《Darkest Powers Bonus Pack (Darkest Powers #0.5)》


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    Dangerous


    Prologue


    Ten Years Earlier


    For the third night in a row, the boy woke to the sound of screaming. He leaped up, tangled in the sweat-soaked sheets, heart pounding so hard he gasped for breath. As he hovered between nightmare and waking, he thought he could hear the others, their grunts and growls and soft snarls as they slept.


    More like puppies than little boys, the night nurse would say. She always smiled when she said it, but the boy saw only her bared teeth, and the snap in her voice said she didn¡¯t find it funny at all. She found it strange, unnatural, wrong. Like when she got angry and called them brats and savages and, her favorite insult, hissed in their ears . . .


    Little beasts.


    As the nightmare slid away, so did the sounds of the others. The boy looked over, squinting in the dark, windowless room, only a sliver of light coming from under the door.


    He turned toward the other three beds and knew what he¡¯d see. Empty, as they¡¯d been for four nights now, the covers pulled tight, the boys gone, never to return, leaving him behind, alone.


    He didn¡¯t mind that so much. Being alone meant there was no one to corner him in the play-yard, snap at him, claw him, bite him.


    The doctors and nurses never interfered. They only watched, whispering among themselves, saying words like outcastand omega, packand hierarchy, words he didn¡¯t understand, words they jotted furiously into their notebooks.


    So he wasn¡¯t sad to see the others gone. What bothered him was how they left.


    The Incident, the doctors and nurses called it. Another word he didn¡¯t understand, but he shivered each time he heard it.


    It had started with a new nurse. A pretty, young nurse who¡¯d gotten mad when the older one called them little beasts, who¡¯d snuck them candies and chocolate bars and soda pop. He¡¯d liked her. To the others, though, her kindness smelled like weakness, and they¡¯d used it, always smiling and sitting with her and asking for more treats.


    When the other nurse found out, she¡¯d put a stop to the gifts. The other boys hadn¡¯t liked that. They¡¯d wheedled and begged, but the young nurse said no, she wasn¡¯t allowed to bring them anything.


    Then, one night, she snuck in to see them. Just to see them¡ªtuck them in, kiss them goodnight. Only the other boys thought she¡¯d brought them treats, and when they found out she hadn¡¯t¡ª


    The boy squeezed his eyes shut, but he still remembered it. He still saw them backing her into the corner, then pouncing. He still heard her screams. Still smelled the blood that had flecked the walls.


    He might be the biggest, but he was no match for all three of them. So he¡¯d run to the door and banged and shouted, making more noise than he ever had in his life.


    The guards had rescued the nurse. Then they¡¯d put him in the schoolroom, given him milk and cookies, and told him he¡¯d done the right thing and they were proud of him.


    But they hadn¡¯t sounded proud. They¡¯d sounded scared.


    It had been nearly morning when the old nurse had taken him back to the bedroom, where he could still smell blood under the stink of disinfectant. The other boys had been gone. And they never came back.


    He never thought to ask what had happened to them. Nothing in his young life led him to believe that question¡ªor any other¡ªwould be answered.


    He¡¯d been born here, with the other three. Lived here all his five years. He¡¯d never been outside the front doors. He didn¡¯t even know where they were. He only went out the back ones and only into the play yard.


    As for what was beyond the garden walls, he wasn¡¯t really sure. He had books, and he was a good reader, but the world depicted within those pages might have well been the moon for all the resemblance it bore to his life.


    He read about things like mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers, but he didn¡¯t really understand the concepts. There was another child who came here sometimes. Simon lived outside the building with a man he called Dad, but the boy didn¡¯t really understand what that meant.


    Simon was almost always smiling, always happy. The boy didn¡¯t understand that either. He just knew that he felt happier himself when Simon was around.


    The other three boys hadn¡¯t liked Simon. They¡¯d tripped him and pushed him and said he wasn¡¯t one of them, and got mad when the boy played with him. But he had anyway. They played board games, and even when Simon lost, he never flew into a rage or snarled and snapped like the others, but only grinned and said he¡¯d win the next time.


    As the boy tried to fall back asleep, he thought about Simon and not about the others. Not where they¡¯d gone. Not how things had changed since they¡¯d left.


    Now when the boy was in the playroom, he heard voices coming through the vent, where the doctors watched him through the camera. He knew about the camera, but he ignored it, and built his cars and bridges and skyscrapers and all the other things he saw in his books. He built and he listened.


    He didn¡¯t hear everything they said¡ªjust a few words that made him shiver like he did when they said ¡°The Incident.¡± Words like problemand mistakeand miscalculation. And the worst word of all, the one they said over and over as they whispered among themselves. Dangerous.


    He knew they were talking about him. But he wasn¡¯t dangerous. He¡¯d never done more than shove the other boys and only when they came after him or Simon. He¡¯d never gotten in trouble for that, no matter how much the other boys fake-cried and pretended to be hurt. And he¡¯d never hurt any of the grown-ups. Never even yelled or snarled or growled at them. He was a good boy¡ªeveryone said so.


    But now, every time they glanced his way, he saw fear in their faces. He heard it in their voices. He saw it when they skittered out of the room. They thought he was dangerous. He knew too, that whatever they¡¯d done with the other boys, they were now thinking of doing the same to him, just to be sure. Just to be safe.


    The next morning, the boy was in the schoolroom, doing his math. He liked math. He liked that there were always answers if you knew how to find them.


    He was alone in the schoolroom. Ever since the incident, the teacher would come in with one of the guards, give him his work, then leave. So when the door opened, he looked up, worried, but it was only Simon¡¯s dad.


    He liked Simon¡¯s dad, who always seemed to be smiling, always had something nice to say. He worked here sometimes, but he wasn¡¯t one of the nurses or doctors or guards, so the boy didn¡¯t see him very much.


    When he did come, though, he usually brought a present, something better than a candy bar or soda pop. But the boy was careful not to let anyone think he expected anything, even hoped for anything. That was how the trouble with the young nurse had started.


    Even when he did notice the bag, he kept his gaze blank. He was good at that. But when Simon¡¯s dad put the bag on the boy¡¯s desk, he couldn¡¯t wait any longer and opened it.


    Inside was a box almost as big as his desktop. It said Meccano Construction Set and promised over two hundred and fifty pieces that would build twenty models. The boy stared at all the nuts and bolts, his mind already racing, imagining what he could make.


    ¡°They¡¯ll run, too,¡± Simon¡¯s dad said. ¡°I have batteries for them.¡±


    For another minute, the boy could only stare. Then he said, ¡°Thank you.¡± He had to say it twice. Since the incident, he¡¯d barely dared speak a word, so the first time he tried, nothing came out.


    Simon¡¯s dad pulled over another chair. ¡°I have something to ask you.¡±


    The boy nodded, waiting.


    ¡°I know things here aren¡¯t . . .¡± He paused, then started again. ¡°I know you aren¡¯t happy here, Derek.¡± He leaned forward, meeting the boy¡¯s eyes. ¡°How would you like to come home with me?¡±


    ¡°Home?¡±


    ¡°Where I live. Away from here. With Simon. Now that the other boys are gone . . .¡± He paused, rubbed his neck as if the words were sticking. Then he cleared his throat. ¡°Dr. Banks has agreed to let you come live with us. Would you like that?¡±


    The boy nodded, closed his notebook, took the box and stood, ready to leave.


    One


    The smell of freedom slipped through the open window, the breeze tugging at my . . . hair?


    I growled under my breath and tried again.


    The smell of freedom slipped through the open window, the breeze tugging at my skin.Yeah, like that made sense.


    The smell of freedom slipped through the open window, the breeze creeping across my skin.


    Nah, that lost the metaphor. Or simile. Or whatever the hell it was called.


    It was no use. I sucked at English. Simon would have to write my assignment again. I was sure he¡¯d have math homework I could do for him.


    ¡°Are you listening to me, Derek?¡± Mr. Murrell said.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    His lips tightened at the ¡° sir¡±. Figures. Try to be polite and they think I¡¯m being sarcastic. Dad would say it¡¯s my tone. And my look. And maybe a bit of actual sarcasm.


    Murrell droned on, and I tried to pay attention, but he was so damned boring, and all I could think about was that breeze coming through the window, smelling of trees and grass and, yeah, freedom.


    I liked school well enough. I just hated spending the day locked in hot, stuffy rooms that stank of moldy books and dirty sneakers.


    ¡°. . . and I see you¡¯ve completed a project on Gray¡¯s Theorem . . .¡±


    ¡°Green¡¯s,¡± I said.


    His lips pursed again at the interruption. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Green¡¯s Theorem.¡±


    Even as I said it, I imagined Dad sighing beside me. Don¡¯t correct the teacher, Derek. You look like a show-off. At least start with a qualifier, like ¡°I think you might mean . . .¡±


    But I didn¡¯t thinkMurrell was wrong, I knew it, and if I was the one making stupid mistakes like that, I¡¯d want someone to tell me.


    ¡°Do you have a problem with authority, Derek?¡± Murrell asked.


    I thought about it. I could tell by his eyes, getting narrower by the nanosecond, that he didn¡¯t think I should need to think about it.


    I replied carefully. ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem with the conceptof authority.¡±

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    His lips compressed in a thin line. He rose. Taking the cue, I rose, too. I was about four inches taller than him, and when I stood, he flinched, then pulled himself straight and scowled, like I was trying to show him up. I slumped back into my chair.


    ¡°Your father seems to think you need special coursework for your special needs.¡± He twisted the last words, like I needed remedial math instead of advanced placement. ¡°I am going to suggest, however, that we work on your attitude first.¡±


    He stalked out. I slumped farther, wincing as my knees smacked the bottom of the desk. I stared longingly at the window. I was pretty sure Murrell wasn¡¯t coming back, but with my luck, he¡¯d come storming down the hall the second I made it to the exit.


    I checked the clock. I was supposed to meet Simon on the ball court at four. It was already 4:10. I called on my cell, but it went straight to Simon¡¯s voice mail. Probably on the phone with his girlfriend. It was a good thing I kept sneaking him my top-up cards or Dad would carry out that threat to take his phone away, and I wasn¡¯t sure Simon would survive.


    I stood, being careful not to bang my knees again. Shoot up six inches in a year and suddenly everything¡¯s too small. It was a damn good thing werewolf genes meant I healed fast or my knees would be permanently bruised.


    I checked the hall. No sign of Murrell. I took a deep breath, searching for his scent. All clear. Just three girls talking at their locker, their high-pitched chatter and giggles as painful as a dog whistle.


    I strode past them, making a beeline for peace and quiet and freedom¡ª


    ¡°Hey, Darren!¡± one called. ¡°Hold up.¡±


    I kept going. It wasn¡¯t my name.


    I was close enough to see the sun streaming through the glass doors, to catch the faint whiff of wet grass sneaking in on a draft. Then the girl shot in front of me. Blond. Big teeth. A cloying layer of perfume masked her scent. She might have been in one of my classes. I could never keep track. In a few months we¡¯d be moving again and I had better use for the brain space.


    ¡°It isDarren, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    She waited for me to tell her my name. I didn¡¯t see the point.


    ¡°You¡¯re Simon¡¯s step-brother, right?¡±


    Wrong again. His dad had unofficially adopted me, but correcting her would only prolong the conversation, so I said, ¡°Yeah¡± and tried to pass. She stepped into my path.


    I was tempted to keep walking, see how long it¡¯d take her to decided it wasn¡¯t smart to block a guy twice her size. But I¡¯d gotten in enough trouble for that sort of thing at our last school. A couple of idiots had been goofing off in the hall and one had slid into me. I¡¯d picked him up, moved him aside and kept going. I¡¯d been perfectly nice about it, but I got threatened with suspension for ¡°bullying.¡± As Dad pointed out, it didn¡¯t help that even a guy my size shouldn¡¯t be able to pick up another kid that easily.


    I wasn¡¯t taking that chance again, so I stopped short and said, ¡°I gotta go. I¡¯m meeting someone.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± The brunette behind me tittered. ¡°Your girlfriend?¡±


    The blonde motioned for her to cut it out. Mocking me wasn¡¯t a good way to get what they wanted.


    ¡°So, are you going to the Valentine¡¯s dance?¡± the blonde asked.


    ¡°Yes, Simon is.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask¡ª¡±


    ¡°I was taking the shortcut. Now can I go?¡±


    ¡°Tracy¡¯s right. You are a jerk.¡±


    ¡°Yep. Now . . .?¡± I motioned for her to step aside.


    When she didn¡¯t move, I tried to pass. Again, she cut me off. I felt my hackles rise as the wolf inside said I was being threatened. I told it to shut up. It didn¡¯t. It never did.


    ¡°Right,¡± I said. ¡°I forgot the second part of your unasked question. Is Simon going with anyone? The last time Simon didn¡¯t have a date for a school dance was seventh grade, when his girlfriend got sick. Okay?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s he going with?¡±


    ¡°Some girl.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± her friend muttered.


    ¡°Could you be more specific?¡± the blonde asked.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t, because I have no idea who he¡¯s seeing right now.¡±


    ¡°Jealous?¡±


    I snorted and tried, again, to pass. She slid in front of me.


    ¡°Is it Adrienne? Lily?¡±


    ¡°I only know he has a date, meaning he¡¯s not available. Try the spring formal. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll have broken up with her by then.¡±


    When she still didn¡¯t move, I eased back and looked at her.


    ¡°Simon¡¯s got a girlfriend. But you asked if Iwas going. Actually, I am, and I don¡¯thave a date yet, so if you¡¯re interested . . .¡±


    The girls scattered like deer hearing a gunshot. Worked every time.


    I pushed open the door and walked out.


    Two


    A blast of icy air surrounded me. It was a week after Christmas break, but we were having a warm spell¡ªwarm for January, anyway¡ªand I hadn¡¯t bothered with a jacket. I drank in the smells. The exhaust fumes I could do without, but I caught the faintest tickle of fresh air and wet earth.


    I gazed longingly at the empty track. My toes curled in my sneakers, muscles aching to tear down there, the silence broken only by the pound of my sneakers. After a day cooped up in school, there was nothing better than a run, and today I needed one more than usual. Restlessness gnawed my gut, putting my nerves on edge.


    Dad would tell me to go. My body wanted this¡ªneeded it¡ªso I should give in. Work it out. Simon could wait.


    But I wouldn¡¯t do it. The human side of me was in control, not the wolf. That¡¯s how it had to be if I was going to fit into the world.


    If my body needed a workout, it would get one on the ball court. So that¡¯s where I headed. When I heard voices, I slowed. Someone must have snagged the court before Simon. So much for my workout.


    Then I caught Simon¡¯s voice. He wasplaying, apparently, just not alone. That was fine. Yeah, I¡¯d rather it was just us, so I didn¡¯t need to worry about hiding my strength, but that¡¯s another thing I needed to work on.


    But as soon as I saw the guys on the court, I knew they weren¡¯t friends of Simon¡¯s. They were seniors, the kind who spend more time in the halls than in class. Dressed in beaters and Doc Martens, they were small-town thugs who¡¯d find out how tough they really were if they ever actually got out of their hick town¡ªespecially if they were mouthing off the way they were now, giving Simon shit about being a ¡°foreigner.¡± Simon is half-Korean, born in America, like our dad, but that didn¡¯t matter to morons like this. That¡¯s why I prefer big cities. It¡¯s easier to be different there.


    My gaze fixed on the leader standing in front of Simon. As I picked up my pace, I could feel my skin prickling, muscles tensing, hands fisting. There was a part of me that said, ¡°You should have gone on that run,¡± but it was only a small part.


    As usual, Simon was giving as good as he got, meeting their insults with jabs and jokes, which only pissed them off more. Had they askedfor the court, he would have walked away with a grin and a ¡°have fun.¡± But these guys weren¡¯t the type to ask, and Simon wasn¡¯t the type to give in to demands.


    As I approached I could smell the faint stink of anger, bodies heating up, adrenaline flowing. The thugs shifted and tensed, spoiling for a fight. Simon missed the body language, of course. I¡¯ve tried teaching him, but he never gets it.


    The leader moved in front of Simon, his posture saying, ¡°I¡¯m bigger than you, so back off.¡± Simon stood his ground, leaning forward, his stance saying, ¡°Yeah? Make me,¡± even as he kept grinning, chattering away like nothing was wrong.


    The other two fidgeted, ready to jump as soon as their buddy gave them the nod. These guys weren¡¯t looking for a fair fight. But that¡¯s exactly what they were about to get.


    I broke into a jog. They didn¡¯t hear me coming. I never understand why people make so much noise when they walk. It¡¯s easy enough to adjust your gait and move quietly. Or it is for me. That¡¯s another thing Simon can¡¯t seem to learn. Dad laughs when I try, saying teaching Simon to be quiet is like teaching a cat to bark.


    I was less than thirty feet away when the leader drew back his fist. Simon¡¯s fingers flew up in a knockback spell. The guy should have sailed off his feet, but the spell fizzled and it was Simon who hit the ground when the guy punched him. Then he grabbed Simon by the coat front and swung him up against the wall.


    I charged. I kept my gaze on the other two, despite every instinct that insisted I focus on the guy pinning Simon to the wall. Simon was a decent fighter and could look after himself. My job was making sure the other two didn¡¯t blow his odds.


    I was veering toward them when the guy holding Simon lifted his free hand and I caught a flash of silver. The flash became a knife blade, heading for Simon¡¯s throat.


    I grabbed the guy by the collar, swung him off Simon and threw him. Just threw him. I didn¡¯t know where. I didn¡¯t care.


    When I heard a crack, I ignored it, never even glanced over to see where he¡¯d landed. If he¡¯d hit the wall, that was fine¡ªhe¡¯d done the same to Simon.


    I turned to the other two. One got a good look at me and ran. The other came at me. I took a swing at him, but checked myself at the last second and the blow barely knocked him back. It was enough, though. When he took off with his friend, I tore after him. I got halfway across the tarmac before I realized I¡¯d left Simon behind . . . with the guy and the knife.


    I turned and saw the guy crumpled at the base of the wall. Simon was leaning over him.


    ¡°He¡¯s alive,¡± Simon said, sitting back on his haunches as I walked over.


    ¡°Course he is. I only threw him.¡±


    ¡°You reallythrew him, Derek.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Because he reallyhad a knife, which was reallyat your throat. You better grab it before he wakes up.¡±


    Simon stared up at me, this weird look on his face. ¡°I don¡¯t think we need to worry about that.¡±

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    ¡°He¡¯s unconscious? Good. That¡¯ll give us time to get out of here. If a teacher catches me, I¡¯ll get suspended for sure.¡±


    Simon kept staring at me, like . . . I don¡¯t know. Like we were talking different languages.


    I bent and scooped up the knife. As I did, I looked at the guy. He was lying there . . . twisted. A sick feeling settled in the pit of my gut.


    Simon grabbed my arm. ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s go. With your crappy grades, you can¡¯t afford a suspension or you¡¯ll never get into college.¡±


    He smiled as he said it, but it was a strange smile. A desperate smile.


    I looked at the kid, and the sick feeling spread.


    ¡°We gotta call 9-1-1,¡± I said.


    ¡°No way.¡± Simon yanked me back. ¡°Have you forgotten we¡¯re flying under the radar here? Fake names? Fake IDs?¡±


    ¡° Perfectfake IDs.¡± That wasn¡¯t easy to do, but the supernatural community had perfected the art of forgery. ¡°Dad always says it¡¯s better to hand it over and let them run it through the system.¡±


    ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll call 9-1-1 from a payphone, then¡ª¡±


    ¡°Run? Yeah. Because no one will ever know it was us. We blend in so well.¡± I shook my head. ¡°The second this guy or his friends talk, I¡¯m done. Or we¡¯re on the run again. You want that?¡±


    He hesitated. ¡°Fine. You call Dad.¡±


    ¡°And you call 9-1-1. From your cell.¡±


    He did. I took out my phone and hit speed-dial. It picked up on the second ring, road noise buzzing through the car¡¯s hands-free system.


    ¡°Hey, buddy. What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Dad? I¡¯ve got a problem.¡±


    Three


    I knew what Dad would say. Call 9-1-1. Stay there. Don¡¯t cover up anything. He was on his way, and would hopefully arrive before the police did, but if he didn¡¯t, we knew the drill. Tell them only what they needed to know to treat the guy. He¡¯d handle the rest.


    The ambulance arrived first.


    I gave one paramedic the basic story as the other tended to the guy. I said I¡¯d found the kid pinning Simon to the wall, with a knife at his throat, so I¡¯d thrown him off. The paramedic didn¡¯t know how strong I was, so it should be perfectly justifiable.


    It didn¡¯t matter. As I spoke, her lips tightened and she gave me a look I knew well: disgust. I was a hulking bully, picking fights with smaller guys.


    She went back to her partner, who was putting the injured kid on a backboard. She told him what I¡¯d said, whispering it, but werewolf hearing meant I caught every word.


    ¡°He did this?¡± the guy whispered. ¡°By just throwing him?¡±


    When he looked my way, I saw something I hated way more than disgust. Fear.


    They were getting the guy into the ambulance when the police showed up. As soon as I saw the lights strobing, I called Dad and told him.


    He swore. ¡°I¡¯m stuck on the highway, bud. There must have been something going on in the legislature today. Everyone¡¯s leaving Albany at once. I¡¯ll get there¡ª¡±


    ¡°As soon as you can. I know.¡±


    ¡°You okay?¡±


    ¡°Simon¡¯s pretty freaked.¡±


    ¡°And you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    A sigh, like he¡¯d hoped for¡ªbut didn¡¯t expect¡ªa more honest answer. ¡°Okay, just hang tight. Tell them what they need to know¡ª¡±


    ¡°And nothing else until you get here.¡±


    ¡°You got it. Any problems? Call me.¡±


    ¡°Is he almost here?¡± Simon asked, his face tight with worry.


    ¡°Yeah. Few minutes.¡±


    A second cop car¡ªunmarked¡ªpulled into the lot. Detectives? Was it that bad?


    I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to look more presentable, but the greasy film told me finger-combing wasn¡¯t going to help. I¡¯d had a shower that morning, but that didn¡¯t help either. By the end of the day, I looked like I hadn¡¯t bathed in a week. And, as I lowered my arm, I realized that I smelled like it, too.


    I looked around for my backpack.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Simon asked.


    ¡°My backpack.¡± I spotted it across the tarmac. I must have dropped it as I ran. I didn¡¯t remember doing it. I barely remembered throwing that kid or¡ª


    ¡°I¡¯ll grab it,¡± Simon said.


    ¡°No.¡± I pulled him back. ¡°I¡¯ve got it.¡±


    The cops were climbing out of their car, and I¡¯d really rather get to my deodorant before they got to me. As I jogged for the bag, though, one yelled, ¡°Hey! Stop!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just¡ª¡± Simon began.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. Stop right there!¡±


    I slowed, eyeing the twenty feet to my backpack. My heart slammed into my ribs, telling me I really needed that deodorant, but I knew I didn¡¯t. If I could already smell BO, then it was soaked into my shirt, and a swipe of deodorant wouldn¡¯t fix that.


    It wouldn¡¯t fix the rest of it either¡ªmy size, my hair, my skin. I knew exactly what kind of impression I made, I saw that impression in the detective¡¯s eyes¡ªthe flash of fear when he realized how big I was, disappearing after a slow once-over of distaste bordering on disgust. A punk teenager who couldn¡¯t be bothered bathing now and then.


    ¡°I was just . . .¡± I pointed at my backpack.


    ¡°Leave it. I have some questions for you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± I said it without sarcasm, but he still glanced over sharply. He¡¯d made up his mind. I was just a knuckle-dragging bully who¡¯d probably thrown that kid into the wall because he wouldn¡¯t lend me a smoke.


    When the cop noticed Simon following us, he said, ¡°I need to talk to him first, son. You can wait over there.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± There wasa twinge of sarcasm in that¡ªand in the eye-roll Simon tossed my way¡ªbut the cop didn¡¯t notice. Simon was clean and well dressed¡ªjust a cheerful, cooperative young man.


    ¡°Dad¡¯ll be here soon,¡± Simon called back as he walked away. ¡°Remember that.¡±


    The cop looked from me to Simon. ¡°Whose dad?¡±


    ¡°Ours.¡± Simon turned to give him a look that defied him to point out that Simon and I obviously didn¡¯t share a single point of DNA.


    The cop looked at me. ¡°Foster kid?¡±


    Simon started to shoot something back. I knew he didn¡¯t like the guy¡¯s tone, but mouthing off wasn¡¯t going to help. When I shot Simon a look, he settled for saying, ¡°Our dad will be here soon. He¡¯s a lawyer. A criminallawyer.¡±


    The cop sighed. ¡°They always are.¡± He waved Simon off, then turned to me. ¡°Used to having your daddy get you out of trouble, boy?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I resisted the urge to add sir.


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s not going to this time. So go ahead and tell me what happened.¡±


    I did. When I finished, he kept looking at me, as if he was waiting for more.


    ¡°So you just threw this kid off your brother.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, because he had a¡ª¡±


    ¡°He allegedlyhad a knife. All right. But you¡¯re telling me allyou did was pull him off and toss him aside, and that put him into a coma.¡±


    ¡°Coma?¡± I glanced sharply at the departing ambulance. ¡°Did they say¡ª?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t know until they run tests, but that kid wasn¡¯t waking up, and I don¡¯t need tests to tell me that¡¯s a coma.¡±


    Sweat trickled into my eye. I blinked it away and wiped my forehead.


