This short story concerns an event which happened at the outbreak of the war with the Spackle, the intelligent humanoid lifeform native to the New World, in the Chaos Walking trilogy. Although it occurs 13 years before the beginning of the first book, the advice is to read it after reading book 2, maybe because it throws a different light on the Spackle after reading that book. It also lacks the "hillbilly" type narration which is such a feature of the trilogy as a whole and which can be a bit wearing. By contrast, this story is told in straightforward third person prose. 
 It is set in a fishing village. Declan is a young boy who loves reading. Through this he has met a Spackle female, who picked up the book he was reading through his Noise, the uncontrolled telepathic broadcast which all human males transmit due to the effect of a natural New World virus. The Spackle also have Noise, but both sexes possess it and it is under their control. The female has a long name, as far as Spackle understand names since they are more like concepts, and Declan ends up calling her Ti. 
 Declan and Ti have become close, but this has brought out the bigotry in other members of his community, which worsens as rumours (true as it transpires) spread that some of the Spackle have started a war elsewhere. The prurience of a particular member of the community, Eli, has evolved into accusations of perversion although the most Declan and Ti have done is hold hands. Both he and Ti do, however, share a close emotional bond, and Ti's people also regard this with disapproval. 
 Declan's community is dying due to the aggressive larger fish which shepherd the smaller fish and kill the human fishermen as competitors. Strangely enough, they don't bother the Spackle who bring in large catches with spears and nets, a fact that probably adds to the hostility humans in general harbour towards the natives. 
 As the story starts, the community are about to leave, most of them having already packed up and departed the previous day, including Declan's mother, from whom he parted on bad terms. Declan is determined to stay behind and to go off somewhere with Ti, so that they can be together away from the interference of their respective peoples, though both of them are making sacrifices thereby. Eli is equally determined to prevent Declan from doing so, and will stop at nothing, including murder. 
 One character, the mayor Mistress Coyle, is a main character in book 2 of the trilogy. Here we see her as a younger woman, still formidable and resourceful, but with less of a ruthless streak, although in the course of the story it appears she has committed one crime to prevent another. 
 I don't expect Declan and Ti, or their quest to find another land overseas, will prove a factor in book 3 of the trilogy, but this story does at least contain a little bit of the optimism which the main series totally lacks.