, in a way, that's precisely what he was.

The city of Portland met them on the other side of the bridge, filled with the ancient bridges, but now alive also with hoverpaths and noise. The skyline glowed in the dawn, a mirage looming in the distance.

But they would not have to go into the heart of the city on foot. Restaurants and motels for weary travelers dotted the roads, and with them, computer-driven hovers lined the parking lots.

They stopped for breakfast at a small diner, not much nicer than Al's, and avoided looking at anyone but the waitress, wondering if any of the other trucker customers could possibly be acquainted with their previous guide.

A newsscreen on the wall was droning on about the day's weather—bright and sunny but cold, cold, cold, no cloud cover to keep in the heat. Scarlet fixed her eyes on it as the screen switched and the A.R. president was shown on a platform, talking about the duty of his citizens to assist the other nations in their fight against the plague—to send food and supplies, for their top medical researchers to help in the search for an antidote. And then he talked more about the travel ban, apologized to citizens with loved ones overseas, but explained how it was the best thing for the country at this time.