    ¡°You did more than ¡®toss¡¯ that boy,¡± the cop said. ¡°How much do you weigh?¡±


    ¡°Two-twenty.¡±


    He jotted that in his book, then without looking up, he said, ¡°We¡¯re going to need your shirt.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Evidence.¡±


    ¡°But there isn¡¯t any blood. No one got shot. The guy didn¡¯t use his knife. And I¡¯m admitting I threw him. So why would you need¡ª¡±


    ¡°If you want to wait for Daddy, you go ahead and do that, but refusing a simple request won¡¯t make things any easier for you.¡±


    There was no reason to take my shirt. Dad had told us enough stories that I knew this guy was power tripping. It was January, and without a shirt on, I¡¯d be uncomfortable, maybe pay less attention to his questions and slip up.


    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Simon bouncing on the balls of his feet, two seconds from barreling over here. He¡¯d only make things worse. If this cop thought a little cold would tip the balance his way, he was in for a surprise.


    As I peeled off my shirt, he gave me a once-over, grunted ¡°thought so¡± and motioned for me to put it back on.


    ¡°You work out, boy?¡±


    It was a stupid question. As soon as I took off my baggy jersey, he knew I worked out, which was why he¡¯d asked me to remove it. Weightlifting was like running, a way to work off the restless energy. It wasn¡¯t like I spent hours a day pumping iron, but I looked like I did¡ªa combination of werewolf genes and my natural body type.


    ¡°You on the wrestling team?¡± the cop asked.


    I shook my head.


    ¡°Football? Hockey?¡±


    Another head shake.


    He scowled. ¡°What team doyou play on, then?¡±


    ¡°None.¡± When he didn¡¯t seem to take that for an answer, I said, ¡°I was on the math team at my last school.¡±


    He gave me a sour look.


    ¡°The only sport I do is tossing around a ball with my brother. He¡¯s the athlete.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re in damn good shape for someone who doesn¡¯t like sports.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Didn¡¯t say I don¡¯t like them. Just not really into them.¡±


    ¡°What do you work out for then? To impress the girls?¡±


    Now it was my turn to give hima look. Like muscles were really going to help in that department. Not that I cared¡ªgirls were another thing I left to Simon.


    And if I wasworking out to get a girl¡¯s attention, why would I wear baggy clothes? I dressed this way because it made me look overweight. Being big and heavy meant people paid less attention to me than if I was big and muscular. The less attention I attracted, the happier I was.

 Page 4

    ¡°Seems you got a problem with acne there,¡± the cop said.


    I bit back the urge to say, ¡°No shit,¡± and mumbled, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    He looked at me for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m thinking that might be a sign.¡±


    ¡°Of what?¡±


    ¡°That you¡¯re getting a little chemical boost.¡±


    It took a second for me to figure it out. ¡°Steroids?¡±


    ¡°Acne. Violent outbursts. Moodiness. That tells me you¡¯ve got a little something extra running through your veins.¡±


    I snorted a laugh. The guy had no idea how right he was.


    ¡°You think that¡¯s funny, boy?¡±


    ¡°Kinda, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m not into sports. I¡¯m not buffing up for girls. So why would I take steroids?¡±


    He glowered at me. ¡°You think you¡¯re smart, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying¡ª¡±


    ¡°I have no idea why you¡¯re doping up. I don¡¯t know how your mind works.¡± He leaned in, sliding onto his tiptoes to get closer to my eye level. ¡°But I¡¯m going to find out.¡±


    ¡°Now, detective,¡± said a voice behind me, in a deceptively pleasant tone. ¡°I¡¯m going to suggest you take a step back from my son. You wouldn¡¯t want to give anyone the impression that you¡¯re threatening him.¡±


    I turned to see Dad walking over. He smiled at me, clapped me on the back, then told the detective we needed a few moments alone. The guy didn¡¯t like that. Dad didn¡¯t care. He motioned me into a private conference.


    ¡°How¡¯re you holding up?¡± Dad asked when we were a dozen feet away.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s the interview going?¡±


    I looked out at the schoolyard a moment before answering. ¡°Not so good. I¡¯m trying, but . . .¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    Simon jogged over and Dad asked if he¡¯d been hurt.


    ¡°Nah,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s Derek who¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°The detective thinks I¡¯m on steroids.¡± I paused. ¡°Maybe I should cop to that. It¡¯d keep them from running blood tests.¡±


    Dad shook his head. ¡°Admitting to steroid use won¡¯t fix this. The only test I¡¯m going to let them run is a urine sample, and only to look for drugs.¡± He turned to Simon. ¡°How about you run over to Angelo¡¯s? Order us a couple of pizzas. I don¡¯t think there¡¯ll be much time for cooking tonight.¡±


    Simon took the two twenties he offered and jogged off.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget salad,¡± Dad called after him.


    Simon put his hands behind his ears, making a face like he couldn¡¯t hear. Dad took out his cell phone and waved it. Simon rolled his eyes and motioned that he¡¯d get salad. Then Dad turned back to me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this straightened out.¡±


    Four


    We didn¡¯t get anything straightened out. The hospital called the detective to confirm that the kid was in a coma and they were checking him for spinal damage. Dad assured me it wasn¡¯t as bad as it sounded¡ªthe detective was exaggerating in hopes of guilting me into a confession. But I knew even if he wasn¡¯t, Dad would say that to make me feel better.


    I wasn¡¯t charged with anything. They just sent me home and told me not to go anywhere. I suspected we¡¯d be hitting the road before morning, maybe even needing new identities, and while I couldn¡¯t care less, Simon would and that only made things worse.


    We ate the pizza. I don¡¯t think anyone tasted it. Even Simon only had one slice and didn¡¯t complain about the salad. The greens were for him¡ªto balance out the carb-heavy pizza for his diabetes.


    As we ate, Dad told us stories about his day in court. He was working as a public defender in Albany. Not exactly the best paying job in law, but there was always an opening. When we¡¯d first gone on the run, his contacts hooked him up with the ironclad ID of a New York lawyer¡ªa sorcerer who¡¯d been ¡°disappeared¡± by the Cabals. Still, you never wanted anyone digging too deep, just in case, so Dad took the jobs most other lawyers didn¡¯t want. Being a public defender meant he always came home with stories, and I usually liked listening, but that night I barely heard them.


    I kept thinking about what I¡¯d done. How I could have handled it better. How I could have handled the police interview better.


    When the phone rang, and it was for Simon, Dad shooed him into our bedroom to take it, then asked me how I was doing.


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°Got a lot on your mind?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Care to share?¡±


    I picked a burnt piece of onion off my half-eaten pizza slice.


    ¡°Derek?¡±


    ¡°I tried with that cop.¡± I looked up. ¡°I answered his questions. I cooperated. I was respectful. Maybe I got a bit snarky about the steroid stuff, but it didn¡¯t matter by then¡ªhe¡¯d made up his mind and even when I was trying to behave, it pissed him off.¡±


    ¡°You know that¡¯s not your fault. You¡¯re big for your age and that intimidates¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not thatbig. Lots of guys are my size. It doesn¡¯t matter. It feels like . . .¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± he prompted when I didn¡¯t finish.


    Like they can sense what I am, I wanted to say. Like deep down they know I¡¯m a werewolf, even if they don¡¯t realize it.


    I didn¡¯t say that because it would only upset him, another problem he couldn¡¯t solve for me. I hated being so much trouble. I never used to be. When we were kids, Simon was always the one mouthing off and pushing the boundaries. I was the one who did as he was told and never gave Dad any trouble.


    Then I turned thirteen and everything changed. I¡¯d always kept to myself, not trying to make friends, but not pissing people off either. Suddenly I became ¡°Simon¡¯s jerk brother.¡±


    I could say that it¡¯s not my fault, but a lot of times it is. People annoy me easier. I¡¯d go through days of feeling like shit, cranky and irritable, snapping at everyone who talked to me. The good son turned into the difficult one. It felt as if it wasn¡¯t just my clothing that didn¡¯t fit anymore. The world didn¡¯t fit me and I didn¡¯t fit it.


    I felt like I did before I came to live with Dad and Simon. Like I didn¡¯t belong, like I was one step away from totally screwing up. I couldn¡¯t tell Dad that. He thought I didn¡¯t remember much about that time, and I let him think that because he wanted me to forget it.


    Even Simon seemed to forget. He¡¯d talk about when Dad brought me home and I¡¯d remind him he used to come play with me before that, and he¡¯d shrug and say he didn¡¯t remember it. I guess that could be because he was almost a year younger than me. But I got the feeling there was more to it, that Dad worked to make us forget, not just because I¡¯d been miserable there, but¡ª


    ¡°Derek?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Dad smiled. ¡°Lost you for a second there, bud. You were saying?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡± I bit off a chunk of pizza.


    ¡°Something about being bigger than most kids, how it makes you feel.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t important.¡±


    ¡°I think it was.¡±


    I shook my head, swallowed my mouthful, then rose to clear the table. Dad said he¡¯d get it, but I did it anyway.


    After dinner, Simon and I played football on the Xbox while Dad worked at the kitchen table. It was almost nine when the phone rang.


    ¡°Simon!¡± Dad called without looking up from his work.


    ¡°Can you grab it? I¡¯m mid-play.¡±


    Dad sighed and answered. A pause. Then he said, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Simon whispered. ¡°It¡¯s not alwaysfor me.¡±


    ¡°Who gave you this number?¡± Dad¡¯s tone had us both looking over, the game forgotten.


    ¡°My son is fifteen years old. As a criminal lawyer, I know his rights and your obligations as a reporter. Now, naturally we feel for the family of the boy who was injured when my son saved his brother from a racial attack. We hope for his full recovery. Both my sons are understandably upset about the incident. Perhaps in a day or two they¡¯ll feel ready to speak to you about it.¡±


    He hung up.


    ¡°Reporter?¡± Simon asked.


    Dad snorted. ¡°If you can call her that. Just someone from the local rag.¡±


    ¡°Will that be a problem?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not exactly the New York Times.¡± Dad laughed, but there was a tightness to it. ¡°Hardly anyone herereads it. I¡¯m not worried about someone in Buffalo picking up a copy.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be a problem anyway, right?¡± Simon said. ¡°You¡¯re the one who needs to be careful, not Derek.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    I kept watching Dad. He avoided my gaze. It did matter. It always had. Dad made all three of us fly under the radar. Why?


    ¡°Did she say anything about the guy?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°The guy I threw. His condition. Did she know anything?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Dad shuffled his papers. ¡°He¡¯s probably home right now playing hisXbox.¡±


    I could tell by his voice that he didn¡¯t believe that any more than I did. I got up from the floor.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Simon called. ¡°We¡¯re in the middle of a game. Where¡¯re you going?¡±


    ¡°Shower.¡±


    ¡°Oh sure, when I was seconds away from kicking your ass.¡±


    I tried to shoot back a retort, but couldn¡¯t find one, and just mumbled, ¡°Sorry¡± before continuing on to the bathroom.


    In the shower, I could finally be alone with my thoughts, no one trying to cheer me up, no one lying and telling me everything was okay. It wasn¡¯t okay. I was in serious trouble, and I wasn¡¯t going to feel better until I came up with a solution.


    I couldn¡¯t solve this mess until I knew all the facts. How bad was the kid hurt? Was I going to be charged? I couldn¡¯t find out that for a while. But there was one thing I could do now. Think of a way to make sure I never screwed up like that again, never let the wolf take over again.

 Page 5

    No matter how much I told myself a solution was possible, though, I only had to think back to that moment when I saw the knife, when the knife was the onlything I saw, and I knew there was no solution. In that moment, the wolf took over and there was no way the human part of me could have stepped in because there¡¯d been no human part of me. My brother was in danger and nothing else mattered.


    I stayed in the shower until it ran cold and Dad knocked and said, ¡°Using up all our water, bud?¡± I turned it off, grabbed a towel and stepped into the hall.


    ¡°We should talk, Derek,¡± Dad said.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I said, then shouldered past him into my room and shut the door.


    I lay awake until I heard Simon come in just before eleven. I pretended to be asleep until his snores told me hewas. Then I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling, looking for answers I couldn¡¯t find.


    It was midnight when the phone buzzed. Dad answered from the kitchen on the first ring, meaning he¡¯d been waiting up for the call.


    With werewolf hearing, I can eavesdrop even when I don¡¯t want to, but Dad knew that, and lowered his voice so I could only catch a murmur, growing distant as he walked away.


    I slid out of bed. There was no sign of him on the main level. When I finally realized he¡¯d gone to the basement, he was signing off before I caught any of the conversation.


    I padded down the steps and found Dad in the laundry room, rubbing his hands over his face.


    ¡°There¡¯s a problem, isn¡¯t there?¡± I said.


    He jumped and forced a smile. ¡°I swear I¡¯m buying a bell for you. Preferably before you give me a heart attack.¡±


    ¡°I heard the phone.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± He looked down at the receiver still clutched in his hand. ¡°Oh. Just work.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± I looked around the laundry room. I didn¡¯t say anything, but he knew what I meant.


    ¡°Confidentiality.¡± He gave a crooked smile. ¡°And it¡¯s not the sort of case you guys need to overhear. Definitely not one I¡¯ll be telling around the dinner table.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    I met his gaze with a steady stare. He only returned it. I wanted to push, but I knew it wouldn¡¯t do any good. It was like I was still a little kid who couldn¡¯t be trusted with the truth.


    I headed for the steps.


    He sighed. ¡°Derek . . .¡±


    I kept going.


    Five


    I don¡¯t know if I slept that night. It didn¡¯t feel like it. When I got up, Dad asked if I wanted to stay home and get some sleep. He knew I didn¡¯t need it. For me, a restless night only means I won¡¯t have a restless day. What he really meant was that I didn¡¯t have to go to school, and face the other kids, the teachers, the rumors. But hiding wasn¡¯t how I handled problems. We had to do enough of that already.


    Dad wanted to drive us in. Again, I refused. Simon joked about turning down his chance for a ride, and I know he was just teasing, but I snapped that hecould take the ride. They left me alone after that.


    It was almost a mile to school and there were plenty of times on that walk that I really wished Simon had taken Dad up on the offer. When he wasn¡¯t trying to cheer me up, he was scuffling along, feeling bad because he couldn¡¯t.


    Finally, I could see the schoolyard ahead.


    ¡°There¡¯s Mark,¡± I said, gesturing at one of his friends from the basketball team.


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s looking over here. I think he wants to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good.¡±


    I looked out at the kids standing around. When I¡¯d first spotted them, they¡¯d been in their usual clusters, goofing, talking, avoiding going into school until the last possible moment. Now those groups had started to join, a mob shifting our way.


    ¡°Go on,¡± I said.


    ¡°I said I¡¯m good.¡±


    ¡°I want you to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Too bad. I¡¯m right beside you.¡±


    When I tried to argue again, Simon¡¯s eyes flared. ¡°Enough of this bullshit, Derek. You¡¯ve barely said a word to me since last night. If there¡¯s something you wantto say, spit it out.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°Like this is my fault. If I hadn¡¯t egged those guys on, none of this would have happened.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything. They came at you. I overreacted. You were just there.¡±


    I could tell he didn¡¯t believe me, but it was true. What happened was my fault. Only mine.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I said. ¡°If you really want to walk with me¡ª¡±


    ¡°I do. So shut up and walk.¡±


    As we drew closer, Mark called, ¡°Simon!¡± and started toward us before being swallowed by the mob. They kept creeping forward, whispers snaking through the crowd.


    ¡°I heard he just went off on the guy. For no reason.¡±


    ¡°I heard he was so doped up, they had to tie him down.¡±


    ¡°I heard he¡¯s got a record. That¡¯s why they moved here.¡±


    ¡°I heard the kid¡¯s in a coma.¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s a vegetable.¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s dead.¡±


    Simon caught the last one and wheeled on the offender¡ªone of the girls who¡¯d cornered me in the hall yesterday. Catching Simon¡¯s glare, she inched back.


    ¡°Dead?¡± he said. ¡°Yeah, Derek killed a kid, but they¡¯re letting him come to school today.¡± He turned to me and waved at the girl. ¡°Check it out, bro. A living science experiment for you. Proof people can walk and talk without a brain.¡±


    That was harsh, and the look on the girl¡¯s face almost made me feel sorry for her.


    ¡°Drop it,¡± I mumbled to Simon, and tried to keep going, but the crowd shifted into my path, enough to make me tense, the wolf perking up.


    ¡°You guys want to know what happened last night?¡± Simon said. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you. Three of your local losers decided they wanted my ball court¡ªand my ball. When I didn¡¯t love the idea, they felt the need to point out that I¡¯m not white, which was, of course, a huge shock to me. When that didn¡¯t work, they decided to drive in their point with a blade. Derek didn¡¯t approve of that plan. He threw the guy off me. One guy. One throw. Not a single punch. If anyone has a problem with that, let me know.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Simon. I have a problem with it.¡± Mark shouldered his way through the crowd. ¡°That loserDerek hurt is my brother.¡±


    ¡°My condolences.¡±


    Mark scowled, like he couldn¡¯t decide if Simon was offering condolences on what happened or on having an idiot as a brother.


    ¡°Now,¡± Simon said. ¡°If anyone else¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± I muttered.


    I gave him a look. He paused, like he had more to say¡ªSimon always did¡ªbut finally he backed down, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s get inside. I don¡¯t much like the atmosphere out here.¡±


    Mark stepped into my path again. ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere, Derek. Let¡¯s see how tough you are when you aren¡¯t sneaking up behind someone¡¯s back.¡±


    ¡°You wanna fight?¡± I asked.


    He looked up at me and, for just a second, hesitated, and then said, ¡°Yeah. I do.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll save you the trouble. You win.¡± I raised my voice. ¡°Everyone hear that? Mark called me out. I backed down. He wins.¡±


    I started to go around him, but he blocked me. I turned to head back the way I¡¯d come. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him lunge. Simon¡¯s hand flew up in a spell and Mark stumbled back. The crowd tittered.


    ¡°Hey!¡± He advanced on Simon. ¡°You shoved me.¡±


    ¡°Uh, no, I didn¡¯t touch you.¡± Simon turned to the crowd. ¡°Anyone see me touch him?¡± Silence. ¡°Guess he got a better look at what he was up against and jumped back in fear.¡±


    The crowd laughed. Then someone said, ¡°Or maybe he just got a whiff of him,¡± and they laughed louder.


    Simon wheeled, searching the mob.


    I grabbed his arm. ¡°Let it go.¡±


    He hesitated until I whispered, ¡°You aren¡¯t making this easier for me,¡± and that backed him off.


    But Mark wasn¡¯t giving up so easily. He got in front of me again, saying, ¡°We¡¯re not done.¡±


    Simon slid between us. ¡°Well, Derek is, so if you really need a fight, you¡¯re stuck with me.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± a voice boomed.


    The kids parted to let the principal through. Mr. Thierry saw me in the center of the mob and said, ¡°Oh,¡± then stood there a moment, like he was trying to decide if he could just walk away and leave me to my fate. Then he sighed and waved me forward.


    ¡°Come to the office, Derek. I need to speak to you.¡±


    Six


    Simon followed me until we were walking past the secretary¡¯s desk and she jumped up.


    ¡°Simon?¡± she said. ¡°I think Mr. Thierry wants to speak to Derek alone.¡±


    ¡°Why? I was the one trying to start a fight.¡±


    ¡°Now, Simon . . .¡± Thierry said.


    ¡°I was. Derek refused, so I said, ¡®Bring it on.¡¯ ¡±


    The secretary blocked Simon as I followed Thierry into the office. As the door closed, I heard her whisper, ¡°I think it¡¯s very sweet, sticking up for your brother like that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to be sweet,¡± Simon said, raising his voice so Thierry could hear. ¡°I¡¯m trying to be fair. But apparently no one¡¯s interested in that.¡±


    He stalked off, shoes thumping as loud as he could make them, office door slamming.


    Thierry waved me into the hot seat, a rickety folding chair in front of his desk.


    ¡°We have a problem, Derek. You assaulted another student on school property. Do you know what that means?¡±


    ¡°It means if you plan to expel me, you would have called my dad yesterday, which means you can¡¯texpel me, probably because it was after school hours and I was trying to stop a fight, not start one.¡±


    His lips tightened and I knew I should have tried harder to be respectful, but I was tired of trying. If people wanted my respect, they could earn it by not asking stupid questions.

 Page 6

    ¡°There is a desk in front of Ms. Small¡¯s,¡± he said. ¡°Go out and get comfortable, Derek, because that¡¯s where you¡¯re going to be until I decide what to do with you.¡±


    And so I was sentenced to spend the day on display, gawked at by every kid who walked by the office. First period had barely started before Ms. Carter, my science teacher, walked in.


    ¡°Hey, Derek. I hear you get a change of scenery today. Lucky guy. Our classroom is freezing. I swear someone left the window open.¡±


    I mumbled something. She was trying to be nice, and I did appreciate it, I just didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°I brought your work,¡± she said. ¡°I know you¡¯ll be done it in ten minutes, so I grabbed a book out of my private stash.¡±


    She handed me the work and the book, and I said thanks. Then she stood there, like she wanted to say more. After a moment, she marched toward Thierry¡¯s office.


    The secretary leaped up. ¡°He¡¯s busy on the phone¡ª¡±


    Ms. Carter walked into the principal¡¯s office before the secretary could finish. She shut the door, but I could hear just fine.


    ¡°This is ridiculous,¡± she said. ¡°That boy has never caused any trouble¡ª¡±


    ¡°Apparently because he hadn¡¯t been here long enough.¡±


    ¡°We have students who can¡¯t get through the day without a trip to the office. The paper says it was an accident.¡±


    ¡°No, the paper said Derek claimedit was an accident. The police haven¡¯t made a determination yet.¡±


    ¡°Have you asked Derek what happened?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not my job.¡±


    ¡°No, apparently your job is to kowtow to a big alumni supporter. I hear you spent half the night on the phone with Travis Walker. He¡¯s not too happy with the situation, I take it.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. His son¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªshould have been kicked out the last time he was found with a knife on school property. But you can¡¯t expel him because daddy might withdraw his sizeable financial support.¡±


    They fought for another few minutes. Then Ms. Carter stormed out. As I pretended to read my sheets, she took a second to compose herself, pulling on a bright smile. Then she came over and promised I¡¯d be back in class tomorrow, and told me just to relax and take advantage of the lightened workload.


    A half-hour later, my phone vibrated. I answered, getting a glare from the secretary even when I mouthed, ¡°It¡¯s my dad.¡±


    ¡°Hey, bud,¡± he said. ¡°I hope you¡¯re not answering your phone in class.¡±


    ¡°Nah. On a break.¡±


    ¡°Good. I was going to leave a message, but this is even better. How are things going?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    He rambled on for another minute, talking about stupid stuff like asking whether I remembered my jacket and joking that no responsible parent should let his kid walk around in January without one and¡ª


    ¡°Dad?¡± I cut in.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    A pause. Then he cleared his throat. ¡°We need to leave town, Derek. The story made the Albany paper.¡± He went off on a rant about a slow news day and didn¡¯t they have anything better to cover and why should it matter if the kid¡¯s dad was some factory owner and you¡¯d think someone like that wouldn¡¯t raise thugs.


    ¡°Dad?¡± When he stopped, I asked if the article had named me.


    ¡°They know better than that. But it gave details, like your age, that your dad is a lawyer and that you were allegedly defending your adopted brother against racial taunts. It also mentioned something about unusual strength. If the people who are looking for me see that . . .¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll come to see if it¡¯s us.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to leave the state this time. I¡¯ll get a different job. I always thought I was being clever, staying in New York, working as a lawyer, the last thing they¡¯d expect. I screwed up, Derek. And, once again, you guys have to pay the price. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. It¡¯s Simon¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± He sighed. ¡°He has that big game tonight, doesn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to wait until after that, then. I¡¯ll tidy up my cases, take the rest of the day off and get ready. I know you guys hate packing. I¡¯ll do all that and pick you up at five.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°And . . . don¡¯t tell Simon. Let him have his last day.¡±


    I think he¡¯d want to know, have the opportunity to say, ¡°Forget the game¡ªwe should leave.¡± But Dad never gave Simon credit for stuff like that, always worrying he wouldn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°See you at five?¡± he said.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Seven


    I spent the rest of the day playing juvenile delinquent on display. They wouldn¡¯t even let me leave for lunch. That got Simon going, demanding that they call Dad, but I talked him out of that. It wasn¡¯t like I¡¯d be welcome eating with Simon and his friends today.


    Simon stayed with me for lunch, which the secretary declared ¡°so sweet,¡± as did all the girls who passed the office, whispering how great Simon was, sticking up for his loser brother. Simon missed the worst of the comments, but he caught enough to make him grumble and glower as they popped their heads in, which only made them giggle and swoon all the more.


    ¡°So let me get this straight,¡± he said to me. ¡°You save my ass, and you¡¯re a loser. I stick up for you because of it, and I¡¯m a hero. How does that work?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But it¡¯s so sweet.¡±


    He flipped me the finger and bit into his sandwich, shaking his head.


