NEED TO KNOW

Over four weeks leading up to publication, PEOPLE is running exclusive serial excerpts from bestselling Irish novelist John Boyne's The Elements

Read the third excerpt below

The Elements arrives on shelves Sept. 9 from Henry Holt and Company

If you missed PEOPLE's first exclusive excerpt from John Boyne's The Elements, read it here . Check out the second exclusive excerpt here .

FIRE

When we arrive at my building, I pull into my spot and turn the engine off.

"I’ll wait here, will I?" asks Rufus.

"No, come upstairs," I tell him. "It can be dangerous sitting in car parks on your own. I don’t want to be responsible for a 14-year-old boy getting kidnapped."

He seems anxious but follows me towards the lift. I can tell that he’s regretting having accepted my off

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