    When the day ended, the principal left for a teachers meeting. The secretary waited until he was out the door, then grabbed her purse and coat and took off without a glance my way.


    Thierry hadn¡¯t said anything about a detention, so I figured I was free to go. But that left me with a problem. I always watched Simon¡¯s games, and I knew this one was important to him. On the big city teams, Simon was an average player. Out here, though, where football and hockey were the sports of choice, Simon was a star on the basketball court. And this was one of their last regular season games.


    I wanted to go¡ªI liked watching him play. The question was whether I¡¯d distract him more if I didn¡¯t show or, under the circumstances, if I did. I compromised by staking out a spot away from the bleachers, where he could see me, but I wasn¡¯t near the other kids.


    After the game, Simon ran over, face red, hair plastered down, eyes glowing.


    ¡°Did you see that?¡± he said.


    ¡°Yep. You won them the game.¡±


    ¡°I ownedthe game.¡± He grinned and ran his hand through his hair, spiking it up, sweat spraying. ¡°Coach says this means we¡¯re in the semis. First time they¡¯ve ever made it, and you know who got them there.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°You did.¡±


    ¡°And you know who¡¯s going to take them to the finals?¡±


    My smile faltered then, but he only clapped me on the back and laughed. ¡°Kidding. I¡¯m no Michael Jordan. I just look good compared to these guys.¡±


    One of his teammates called from the court, waving Simon over.


    ¡°Go on,¡± I said. ¡°Celebrate. You earned it.¡±


    ¡°Actually, they¡¯re heading out for Cokes at Truman¡¯s. That okay? Tell Dad I¡¯ll be home by six?¡±


    I hesitated.


    ¡°Or if you¡¯d rather I didn¡¯t . . .¡± He waved his teammate off. ¡°That¡¯s cool. Why don¡¯t we do something tonight? I know it¡¯s a school night, but special circumstances, right? I¡¯ll see if Dad¡¯ll give us a lift into Albany, catch a movie.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± I paused. ¡°We have to go, Simon.¡±


    ¡°Go?¡± He said it slowly, as if hoping he¡¯d misheard.


    ¡°Dad¡¯s picking us up at five.¡±


    I could tell he wanted to ask if I just meant we had to go home, but he didn¡¯t dare because he knew the answer and, right now, he didn¡¯t want hear it.


    ¡°Go on,¡± I said, waving at the team. ¡°Dad can pick you up at Truman¡¯s at five-thirty.¡±


    ¡°No, if we need to leave . . .¡± He glanced at his team, and then squared his shoulders. ¡°Then we need to leave. As soon as possible. I¡¯ll get changed and meet you around front.¡±


    By the time Simon got out, it was almost five. We stood on the curb, not talking, until 5:10. Then I checked my cell and he checked his. No calls from Dad.


    ¡°He must be stuck in traffic,¡± Simon said.


    I shook my head. ¡°He was heading home after lunch. He¡¯s just running behind.¡±


    After another five minutes, I called. The phone rang four times, and then went to voicemail. I hung up and tried again, this time leaving a message.


    ¡°He¡¯s probably on the line,¡± Simon said. ¡°Work. If it¡¯s a judge, Dad won¡¯t pick up another call, and he sure won¡¯t say he has to take off to get his kids.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Another five minutes passed. Simon¡¯s coach pulled his car to the curb, asking if everything was all right and Simon said yes, we were just waiting for our dad. The coach left and the parking lot was empty.


    ¡°He did say five, right?¡± Simon asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Another couple of minutes, then, ¡°We¡¯re really leaving, aren¡¯t we? Dad¡¯s picking us up, and we¡¯re taking off and not coming back.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Then, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    He found a smile. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like this was the best school we¡¯ve ever been at. Bottom three, I¡¯d say. B-ball was the only thing it had going for it. And being the best on the team? Not exactly going to give me mad new skills. I need to be challenged, you know?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°My friends weren¡¯t much of friends if Mark was any example.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°And Lily? The only reason we¡¯re still together is because it¡¯d be shitty to dump a girl before semi. She¡¯s really nice, but . . . clingy, you know? Last night she texted me about ten times.¡±

 Page 7

    ¡°She probably heard what happened.¡±


    ¡°Nope. Just the usual. What am I doing? Am I thinking of her? How the hell am I supposed to answer that? Yes, I think about you every minute of the day. Seriously? Sure I think about her. Not always in the way she means.¡± He grinned. ¡°But obviously I like her or I wouldn¡¯t be with her, so why do I have to say it ten times a day? Sometimes I think you have the right idea. Next town? No girlfriends.¡±


    I looked at him.


    ¡°Well, not right away. I have to start getting to know them better first.¡±


    ¡°Like spend twenty minutes talking to them before asking them out?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m usually not the one doing the asking. Anyway, I won¡¯t regret leaving this place. I¡¯ll feel bad about not telling Lily, though. Maybe I can text her before Dad makes us trash the phones.¡±


    We fell silent for a few minutes. Simon checked his watch.


    ¡°Okay, this is stupid. We know which way Dad¡¯ll be coming, so we might as well start walking.¡±


    Eight


    When we rounded the corner to our street, we saw Dad¡¯s van parked in the driveway.


    ¡°Shit,¡± I said, picking up speed.


    Simon grinned. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s changed his mind and we¡¯re staying.¡±


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t like it here.¡±


    ¡°Not particularly, but I like moving even less.¡±


    I peered through the van¡¯s windows. There was just the usual crap¡ªno bags or boxes. Simon glanced in and his smile widened, taking this as a good sign.


    He ran to the side door of the house, used his key and yanked it open.


    ¡°Hey, did you forget to call?¡± he yelled inside. ¡°Or did you screw up our cell numbers again?¡± He glanced back at me. ¡°That¡¯s the problem with making us change them every three months, huh?¡±


    Simon kicked off his shoes and thumped into the house. When I followed, the first thing I noticed was the quiet¡ªno TV, no radio, no CD. Dad always has something on. He jokes that after fifteen years with Simon, silence makes him nervous. If we were gone, he always had something on¡ªCNN or NPR or, if he was in the right mood, Eighties pop music crap.


    Simon brushed past, calling for Dad, some hesitation in his voice now. He turned slowly, looking and listening, then swung back into the hall where I still stood. As he headed for the door, I grabbed the back of his shirt.


    ¡°Hey!¡± he said.


    My look silenced him. I pointed at the table just outside the kitchen. Dad¡¯s keys were there. The door had been locked, which was normal¡ªDad always locked it even when he was inside. But he¡¯d never lock it, leave, and forget his keys.


    I motioned for Simon to stay behind as I eased into the hall, looking around, but mostly listening and sniffing. Werewolves get better night vision, but my regular sight is normal. As soon as my other senses kicked in a couple of years ago, I¡¯d instinctively started relying on them more.


    I walked silently down the hall, inhaling as I went. Even as I kid, I¡¯d had a slightly better sense of smell than humans, so it wasn¡¯t like I¡¯d woken up one day to realize people had different scents. Getting my full wolf senses only meant I could pick up those smells in the air and on the ground, too.


    The only scents in the house, though, were ours and faint traces of Simon¡¯s friends from the weekend.


    I glanced back at Simon, still near the door. I motioned him up behind me¡ªit felt safer that way. I crept through the main rooms, but there was no trace of anyone. I returned to the side door, dropped and inhaled deeply. Just our scents. I tried the front. Dad¡¯s¡ªstrong, like he¡¯d definitely gone out since this morning. To grab the mail? Or for something else? No smell could tell me that.


    I straightened and looked around. The small house only had two exits, other than the windows, and there was no sign that anyone else had come in through either door. All the windows were shut. None were broken. No scent trails crossed any of the doorways. If Dad left, he left on his own.


    ¡°That¡¯s good, isn¡¯t it?¡± Simon said when I explained.


    I supposed so, but it opened more questions than it answered. Maybe some guys would grab their wallet and head down to the corner store for a paper, forgetting to pick up their kids. Not Dad.


    I moved through the house again, going room to room, examining every window, including the basement ones. I even opened the hatch into the attic, in case someone snuck in that way. Nothing. No one had been here in the last few days except us.


    I told Simon we could stop sneaking around¡ªclearly no one was here. But he stayed close to me, worried and quiet. I returned to the side door and followed Dad¡¯s trail through the house.


    He¡¯d gone straight from the side door to the kitchen.


    ¡°Grabbing something to eat,¡± Simon said, checking the dishwasher. ¡°Yep, extra coffee cup and a plate.¡± That was the only way to tell Dad had eaten¡ªhe never left a mess . . . unlike some people I could name.


    ¡°Speaking of snacks . . .¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯m good.¡±


    I gave him a look.


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll check my blood sugar.¡±


    It was low, as I expected¡ªa combination of exercise, stress and getting close to dinnertime. I made him a sandwich¡ªignoring his grumbling¡ªthen continued through the house.


    Next Dad had gone into our room. There was a suitcase on each of our beds, the closet emptied into them. Simon¡¯s top drawer was open and partly empty.


    ¡°He was packing our stuff,¡± Simon said between bites of his sandwich. ¡°Then he stopped.¡±


    Interrupted. But by what?


    I walked into the kitchen and checked the phone. The last call had been the one the night before, from a blocked number.


    Something buzzed beside me. I looked over to see Dad¡¯s phone vibrating on the counter, tucked under some mail. Simon was on his cell, calling Dad¡¯s number. We both grabbed for the phone. I won.


    I checked the call log. All the recent ones were from Simon and me. Before that, there were only three calls, all from Albany numbers. Work, I guessed, people touching base after Dad left early.


    I closed the cell phone and put it on the counter.


    ¡°What happened here?¡± Simon asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    For the next hour, we didn¡¯t do anything. Nothing useful anyway. We tried to act like there was a perfectly logical explanation and Dad would show up at any moment. I reheated the pizza and got out the salad as Simon struggled to do his homework, as if we were heading back to school the next day. He knew better, but we just didn¡¯t know what else to do.


    After dinner, I took a shower while Simon finished packing his suitcase. When I came out, he was waiting in the hall.


    ¡°We need to do something,¡± he said.


    ¡°I know. I just¡ª¡± I stopped before admitting I had no idea whatto do. I could feel the weight of his stare. He was looking to me for a plan because that¡¯s how it always worked. Simon took the lead in simple stuff, like where we¡¯d eat lunch or what movie we¡¯d watch, but solving problems was my department.


    ¡°You can follow his trail, right?¡± Simon said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Dad¡¯s trail. See which door it went out and where. It¡¯s getting dark, so no one¡¯s going to see you sniffing the ground.¡±


    The dead obvious solution, and I couldn¡¯t believe I hadn¡¯t thought of it. I went out the side door first. There were two trails from Dad here. One came straight from the driver¡¯s side of the van. The other went out to the curb and reeked from a slug-trail of leaking garbage sludge. Dad had put out the garbage. That was one of my regular chores, but I¡¯d completely forgotten it that morning and of course he hadn¡¯t reminded me, given the circumstances.


    The circumstances. What I¡¯d done. The reason Dad was missing. Because I couldn¡¯t control¡ª


    ¡°Derek?¡±


    I straightened. ¡°Just to the van and a garbage run.¡±


    I went back to the front door. His trail was thicker there, like he¡¯d gone to the door a couple of times. Once he¡¯d just stepped out¡ªthe mail probably. But another trail continued down the front walk, then cut across the grass to the curb, then . . .


    Dad¡¯s trail ended at the curb. No matter how hard I tried to find it through the stink of the road, it obviously didn¡¯t go any farther. Nor did it double back to the house.


    ¡°He got into a car, didn¡¯t he?¡± Simon said behind me.


    ¡°Seems like it.¡±


    ¡°Whose car? Can you pick up his trail?¡±


    I went back to the front door and sniffed. I did a lot of sniffing, following for at least fifteen minutes before finally giving up.


    ¡°There are at least a dozen trails,¡± I said. ¡°People delivering mail, flyers, parcels, takeout.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you pick out the ones you don¡¯t recognize?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t recognize mostof them.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you follow those ones?¡± he asked. ¡°See where they lead?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a bloodhound.¡±


    ¡°We need to know what happened here.¡±


    ¡°No shit. But your guess is as good as mine, okay?¡±


    We looked at each other, then turned to stare out across the front yard until I caught a movement behind the window across the road. Our nosy old lady neighbor peered out.


    ¡°We should get inside,¡± I said.


    Simon nodded and followed me.


    ¡°We need to go,¡± I said as I closed the door.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Dad¡¯s missing. Vanished. We have to get out of here.¡±


    ¡°Why? If it was his old employer, they won¡¯t bother us. If it wasn¡¯t, then this is all a mix-up and he¡¯ll be back, expecting to find us here.¡±


    ¡°Dad always said¡ª¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what Dad always said. I¡¯m sick of hearing what Dad always said.¡± His voice rose, crackling with panic. He looked away and I knew he was scared¡ªfor us and for Dad¡ªand I wanted to tell him it was okay, that I¡¯d caused this problem and I¡¯d fix it, but I had no idea where to even begin.

 Page 8

    ¡°Why¡¯d he have to do it?¡± Simon said, still turned away. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t he just . . .¡±


    ¡°Help his bosses screw over other supernaturals so his kids could lead normal lives?¡±


    ¡°No, course not. I don¡¯t mean¡ª¡± He bit the words off, then turned back to me, chin lifted. ¡°Yes. You know what? That¡¯s exactly what I mean. He helped other supernaturals. Big whoop. You don¡¯t see them helping us now, do you? They¡¯ve all gone back to their normal lives and we¡¯re the ones on the run. Don¡¯t give me that shit about principles, either. I don¡¯t give a damn about principles. All I care about is . . .¡±


    ¡°Dad.¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anything, just stood there, then tore his gaze away, stomped into our room and slammed the door.


    I wandered through the house for a while. I¡¯d like to say I was searching for clues, but I wasn¡¯t. I was just moving, trying to trick my mind into thinking I was taking action. It wasn¡¯t fooled.


    I ended up at our bedroom door. I leaned against it.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re¡ª¡± I began.


    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. Not until I¡¯m sure he¡¯s gone.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have our phones. If Dad comes back, he¡¯ll call. We really need to get out of here before¡ª¡±


    ¡°Before what?¡± He yanked open the door so fast I stumbled. ¡°Why would we be in danger if they took Dad?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you?¡± He lifted his gaze to mine, eyes hard. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°It means I get the feeling Dad told you something he didn¡¯t tell me.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t.¡±


    He studied me a moment before backing down. ¡°Fine, but unless you¡¯ve got some reason to think we¡¯re in danger, I¡¯m not leaving until morning, when I¡¯m sure he¡¯s gone.¡±


    He closed the door. I lowered myself to the floor and settled in for a long night.


    Nine


    It was almost ten at night when the phone rang. Inside our room, I heard Simon jump up, then grunt and drop back onto the bed. I walked into the kitchen and checked caller ID. The local police station. I answered, in case it was about Dad. It was Detective Fulbright, the officer who¡¯d questioned me.


    ¡°Can I speak to your father?¡± he asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s not here,¡± I said. ¡°He had to run back to work for a file. You can try his cell.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s fine. Have him call me in the morning.¡±


    Before he could hang up, I blurted, ¡°Is he okay?¡±


    The line crackled. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°The guy I threw. Is he okay?¡±


    A longer pause now. ¡°No, son. He¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I should speak to your father about that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to know.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s . . . some injury to the spine.¡±


    I waited for more details. When he didn¡¯t give them, I said, ¡°Is it serious?¡±


    ¡°I really should speak to your father, son.¡±


    I gripped the phone so hard my hand ached and I wanted to say, ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± but instead I mumbled, ¡°I¡¯ll have him call when he gets in,¡± and hung up.


    I stood there, still holding the receiver, and stared out the window. A full moon lit the yard. Dad says werewolves aren¡¯t affected by the moon cycles, but tonight I felt the overwhelming urge to run, let the full moon light my way as I got as far from here as I could, before I did any more damage.


    I should have gone last night. Slipped away as soon as I realized I¡¯d hurt that kid, before everything went to hell, before Dad disappeared. But the thought hadn¡¯t crossed my mind, and even if it had, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d have acted on it. I didn¡¯t wantto run away. I wanted to stay with Dad and Simon.


    I couldn¡¯t think like that anymore. I was a werewolf, and if the day came when being a werewolf put them in danger, then I should leave. They¡¯d already spent ten years on the run because of me. Deep down I¡¯d always known that. I just hadn¡¯t let myself believe it.


    When I was little, I didn¡¯t have werewolf hearing but, like my sense of smell, it must have been better than average because I¡¯d heard the arguments Dad had on the phone before we left. Later, when we were old enough to understand, he said his company wanted him to blackmail ex-employees. Instead he¡¯d warned his former colleagues, taken us and run. But his company wouldn¡¯t let him get away that easily. He knew too much. So they hunted him.


    It was a good story. There was only one problem. During those fights, I¡¯d caught one word used over and over. A word my ears were particularly attuned to: my name.


    Later, when he¡¯d explained about the blackmail, I¡¯d told myself that they¡¯d discussed me because I was part of the argument¡ª¡°Hey, don¡¯t forget we gave you Derek, so you¡¯d better do as we say or we¡¯ll take him back.¡± Only I never quite believed that. We¡¯d run because those people had wanted me back. They¡¯d decided I was too dangerous to be out in the world.


    Now I¡¯d put a kid in a coma, maybe broken his back.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    I started from my thoughts to feel cold metal under my fingers. I was at the side door, hand on the knob.


    ¡°I asked what you¡¯re doing.¡± Simon strode over, getting between the door and me.


    ¡°Checking to make sure it¡¯s locked.¡±


    ¡°You need shoes for that?¡±


    ¡°Shoes?¡± I glanced down. I was wearing my sneakers.


    ¡°You need your wallet?¡± He waved at my back pocket. ¡°Cell phone?¡±


    I didn¡¯t remember grabbing my wallet and phone. Or putting on my shoes. Or coming to the side door. It was like my subconscious had taken over. I was thinking about running away and, without realizing it, I¡¯d started doing exactly that.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to¡ª¡± I began.


    ¡°You¡¯d better not. Dad disappears and now you think you¡¯ll do the same?¡±


    ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    He cut me off with a wave, still blocking the door, like I might make a run for it. I pulled off my sneakers and set them on the mat. Simon looked at them, and I knew he was thinking of the last time.


    We¡¯d been in first grade. Simon had cut in front of me in line at school. I¡¯d given him a shove. Just goofing around, both of us. I¡¯d been the second biggest kid in class; Simon was the smallest guy. So when I pushed, he¡¯d fallen against the fountain and gotten a bloody nose.


    Simon hadn¡¯t cared about his nose. He¡¯d just felt bad for getting me in trouble. I¡¯d freaked out, though, certain this was proof that I was dangerous and Dad would send me back before I really hurt Simon. So I¡¯d tried to run away.


    Simon had caught me and taken away my shoes. The next day, he¡¯d refused to tell Dad where he put them, so I had to wear rubber boots to school. Realizing his plan wasn¡¯t foolproof, Simon had returned my sneakers that night and made me promise to never run away again.


    I picked up my shoes from the mat. ¡°You can take them if you want. They smell a whole lot worse now, though.¡±


    I was trying to make him smile, but he only scowled, like this wasn¡¯t something he wanted to joke about.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault Dad¡¯s gone,¡± he said. ¡°If you want someone to blame, look at the guy who didn¡¯t have the brains to walk away from three redneck seniors.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did. I couldn¡¯t let it go. I had to be a smart-ass. How many times has Dad warned that my mouth was going to get us in trouble? Well, it did. So how about we make a deal. You stop brooding¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, you are. You stop brooding and blaming yourself. I¡¯ll stop sulking and blaming myself, and we¡¯ll actually try to do something about the situation. Deal?¡±


    I only dimly caught the last bit, my attention fixed on the front window as a police car slowly cruised down the street.


    ¡°Derek. Hello? I¡¯m¡ª¡± He followed my gaze and saw the car. ¡°Oh.¡±


    He moved toward the window. I grabbed for his arm, but he shot me a look, telling me he wasn¡¯t going to do anything stupid, and sidestepped into the shadow of the curtain. Then he leaned around for a better look as the cop car rolled by.


    When it kept going, I said, ¡°You¡¯re right. We need to do something. What about that spell Dad taught you?¡±


    ¡°For locating him?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°What did you think I was doing in our room? I¡¯ve been casting that spell, trying to get a fix on him. I couldn¡¯t.¡±


    Simon had only begun spell-casting practice a couple of years ago. The locator spell was tough even for Dad. A friend of his had found it in an old grimoire. Most lost spells, though, are lost for a reason. Some just aren¡¯t very useful anymore, like ones to light candles. Others are so hard that they¡¯re practically useless. The locator spell was one of those.


    Simon stared out the window. ¡°You still want to go, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    We emptied our school backpacks. I made a basic overnight bag. Simon packed that plus his diabetic gear. While he gathered his stuff, a police car rolled past again, going the other way. When Simon found me, I was at the window, as close as I dared to get, watching the tail-lights disappear around the corner.


    ¡°Cops again?¡± he asked.


    I nodded.


    ¡°Should we still go?¡± He lifted a hand before I could say anything. ¡°I¡¯m not looking for an excuse to stay. I¡¯m just not sure taking off at night is the best idea. In this town, if the cops see us, they¡¯ll stop. Hell, if anyonesees us, they¡¯ll call 9-1-1 before we go on a wild rampage soaping windows.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± I pulled back from the window. ¡°We¡¯ll leave first thing in the morning.¡±

 Page 9

    Ten


    I didn¡¯t sleep. Simon drifted off a few times. The first two times he woke up, he said, ¡°Did Dad call?¡± After that, he stopped asking.


    We got up at dawn. I made breakfast. Simon didn¡¯t want any. I said we couldn¡¯t have him get low on the road, and that made him eat. It was too early to leave anyway.


    While Simon paced, I packed food. I knew we wouldn¡¯t get good choices on the road and I really needed to make sure Simon¡¯s blood sugar stayed stable. If it went too low, he¡¯d get tired. Too high, and he¡¯d get irritable. He¡¯s pretty good at managing it himself, but his attention was somewhere else right now, so it was up to me to keep him on track.


    I was checking carb counts on stuff when the doorbell rang. Simon¡¯s footsteps thudded from the bedroom, then slowed as he realized Dad wouldn¡¯t ring the bell. I glanced through into the living room and saw a car in the drive¡ªa big dark blue sedan, like an unmarked cop car.


    ¡°Simon!¡± I hissed, trying to get his attention, tell him not to answer.


    He waved me back. I hesitated, but he was right. If it was the cops, then it would be worse if we didn¡¯t answer. Besides, they could be coming to tell us something about Dad. As he opened the door, I eased back to watch from the next room. The angle was wrong, but I could make out two uniformed cops.


    ¡°Is your father home?¡± one asked.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Simon turned and bellowed, ¡°Dad!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s in the shower,¡± I called, withdrawing so the cops wouldn¡¯t see me.


    ¡°Huh,¡± Simon said. ¡°Just a sec. I¡¯ll get him.¡±


    He slammed the door, then very carefully locked it. He ran down the hall, thumping as loud as he could, yelling, ¡°Dad! There are a couple police officers here to see you!¡±


    He slowed, quieting his footsteps and slipped into the kitchen, whispering. ¡°Now what?¡±


    It wouldn¡¯t be long before the cops figured out Dad wasn¡¯t coming. If they were here with a warrant for my arrest, then I was pretty sure they could break in to find me, especially since they¡¯d already heard my voice. We had to get out.


    The house didn¡¯t have a back door or a garage. Sneaking out the side wouldn¡¯t be safe. So Simon grabbed our bags and jackets as I took out the screen on the dining room window. I waved Simon through. It was a tight squeeze for me, but I made it.


    As we crossed the back yard, heading for the tool shed, I could hear the cops talking on the porch. It was just small talk at first, then one said, ¡°Ring it again.¡±


    ¡°I just did,¡± the other replied. ¡°And it¡¯s gotten very quiet in there.¡±


    ¡°Shit. Better call it in.¡±


    I waved Simon behind the shed. When he went for the rear fence, I shook my head and whispered that I was listening to the cops.


    ¡°We¡¯re stuck outside the house,¡± the one said to his supervisor. He explained what had happened so far, then said, ¡°How long do you want us to wait before going in?¡± He paused. ¡°I know.¡± Pause. ¡°I know. But considering what we¡¯re dealing with, a little caution is in order, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    The hair on my neck rose. I shook it off. No reason to freak out. They meant they were dealing with a kid with a history of violence and possible steroid use.


    ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll go in. But we want backup on the way. Got it?¡± Pause. ¡°No, right now or I don¡¯t budge from this spot.¡±


    He hung up.


    ¡°What¡¯d she say?¡± his partner asked.


    ¡°She wants you to go around and cover the back, in case they bolt.¡±


    I backed up behind the shed fast. The gate squeaked as one cop came into the yard. Simon frowned at me.


    ¡°They¡¯re afraid we¡¯ll bolt,¡± I whispered.


    His frown grew. I knew what he was thinking. If these guys had come to arrest me¡ªor ask Dad to bring me into the station to be charged¡ªthen that was serious, but not the kind of thing that would make a normal man¡ªespecially a lawyer¡ªgrab his kids and go on the run.


    Was I sure these were cops? The uniforms said so, but I couldn¡¯t get close enough to see how real they looked. And the unmarked car with uniformed officers seemed a little weird.


    They hadn¡¯t said a word about Dad specifically. Did they know he wasn¡¯t here . . . because they worked for the people who¡¯d taken him, and were now coming back for us? But wouldn¡¯t it have been safer to come last night? Wouldn¡¯t they have been concerned that we¡¯d leave? Or report Dad missing?


    ¡°Derek?¡±


    I ran my hand through my hair. Too many damned questions. My brain doesn¡¯t deal well with ambiguity.


    ¡°Did you get a good look at those cops?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Was their uniform right? For the local police?¡±


    ¡°Huh? I guess so . . .¡±


    Being an artist, Simon pays more attention to detail than I do. He¡¯d have noticed if they were state cops, but I doubted he¡¯d seen the local ones often enough to say, ¡°Hey, that badge isn¡¯t right.¡±


    I looked around. The chain-link fence Simon had started climbing earlier was our best way out of the yard. I peered at the house behind us. The windows were dark. Did that mean the neighbors were gone already? Or not up yet? I had no idea¡ªour rear neighbors could be a family with kids or old people, and I wouldn¡¯t know. Never paid any attention. I should have. I really should have.


    I listened. Everything seemed quiet in the house behind ours¡ªwhether they were away or asleep, we¡¯d be safe as long as we were careful. I waved for Simon to go as I stood watch. I followed over the fence, then we snuck along to the street.


    Eleven


    ¡°Now what?¡± Simon murmured as we reached the sidewalk.


    ¡°Act normal, like we¡¯re heading into school early for a practice.¡±


    I took out my cell.


    ¡°Who¡¯re you calling?¡± he asked.


    I motioned for him to wait, then dialed information. When I asked for the local police, they put me right through. Growing up fast means I don¡¯t sound like a kid a few weeks from his sixteenth birthday, so when I asked for Detective Fulbright, the dispatcher put me right through. It rang three times, then voicemail picked up.


    ¡°That didn¡¯t do any good,¡± I muttered as I hung up.


    Simon arched his brows.


    ¡°I was trying to find out if the detective sent those guys,¡± I said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t think they¡¯re real cops?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°They probably are.¡±


    We walked half a block, then Simon said, ¡°You know who we shouldcall. Andrew. Dad said if we were ever in trouble¡ª¡±


    ¡°If you thought that still applied, you¡¯d have brought this up last night.¡±


    ¡°I know we haven¡¯t seen Andrew in a couple of years¡ª¡±


    ¡°After he and Dad had a big fight.¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯re still in contact,¡± Simon said. ¡°And Dad never said we should stop using him as an emergency contact.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it was implied.¡±


    Simon fell silent. I knew that didn¡¯t mean he was giving up, just that he wasn¡¯t sure of his position on the matter. Neither was I. When we were little, Andrew Carson was Dad¡¯s best friend. They used to work together, so Dad said if we were ever in trouble, that¡¯s who we should go to. But a couple of years ago, they had a falling out. They still talked and Andrew sent us birthday and Christmas gifts. We just didn¡¯t visit anymore.


    Did that mean we shouldn¡¯t call him? I wasn¡¯t sure, and I suspected the reason I hadn¡¯t suggested it already was that I wasn¡¯t all that comfortable with the idea of running to Andrew.


    Simon had always been Andrew¡¯s favorite and sometimes I felt like . . . I don¡¯t know. I guess I¡¯m touchy about that, especially considering Andrew knows I¡¯m a werewolf. I can¡¯t help jumping to the conclusion that¡¯swhat makes him hold back, when the truth is that Simon¡¯s just a whole lot easier to like.


    So I said we should call Andrew.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re right,¡± he said. ¡°We will, if we need to, but there¡¯s that guy in Albany we can try first. The one who got Dad his job. He knows about us. Maybe he can help. Before we do that, though, we should find out if those guys at the house are really cops. Because if they aren¡¯t, then they must be the ones who took Dad, so we should follow them.¡±


    ¡°How? Run after the car really, really fast?¡±


    He gave me a look. ¡° Driveobviously. We have Dad¡¯s keys. You look old enough that no one¡¯s going to pull you over.¡±


    He had a point.


    ¡°Let me call the department again,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    A cop car rolled around the corner¡ªa real one, complete with decals. I grabbed Simon¡¯s arm, but it was too late to get away before they saw us.


    I tried to keep walking, calmly, as the car approached. The officers looked our way, then the car rolled past.


    Simon let out an exaggerated sigh of relief, cut short by a quick intake of breath. I followed his gaze to the car¡¯s brake lights, flashing red. The tires chirped as the car stopped on the wet road.


    ¡°Run?¡± Simon whispered.


    I shook my head. The car turned around and came back. The officer behind the wheel rolled down his window.


    ¡°Derek Brown?¡±


    My last name was Souza, but Brown was the one on my ID, and I¡¯d been using it so long that I probably wouldn¡¯t even answer to Souza.


    ¡°Detective Fulbright has been trying to get hold of your dad,¡± the cop said when I nodded.


    ¡°He should be at home.¡±


    I held my breath, waiting for him to say a car had already been there. When he didn¡¯t, Simon leaned forward and said, ¡°We saw a car heading over there. Looked like an unmarked cruiser. We figured they were going to talk to him.¡±


    When the cop said he didn¡¯t know anything about that, Simon grinned. ¡°Good, because we thought maybe they were coming to arrest Derek. Just our luck, they¡¯d come roaring up once we got to school.¡±


    The cop assured him they wouldn¡¯t do anything like that. ¡°If they decided to charge him, your dad can bring him in.¡±

 Page 10

    ¡°No handcuffs and sirens? Damn.¡±


    The cop laughed and chatted with Simon. He was a good enough guy. Dad said most cops were¡ªit was just the bad ones you remembered.


    Simon promised we¡¯d phone Dad and remind him about calling the detective, and the cop asked Simon about the basketball game last night, having heard he was on the team. I knew Simon was doing the right thing, chatting the guy up, not acting the least bit suspicious, but I couldn¡¯t help looking around, wanting to get going.


    As I stared down the empty road, a blue sedan crossed the intersection, the windows so dark I couldn¡¯t see who was in it, but I knew anyway¡ªthe so-called cops from the house. They stopped halfway through the intersection, as if they¡¯d seen us.


    Simon was still yapping with the cop. I walked behind him and reached for the back door handle, as if the cop had told me to get in, and the sedan sped off.


    ¡°We should be going,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m in enough trouble at school without being late.¡±


    Simon checked his watch and swore. The officer offered us a lift, but Simon said having me dropped off by the cops was probably not a good idea and the guy agreed, saying he was sure everything would work out. Then he left.


    We jogged to the end of the road. I told Simon about the sedan, but there was no sign of it.


    ¡°We should get the van,¡± he said.


    ¡°And do what? Drive around aimlessly, hope we see the car again?¡±


    ¡°Why not? If those weren¡¯t cops, they have Dad.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure I agreed, but the set of Simon¡¯s mouth said he wasn¡¯t giving in on this. He needed those guys to be the ones who had Dad. It was the only solid lead we had.


    So I said okay and we walked back to the house as fast as we dared. When we got close, we could see the driveway. It was empty.


    ¡°No,¡± Simon whispered. He jogged forward, getting a better look, just in case, murmuring, ¡°No, no, no,¡± under his breath.


    The minivan was gone.


    When we got to the side door, it was still locked. Simon opened it while I peered through the windows, looking for signs of anyone inside. Simon glanced at me and I nodded, so he opened the door. I walked past him into the house. I checked the table where Dad had left the car keys. They were gone.


    Simon brushed past me into the kitchen.


    ¡°They took his cell phone, too.¡±


    I headed to the bedroom. The half-packed suitcases we¡¯d left on the floor were gone.


    ¡°Who is this?¡± Simon said from the kitchen.


    I raced in there so fast I almost tripped. Simon was on his cell phone.


    ¡°I know someone¡¯s there,¡± he said.


    I took the phone from him and punched the End button.


    ¡°Hey!¡± He grabbed for it. ¡°I was¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªcalling Dad¡¯s number to see who answered.¡±


    ¡°And someone did. They didn¡¯t say anything, but they were there.¡±


    ¡°Keeping you on the line while they traced the call.¡±


    He blinked, and I knew he hadn¡¯t thought of that, but he only lifted his chin, defiant. ¡°So I let them know where we are? Good. Having them come here is easier than chasing them down. We¡¯ll hide and¡ª¡±


    ¡°And hope they don¡¯t have spells to sniff us out? Hope they really are the guys who took Dad?¡±


    ¡°Of course they are.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Then why come this morning and not last night? Why ask for Dad if they knew he was gone?¡±


    Simon glowered and strode past me.


    ¡°What? It makes sense, doesn¡¯t it?¡± I said.


    ¡°Sure. It¡¯s obvious, and I¡¯m a moron for not figuring it out on my own.¡±


    ¡°I never said that.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to, Derek. You never need to.¡±


    He opened the front door.


    I raced into the hall. ¡°Don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªwalk out the front door? You really think I¡¯m an idiot, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Leaving the door ajar, he walked to the basement and flipped on the light, then headed back toward the rear.


    ¡°Are you coming?¡± he called. ¡°Or waiting until they show up?¡±


    I looked from the front door to the basement. ¡°Oh, you want to make them think we¡¯re hiding in the basement. That should slow them down enough for us to get away. It¡¯s a good¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it.¡±


    ¡°I was just¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªgoing to pat me on the head for having a bright idea. It¡¯s condescending, Derek. Normally, I let it slide, but today I¡¯m just not in the mood.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean¡ª¡±


    ¡°You never do. Now come on or we¡¯ll still be bickering when the bad guys show up.¡±


    Twelve


    We left the house the same way we had before, through the backyard and over the fence. Next stop: Albany, to track down the sorcerer who¡¯d helped Dad get his job. The only problem? Getting to Albany. The last time I¡¯d thought of running away from home had been when Simon took my shoes, so I¡¯d never realized that, when it came to getting away, there were some serious disadvantages to living in a small town, namely, the lack of public transportation options.


    The only way out was by bus, meaning it would be the first place anyone would look for us. Even if we managed to get on without being stopped, we were recognizable enough that the staff would remember where we¡¯d gone.


    Without the minivan, we were screwed. Even if we knew how to steal a car, we wouldn¡¯t. And hitchhiking was too dangerous. I might have superhuman strength, but it wouldn¡¯t help us if a guy pulled a gun. Even more likely, we¡¯d get some Good Samaritan who insisted on taking us back home.


    So we were stuck with the simplest option. Walk the twenty miles to Albany.


    There was a secondary two-lane highway Dad took when we weren¡¯t in a hurry. We headed for that, backpacks over our shoulders, pockets stuffed with money we¡¯d grabbed from the stash Dad kept, plus more from an ATM at the strip mall near our place.


    Simon had barely said a word to me since we¡¯d left. He¡¯s good at holding a grudge. Most people are, which is something I don¡¯t understand. It¡¯s like when I fight with Dad. I¡¯ll blow up over something, say stuff I shouldn¡¯t, but I don¡¯t mean it and he knows I don¡¯t. When I cool down¡ªand I always cool down fast¡ªI¡¯ll try to talk to him about his day or get him to play a video game with me, and he won¡¯t. He says you can¡¯t just explode at someone and then expect everything to be okay. I didn¡¯t see why not. Dad knew I got moody and didn¡¯t mean to blow up, so I should be able to say sorry and go back to normal. Apparently no one else sees it that way.


    ¡°Did you text, uh . . .¡± I searched for the name, but came up blank. ¡°Your girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°Lily.¡±


    ¡°Right. She, uh, seemed nice.¡±


    Simon gave me a look that said I was full of shit. I never paid much attention to Simon¡¯s girlfriends. Mutual avoidance. They only talk to me when they want to score brownie points with Simon. I don¡¯t play that game, so I stay away when they¡¯re around.


    ¡°Did you text her?¡± I asked again.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°You wanted to do that.¡±


    He said nothing.


    ¡°I think you should,¡± I continued. ¡°It¡¯d be nice.¡±


    Simon snorted.


    ¡°What?¡±


    He shook his head.


    I looked up into the blazing sun, then pointed to a tree past the ditch. ¡°We should take a break, get out of the sun for a while. And you should eat something.¡±


    ¡°Get out of the sun? It¡¯s barely above freezing, and that tree has no leaves, meaning no shade. I just had a banana five minutes ago, so I shouldn¡¯t eat again until lunch.¡±


    ¡°You could text Lily.¡±


    He looked at me for a minute, struggling to stay serious, before breaking into a laugh and shaking his head.


    ¡°What?¡± I said.


    ¡°Nothing, bro. Fine. We¡¯ll sit. I¡¯ll text. You eat. We¡¯ll stop fighting, and that¡¯s the point, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Simon and I are both in good shape, but that walk was more than either of us were used to. Dad always said it was twenty miles, but I think he was rounding down. A lot. Between breaks to rest and eat and check Simon¡¯s blood sugar, it took all day to get to the edgeof Albany.


    By then, Simon was wiped out. He needed a long rest and good food so, ignoring his protests, I found a family-style sit-down place that served decent food at decent prices.


    As we ate, we dredged our memories for anything we could recall about Dad¡¯s sorcerer friend. Considering we¡¯d just spent a full day hiking, you¡¯d think we¡¯d have done that on the way. But I think we were afraid to admit how little we knew, after coming all this way.


    We had a first name. Paul. I thought his last name was Khan. Simon was sure it was Khanna. Indian, we knew that. And Simon thought his first name might actually be Pallav, and he was only using Paul as an Americanized nickname.


    Paul/Pallav Khan/Khanna was a former Cabal sorcerer that Dad had helped out years ago. The problem with Cabals, though, is that once you¡¯ve pissed them off, they don¡¯t forget it. You might slide off their hit list, but you¡¯re always going to be on their watch list, so Paul would be living under the radar like we were, probably with an assumed name. Really not helpful.


    While we ate, Simon called directory assistance. He managed to get a live operator. She spent at least fifteen minutes trying to help him, even checking unlisted numbers.


    Simon¡¯s good at getting strangers to bend the rules for him. He says he learned it from Dad, but I think it must be inherited, because no matter how carefully I study their technique, I can¡¯t do it. Can¡¯t really bring myself to try all that hard either, though.


    Anyway, Simon spouted some story about being at the bus station, supposed to call this cousin of his mom¡¯s, only he¡¯d lost the paper with the number and he couldn¡¯t get hold of his mom, and he was stuck there, and it was getting late . . .


    The operator totally bought it. It didn¡¯t help, though. No listing for a Khan or Khanna, first name Paul or Pallav.

 Page 11

    ¡°We know he works for the government,¡± Simon said after hanging up. ¡°Which doesn¡¯t really narrow it down a lot in Albany. I think Dad said it was city government, though, not state. So I can make some calls . . .¡± He checked his watch. It was after eight. ¡°Tomorrow. For now . . . Hey, didn¡¯t we go to Paul¡¯s place once? When Dad had to drop stuff off?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But Dad just pulled up outside and ran in. All I remember is that it was an apartment building on a street with a lot of apartment buildings.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a start. I think it was downtown, too. Or close to downtown. I remember there was a used game store nearby. We¡¯d just gotten the Xbox and Dad let us pick out a few games. We¡¯ll look up stores in the core, then just walk around, see if anything . . .¡± He glanced out the window. It was pitch black. Had been for the last two hours.


    ¡°We¡¯ll wait until morning,¡± I said.


    ¡°So I guess for now we . . .¡±


    ¡°Find a place to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    We looked out into the night. It had started drizzling.


    ¡°Maybe I should get dessert,¡± Simon said. ¡°To keep my blood sugar up tonight.¡±


    ¡°Good idea.¡±


    We stalled at the diner for as long as we could, then headed out into the night. The sun was long gone, taking any heat with it, and the drizzle had turned to slush. My plan was to find an abandoned building, but we soon realized we were in the wrong part of town for that. It was mainly residential, and a growingresidential area, meaning nothing was boarded up.


    After trudging along for an hour, I found a field where an old building had been razed to make way for houses. The foundation of the original place was still there, and the empty lot wasn¡¯t guarded. I led Simon down to a spot guarded from the wind. It sucked, but it was the best I could do.


    It didn¡¯t take long to realize my best wasn¡¯t good enough. The wind still whipped in. The ground was ice-cold and damp. And the mercury was finally plummeting to normal January temperatures. Simon was bundled up in three sweatshirts and a jacket and his teeth wouldn¡¯t stop chattering, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. He pretended to sleep, but I knew he didn¡¯t. We huddled there all night, cold and miserable, waiting for dawn.


    As soon as we saw a hint of gray in the sky, we set out. We found a coffee shop and hung out there until the morning rush hit and the manager told us to move on. Simon was too tired to even try charming him into letting us stay.


    We snuck into the bathroom and got another twenty minutes of warmth as we cleaned up. Or tried to. I needed more than a bathroom sink. My scalp itched, greasy hanks of hair tickled my face, and I stank. Washing my armpits and slathering on deodorant didn¡¯t change that. Doubling up my shirts hadn¡¯t been my brightest idea ever¡ªnow I only had one clean sweatshirt to change into, so I was saving it for later. For now, my jacket would stifle most of the smell.


    Simon called the city bus department next and got a route that would take us downtown. It was slow¡ªwe had to transfer twice¡ªbut cheaper than a cab. We found a library, and I searched online for stores that sold used games. I knew it hadn¡¯t been a chain, so that narrowed it down to two.


    We photocopied area maps, took a bus to the first store and found it in a mall, which we knew wasn¡¯t right. By then it was lunchtime, which meant another stop. On then to store number two, which was out of business . . . and not the right one either.


    So we walked. And walked and walked. Simon cast the locator spell as we went.


    ¡°How long could we do this before you started bitching?¡± Simon said as we turned down another street of apartment buildings.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been walking for two days now, and you haven¡¯t complained once. It¡¯s damned annoying, you know.¡±


    I looked at him.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t complain, then I can¡¯t complain,¡± he said. ¡°Not without sounding like a whiny little snot.¡±


    ¡°My shoes are soaked,¡± I said. ¡°I can¡¯t feel my toes anymore.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I lost feeling in my feet before lunch. I think even my brain froze hours ago, because I swear I wouldn¡¯t recognize Paul¡¯s apartment if we walked right past it. We¡¯re not really doing anything out here, Derek. We¡¯re just walking around because if we stop, we¡¯re going to have to admit we¡¯re totally lost and completely screwed.¡±


    That about summed it up.


    ¡°Call Andrew.¡± I stopped walking and looked off into the distance. ¡°I don¡¯t know what else¡ª¡± I stopped, then pointed to a strip mall. ¡°Isn¡¯t that where the video game store was? It¡¯s not there now, but that looks like . . .¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± Simon grinned. ¡°I remember the pizza place next door. You snuck in and grabbed a slice while I was picking out games.¡±


    I¡¯d forgotten that until he mentioned it.


    ¡°Paul¡¯s place was down there,¡± I said, pointing. ¡°One of those buildings. It had a broken fountain in front.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope it still does.¡±


    Thirteen


    We found the building, complete with fountain, still broken, now turned into a raised garden . . . or what would be a garden, in spring. Right now, the only thing blooming in it was broken beer bottles.


    I¡¯d been kicking myself for not remembering the pizza place. Now I kept kicking myself for not remembering more about the apartment building. I should have remembered what I thought the last time I saw it: ¡°At least we don¡¯t need to live like this.¡±


    Dad always made sure we stayed in nice places. Sure, when kids at school found out he was a lawyer, they¡¯d make cracks about how he must not be a very good one, since we didn¡¯t live in a big, fancy house. But it was always a decent home in a good neighborhood. This building, though? Even I¡¯d think twice about coming in at night. It was late Saturday afternoon and a trio of punks had already staked out territory on the fountain, a six-pack of beer at their feet, though none was in spitting distance of legal age.


    Was Paul in so much trouble with the Cabal that he had to hide thisdeep? I couldn¡¯t remember what he¡¯d done, only that Dad said it was a stupid mistake. Really stupid.


    We walked past the losers on the fountain. They saw Simon first¡ªhe was hurrying ahead, paying no attention as usual¡ªand one slid off his perch, gaze locked on Simon like a hawk spotting a scurrying mouse.


    ¡°Hold up,¡± I said.


    Simon stopped. The guy gave me a once-over, then shoved his hands into his pockets and backed onto the fountain again. He couldn¡¯t resist a parting insult¡ªsomething about my skin, my hair, whatever, mumbled under his breath for the benefit of his friends. I heard, of course. Ignored it. Went inside with Simon.


    Paul wasn¡¯t listed on the directory. Most residents weren¡¯t. When a girl about twelve years old came out, though, Simon asked if she knew him. She did. Apartment 512, down the hall from hers.


    We found it. Knocked. No answer. Knocked again. Nothing. There was a sheet stuck under the door. I made sure no one was around, then bent and pulled it out. A note from a neighbor, reminding Paul that he¡¯d promised to buy Girl Scout cookies from her daughter. They had the cookies and she needed the money Friday. Today was Saturday.


    Simon knocked on the next door. An old woman answered.


    ¡°Hi, my name¡¯s Brent.¡± Simon extended a hand and a blazing smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t want any,¡± she said, and started to close the door.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not selling anything. My mom works with your neighbor, Paul. He bought four chocolate bars from me for my school trip fundraiser. Only he wasn¡¯t at work yesterday, so mom drove me over to collect. I need the money by Monday or I won¡¯t have enough for the trip. He¡¯s not answering, though. Have you seen him?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    She slammed her door and shot the bolt. Undaunted, Simon moved to the neighbor on the opposite side. This time he amended the pitch from a school fundraiser to a charity raising money to help a dying five-year-old girl whose parents couldn¡¯t afford a dialysis machine. A bit over the top, I thought, but it worked. Managed to squeeze a tear from the guy, who tried to shell out twenty bucks for the cause. That made Simon hesitate¡ªwe could use the money¡ªbut after a glance my way, he gave it back and said he¡¯d return later with the official donation forms.


    ¡°Have you seen Paul, though?¡± he pressed. ¡°Mom thought it was weird, him not being at work, then not at home today. He isn¡¯t that kind of guy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know him that well,¡± the man said. ¡°Keeps to himself and so do I. We usually leave at the same time in the morning, though. Say hi, talk about hockey. He¡¯s an Islanders fan, and I was going to razz him after their wipeout Thursday night, but I didn¡¯t see him yesterday morning. Didn¡¯t hear the TV on Thursday either. Not that he cranks it up, but with these walls, you can hear a sneeze.¡± He paused, as if thinking back. ¡°Last time I saw him, then, would have been Thursday morning.¡±


    The morning the article on my incident had appeared in the Albany newspaper. Was that a coincidence? I hoped so.


    Simon thanked the guy. As we walked away, Simon nodded toward Paul¡¯s door.


    ¡°Can you open it?¡± he whispered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡±


    While Simon stood watch, I grasped Paul¡¯s door handle. I snapped the lock with a sharp twist. It was bolted, though. I was putting my shoulder to the door, ready to shove it open, when the elevator dinged.


    I nudged Simon toward the stairs. He took off. I followed at a lope, slowing as the elevator doors sounded. A woman¡¯s shoe clicked against the hall floor just as the stairwell door swung shut behind me.


    ¡°Wait until they¡¯re in an apartment,¡± I whispered.


    Simon nodded.


    I cracked open the door and heard a firm rapping. No answer. A minute passed. A second knock. Still no answer. Simon frowned up at me. I lifted a finger, telling him to wait.


    A third knock. This time a door opened and a raspy old voice barked, ¡°What?¡±

 Page 12

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for Paul Khan,¡± a woman said. ¡°Your neighbor? He¡ª¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not here and I don¡¯t know where he is, so stop pestering folks. Do I look like a private eye? Call the cops if he¡¯s missing.¡±


    ¡°Has someone else been asking about him?¡±


    It was a man speaking this time, and the hair on my neck rose, telling me I knew that voice. I couldn¡¯t place it, though.


    ¡°Couple kids,¡± the woman said. ¡°Not ten minutes ago. Banging on his door, then banging on mine, interrupting my movie. I don¡¯t have one of those fancy machines, you know. I can¡¯t pause my movie to answer the door. You¡¯re just lucky it¡¯s a commercial now.¡±


    ¡°You said it was kids?¡±


    ¡°Boys. Raising money.¡± She sniffed. ¡°Dressed like they go to some fancy school, asking for money from the likes of me. And for what? A trip. Probably to some amusement park. When I was in school, we were lucky if we got to walk over to the field to study the butterflies. That didn¡¯t cost anything, though. These days . . .¡±


    She rambled on for another minute before the man cut her off. ¡°They asked you for money?¡±


    ¡°Well, no. They were looking for Paul. Said he¡¯d bought chocolate bars from them. They were going to ask me next, though, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°You said they were boys? Can you describe them?¡±


    ¡°Chinese kid with blond hair. He did all the talking. Didn¡¯t get a good look at the other one. Big, though. Dark hair. Kept his mouth shut and his head down, the way he should. These days, kids don¡¯t know nothing about respect. Look at those ones out front. Did you see them?¡±


    She continued to rant. I cracked open the door another half inch, pressing my face to the opening, trying to see the people asking about Paul. I couldn¡¯t see them well¡ªjust a glimpse of unfamiliar faces and business suits. Process servers for a law firm? Co-workers?


    They kept asking about us. What had we said? Where had we gone? Finally, the old woman got tired of answering and slammed the door. A pause. Murmured voices, too low for even me to hear. Then footsteps . . . coming our way.


    Simon heard them and started down the stairs. I caught him and pulled him in the other direction. We zipped up one flight before the door creaked open. We stopped, backs to the wall.


    The door closed. No footsteps, meaning they were standing there, looking around.


    ¡°How long did she say they¡¯d been gone?¡± the man asked.


    ¡°Ten minutes.¡±


    ¡°Long enough to get out of the building. Not long enough to get far. They aren¡¯t going to find a cab around here.¡±


    Footsteps now, hurrying down the stairs. When the door on the ground floor closed behind them, Simon turned to me.


    ¡°Are they looking for us? I mean, obviously that¡¯s who they¡¯re after. But specifically us? Or just the kids who were asking about Paul?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Should we still check out his apartment?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Should we take off?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Simon rubbed his temple, and then met my gaze. ¡°You don¡¯t have to know, Derek. I¡¯m asking for your opinion. I don¡¯t need you to make all the decisions here. Tell me what you think.¡±


    ¡°I . . . I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Panic whirled in the pit of my stomach. How could I form an opinion when I didn¡¯t have facts? I needed to think it through and come up with an answer. There¡¯s always an answer. You can¡¯t make decisions like this based on an opinion.


    When I tried to focus, though, all I could think about was that man¡¯s voice. I thought I knew it. But I couldn¡¯t place it, couldn¡¯t even be sure I really recognized it. Damn it, I needed to know. I needed¡ª


    ¡°Okay,¡± Simon said slowly. ¡°How about I tell you what I think, and you tell me if you disagree.¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°I think we can¡¯t leave right now because those guys are looking for us. So we might as well break into the apartment. At any sign of trouble, we take off and don¡¯t come back. Okay?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±


    Fourteen


    I busted open Paul¡¯s apartment door and got hit by a blast of ice-cold air.


    ¡°Did someone forget to pay for heat?¡± Simon whispered behind me.


    It was more than that. There was a window open¡ªI could smell the stink of the city. I could smell something else, too. Something that made me stop in the doorway. When Simon tried to push past, I blocked him.


    ¡°Wait here. Guard the door.¡±


    ¡°From the hall?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t hear from inside.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and I can¡¯tbe seen from inside, so¡ª¡±


    ¡°If you hear anyone coming, call me.¡± I pushed him out and closed the door, then waited a second, making sure he wasn¡¯t coming in.


    I took a deep breath. Not intentionally sniffing, just trying to prepare. The scent was faint and I told myself it was probably an odor coming from outside. As I moved into the apartment, the smell got stronger.


    I found Paul in the bedroom. Sitting on the floor beside the bed. Eyes open. A red crater through his temple. Blood and bits of brain splattered on the wall. Gun still clenched in his hand. Dead eyes staring at the door. Staring at me.


    I swallowed. Clenched my fists. Looked back at Paul and tried to focus, but all I could see were his eyes, all I could feel was his accusation.


    You did this. You couldn¡¯t control it, and now look what¡¯s happened. A kid in the hospital. Your dad gone. Simon on the run. And now me. I saw that article and knew what was coming. So I killed myself.


    I shook my head hard. I had no reason to think that article in the paper had anything to do with this.


    Right. It¡¯s a complete coincidence. You screw up. You get in the papers. A guy your dad helped¡ª a guy hiding from the Cabals¡ª kills himself the same day, and it has nothing to do with you. Really.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I whispered.


    Paul¡¯s dead eyes told me to figure it out. I was the whiz kid. Think, damn it.


    But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn¡¯t find a perfect solution. It was like being given a jigsaw with half the pieces missing. I could jam some of them together, but there were always a few left, and I knew they must fit, but I needed the rest first.


    Had Paul been involved with the people Dad worked for? The ones who¡¯d raised me? Or just a Cabal? If it was a Cabal, what did that have to do with me? Or with Dad?


    Why would Paul shoot himself? Why not run? Hadhe shot himself? Or was this staged, the window left open to let in the cold, which would keep the body from rotting and stinking of decomposition away until the killer¡¯s trail was dead. Or until it was too late for the news of Paul¡¯s death to reach someone else. Like Dad.


    I growled and rubbed my head. Too many missing pieces. I had to find the rest.


    How? I couldn¡¯t even manage to find a warm place to stay the night.


    ¡°Derek?¡±


    I stumbled out of the room and slammed the door behind me. When Simon saw me, he lifted his hands.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sounding the alarm,¡± he said. ¡°I just slipped in because some kids were coming up the stairs, making a racket. They went to the next floor.¡± He looked around. ¡°Find anything?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Did Paul pack up and run?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Simon studied my face. I struggled to keep it neutral.


    ¡°You¡¯re stressed, bro. Let me handle this while you stand guard. You¡¯re the one with the super-hearing anyway. I¡¯ll take a look around and see if I can find luggage, keys, cell phone¡ª¡±


    ¡° No. I mean, no, there¡¯s none of that. No keys. No cell or wallet. No luggage, but the drawers are full, so I can¡¯t tell if he packed anything. All I know is that he left.¡±


    ¡°Or was taken.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but it¡¯s not like Dad¡ªhis stuff is gone, so it looks like he went on his own. Maybe Dad called and told him to lie low for a few days. All I know is he¡¯s not here and there¡¯s no sign of where he went.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then. Better take off before we¡¯re found.¡±


    How many times had I complained that Dad didn¡¯t give Simon credit, treated him like a kid? Now I was doing the same thing.


    I needed someone I could talk to, bounce ideas off, get opinions from. But every time I considered talking to Simon, a mental wall shot up, telling me not to worry him, not to scare him. I¡¯d done enough damage already and my job now was to get him through this as smoothly as possible.


    If I¡¯d told him back at the apartment, he¡¯d have wanted to see for himself. If I couldn¡¯t stop seeing that blood-and-brain spattered wall, it would be even worse for Simon. I processed things logically; he processed them visually. I wasn¡¯t putting that image in his head.


    But I couldn¡¯t tell him after we left the apartment either, because then he¡¯d know I hadn¡¯t been honest. I hated lying. We did a lot of it¡ªhad to¡ªand that bugged me more than I let on. I could justify it by telling myself at least I was honest with Simon. Now I couldn¡¯t even say that.


    ¡°Do you want to talk?¡± Simon asked as we trudged down the road, leaning into the wind. Winter was hitting full force, gales whipping around us, ice pelting our faces.


    When I didn¡¯t answer, he asked again, ¡°Do you want to talk?¡±


    Yes. Yes, I do. But I can¡¯t. I know you hate me for it, but I need to work this out on my own. You¡¯ve got enough to worry about.


    ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± I said.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to talk.¡± He ran his hand through his hair, shoving off wet snow. ¡°Can we do that?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Should get someplace warm anyway. You need¡ª¡±


    He turned into my path. ¡°I don¡¯t need anything, okay? Stop doing that. I know you¡¯re hungry. I know you want to talk. I know you¡¯re cold. Don¡¯t make it all about me, Derek. I¡¯m not five.¡±

 Page 13

    I was glad for the snow then, coming down too hard for him to see my expression.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I said. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d like something to eat.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now let¡¯s . . .¡±


    He trailed off. I followed his gaze to a black SUV that had just passed us. It had slowed to a crawl, brake lights flickering. Given the weather, caution made sense. Only it had barreled past a moment ago. And the only thing on this empty road that could make it slow down was us.


    ¡°Pick up the pace,¡± I said. ¡°Don¡¯t run. Take the side street there.¡±


    As we turned the corner, I snuck a glance back at the SUV. It was turning around.


    ¡°Faster,¡± I whispered. ¡°See that building up there? With an alley or lane beside it?¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    We zipped into the narrow walkway just as the SUV roared around the corner, sliding on the slush. A horn blast from someone coming the other way. We broke into a jog.


    The walkway ended at a road. I paused to get my bearings, but Simon was already running for a store across the road. I followed. It led to a parking lot behind the building¡ªa big lot, shared by a bunch of businesses. It was getting late now, the stores closed, only staff remaining. The lot was dotted with cars covered in snow . . . and one that wasn¡¯t. A cop car idled in the corner of the lot, driver hunched over paperwork.


    I grabbed for Simon¡¯s arm, but he¡¯d already thrown on the brakes. The cop looked up. His partner was pointing at us.


    Simon jostled me hard and I spun, ready to snarl, but he was grinning. He ran a few steps, scooped up snow and whipped a slushy ball at me.


    ¡°Play along,¡± he whispered.


    I charged, pretending to try tripping him. He slid out of the way and grabbed a handful of snow off a car.


    ¡°Head left,¡± I murmured. ¡°Take that lane out of the lot.¡±


    We kept at it, throwing snowballs, sliding on the sleet-covered parking lot, paying no attention to the cops as we made our way to the lane.


    A crunch of snow under tires. The cop car rolled toward us.


    ¡°Keep it cool,¡± Simon whispered.


    He darted to the side. I whipped a snowball. He pretended to slip, arms windmilling. I charged and hit him in the side, pushing him further away from the cop car.


    It turned and headed toward us. The window rolled down. Simon motioned for me to stay back, he¡¯d handle this. Then he jogged to the police car.


    ¡°Private property, right? Sorry.¡± He flashed a grin. ¡°First snow in a month. Couldn¡¯t help ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Are you Simon Kim?¡±


    My gut froze.


    Simon¡¯s smile didn¡¯t falter. ¡°Um, no, and something tells me I don¡¯t want to be, huh?¡±


    The officer looked over at me. ¡°Derek Brown?¡±


    Behind his back, Simon motioned for me to go.


    ¡°What¡¯d you say the name was again?¡± he asked.


    Without warning, he cast a fog spell. It whirled up, mingling with the falling snow, the perfect cover for me to take off. Run. Escape. I know that¡¯s what he wanted. And maybe I should. Without me, they¡¯d have no reason to hold Simon. He could call Andrew to come get him and I could meet up with them later.


    Only he didn¡¯t know Paul was dead and we couldn¡¯t call Andrew, couldn¡¯t put his life in danger like that. I told myself that¡¯s why I needed to stay. It was bullshit. I needed to stay because there was no way I could run and leave Simon behind. No way I could even consider it.


    I walked up behind Simon, passing through the fog curtain.


    ¡°I¡¯m Derek Brown,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯re looking for our dad.¡±


    Fifteen


    Simon was annoyed with me. Not angry. Angry would mean he¡¯d actually thought I might take advantage of the diversion and run. So all I got was a glower and a muttered, ¡°You should have,¡± as we got in the cop car. Then he took over the explaining.


    As Simon told our story, he skated the edge of reality as close as he dared. Dad called and said he was picking us up after Simon¡¯s game. He¡¯d been leaving work early, around noon, and that was the last we¡¯d heard of him. When he didn¡¯t show, we walked home. Dad wasn¡¯t there. Neither were his keys, wallet, cell phone, no sign he¡¯d come home at all.


    The cops didn¡¯t ask about the van. I wasn¡¯t sure how we¡¯d answer that. If those guys at our door yesterday morning had been real police officers, they¡¯d have seen the van there. Now it was gone, and that added a whole new level of complication to the story. Best to let on we¡¯d thought Dad didn¡¯t come home from work at all.


    Simon said we¡¯d phoned Dad¡¯s office and cell. When we didn¡¯t get an answer, we were worried, but figured he¡¯d been called back to work. Sometimes he was there until after we¡¯d gone to bed. A lie, but it worked.


    So we went to bed. When we woke up, and he was still gone, we got worried. After my trouble with the cops we were understandably nervous about going to the police, so we¡¯d hitchhiked to Albany. Walking sounded too desperate.


    Our story had lots of holes, but it was good enough for these guys, who only wanted to drop us off at the station and get a pat on the back for finding us.


    The police station parking lot was a mess. It was snowing even harder. We got soaked on the walk to a rear door, only to find it wouldn¡¯t open.


    ¡°Frozen,¡± one of the officers said. ¡°Figures.¡±


    It didn¡¯t seem cold enough to freeze¡ªnot if the snow was so wet¡ªbut I could never judge temperature. All I know is that we had to go around to the front, and the whole walk there, I kept looking for a chance to run. Stupid, I know. How far would we get from a building full of cops?


    I thought about it even more when I heard the chaos inside. The weather was causing problems everywhere. It reminded me of what Dad said after every snail¡¯s crawl home from Albany when snow hit. ¡°It¡¯s New York, people. It¡¯s winter. We get snow. If you aren¡¯t prepared to deal with it, move to Miami.¡±


    On that walk around the building, two pairs of exiting cops told our guys to hustle us inside so they could head back out on the road. Accidents everywhere. A pileup on two major roads. ¡°Welcome to winter,¡± one said. ¡°When fifty percent of drivers should have their licenses temporarily suspended.¡±


    As we drew closer to the front doors, the noise grew louder. Cops trying to get back out on the road. Operators taking calls. Senior officers barking orders. And regular people trying to get regular stuff done¡ªlodging complaints or whatever¡ªwhile arguing and bitching about the wait.


    Once we stepped inside, I knew escape was a definite possibility. The front room was jam-packed. Irate citizens. Stressed-out desk clerks. Cops yelling about the other doors being frozen shut, everyone spilling into the front room.


    But Dad would tell us to stay. If Paul was dead and people were looking for us, then we were better off taking refuge with humans. They were the least of our worries right now. They¡¯d take care of us. That was their law. Whoever was chasing us played by a very different set of rules.


    As we waited, the front doors flew open, cold air sliced through the heat.


    ¡°Who the hell do I talk to about laying a charge?¡± a voice boomed over the din.


    ¡°Oh, no, you don¡¯t,¡± said a second voice. ¡°We had a deal, Cooper. Get back outside.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, who¡¯s going to make me?¡±


    ¡°Me . . . and my two buddies here.¡±


    I strained to see above the crowd. I¡¯m tall; I¡¯m not so tall I can just look over everyone¡¯s head. The two guys facing off were easy to spot, though. Huge, bald biker types, with two more behind them.


    Every cop in the place started edging that way, fighting through the crowd.


    ¡°Shit,¡± one of our officers said to the other. ¡°Watch these two.¡±


    He waded into the mob. One of the guys threw a punch. The fight started, spreading fast, bystanders getting jostled and shoved, then joining in, already short tempers exploding. Even people on the edges were getting knocked down . . . when there wasn¡¯t anyone within touching distance.


    Knockback spells.


    I looked at Simon, but he was bouncing on his toes, trying to see.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he whispered.


    Obviously he wasn¡¯t the one casting the spells. Knockback spells. Doors that wouldn¡¯t open. A spontaneous brawl making a chaotic situation even worse.


    When someone else leaped into the fray, I caught a glimpse of two faces I¡¯d seen only a few hours ago. The couple looking for Paul.


    I turned back to Simon just as our officer shouldered into the crowd and disappeared.


    ¡°He said to wait here.¡± Simon grinned. ¡°I don¡¯t think I heard him, though. Did you?¡±


    He turned to leave.


    I caught his arm. ¡°We can¡¯t. The people who were looking for Paul. They¡¯re here. It¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°Simon? Derek?¡±


    Two women pushed through the crowd. They were middle aged, wearing suits that looked ten years old. Government workers.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Officer Overton?¡± one said, frowning as she double-checked a paper.


    ¡°In there, I¡¯ll bet,¡± the other said, pointing at the crowd.


    They led us to the side of the crowd. People made way for them¡ªone look and you knew they weren¡¯t part of the brawl.


    ¡°Lena Morris,¡± the first woman said, extending her hand. ¡°Child services. The station notified us that the officers were bringing you in. We¡ª¡±


    Someone flew from the crowd, knocking Ms. Morris back a step.


    ¡°We need to get them out of here,¡± her partner said. ¡°I¡¯ll go talk to the officers that brought them in.¡± She turned to us. ¡°That¡¯s Officer Overton there, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Simon said it was. She made her way to him as he snapped cuffs on someone. He tried to wave her aside, but she pressed until finally he glanced our way, nodded and replied. They spoke for a minute. Then she came back.


    ¡°We can take them out of here until this gets sorted.¡± She smiled at us. ¡°Could we interest you boys in dinner?¡±

 Page 14

    Simon glanced at me. I said sure. As we made our way to the front doors, the couple from Paul¡¯s building noticed us. Expressions alarmed, they conferred. They followed us, the woman now on her cell phone, talking fast. I could catch snatches of the conversation, enough to know that we were indeed their targets . . . and now we were slipping from their grasp again. Whoever was on the other end must have said to pull back, because they stopped and watched us go.


    The women drove a typical government vehicle¡ªa plain midsized car with parking stickers for children¡¯s services. When Simon saw those, he relaxed.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I murmured as they opened the doors. ¡°The guys who¡¯re after us?¡± I gestured to the corner of the building. ¡°Back there.¡±


    As we drove from the lot, we watched the couple, who watched us, the woman still on the phone, the man discreetly checking the government car¡¯s license plate number.


    ¡°I¡¯m actually not that hungry,¡± I said. ¡°Can we just go to your office or whatever?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Ms. Morris¡ªin the passenger seat¡ªsmiled back at me. ¡°We¡¯ll order pizza while we get this¡ª¡±


    Her phone rang. She talked for a minute. I could hear both ends of the conversation this time. It was her office, telling her that the Albany police had handed us off permanently. We were to be taken back to where we started and turned over to Detective Fulbright.


    ¡°Do you want to stop to eat first?¡± she asked us after she explained the new plan.


    ¡°Can we grab something back home?¡± Simon said. ¡°There¡¯s a great pizza place there.¡±


    She said that was fine, and her partner turned onto the road leading to the highway. I watched out the back window, but there was no sign of a black SUV or anyone following us. They¡¯d backed off for now, probably figuring they knew where we were going¡ªto the child services offices in Albany. We¡¯d be safe . . . for a little while.


    Sixteen


    Ms. Morris asked us to tell our story again. Simon stuck to what he¡¯d said to the cops in Albany, in case they checked. Ms. Morris said they¡¯d make sure our local department launched a missing person¡¯s case for our dad.


    She called and asked for Detective Fulbright, but he was out with the rest of the force, on accident duty. While she was on the line, the desk sergeant told her not to bother bringing us in. The parents of the boy I¡¯d thrown had decided not to file charges. The police would look after the missing person¡¯s report, but we were now the responsibility of children¡¯s services.


    ¡°Nice if they¡¯d told us that before we headed out in this weather,¡± she said as she explained to her partner and us. ¡°But as long as we¡¯re almost there, we should stop by the house. You boys can pack bags and we¡¯ll take a look around, see if we can¡¯t figure out what happened to your dad.¡±


    She said she was sure it was just a misunderstanding, but I could tell she didn¡¯t believe that. I¡¯m sure she¡¯d seen single parents disappear before when they decided it was all too much for them.


    ¡°If we don¡¯t figure this out tonight, is there anyone else we can call for you?¡± she asked. ¡°I know Derek¡¯s parents aren¡¯t in the picture, and Simon, I¡¯m guessing your mother . . .¡± She waited for him to fill in the blank.


    ¡°Took off when I was two,¡± Simon said. ¡°I don¡¯t remember her and we don¡¯t have any contact with her. My dad doesn¡¯t have any family around either. It¡¯s just us.¡±


    He glanced at me and mouthed, ¡°Andrew?¡± but I shook my head. After what happened to Paul, I wasn¡¯t getting Andrew involved in this.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Ms. Morris said. ¡°We¡¯ll take care of you until we find your dad.¡±


    Our house had been ransacked. The child services women didn¡¯t notice, because whoever had gone through our stuff had tried to cover his tracks. Being on the run, though, Dad had taught us to notice things that aren¡¯t quite the way we left them.


    We didn¡¯t tell the women. We just looked around and made note of what had been touched. Mainly stuff in Dad¡¯s office. They¡¯d checked out the desk in our room, too. What did they expect to find? Dear Diary, Dad gave me a list of places to hide in case he ever disappears. Here they are so I don¡¯t forget them.


    The women had us pack our bags. They said they didn¡¯t expect we¡¯d be gone long, but we should take as much as we wanted, so we¡¯d be comfortable in the group home. That¡¯s where we were going. They expected the move to be temporary, so they weren¡¯t looking into foster care, presuming we¡¯d be happier in a group home, since it meant we¡¯d be together. We said yes¡ªwe didn¡¯t care where we went, just as long as we weren¡¯t split up.


    We were almost finished packing when Ms. Morris got another call. I didn¡¯t hear much, just a word that made my gut freeze.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Simon whispered, seeing my expression.


    I repeated the word I¡¯d heard. Buffalo.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Simon took a deep breath. ¡°Okay, let me handle¡ª¡±


    ¡°Boys?¡± Ms. Morris came into our room, looking confused and concerned. ¡°I just got a call from our main office. They were checking your file and pulled up one with similar names. For boys exactly your ages. Simon Bae and Derek Souza.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Simon¡¯s face screwed up. ¡°That¡¯s weird.¡±


    ¡°They lived in Buffalo ten years ago, then disappeared.¡± She paused. ¡°The department thinks they¡¯re you two.¡±


    ¡°Buffalo?¡± He frowned. ¡°We¡¯ve lived a lot of places, but I don¡¯t remember Buffalo. Don¡¯t remember those names, either.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d have been quite young.¡±


    ¡°So if that¡¯s us . . .¡± He frowned, then burst into a grin and elbowed me. ¡°Maybe we¡¯re part of the witness protection program. That¡¯d be cool, wouldn¡¯t¡ª?¡±


    He stopped. His expression changed to worry. I kept my face blank. My acting skills were nowhere near his, so I always let him take center stage.


    He turned to Ms. Morris. ¡°If we were in the witness protection program, would that mean Dad . . .?¡± He swallowed. ¡°Is Dad in trouble? He¡¯s a lawyer and he can have some scary clients . . .¡±


    Ms. Morris put her hand on his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sure it has nothing to do with your dad. It could just be a clerical error. We¡¯ll investigate. In the meantime, they want us to take you to a group home in Buffalo, so they can sort all this out.¡± She managed a weak smile. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a long night, boys. We won¡¯t have time to stop and eat, but we¡¯ll pick up dinner on the way, okay?¡±


    We said it was. What else could we say? We finished packing and headed back to the city we¡¯d left ten years ago. Buffalo.


    Simon slept in the car for a couple of hours after we ate. I didn¡¯t. I kept thinking about whether this was the right thing to do. Should I have tried harder to escape? The more I thought about it, the more I knew what Dad would have said. Take refuge with humans until he found us.


    And if he didn¡¯t find us? I wouldn¡¯t think about that yet. For now, a group home was the safest place for Simon. And, maybe, the safest place for me. They¡¯d have counselors there. I couldn¡¯t tell them that I was a werewolf, but maybe they could help me make sure the wolf never hurt anyone again.


    When we got to Buffalo, it was past midnight. Ms. Morris had taken a bunch of calls from her supervisor, trying to find a place for us. Finally, when we were in the city, she had an address.


    We drove for about another fifteen minutes, then headed into an older area of town. Finally, we turned into the driveway of a big two-story house. White with yellow trim. A light blazed in the front window. The porch lights flicked on and the front door opened.


    Ms. Morris twisted to face us. Simon was awake now, quiet, just looking around.


    ¡°We have a shortage of spaces in Buffalo,¡± she said. ¡°Keeping you two together is important, I know. This is a new home, one that hasn¡¯t even officially opened yet. You¡¯ll have it all to yourselves for now. Sound good?¡±


    Simon nodded.


    A woman stepped onto the front porch. Short, gray-haired, chubby. She looked like someone¡¯s grandmother.


    ¡°And there¡¯s Mrs. Talbot,¡± Ms. Morris said. ¡°All ready for you. Let¡¯s get you boys out of the car and into the house. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re exhausted.¡±


    We grabbed our bags from the trunk and trudged to the front door. Another woman appeared behind the first¡ªyounger, thinner, watching us carefully.


    Mrs. Talbot greeted us with a huge smile.


    ¡°Welcome to Lyle House, boys,¡± she said.


    Divided


    One


    ¡°We have to get out,¡± I whispered. ¡°Find an exit. Any exit. Then whistle, but softly. I¡¯ll hear you.¡±


    Simon, Rachelle and Chloe ran in different directions. We had to search the factory before Dr. Davidoff and his armed gunmen found us.


    Why was the director of our group home chasing us with armed gunmen? I had no idea, but I sure as hell wasn¡¯t going to stop to ask.


    As the others ran off, I tried not to wince at the amount of noise they made. Davidoff and his guys would find us for sure. All they had to do was stop and listen.


    Damn it, this shouldn¡¯t have happened. And it wouldn¡¯t have happened if Chloe had stuck to the plan. Sure, the reason she hadn¡¯t stuck to it was because I¡¯d disappeared just as we¡¯d been about to escape, and she¡¯d found me in the middle of my first Change into a werewolf. Before we could run, the group home¡¯s psychiatrist, Dr. Gill, had spotted us.


    Chloe had stayed behind to search for me because she knew my brother Simon wouldn¡¯t leave otherwise, and she knew it was more important that he get away because he was the one who could find our dad, and get everyone out of Lyle House.


    So I suppose, if I was being generous, I should say she did the smart thing. I could say she did the brave thing. I could say she¡¯d done the decent thing. But I wasn¡¯t feeling generous.

 Page 15

    If she hadn¡¯t stayed, they would have gotten away. Simon would be safe, and she would be safe, and I wouldn¡¯t be flipping out worrying about either of them getting shot. So as I jogged along the hall, I cursed her for a hundred kinds of stupid. It gave me something to do.


    When I heard her shriek, it didn¡¯t matter that it was only a brief cry, quickly muffled. I still barreled around the corner, ready to curse her to her face. Then I saw her with Simon, his arms around her, her face buried against his chest.


    Great. He must have accidentally surprised her. That wasn¡¯t hard. Chloe could watch me changing into a wolf without flinching, but if you walked up behind her, she jumped like a scared rabbit. Made no sense at all. Well, maybe it did, if the girl was a necromancer, and that ¡°person¡± sneaking up could be a ghost or a zombie. Again, though, I wasn¡¯t in the mood to be generous, especially not now, seeing her cuddled up against Simon. We didn¡¯t have time for that.


    Before I could give her hell, she lifted her head from Simon¡¯s chest, and the horror in her eyes stopped the words in my throat.


    ¡°It was a ghost,¡± she said, stepping back from Simon. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Not justa ghost. They might spook her, but she looked like she was going to be sick. I stepped forward. I wanted to ask what she¡¯d seen, but instead I said, ¡°I think someone heard you. We gotta go.¡±


    She nodded and started to turn, then paused to stare through an open doorway. I walked over and tried to see what she was looking at. There was nothing there. Nothing I could see anyway.


    ¡°It¡¯s repeating. Like a film loop,¡± she said. She turned away sharply. ¡°Never mind. We¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªhave to go,¡± I said as footsteps echoed down a distant hall. I could tell it was just one person, but still not good.


    I nudged Chloe and the three of us started to move. Then an ear-splitting whistle rang out. Rae. Damn it. This was why I hadn¡¯t wanted her along. Simon knew how to be careful¡ªwe¡¯d been on the run all our lives. Chloe . . . well, at least she had the sense to know when she was in over her head and listen to me. Rae seemed to think we were playing hide-and-seek here.


    I got around the corner just in time to stop Rae from blindly throwing open a door under an ¡°exit¡± sign. I eased it open, sniffing and listening for signs that anyone was on the other side.


    I looked into the yard. The factory was in an old industrial area right next to the residential neighborhood where Lyle House was a few streets away. It was still operational, but now it was the middle of the night, and the yard was empty. Dr. Davidoff and his gunmen were in the factory. So the warehouse a few hundred feet away should be empty. Safe.


    When I pointed it out, Rae looked at me like I was nuts.


    ¡°It¡¯s a mile away,¡± she said.


    ¡°Quarter mile, tops. Now go. We¡¯re right behind¡ª¡± The footsteps were louder now, others joining the first pair. At least three people, all headed straight for us. ¡°They¡¯re coming. You guys go. I¡¯ll distract them, then follow.¡±


    ¡°Uh-uh,¡± Simon said. ¡°I¡¯ve got your back. Chloe, take Rae and run.¡±


    ¡°No, you should¡ª¡± I began.


    ¡°You want distractions.¡± Simon cast a fog spell and tendrils of gray drifted up from the floor. ¡°I¡¯m your guy.¡± He turned to Chloe. ¡°Go. We¡¯ll catch up.¡±


    Chloe hesitated. I did, too. I wanted to tell Simon to go with her, and I¡¯m sure she wanted to say she¡¯d stay and help. There wasn¡¯t time to argue, though, and after a moment, Chloe nodded and stepped toward the door.


    Rae was long gone. Surprise, surprise. There was a girl who didn¡¯t care about anyone but herself, which was why her safety hadn¡¯t crossed my mind so far. If I saw a guy pull a gun on her right now, I¡¯d shout a warning, maybe try to distract him. That¡¯s it, though, and I¡¯m not ashamed of that. It¡¯s more than she¡¯d do for me.


    I stopped Chloe. ¡°Get in the warehouse and don¡¯t leave. For one hour, don¡¯t even peek out. If we don¡¯t come, find a place to hole up. We¡¯ll be back.¡±


    ¡°Count on it,¡± Simon said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stay in the warehouse if it¡¯s dangerous, but that¡¯ll be our rendezvous point. Keep checking in. If you can¡¯t stay, find a way to leave a note. We willmeet you there. Got it?¡±


    She watched me like she was committing every word to memory, but I wished I had more time. Wished I could have written it down for her. Wished I was sure that the guns and the ghost hadn¡¯t upset her so much that she¡¯d forget what I said the moment she walked away. I was pretty sure she wouldn¡¯t. But I wished I could be absolutely sure.


    ¡°They must be back here,¡± a man yelled. ¡°Search every room!¡±


    I pushed Chloe toward the doorway.


    Simon mouthed something to her, flashed a thumbs up.


    ¡°Showtime,¡± he said to me, as Chloe ran toward the warehouse.


    Two


    Simon launched another fog spell as our pursuers came around the corner. No one questioned why the hall suddenly filled with mist. They just muttered and coughed as they made their way through, probably figuring we¡¯d found some harmless chemicals in one of the storerooms. Dad says if humans can explain away the supernatural, they will. I used to think that made them stupid. But it¡¯s just Occam¡¯s razor¡ªdon¡¯t go looking for complex explanations when a simple one will do.


    As they fought through the fog, it was tempting to race out the back door after the girls. Tempting, but dumb. Even if Davidoff¡¯s guys didn¡¯t notice, that¡¯s the first place they¡¯d expect us to go.


    So we raced around the corner. Sure enough, a second later, Davidoff said, ¡°There¡¯s an exit here. Mike? Sue? Go out and take a look around. I¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    ¡°Move it, guys!¡± I said, in a whisper loud enough to make Davidoff stop. ¡°In that room. Go!¡±


    We ran to the nearest door making as much noise as we could. Simon cast another fog spell as I opened the door, then shut it. He tugged off his shoes and motioned for me to do the same. I didn¡¯t need to, but I did it anyway, and we took off, running silently down the hall.


    The trick didn¡¯t buy us a lot of time. We pulled it again, but after the first one, Davidoff only sent Mike¡ªthe guy we¡¯d seen earlier, with the gun¡ªinside to check it out, while they continued on. The third time, they barely peeked in the door. The fourth, they didn¡¯t even slow down, which was fine, because that¡¯s when we hadducked into the room and taken cover.


    We waited until their footsteps died down in the distance, before slipping out and doubling back. When we reached the first corner, Simon wanted to continue on the way we¡¯d come.


    ¡°The exit¡¯s this way,¡± he said when I balked.


    ¡°Yeah, and it¡¯s the only one we passed. Meaning they¡¯re going to make a beeline for it when they figure out we headed back. We won¡¯t make it to the warehouse before they can look out and see us. There¡¯s no place else we can go once we¡¯re through that door.¡±


    Simon only hesitated a second, then waved for me to lead on. I went down a side hall, looping back toward the main doors, where we¡¯d come in. When we got to the next corner, I heard voices and stopped Simon.


    Two people were speaking down by the main doors. Was one of them the factory¡¯s security guard? We could talk our way past him. Well, Simon could.


    I peered around the corner. My night vision is good, but my regular vision isn¡¯t any different from most people¡¯s. I could make out two figures. A man and a woman. Neither was the security guard.


    Simon glanced out as I pulled back.


    ¡°Can we take them?¡± he said.


    ¡°Maybe if we can separate them.¡±


    The words had just left my mouth when a radio squawked. The woman answered, and I heard Davidoff¡¯s voice on the other end, telling them to split up¡ªone staying to guard the main exit, the other moving to the rear one.


    When I told Simon, he grinned. ¡°Perfect timing.¡±


    We pulled back until the woman headed to the back exit alone.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take him,¡± I whispered. ¡°You wait here.¡±


    ¡°I can¡ª¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    He settled for glaring at me. So much easier than dealing with Chloe, who would have insisted on doing something to help, like causing a distraction while I snuck up on the guy. Sure, that would be a good idea, but then I¡¯d worry about it backfiring. If someone had to take a risk, it should be me.


    While Simon didn¡¯t argue, he didn¡¯t retreat either. I waited until the guy turned his back, then crept along the hall.


    The man took a step forward and passed under one of the dimmed security lights. In his hand, I saw a pistol.


    I froze. The guy outside¡ªMike¡ªhad been carrying a gun. He¡¯d shot at me. Even hit me. But it was only a tranquillizer dart, and it had barely made me drowsy. That had been a rifle, though. This was not a rifle.


    Did the pistol hold tranquillizer darts? Probably not. But I might be able to get to him before he used it. Even if he did, his first shot would likely go wild, and the chances of it being fatal seemed small.


    I took a step. Something caught my jacket and I whirled to see Simon there. He pointed and mouthed, ¡°He has a gun.¡± I nodded and waved him back around the corner. For a second, he just stared at me, like I obviously hadn¡¯t heard him. When he realized I had, his face hardened and he yanked on my shirt. I followed him.


    ¡°He has a gun,¡± Simon whispered when we were out of hearing range. ¡°What the hell were you thinking? That your odds were decent enough to give it a shot?¡±


    Good guess. I didn¡¯t say that. I saw how it looked from his point of view. Risky and stupid, and exactly the kind of thing I¡¯d give him shit for. Once I was around the corner and my pulse slowed, adrenaline ebbing, I realized it hadn¡¯t been a good idea. If that gun had fired, Simon would have come out of hiding and caught the next bullet.


    We retreated and began going through rooms, looking for one with a door or window. We didn¡¯t find any, and I knew if we kept trying, we¡¯d eventually run into Davidoff and his team.

 Page 16

    If I¡¯d been thinking clearly, I¡¯d have done it systematically. But I¡¯d been busy worrying about Simon and Chloe. I¡¯d sent her into that warehouse, thinking it was safe because we¡¯d be right behind her. Only we weren¡¯t and now I wasn¡¯t sure how safe it was. I should have come up with a better plan. She trusted me and I¡¯d be responsible if she¡¯d been captured.


    We¡¯d finally found a room with a hatch that led into some kind of storage space above the ceiling. Whatever it was supposed to store, though, no one seemed to bother anymore, probably because it was hot as hell and stunk of bat shit.


    ¡°That¡¯s good, right?¡± Simon said when I told him what the stink was.


    If he meant it was better than rats, I wasn¡¯t telling him I could smell those, too. I just grunted and said, ¡°If you can stand the smell, we should stay up here.¡±


    ¡°Um, why?¡± When I started to say it was the best hideout place, he said, ¡°Guano, bro? Bat shit means bats. Bats mean there¡¯s a way out.¡± He thumped me on the back. ¡°You¡¯re the science guy, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m just¡ª¡±


    ¡°Freaked out and not thinking straight. And, yes, just because a bat can get in, doesn¡¯t mean we can get out. Still, a lot of bat shit means a lot of bats.¡±


    Which meant, presumably, an easy way in, not just a crack in the roof. As I started moving, Simon grabbed my arm.


    ¡°Wait! You can see?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I paused. ¡°Which means there¡¯s some source of light up here.¡± Even I couldn¡¯t see in total darkness.


    We moved around, Simon holding my shirt until his eyes adjusted to the low light enough that he could see to move, too.


    We passed a bunch of support beams, and then I saw it¡ªa broken vent on the ceiling. The light seeping in wasn¡¯t from the moon though. It was the gray light of dawn.


    I thought of Chloe hiding in the warehouse. It felt like she¡¯d only left a few minutes ago. Had it been an hour? More? Damn it. I should have been keeping track. I would have, too, if I had my watch on.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Simon asked.


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    An hour was nothing, when you came down to it. For all the girls knew, we¡¯d taken off out another door and were hiding somewhere else, waiting until the coast was clear. Chloe would wait. It was Rae I was worried about, but if she¡¯d stayed an hour, she¡¯d stay longer. No need to rush now, and it was better if we didn¡¯t. Take it slow and careful.


    Three


    The hole was big enough to let Simon pass, but not me until I ripped off the rest of the vent. I stuck my head out and looked at the nearly flat roof. It was deserted.


    I hoisted Simon through. ¡°Don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªstand up and call attention to myself. I know.¡± I¡¯m not a moron, his look added. He always took stuff like that the wrong way. Chloe, too. If I give them a friendly suggestion, it¡¯s just because I¡¯m making sure they know what to do, not because I presume they don¡¯t.


    Sure, Simon would say if it was a friendly suggestion, I should make it sound a little friendlier. To me, the instruction is important, not the delivery.


    I crawled through. We were near the front of the building. As we crouched there, a truck rolled up to the gates. I grabbed Simon¡¯s arm to tug him back. He gave me another look, one that pointed out that he hadn¡¯t been going anywhere.


    A heavyset man climbed out, unlocked the big gates and pushed them back. He got back in his truck and parked it in the employee lot.


    ¡°The factory¡¯s opening for the day,¡± Simon said with a grin. ¡°Davidoff and his guys are going to have to leave now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Sunday,¡± I said.


    ¡°So? Overtime.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t so sure. The man looked like an employee, but still . . .


    ¡°Let¡¯s go get Chloe and Rae,¡± Simon said, starting to rise.


    I stopped him. ¡°Not yet.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Just hold on.¡±


    ¡°Hold on? It¡¯s been over an hour. We need to¡ª¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Are you sure?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t, and that bugged me. I didn¡¯t trust Rae to stay in the warehouse, and I knew Chloe wouldn¡¯t let her leave by herself. I was pissed off with myself for not making sure she remembered my instructions. I was pissed off with Simon for agreeing to let Rae come along. I was pissed off with Chloe for not leaving me at Lyle House when I told her to.


    ¡°She was supposed to go with you,¡± I said. ¡°That was the plan. She screwed up the plan.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me? Are you saying Chloe deserves to get caught because she stayed behind to make sure you were okay?¡±


    ¡°Course not. But if she¡¯d followed the plan, none of this would have happened.¡±


    ¡°How the hell do you know that? Those guys were on our tails as soon as Rae and I got here. No way they had time to assemble a team that fast after you were spotted.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but still¡ª¡±


    ¡°But still it¡¯s her fault. Somehow, some way, it¡¯s Chloe¡¯s fault because it¡¯s always Chloe¡¯s fault.¡±


    ¡°I never¡ª¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your problem with her anyway? In the last few days, she¡¯s learned she¡¯s a necromancer. She¡¯s discovered there¡¯s a whole supernatural world out there. And she¡¯s adjusted. I couldn¡¯t have done that. I¡¯d be useless. Freaked out and in total denial.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s coping well. I said that this morning.¡±


    ¡°To me. Not to her.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Never mind. Whatever your problem with Chloe is¡ª¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem with Chloe. You¡¯re right. If we can get to her, we should. As soon as possible.¡±


    Only we couldn¡¯t. When we reached the rear of the roof, we saw Davidoff and Mrs. Talbot¡ªthe head nurse from Lyle House¡ªconferring. They stood right in the path to the warehouse. I surveyed the lot for another route, but any way we went, we¡¯d cross their path.


    ¡°We have to wait it out,¡± I said.


    Simon looked toward the warehouse, and I knew he was worried about Chloe. After a second, he shook it off.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he said. ¡°She¡¯s fine. We told her to wait, so she¡¯ll wait, and if that¡¯s not safe, she¡¯ll find a hidey-hole and come back later. We have a plan. She¡¯ll stick to it.¡±


    We tried to find a vantage point where we could watch the warehouse, in case Chloe and Rachelle left it, but there was no safe spot with a perfect view.


    After a few minutes, we couldn¡¯t even see Davidoff and Talbot. They¡¯d moved toward the exit door. Had they gone back inside? Or were they right under the overhang? I couldn¡¯t see them and they were too far away for me to hear them if they were. So we waited.


    WouldChloe wait for us? When it came down to it, who were we to her? Just a couple of guys she barely knew. Guys who¡¯d helped her figure out what she was and promised to get her help, but still damned close to strangers.


    And who was Chloe to me? Someone I¡¯d taken advantage of. Someone I¡¯d only helped because she was the key to getting Simon out of Lyle House. At least, that¡¯s how it started.


    Chloe came to Lyle House a week ago. The nurses announced it by saying there was a new girl, so we had to clear out. Or the others had to clear out. I wasn¡¯t allowed to leave. I was too dangerous. In January, I¡¯d thrown a kid against a wall and broken his back. That started the chain of events that led to our father disappearing, and Simon and me coming to Lyle House.


    I could argue that the kid had been going after Simon with a knife. I could argue that I hadn¡¯t thrown him very hard. I could argue that I hadn¡¯t meant to hurt him, and that everyone misunderstood because they didn¡¯t know I had super-strength. But Iknew I had super-strength, so I should have been more careful.


    Enough about that. The new girl came. I was there. If it had been Simon, he¡¯d have gone downstairs to introduce himself, make her feel welcome. I didn¡¯t leave my room. Didn¡¯t even sneak out for a look at her. Not important. Didn¡¯t care.


    I only started to care after Simon did. When he met her in the kitchen, he¡¯d flirted with her, and told me she was cute. I hadn¡¯t noticed that. I did notice the glitter in his eyes when he said it, and that¡¯s when I started paying attention.


    Simon liked girls. Always had. They liked him back. When we came to Lyle House, though, that changed. One in particular, Tori, made an idiot of herself falling over him, but he wasn¡¯t interested. He said if girls were at Lyle House, they had problems and he didn¡¯t want to take advantage of them. While I¡¯m sure that was a factor, the truth is that Simon had changed. He¡¯d withdrawn. He barely ever took out his sketchpad and he was never more than politely friendly to the girls.


    So when he said he thought Chloe was cute, I knew something had changed. Not that he¡¯d found the girl of his dreams, but that he was finally getting back to himself. Waking up. And when he did, I could convince him to leave and find our dad.


    Then came a lucky break I couldn¡¯t have imagined. Over lunch, Tori told us Chloe was at Lyle House because she saw ghosts. That got my attention so fast I almost choked on my casserole. I¡¯d looked up, and when I saw the horror in Chloe¡¯s eyes, I knew Tori was right.


    I don¡¯t know much about schizophrenia, but I¡¯d read a little on it when I did a project on dopamine receptors. Some schizophrenics have auditory and visual hallucinations. They really believe they¡¯re hearing and seeing these things. So if you were schizophrenic, wouldn¡¯t you admit to ¡°seeing ghosts¡± and figure everyone else was a moron for missing them?


    It wasn¡¯t a perfect theory. It bore investigation, though. When Chloe stayed in the basement to fold laundry, I snuck down. I caught her talking to a ghost, and I knew from her reaction that she wasn¡¯t schizophrenic. She was a necromancer.


    I couldn¡¯t have asked for a better stroke of luck. Simon finally liked a girl again, and she was a supernatural. She needed help. Our help. Or, in this case, hishelp. Chloe was tiny and cute and shy, just the kind of girl to bring out Simon¡¯s inner knight-in-shining armor. He could help her, and all he had to do was take her out of Lyle House and find our dad.

 Page 17

    So I used her. Chloe wasn¡¯t dumb, though. She figured it out. She confronted me, and when I admitted it, she still agreed to go along with everything because she knew it was best for everyone. That¡¯s when I started noticing her as more than just the girl who could help us get out of Lyle House. That¡¯s when I started seeing her as a person. And, unfortunately, that¡¯s when I started feeling responsible for her.


    I¡¯d used Chloe, and I felt bad about that, but she seemed to have gotten over it. I¡¯d helped her contact some ghosts and she¡¯d helped me with my first, incomplete Change. What if now, though, she was thinking back on my scheme and wondering if I really didplan to come back for her? Why not just get Simon out of danger and keep going without a backward glance?


    I wouldn¡¯t do that. Not now, after I started feeling responsible for her. But she had no way of knowing that. No reason not to leave.


    It was nearly another hour before we were sure Davidoff and the others had left. By then, more employees had arrived and no one was scouring the yard searching for us, which seemed to mean we were alone. Still, we were careful getting off the roof and we took the long route to the warehouse, cutting behind parked tractor-trailers.


    Once inside, Simon couldn¡¯t resist a loudly whispered, ¡°Chloe? Rae?¡±


    I didn¡¯t shush him. I was hoping for an answer as much as he was. When it didn¡¯t come, he said, ¡°Probably can¡¯t hear us. Let¡¯s start looking.¡±


    We found the front door easily, and from there, I followed the trail to the spot where they had been hiding. Had been. Past tense. It was empty.


    Four


    Although Chloe and Rachelle were gone, their scents were strong, meaning they hadn¡¯t left long ago. Also meaning they¡¯d been in here while we were on the roof. Damn it.


    ¡°They might have just changed spots,¡± Simon said.


    I followed the trail to an open window at the back. I went through it.


    ¡°So they found a better spot somewhere else,¡± Simon said. ¡°No problem. We just keep tracking them.¡±


    When we got near the gate, we could see a security guard manning it. I decided we really didn¡¯t want to explain why we were leavingthe factory yard on a Sunday morning, so we went down the fence to a place I thought was far enough.


    Simon had just gotten a hand and foothold on the fence when someone shouted, ¡°Hey!¡± I looked over to see the guard and another guy running toward us.


    Simon glanced down at me. I looked at the men. The guard was heavyset, puffing as he ran. The other guy was younger, but dressed in a suit. Neither seemed to be carrying a gun ready to aim at us.


    ¡°Go,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m right behind you.¡±


    We climbed. I swung over the top just as Simon reached it. His backpack was weighing him down so I told him to pass it over.


    He heaved it off his shoulder. As he did, the guard shouted again. Simon¡¯s foot slipped. The bag fell.


    ¡°Your insulin,¡± I said.


    ¡°Just the backup. I¡¯ve got my kit in my pocket¡±


    I didn¡¯t care. I¡¯d feel safer with that backup. ¡°Go. I¡¯ll get¡ª¡±


    He grabbed my arm as I started over. ¡°No.¡±


    I glanced at the men. The guard was fumbling to pull his gun from the holster at his waist. I took one last look at the bag, then helped Simon over and we climbed down.


    We found a place to hide and watch, but there was no sign of pursuit. Just a couple of factory employees, interested only in getting us off the premises.


    When I was sure no one was coming after us, I followed Chloe¡¯s trail from the factory yard. It led to a street over from Lyle House. I knew where she was heading¡ªthe commercial area we¡¯d checked out the night before. Smart. Good. Now that it was daylight, Chloe and Rae wouldn¡¯t look out of place.


    They hadn¡¯t gone into a shop for a candy bar, though. They¡¯d gone to a payphone.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Simon said. ¡°Who¡¯d they call? Try¡ª No, there isn¡¯t a redial button. Shit!¡±


    Chloe¡¯s trail left the payphone, went to the corner and stopped.


    Simon swore some more. We both knew what this meant. They¡¯d called someone to come and get them. But who?


    I went back to the phone and sniffed around. It can be tough sorting out scents, but it seemed that Chloe was the one who¡¯d gotten close enough to make a call.


    I told Simon and added, ¡°She must have called her dad.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Her aunt. Her dad¡¯s never around. He went back overseas as soon as he got her into Lyle House. There¡¯s a housekeeper, but she doesn¡¯t like Chloe very much. Chloe won¡¯t go there.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t known that. I felt like I should have. But we hadn¡¯t talked much about personal stuff. That¡¯s the kind of thing you do with someone you expect to be your friend or your boyfriend. Someone like Simon. Not someone like me.


    ¡°Do you know her aunt¡¯s name?¡±


    ¡°Lauren Fellows. She¡¯s a doctor. Look up Dr. Fellows.¡± He paused as he caught my expression. ¡°Derek?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Just . . . The name sounds familiar.¡±


    ¡°Probably because you heard them use it at the house. She¡¯s the one who came to get Chloe for breakfast that day.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Only it sounded morefamiliar than that. Dr. Fellows. I must have known someone with that name. Maybe a doctor where we¡¯d lived once. It wasn¡¯t important. What mattered was that Chloe had called someone who might send her right back to Lyle House. We had to find her before that happened.


    There was only one problem. We couldn¡¯t get a home address for Lauren Fellows. The number in the phone book rang through to her office in a medical clinic. I should have known. Dad used to say we didn¡¯t need to worry about anyone thinking it was suspicious that they couldn¡¯t find us in a phonebook. As a lawyer, he was unlikely to list his home number. A doctor would probably have patients calling at all hours.


    We tried getting a phone number from her clinic. Simon figured if he did that, he might be able to convince the phone company to part with an address. Normally, he¡¯s really good at getting people to do stuff like that. But Dr. Fellows¡¯ after-hours staff knew better than to give out anything, no matter how charming Simon was.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Simon said when we finally gave up. ¡°If she went to her aunt, they¡¯d take her to Lyle House, right? So that¡¯s where we go.¡±


    Returning to the place we¡¯d just escaped? Was he crazy? I almost said that. Then I thought about it.


    Returning to the place we¡¯d just escaped wascrazy, which meant no one would expect it. Anyone looking for us would stake out bus terminals and train stations. They wouldn¡¯t be at Lyle House.


    As it turned out, no onewas at Lyle House. We crept through a neighboring yard until we could see that all the windows were dark. The morning sun beat down on the cold ground, leaving a layer of thin fog. Simon used that cover and added his own fog so he could get closer to the house.


    ¡°Empty,¡± he said when he came back, hunkered beside me behind the neighbor¡¯s shed. ¡°That must mean they only had Tori left, so they moved her to another home. So they didn¡¯t catch Chloe and Rae.¡±


    ¡°Or they did, which is why they moved them allto another home.¡±


    ¡°I like my explanation better.¡±


    ¡°You could be right. If Tori was the only one left, I bet they didn¡¯t move her, though. They let her go home. Reward for turning us in.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You said those guys came after you right away. There wasn¡¯t time for Gill to notify them after she saw us. And what the hell wasGill doing at the house anyway? She must have been called in becausewe ran off. So how did they know we were gone?¡±


    Simon gave a slow nod. ¡°Because Tori must have heard us making plans and warned them. What difference would it make to her if we got away? Hell, you¡¯d think she¡¯d be happy to have the whole house to herself.¡±


    ¡°Better to use the information to negotiate her own release.¡±


    ¡°Bitch.¡± He glanced at me. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°First step is getting you some food.¡± I cut off his protest. ¡°You need your shot and if you have your shot, you need food. We have to try finding Dad andChloe. That¡¯s going to keep us busy. We¡¯ll start with breakfast.¡±


    Five


    We had two ways to find our father: natural and supernatural. Natural meant hunting for him the way anyone else would¡ªby computer. Supernatural meant using a spell Dad taught Simon.


    So if Simon had this magical spell, why hadn¡¯t he used it when our dad first went missing, before we got locked up in Lyle House? He¡¯d tried. It hadn¡¯t worked. At the time, that hadn¡¯t surprised me. Even Dad had trouble with the spell.


    After a few months in Lyle House, that excuse had faded, overtaken by another one¡ªthat for it to work, both people needed to be in relatively close proximity. It hadn¡¯t worked while we were at home and in Albany because Dad hadn¡¯t been there. So why did we think Dad might be in Buffalo? First, if he¡¯d been kidnapped by his old employers¡ªthe people we¡¯d been running from¡ªthey were based in Buffalo, so they¡¯d bring him here. Second, if Dad had been taken by someone else and gotten free, he might have realized we¡¯d be brought back to Buffalo and come here looking for us.


    Was either of these a perfect explanation? Hell, no. They weren¡¯t even all that plausible. But when you¡¯ve spent months locked up, having no idea what happened to your father, you start grasping at straws. You just don¡¯t realize it until you¡¯re outside those walls and faced with the cold reality that you really don¡¯t have a clue what you¡¯re doing.


    My plan was to travel from library to library. While Simon cast his spell outside, I¡¯d search on the computer inside. Changing locations helped Simon. It helped me, too. There¡¯s a limit to how long you can use a library computer. With some people they don¡¯t notice if you¡¯ve been there a while. With me, they do. I¡¯m six feet tall, with hair that always looks like it needs washing and skin that looks like it needs pro-acne cream. Librarians are usually quick to tell me to move along, probably shutting down the computer afterward to check the history list for porn sites and bomb recipes.

 Page 18

    So we spent all day moving around, casting and searching. I¡¯d promised Simon I¡¯d look for Chloe, too, and I did. It just wasn¡¯t as easy as it was with my dad, where I could search on his aliases. With Chloe, I was hunting for either her home address or her aunt¡¯s. I couldn¡¯t get one for Dr. Fellows, but with some detective work, I figured out a way to track down Chloe¡¯s.


    I knew her mother was dead. Simon said it had been a hit-and-run when Chloe was five or six. Combine that with knowing her mom¡¯s maiden name¡ªFellows¡ªand it was easy to pull up the news of her death. I only needed her dad¡¯s first name, and that was right there, along with his company. I knew I should probably stop reading there. Obviously she hadn¡¯t minded telling Simon about the accident, so she¡¯d tell me too, if I asked. Or so I reasoned. It justified finishing the article.


    It was your typical senseless tragedy. Chloe¡¯s parents were heading home after a date night. Their car was hit by someone running a red. The other vehicle collided with the passenger side, killing Chloe¡¯s mother. Her father escaped with minor injuries.


    Chloe hadn¡¯t been in the car. That was good. I didn¡¯t like to think of her witnessing it. I guess I wouldn¡¯t like to think of anyonewitnessing the death of a parent, but, well . . . I was glad she hadn¡¯t been there.


    I figured the driver hadn¡¯t been caught, but I checked anyway and when I did, I found something else. An article from her mom¡¯s hometown mentioned the accident and linked it to another tragedy in the family. Her mother¡¯s twin brother, Ben, had died at the age of nineteen, when he¡¯d fallen from a rooftop.


    I only needed to check the original article to know what happened to Ben Fellows. His friends had reported that he¡¯d been withdrawn for a few years. He¡¯d changed his plans for college and often seemed anxious, jumpy and just ¡°out of it.¡±


    Necromancy runs in families. Reading this, I knew it came from Chloe¡¯s mother¡¯s side, and that her twin brother had inherited the genes.


    Had he given up trying to deal with ghosts and killed himself? Or gone up on the roof to escape one and fallen? Or been lured over the edge? Was that possible? Did it happen with necromancers? Could it happen to Chloe?


    ¡°Find anything?¡± Simon whispered.


    I alt-tabbed fast to hide the screen. ¡°Got her dad¡¯s name and his business. I should be able to get a home address from that.¡±


    ¡°Good. The librarian is checking her watch. I¡¯ll distract her until you¡¯re done.¡±


    I didn¡¯t ask if he¡¯d gotten any feedback from his spell. If he had, he¡¯d have said so.


    When he was gone, I skimmed the article about Ben Fellows again. I wasn¡¯t telling Simon about it. No point. If¡ª when¡ªwe found Chloe, I wasn¡¯t telling her either. She had enough to worry about.


    I started a search on Steven Saunders and the name of his business. It took a while to dig up a current address, but I finally found one. That would be our next stop.


    Six


    It was evening now. We¡¯d spent all day touring libraries and ended up here, at the foot of an apartment building.


    ¡°It¡¯s the penthouse suite,¡± Simon said, looking up. ¡°That¡¯s at the top, right?¡±


    ¡°Usually.¡±


    ¡°So we can¡¯t just peek in the window. Penthouse means it¡¯s the only apartment on the floor, too, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Usually.¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    ¡°For once, you¡¯re going to need to take the slow, careful route¡ª¡±


    ¡°Never.¡± He walked into the lobby and randomly hit buttons until someone buzzed us in. Then he looked back at me. ¡°Coming?¡±


    I shook my head and followed.


    We went up the stairs. It was a long walk.


    ¡°No wonder Chloe stays so skinny,¡± Simon said as we hit the eighteenth floor. ¡°Taking the stairs every day? Even just going down? Hell of a workout.¡±


    ¡°How do you know she takes the stairs?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°She mentioned it.¡±


    When? I wanted to say. How come I¡¯ve spent more time alone with her, yet you know all this stuff? What kinds of conversations were you two having that she just happens to mention her dead mother and taking the stairs every morning?


    Personal conversations. Real conversations. When I was with Chloe, we only seemed to discuss whatever was going on at the moment. Talking to dead people. Fighting zombies. Reburying their corpses. Sure, when you¡¯re in the middle of those situations, it doesn¡¯t leave a lot of time to talk about your favorite snack food, but still . . .


    ¡°You like Chloe, don¡¯t you?¡± Simon said as I followed him up the stairs.


    I stumbled over a step. ¡°What? No. Course not.¡±


    ¡°I thought you did. You get along okay. Most of the time anyway. Even when you don¡¯t, you seem to like her well enough.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean¡ª? Sure, I like her well enough. Better than the other girls you¡¯ve gone out with.¡±


    ¡°Which is my point. You didn¡¯t want anything to do with them. It¡¯s different with Chloe. She¡¯s different. It¡¯sdifferent, you know?¡±


    ¡°You really like her.¡±


    ¡°I do. I mean, sure, I¡¯ve liked a lot of girls and you probably think this is just the same thing. But it¡¯s not. I like being with her. Hanging out with her. Talking to her. Getting to know her. I¡¯m not just asking questions to make conversation. She¡¯s different and she¡¯s interesting, and she doesn¡¯t know she is and that¡¯s . . .¡± He glanced back at me. ¡°I¡¯m glad you two seem to get along.¡± He grinned. ¡°It¡¯s a nice change.¡±


    I nodded and waved for less talking and more climbing.


    When we reached the top, we found a door that seemed to automatically lock from the outside. You could get intothe stairwell from outside Chloe¡¯s apartment, but couldn¡¯t get to her apartment from the stairwell. Made sense, security-wise. Would have made more sense if the lock couldn¡¯t be snapped by one good wrench of super-strength.


    The door led to a hall with entrances to the stairwell, the elevator and the penthouse. I walked to the last and crouched, hoping to pick up Chloe¡¯s scent. It was there, all right. Everywhere. None of it seemed recent, but I couldn¡¯t tell for sure.


    While I hid inside the stairwell with the door slightly ajar, Simon rapped on the penthouse door.


    A middle-aged woman with bright red hair answered the door. She looked Simon up and down.


    ¡°How did¡ª?¡± she began.


    Simon cut her short by holding out his hand. ¡°I¡¯m Tad. I go to school with Chloe. You must be Annette.¡±


    ¡°How did you get up here?¡±


    ¡°I buzzed, but no one answered, so I came up the stairs.¡±


    She glanced toward the stairwell. ¡°You aren¡¯t supposed to be¡ª¡±


    ¡°Is Chloe here? I haven¡¯t seen her at school for over a week. No one seems to know where she is. I texted her, but she didn¡¯t get back to me. I wanted to ask her to the dance next week, and I, uh, well, I hope that¡¯s not why she¡¯s avoiding me . . .¡± He gave a small laugh.


    ¡°Chloe¡¯s not here. She¡¯s in the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Really? Geez, I didn¡¯t know. Which one is it? I¡¯ll go visit her.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think¡ª¡±


    ¡°You can ask her first, make sure it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not trying to bug her. I just¡ª Can you tell her Tad Simon came by, he¡¯s worried about her and he¡¯d really like to see her?¡±


    The housekeeper said she¡¯d let Chloe know, and retreated into the penthouse.


    Simon joined me in the stairwell. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s there. If she was, she¡¯d have heard me. If the housekeeper knows where she is, hopefully she¡¯ll give Chloe the message and she¡¯ll understand it.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll understand it.¡±


    Simon exhaled. ¡°I know. And¡ª Shit! The rendezvous point. We need to check¡ª¡±


    ¡°I was waiting for sundown. We¡¯ll go now and leave a note telling them when we¡¯ll be back.¡±


    ¡°Good idea.¡±


    You could access the elevator from the penthouse; you just couldn¡¯t ride up to the penthouse without a key or a code. So we went down that way. As we got off, we brushed past a man waiting to get on, cell phone to his ear, suitcase rolling behind him.


    I caught a whiff of a vaguely familiar scent. I turned, but the man was already walking into the elevator, still talking.


    ¡°¡ªme, Lauren. Again. Don¡¯t play this game. I came back early to see my daughter. I planned to surprise her at Lyle House, but she¡¯s not there. No one¡¯s there.¡±


    I turned sharply and caught a glimpse of Chloe¡¯s father just as the elevator doors started to shut.


    ¡°If they had to move the kids, someone should have notified me,¡± he continued. ¡°I¡¯m her father, as much as you¡ª¡±


    The elevator doors closed. Simon spun as he picked up the last bit of Mr. Saunders¡¯ message.


    ¡°Shit. Was that¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Her dad. He just got back to find Lyle House empty. He¡¯s trying to contact her aunt.¡±


    ¡°Then we have to¡ª¡±


    I pulled him back as he strode toward the stairs. ¡°Whatever you¡¯re thinking, we can¡¯t do it. He¡¯s going to raise hell about her being gone. If her aunt sent her back to Lyle House, she should tell him, but she¡¯s obviously not returning his calls. Which seems weird.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t get along.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Her dad and her aunt don¡¯t get along. She wanted to take custody of Chloe after her mom died. Her father wouldn¡¯t give her up. Her aunt thinks she¡¯s being neglected, with her dad gone all the time. Chloe doesn¡¯t seem neglected, though.¡±


    Just because you had nice clothes and enough to eat and no one beat you every night didn¡¯t mean you weren¡¯t neglected. I knew that from my life in the lab, before I went to live with Simon and our dad. Still, it was obvious Chloe¡¯s father loved her, even if he wasn¡¯t very good at being there for her. I just hoped that he didn¡¯t get so worried that he did something stupid. Something that could piss off the people chasing us . . . and make things even worse for Chloe.

 Page 19

    Seven


    After dark, we went back to the warehouse. Simon had bought a pad of paper, pencils and a marker so we could leave a note. A scrap of paper and a cheap pen would have been enough, but Simon had lost his sketchpad with his backpack, and I felt bad about that, so I sprang for art supplies. I was worried about him. He was acting fine¡ªgood spirits, chatting away, full of energy. With Simon, though, that can be a sign he¡¯s stressed. Drawing would calm him down.


    What I had in mind, though, was some quiet drawing after we¡¯d found a place to spend the night. Not while we were in the warehouse, me guarding the door as he prepared a message.


    ¡°Are you almost done?¡± I said, walking back to where I¡¯d left him.


    He was crouched in front of a crate. On it, he was sketching one of his comic book characters.


    Still drawing, he said, ¡°No, I did not think this was a good time to engage in a little creative graffiti. There are too many places in here to stick a note, especially if we don¡¯t want the bad guys finding it. I figured I¡¯d mark this box and put the note underneath.¡±


    I pointed at the drawing. ¡°Will Chloe know you did that?¡±


    ¡°I hope so. She¡¯s seen my sketches. We talked about it.¡±


    Damn it. Exactly how much time had Simon and Chloe spent chatting at Lyle House? It couldn¡¯thave been much. But apparently they¡¯d said a lot in whatever time they¡¯d had.


    He continued drawing. ¡°You might want to go back on guard duty. I¡¯m almost done this, but I still need to do the note.¡±


    How long would it take to write a couple lines? I decided not to ask. He was happy and calm, even if this wasn¡¯t quite what I had in mind.


    When he did call me back, I found more sketches, these on the message paper. A picture of a ghost, the Terminator, then a lightning bolt with fog.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said. ¡°You decorated it. Nice. Now add the message.¡±


    ¡°This is the message.¡± He pointed to the three pictures in sequence. ¡°Chloe. I¡¯ll be back. Simon. That way, anyone accidentally finding the note won¡¯t understand it. But Chloe will. She¡¯ll get the Terminatorreference because¡ª¡±


    ¡°She loves movies.¡± That much I knew. Of course, so did everyone else at Lyle House. ¡°It¡¯s a good idea, but . . .¡± I took the pencil and added in big block letters, ¡°10 AM.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Simon said, snatching the paper back.


    ¡°She needs to know whento meet us.¡±


    ¡°You just ruined¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll still cherish it forever.¡±


    I took the paper, folded it in half, set it on a crate, then put the illustrated one on top, and led him out again.


    I found us an alley to sleep in. I wanted better, but I¡¯d let it go too long and night had already fallen. Simon was fine with the alley. I vowed I¡¯d find a better place tomorrow.


    I doubted I¡¯d sleep. I didn¡¯t plan to. But I did. Slept in, even, jumping up at nine-thirty and shaking Simon awake.


    It wasn¡¯t quite ten when we made it to the factory yard. There was no sign of Chloe. No scent of her either, or any indication she¡¯d been here since we¡¯d left. The note was exactly where I¡¯d put it. We waited until eleven. I would have stayed longer, but Simon had to eat.


    I should have had the foresight to grab breakfast before we¡¯d settled in for the night. I¡¯d bought juice in case Simon woke up with low blood sugar, but having breakfast ready for him would have been smart, so he didn¡¯t get off his schedule. And my stomach would have appreciated it.


    We hit the first convenience store. I waited outside because I¡¯d forgotten to buy something else yesterday¡ªdeodorant. If you¡¯re trying not to leave an impression on strangers, smelling like you spent the last week sleeping in an alley is not the way to do it.


    Last night we¡¯d washed up in the fast food place where we had dinner. For Simon, that worked fine. As for me, let¡¯s just say the people giving me a wide berth weren¡¯t just being polite.


    While Simon shopped, I mentally made a list of other things we needed to buy. Backpacks. Clothes. More food.


    I glanced in the store window to tell Simon to hurry. My gaze snagged on the display of newspapers. At first, I wasn¡¯t sure what caught my attention, but when I looked again, I saw a photo on the front page. Chloe¡¯s photo. Under the headline, ¡°Local teen missing. $500,000 reward.¡±


    Simon approached the counter, his arms loaded with food. I opened the door and gestured for him to buy a newspaper. He frowned. Then he saw the headline and grabbed one.


    A few doors down was a park . . . or a spot where a building had been torn down and someone had planted grass and flowers to help cover the scars. There were a lot of scars in Buffalo. Too many torn-down buildings. Too many buildings that should be torn down. Which meant I shouldn¡¯t have trouble finding a better place to spend the night if I started looking early enough.


    Tonight was a long way off, though. Right now, we were in that park, dealing with another problem: the front-page article on Chloe¡¯s disappearance. Her dad was offering a half-a-milliondollar reward for her return. Exactly the kind of stupid thing I¡¯d been afraid he¡¯d do.


    ¡°It¡¯s not stupid,¡± Simon said as he tested his blood sugar. ¡°He¡¯s really worried about her and he¡¯s doing everything he can to find her.¡±


    ¡°Which is only going to freak out the people looking for her. They¡¯ll step up their efforts to find her and make sure her dad never does.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t know that.¡±


    ¡°But he should know that this is only going to hamper an investigation. The cops won¡¯t have time to look for Chloe. They¡¯ll be too busy processing leads from everyone who spots a blond girl on the street. I bet his lawyer advised him against this. I bet the cops did, too.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s worried. He¡¯s not thinking straight. He wants to use whatever he has to get Chloe back, and what he has is money. It¡¯s a poor choice, but it¡¯s not stupid.¡±


    That was splitting hairs. I didn¡¯t argue, though. The point was that the whole city now knew we¡¯d disappeared.


    When I said that, Simon shook his head and pointed farther down in the article. ¡°They only know Chloe has. There¡¯s nothing in here about any of¡ª¡±


    He stopped. I kept reading.


    ¡°Rachelle Rodgers?¡± I said. ¡°It says the police interviewed Rae.¡±


    ¡°Maybe Dr. Davidoff made Tori say she was Rae, pretend to be Chloe¡¯s roommate.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Too complicated. They¡¯d just have Tori be herself and claim she was friends with Chloe. This must mean Dr. Davidoff has Rae. Let¡¯s just hope that doesn¡¯t mean he has Chloe, too.¡±


    Eight


    The rest of the day passed. It didn¡¯t pass slowly. It didn¡¯t pass quickly. It just went. Twelve hours of wasted time during which we discovered absolutely nothing. I searched for Dad on more computers, as if being in a different library would make new information magically appear. Simon cast his spell, as if his complete lack of success meant he just needed to keep trying. We even went back to Chloe¡¯s apartment, as if she¡¯d just casually show up at home when the whole city was searching for her.


    I should have written 10 AM andPM on that note. I¡¯d change it when we went back in the morning.


    One thing we didn¡¯t discuss was how long we¡¯d keep going back. Until the news said she¡¯d been found, I guess. Not exactly a solid plan, but I was too frustrated to come up with another one. Tomorrow. Maybe.


    I found us a better place for the night¡ªa small abandoned building with only rats in residence. The rats would clear out when they smelled me. I couldn¡¯t say as much for the dead guy I faintly smelled in another room. I just wouldn¡¯t let Simon go wandering.


    We got up at seven the next morning, before Simon¡¯s watch alarm went off. We headed to a nearby donut place for breakfast. It wasn¡¯t what Simon should be eating, and I made him have a yogurt along with half a donut and a carton of milk. It was good to sit inside, though, after another cold night. Good to have a bathroom to clean up in, too. We ate and washed, then headed out.


    We got to the factory yard early. I didn¡¯t want to go in too soon, so I found us a place by some other industrial buildings just outside the factory fence. We were waiting there when a scent made me jerk up from my thoughts.


    ¡°Smell someone?¡± Simon said.


    ¡°Just that guard, I think,¡± I lied. ¡°Hold on.¡±


    I tried to walk casually to the end of the building. I couldn¡¯t. I practically jogged there, inhaling as I went, searching for that scent.


    Not the guard¡¯s. Hers. Chloe¡¯s.


    I leaned around the end of the building and took a deep breath. Then another and another. But it was no use. Her scent had flitted past on a breeze and I couldn¡¯t catch it again.


    Had I really smelled it? After all, I had been thinking about her, so I might have imagined it. Which was why I wasn¡¯t telling Simon and getting his hopes up. But I wasn¡¯t ignoring it, either. If there was a chance¡ªhowever slight¡ªthat Chloe was out here, I needed to find her.


    I told Simon that the guard seemed to be patrolling near the warehouse, and I might have seen a cop, too, so I needed a better look. Then I took off.


    I found Chloe¡¯s scent just outside the fence around front. A fresh scent. She was here. Really here.


    I caught another scent. Tori? Shit. What was she doing here?


    A vehicle turned from a side street, heading this way. A dark blue SUV, just like the one Chloe and I escaped from the other night.


    I couldn¡¯t make it through the factory gates before it reached the corner. I shouldn¡¯t even head for the factory if it could be the same vehicle.


    I ran across the road and hunkered behind a bush. Then I caught a scent in the breeze. A strong scent. Her scent.


    I leaped over a chain link fence into a backyard and, with my ears attuned to the slowly approaching SUV, I followed Chloe¡¯s scent over the rear fence and . . .


    She was there. Right there. Ten feet away. Behind a shed, leaning out to look at the street. Through the bushes, I could see the SUV coming. She¡¯d spotted it, and she was doing the right thing, but I still felt this overwhelming urge to give her shit. Tell her off for letting me get this close without noticing I was there. Or something.

 Page 20

    I¡¯d finally found her, and she was safe, and she was trying to stay safe, and all I could think about was giving her shit? I don¡¯t know why. I just know that, standing there, looking at her, I was relieved and I was happy, and I was feeling other things, and the best way to deal with all that seemed to be to tell her off.


    The SUV made a right at the next corner, and headed along the side of the factory yard. Chloe waited until it had disappeared, before stepping out from her hiding place. When I moved forward, my shadow crossed the shed. She pivoted and lifted her fists. Good instincts, but a little late. I already had her around the waist and was pulling her behind the shed, my other hand over her mouth.


    I bent to whisper, ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± and let her go.


    She spun and there was this grin on her face. I knew it was just relief at finding us, but whatever I¡¯d been going to say died in my throat and I stood there, staring, as she grinned up at me, looking like she was going to hug me or something. My scowl obviously checked that impulse.


    ¡°I am so glad to see you,¡± she said.


    I snorted and looked away as I waved her behind the shed. She followed, then grinned up at me again, bouncing on the balls of her feet.


    ¡°I am so glad¡ª¡±


    ¡°Got that,¡± I said. ¡°Stop bouncing, Chloe, and stand still before they see you.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re gone. That¡¯s why¡ª¡± As she looked behind me, she stopped smiling. ¡°Where¡¯s Simon? H-he¡¯s okay isn¡¯t he? I tried to hurry.¡± She tugged his insulin pouch from her pocket. ¡°I know he needs this.¡±


    Simon. That¡¯s why she was grinning and bouncing. She thought Simon was here. As soon as she realized he wasn¡¯t . . . No more grinning. No more bouncing. No more, ¡°I¡¯m so glad to see you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s his backup,¡± I said. ¡°He had another one in his pocket. He¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Um, good. So where¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Around back. I smelled Tori so I thought it was a trap and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Tori! Her mom¡ª The car¡ª We have to warn her.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°She¡ª No time.¡±


    Chloe raced off through the yard. I stood there, trying to decipher what she¡¯d just said. Something about warning Tori? No, she must have said ¡°warn him.¡± Warn Simon. That¡¯s what she was thinking about. Simon.


    That¡¯s what I wanted, wasn¡¯t it? Someone for Simon, to get him out of Lyle House and to keep his spirits up. Keep him from getting sick while we hunted for Dad. Someone to make him happy.


    Make her happy, too.


    She¡¯d make him happy, and he¡¯d make her happy, and that was good. That was what I wanted.


    I ran after Chloe. I had to keep her safe. For Simon.


    Disenchanted


    One


    When Tori woke me up, I was deep in a dream about Chloe. We were on the bus from Buffalo to Andrew¡¯s house, and I¡¯d fallen asleep after showing Chloe the picture I¡¯d drawn of her banishing the zombie in the abandoned building. So that¡¯s what I dreamed of. Only it wasn¡¯t Derek who¡¯d come to her rescue this time¡ªit was me.


    In my version, I¡¯d woken up first and seen the zombie. Like Derek, I¡¯d tried to wake her up carefully and warn her. Like Derek, I didn¡¯t succeed. Pretty hard to tell someone, ¡°Um, there¡¯s a zombie crawling over you¡± and notfreak her out. Unlike Derek, I hadn¡¯t freaked back by shouting at her to calm down. My brother is a great guy, but subtlety really isn¡¯t his thing. I¡¯d done it right¡ªholding her hand and assuring her she could handle it, and I¡¯d stand watch and make sure the reanimated corpse didn¡¯t hurt her.


    Together, we banished the zombie. Afterward, she was shaking, and I held her and told her how brave she¡¯d been, and she apologized for screaming, and I said that was okay, I¡¯d been screaming too¡ªon the inside¡ªand that made her laugh, and she leaned toward me and I leaned toward her and¡ª


    ¡°Simon.¡± Someone was shaking my shoulder. ¡°Simon, wake up.¡±


    I cracked open one eye, praying it was Chloe while knowing it wasn¡¯t. There was no mistaking that screech. When I saw Tori leaning over the seat, I shut my eyes again. Maybe if I pretended to be asleep, she¡¯d go pester Derek instead. I had a dream to finish.


    ¡°Simon! Come on. This is our stop.¡±


    I sighed and opened my eyes. My sketchpad was still open to the picture of Chloe. I looked at it and felt a pang of regret that it hadn¡¯tbeen me who¡¯d come to her rescue the other night. I should have. I would have, too, if I wasn¡¯t such a sound sleeper.


    I stretched and glanced at the seat beside mine. It was empty.


    ¡°Chloe?¡± I said.


    I peered over the rows of seats. The bus had stopped. It was barely dawn and most of the passengers were sound asleep. When I didn¡¯t see Derek¡¯s familiar dark head at the back, I got to my feet.


    ¡°Where are Derek and Chloe?¡± I asked Tori.


    ¡°Gone.¡±


    I looked around. ¡°They got off already?¡±


    ¡°Do you see them?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°So obviously they got off.¡± Tori bent to squint at her reflection in the window and swiped a hand through her short, dark hair. ¡°God, I look like shit. First stop, a bathroom. I am not going anywhere looking like this.¡±


    Someone tried to push past her and she turned on him. ¡°Excuse me? Wait your turn.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re getting off, get off,¡± the man said. ¡°The bus won¡¯t wait forever, sweetie.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not your sweetie.¡± She fluffed her hair again, then headed down the aisle as she waved me forward. ¡°Come on.¡±


    I grabbed my sketchpad, jacket and backpack. Still half-asleep, I stumbled off the bus. As the doors closed behind me, I peered around the parking lot. It was dawn, but I didn¡¯t see the sun yet, just gray fog, the streetlights barely piercing it.


    ¡°Where are they?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Who do you think? Derek? Chloe?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    As the bus driver pulled bags from the storage compartment, I walked toward the tiny bus depot. When I saw the snack bar sign, I smiled. Where there was food, I¡¯d find Derek. Chloe must have gone with him. Good to see them getting along again. I hated it when they argued.


    As I walked to the snack bar, I caught a glimpse of two figures along the side of it, nearly hidden in the fog. A tall guy and a short girl. The guy was leaning over her and she was looking up at him and¡ª


    The patch of fog lightened and I saw it was two strangers, a man and a kid, a father kissing the girl¡¯s forehead before she headed off on the bus. Not Derek and Chloe. Good. I mean notgood, since I still had to find them.


    ¡°Oh my God.¡± Tori¡¯s voice cut through the quiet. ¡°They lockedthe bathroom? When does this dump open?¡± She strode over to me. ¡°I can¡¯t get in the bathroom.¡±


    ¡°So I heard.¡±


    ¡°Well, find Derek. He needs to break the lock.¡±


    ¡°Do you see him? Because I don¡¯t, which means I have no idea where he is. You¡¯re the one who saw them get off the bus. Which way did they go?¡±


    ¡°Who said I saw them get off?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    She shifted her bag to her other shoulder. ¡°I said they got off. I didn¡¯t say it was here.¡± She looked around. ¡°Where is here, anyway?¡±


    I spun toward the bus. It was pulling away. I ran after it, yelling and waving. The driver didn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°So,¡± Tori said as she walked over to me. ¡°Looks like we need a plan. That bathroom isn¡¯t going to open itself, and I need to wash up.¡±


    Two


    Okay, seriously?


    It¡¯s Tori. I just read Simon¡¯s so-called account of our ¡°adventure¡± and I have one word for it: bullshit.


    I know he wrote this for that comic book he¡¯s doing with Chloe, which means he wanted to make himself look good. But that doesn¡¯t mean he has to make me seem like a twit. Or maybe it does, because that¡¯s the only way he¡¯s going to come out of this looking like a hero.


    I get the concept of creative license. But when it comes at the expense of my reputation as a reasonably intelligent girl, I draw the line.


    So I¡¯m taking over this story. While I don¡¯t promise that it will be a completely unbiased account of events, it¡¯ll be more accurate than this crap.


    Let¡¯s start over, shall we?


    Three


    I was half-awake when the bus pulled into the station. I had no idea if it was our stop or not. The driver hadn¡¯t said anything and, as I squinted out the window into the gray early morning light, I couldn¡¯t see any signs.


    I rubbed my eyes and looked back to where Derek had been sitting. The seat was empty. I looked forward to Chloe and Simon¡¯s seats. Also empty.


    ¡°Shit,¡± I mumbled.


    Had they gotten off and left me? I wouldn¡¯t put it past the guys. Chloe would argue, not because she cared, but because abandoning me would be the wrong thing to do. If she¡¯d been as sleepy as me, they might have been able to bustle her off before she realized I¡¯d been left behind.


    I grabbed my bag and hurried down the aisle. As I approached Simon¡¯s seat, I saw he was still there, just slumped over, sound asleep and drooling. Okay, maybe not drooling, but with a slack-jawed look that really wasn¡¯t attractive.


    I shook his shoulder.


    ¡°Simon? Wake up,¡± I whispered. Note whisperednot screeched. It was six in the morning, on a bus full of sleeping passengers. Even if I¡¯d been awake enough to raise my voice, I know better.


    He mumbled something and pushed me away. I stepped aside to let an elderly woman off before I shook Simon¡¯s shoulder again.


    ¡°Simon! Come on. I think this might be our stop.¡±


    He opened his eyes and turned, not to me, but to the empty seat beside him.


    ¡°Chloe?¡± he mumbled.


    Chloe. Always Chloe with him and his brother. I know I sound like a whiny brat when I complain, but I think I have a good reason. I¡¯d just discovered that I was a witch and my mother was a bitch¡ªthe murderous kind. I was now on the run with three kids who didn¡¯t want me along.

 Page 21

    No matter how hard I tried to keep up and help out, the guys only cared about Chloe. If I ran in front of this bus to push her to safety, they¡¯d race to herside to see if she was okay. Probably give me crap for bruising her when I shoved her out of the way.


    Simon looked toward the back of the bus. ¡°Where are Derek and Chloe?¡±


    ¡°Gone. That¡¯s why I¡¯m waking you up.¡±


    ¡°They got off already?¡±


    ¡°I guess so. They aren¡¯t here, and there¡¯s no way they both fit in that bathroom.¡±


    Speaking of bathrooms . . . One look at my reflection in the window told me I was in serious need of one. Not a priority now. I was running my hand through my hair when someone shoved me.


    I wheeled on the guy¡ªmiddle-aged with bad teeth. ¡°Can you say excuse me?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re getting off, get off,¡± the man said. ¡°The bus won¡¯t wait forever, sweetie.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not your sweetie.¡± I moved to let him pass, then waved to Simon. ¡°We should go. Come on.¡±


    I watched as Simon stumbled off the bus, yawning and blinking and generally looking idiotic.


    No, I¡¯ve said I¡¯ll be less biased, so I will admit here that, at the time, I did not think he looked idiotic. I thought he looked cute, and it pissed me off, because I really wanted to be over that.


    Let¡¯s get this out of the way. When we were in Lyle House, I thought Simon was the cutest, funniest, nicest guy I¡¯d ever met. I blame the meds. The truth¡ªand I¡¯m gritting my teeth as I admit this¡ªis that Simon iscute and funny and nice. He¡¯s not the ¡°most¡± of any of those qualities, but in Lyle House, I¡¯d been going through a lot. I¡¯d been confused and stressed and bored silly, and I chased Simon because it kept my mind off everything else.


    Once I got out and learned that I wasn¡¯t crazy¡ªI was a genetically modified witch¡ªevery time Simon crossed my mind, he was followed by another thought: What the hell had I been thinking?


    That is not¡ªbeing honest here¡ªto say that he wasn¡¯t someone I might have liked under other circumstances. But I have some pride. Chasing a guy who wanted nothing to do with me is humiliating. If I can¡¯t blame the meds, I¡¯ll blame temporary self-esteem issues. Either way, while I was over Simon by the time we got on that bus, that didn¡¯t stop me from looking at him now and then, and thinking he was cute.


    We moved away from the bus. Simon was yawning, struggling to wake up as he peered across the foggy parking lot.


    ¡°Where are they?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I looked around. ¡°There¡¯s a snack bar. Probably restrooms, too. They could be there.¡±


    I walked toward the building. After a few steps, I glanced back. Simon was staring at the driver taking bags off the bus, still dopey from sleep. I continued on.


    There was a man and a girl on the other side of the snack bar, and given the sizes, I thought it might be Derek and Chloe. It wasn¡¯t. I walked around the building. The snack bar was closed.


    I continued to the bathrooms and tugged on the women¡¯s door. It didn¡¯t budge. The padlock probably explained that.


    I checked the guy¡¯s bathroom, too, then strode back to Simon. ¡°The snack bar is closed, the restrooms are locked, and there¡¯s no sign of them anywhere.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who saw them get off the bus. Which way did they go?¡±


    ¡°Who said I saw them get off?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    I shifted my bag onto my other shoulder. ¡°I said they weren¡¯t on the bus so they must have gotten off. I didn¡¯t say it was here.¡± I looked around. ¡°Wherever hereis. We should probably just get back on¡ª¡±


    Too late. The bus was leaving. Simon waved and shouted as he chased it from the lot. I waved, too¡ªdidn¡¯t much see the point of yelling, when it wouldn¡¯t be heard over the motor. The bus kept going.


    I walked to Simon. ¡°All right. Looks like we need a plan.¡±


    Four


    ¡°Okay,¡± Simon said, reading the posted schedule on the snack bar¡¯s wall. ¡°According to this, the next bus is in an hour.¡±


    ¡°Two hours,¡± I said, flashing my watch.


    ¡°Two hours for the next one heading in the direction we weregoing. One hour for the bus heading back.¡±


    ¡°Why would we go back?¡±


    ¡°Gee, I don¡¯t know. Maybe to find Chloe and my brother?¡±


    ¡°And where do you plan to find them?¡± I poked the schedule. ¡°Last we know, they were with us in Syracuse. There are four stops between here and there. If Derek was here, then sure, I¡¯d say let¡¯s do that¡ªhe could hop off at each stop and sniff for Chloe¡¯s trail. Without him, we¡¯re guessing.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Derek¡¯s a smart guy, right? Knows how to look after himself? How to buy a bus ticket? How to get to your friend Andrew¡¯s place?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°I doubt Chloe could read a bus schedule if her life depended on it, but that¡¯s because she¡¯s sheltered, not because she¡¯s stupid. She¡¯s sensible. Annoyingly, boringly sensible.¡±


    ¡°Which I happen to think is a good¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know. You think everything about Chloe is perfect and magical. Point is, we have no idea why they got off the bus. Knowing Derek, he was hungry, and knowing Chloe, she went to keep him company because that¡¯d be polite. Whatever the reason, the first thing those two will say is, ¡®We need to catch the next bus and get to Andrew¡¯s.¡¯ So going back to find them is ridiculous. We should push on.¡±


    Simon¡¯s jaw set. ¡°No. We should go back.¡±


    ¡°Why? Because I said we shouldn¡¯t? Fine. We¡¯ve got an hour anyway. Plenty of time to think about it. You need to get something to eat, don¡¯t you? Aren¡¯t you on some kind of scheduled diet?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡±


    ¡°Derek says you can¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re not Derek, so I¡¯m not taking that from you, too. Despite what everyone thinks, I¡¯m perfectly capable of handling my diabetes. It¡¯s six in the morning. I don¡¯t need to eat yet. I¡¯ve got food in my bag. I¡¯ll eat on the bus.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll go find something for myself.¡±


    He didn¡¯t offer to come with me. I didn¡¯t expect him to. Chloe would have. I know I shouldn¡¯t bitch about her being so nice, but imagine if someone only hung out with you because it was ¡°the right thing to do.¡± Not exactly BFF material.


    Simon said he was perfectly capable of handling his diabetes. I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself, too. Been doing it all my life.


    My mother¡ªI refuse to call her Mom anymore¡ªworks for the group that did the genetic modification on all of us. I¡¯m not even sure she sees me as her daughter. Maybe just a live-in test subject. No, that sounds like self-pity and I won¡¯t do self-pity.


    So my mother works a lot at the lab. My dad runs a sporting goods business, which means he doesn¡¯t exactly keep nine-to-five hours either. Like Chloe, I had a live-in housekeeper. At least I did until I was twelve, when my mother declared I was old enough to look after my sister. Never mind that I had a social life and clubs and sports, or that we had enough money to hire twohousekeepers. But that¡¯s more self-pity, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯ll stop there.


    My fourteen-year-old sister Lara is a brat. Unfortunately, no one sees it but me. To everyone else, she¡¯s adorable. She¡¯s tiny and blond and sweet and as helpless as a kitten. Chloe reminded me of Lara, at first. The difference, as I discovered, is that Chloe really is as sweet as she seems and she isn¡¯t as helpless as she looks.


    Lara milks her adorability for all it¡¯s worth, meaning she never has to do anything. I usually ended up taking her chores, because if they didn¡¯t get done, our mother freaked out. Then Lara would cry about how much homework she had and how not everyone finds school as easy as I do, and my parents would say that I should help my sister out. If I argued, they¡¯d make me feel like Iwas the lazy one. Eventually I started doing Lara¡¯s chores on my own. It was easier that way.


    It doesn¡¯t help that I¡¯m not adorable. Not sweet or helpless either. I know what I want and I go after it. If someone pisses me off, I say so. I don¡¯t put up with any crap.


    I¡¯m difficult, as my parents always say. I¡¯m the bad child; Lara is the good one. It doesn¡¯t matter if I¡¯m on the honor roll and I¡¯m popular and I don¡¯t drink or do drugs or sneak out with guys. It doesn¡¯t matter if you can say any of that last bit¡ªthe drinking, drugs and sneaking around¡ªabout Lara. I¡¯m still bad and she¡¯s still good.


    I went off on a tangent there, didn¡¯t I? I guess it¡¯s been on my mind a lot lately. I thought I¡¯d gotten over the resentment years ago. Just accepted the way things were, lifted my chin and marched on. But now I think of those months in Lyle House with my mother pushing me to overcome my problems, only to discover she¡¯d known all along that I couldn¡¯tovercome them. That she was responsible for those problems. Then I¡¯d think about what she said in the warehouse, all the things she said . . .


    I wish I wasn¡¯t her daughter. I hope she¡¯s happy with Lara. Silly, vapid Lara. I hope she realizes, someday, that I was the child she could have been proud of, if only she¡¯d bothered getting to know me.


    The town wasn¡¯t exactly overflowing with good eating options. Not at this time of the morning anyway. I bought a coffee and a muffin, and returned to Simon. He was right where I¡¯d left him.


    ¡°So, has your brain had a chance to wake up?¡± I said. ¡°Have you realized your plan is moronic?¡±


    I shouldn¡¯t have said that. When I¡¯d walked over, he hadn¡¯t exactly welcomed me back, but he¡¯d been friendly enough, asked if the coffee shop was far, said maybe he¡¯d wash up before we left. When I made the crack about his plan, Simon¡¯s expression changed. Completely.


    ¡°I¡¯m going back for Derek,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to him. For all I know, he¡¯s in trouble.¡±

 Page 22

    ¡°How? Do you honestly think someone managed to drag a guy Derek¡¯s size off the bus?¡±


    His scowl deepened. ¡°Of course not. But have you forgotten that bounty on Chloe¡¯s head?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a bounty. It¡¯s a reward for finding her¡ª¡±


    ¡°If she got off the bus to use the bathroom, Derek would have followed. They both could have been stopped. Sent back to Buffalo.¡± He gazed down the road. ¡°I¡¯m catching the bus back. It¡¯ll be here in five minutes. You can come with me or go to Andrew¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t know Andrew or how to get¡ª¡±


    I realized that sounded like whining and stopped. I knew everyone was tired of looking after me. I was even more tired of needing it. I¡¯d love to say, ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll do that.¡± Not like I couldn¡¯t ride a bus and find a house.


    What would I do when I got there, though? This Andrew guy didn¡¯t even know we were coming. Was I going to ring his bell and say, ¡°Hey, remember Kit Bae? That friend you had a big fight with a few years ago? Well, I don¡¯t know him, but I do know his sons and I¡¯m hoping you¡¯ll let me stay at your place until they get here.¡±


    He might slam the door in my face. Still, I coulddo it. I wasn¡¯t afraid to do it. Not really.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I said. ¡°Just give me the address and directions from the bus station.¡±


    Simon took out his notepad. As he flipped past a sketch, I saw it was a picture of Chloe with a zombie. Remembering that scene, I can say with certainty that she wasn¡¯t nearly as calm and determined as she looked in Simon¡¯s drawing. Not at first, anyway. Was that how he saw her? I guess so.


    What was it like to have guys draw your picture like that? Do I sound envious? I don¡¯t mean to. I don¡¯t have any trouble getting boyfriends¡ªpresent company excepted. Keeping them away is usually the problem. Yet, I¡¯m never the girl who inspires bad poetry and crappy love songs.


    On second thought, the way I worded that might explain why I don¡¯t get poetry and love songs. I¡¯d like to think I¡¯d appreciate the effort but . . . Yeah, guys are better off saving the artsy, sentimental stuff for other girls.


    I took the address. The directions were half-assed. Not Simon¡¯s fault. He¡¯d never gone there by bus. I¡¯d have to get directions to Andrew¡¯s street, and follow Simon¡¯s notes from there.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t find Derek and Chloe, will you come to Andrew¡¯s later?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m not abandoning you, Tori.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not¡ª¡± I meant that I wanted to be sure he wasn¡¯t wandering around for days, maybe not looking after his diabetes and passing out behind a truck stop or something. But I couldn¡¯t say that without sounding like I was still crushing on him.


    ¡°Never mind,¡± I said.


    We sat in silence until the bus pulled in.


    Five


    Simon got on the bus, ticket money in hand. He chatted to the driver for so long that I wanted to give him a shove and say, ¡°If you¡¯re getting on, get on already.¡± Typical Simon. He¡¯s one of those kids who talk to adults like there¡¯s no difference between us and them, like he doesn¡¯t expect to be treated any differently either.


    Then his voice rose, just enough for me to notice. He sounded pissed off. I got up from the bench and walked to the bus.


    ¡°I amfifteen,¡± he was saying. ¡°I¡¯m in tenth grade. I¡¯ll be sixteen in a few months. I was born in¡ª¡±


    ¡°So you gotta prove it,¡± said the woman behind the wheel. ¡°Either a parent has to accompany you or you need ID that says you¡¯re fifteen. You don¡¯t look fifteen.¡±


    ¡°How old do I look?¡±


    She tilted her head and studied him. ¡°Thirteen. Fourteen, tops.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± He sounded outraged.


    ¡°He is fifteen,¡± I called.


    Simon spun to see me at the bottom of the steps. ¡°So how old does shelook?¡± he asked as he waved at me.


    ¡°Fifteen,¡± said the driver.


    He started to protest, then stifled it and took a moment. When he spoke again, his tone was calm and reasonable. ¡°Okay, but teenage girls look older than boys, right? So that probably means that we¡¯re the same age.¡±


    ¡°So I guess you¡¯re both fourteen. So neither of you is getting on my bus.¡±


    She shooed Simon off. He kept arguing until she threatened to call the police.


    I¡¯d backed up to resume my seat on the bench. As Simon stalked over, he glowered at me.


    ¡°You did that, didn¡¯t you?¡± he said.


    ¡°Did what? Cast a spell to make her refuse to sell you a ticket? Um, I don¡¯t know any spells, remember? That¡¯s the problem. Magic just happens with me. If there is such a spell, you¡¯d be the one who knows it.¡±


    ¡°Not if it¡¯s witch magic. Sorcerer magic is different. But no, I don¡¯t think you cast a spell. I think you signaled or mouthed to her that I was underage. You were right behind me.¡±


    ¡°Not until I heard you fighting. Then I tried to help. You can always catch the next bus.¡±


    ¡°Sure, the one going the direction youwant.¡±


    I didn¡¯t bother to answer. He was pissed off and nothing I could say would help.


    ¡°So witches cast a different kind of magic?¡± I ventured after a few minutes.


    He didn¡¯t answer. I sighed.


    Simon had been raised a sorcerer, like Derek had been raised a werewolf. They grew up knowing they had supernatural powers. Chloe and I didn¡¯t. She¡¯d apparently been clued in by the guys, who¡¯d figured out she was a necromancer because she was at Lyle House for seeing ghosts.


    I¡¯d worked hard at hiding my magical outbursts. If I hadn¡¯t, maybe they¡¯d have realized what I was, too. Maybe things would have been different. But that wasn¡¯t how I handled stuff. If weird things were happening¡ªthings my mother insisted were signs of mental illness¡ªI would cope in private, take therapy, swallow pills, do whatever it took to get better. Only I couldn¡¯t get better. This was me. Victoria Enright, teenage witch.


    My mother was a witch, too. Was Lara? Didn¡¯t know. Didn¡¯t care. Okay, that¡¯s not true. In spite of everything, she was still my sister and I worried that maybe she was a science experiment, too. I hoped she was okay.


    I wondered how it had been with Chloe, when she¡¯d confronted her aunt Lauren about knowing she was a necromancer. She musthave confronted her¡ªI¡¯d seen at the lab how mad she¡¯d been with her aunt. So we were in the same situation, betrayed by someone we loved. Only it wasn¡¯t the same situation, because I¡¯d also seen how bad Chloe¡¯s aunt felt. She¡¯d helped us escape. She might have even been killed helping us.


    And my mother? When I¡¯d confronted her, she¡¯d told me to grow up. Deal with it. Then she¡¯d tried to befriend Chloe. Told Chloe shewas the strong one. The daughter she wished she¡¯d had. Even when I¡¯d beaten my mother with magic, she didn¡¯t look at me any other way. She hadn¡¯t helped our escape, either. If Chloe¡¯s aunt was dead, it was because my mother killed her, trying to foil our escape.


    So I knew nothing about what I was. Nothing about my power except what I¡¯d experienced. Nothing about what it meant to be a witch.


    ¡°Yes, witches and sorcerers are different,¡± Simon said, after nearly twenty minutes of silence. ¡°They have different kinds of magic. Apparently, sorcerers can use witch magic and vice-versa. I haven¡¯t learned any of yours yet.¡±


    ¡°Because you aren¡¯t good enough to learn it? Or because you think you¡¯re too good for witch magic?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, clearly, either I suck or I¡¯m a chauvinistic¡ª¡± He stopped, and took a deep breath. ¡°Our powers, like with most supernaturals, hit at puberty. I¡¯m still learning sorcerer magic, so it doesn¡¯t make sense to try something harder yet.¡±


    ¡°I would.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure you would. But I want to master my own magic first and that takes practice.¡±


    ¡°Not for me.¡±


    ¡°Because the experiment went wrong. That¡¯s why you were in Lyle House.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so wrong about not needing to practice and learn spells? If the point of the experiment was to improve supernaturals, then it sounds like it worked just fine. At least for me.¡±


    He seemed to be biting his tongue. Hard. After a moment, he said, carefully, ¡°Well, they thought it was a problem. Probably because it makes your magic harder to control. Chloe says¡ª ¡±


    ¡°Chloe¡¯s been talking about me?¡±


    ¡°She said you have outbursts of magic. That could be dangerous.¡± When I opened my mouth, he lifted a hand to stop me. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to argue with you, Tori. I¡¯m just saying you need to be careful.¡±


    ¡°No. You guys can be careful. I¡¯ll be powerful.¡±


    ¡°You do that,¡± he muttered and got up to recheck the schedule.


    When the next bus came, Simon got on with me. He hadn¡¯t said he would. He just did. He showed the driver our tickets and told him some sob story about us getting off to stretch our legs and being left stranded. The driver let us on for free. I was grudgingly impressed. Still, I¡¯m sure I could have gotten the same result myself, by threatening to report the company for leaving underage kids stranded in the first place.


    We didn¡¯t sit together. Not my choice. There were plenty of double seats available. Simon plunked down next to an old man. Taking the hint, I retreated to the rear of the bus and claimed a double seat for myself.


    There¡¯s nothing to say about the bus ride, except that I wished I had something to do. A book to read. A laptop to play with. And by ¡°play¡± I don¡¯t mean games. My future career is in software design. I¡¯m not keen on the programming part, but I need some knowledge of it for my college application package.


    College. Future career. Some might say I was na?ve to believe my life could continue as I imagined it would. I was living on the street. I couldn¡¯t go home to my parents, keepers of my college fund. Couldn¡¯t go back to high school to finish that. I will, though. How? I try not to think about that part. If I can¡¯t go home, where will I go? I don¡¯t know. Can¡¯t think about it now. Just concentrate on getting through each day. The future will come, and when it does, I¡¯ll be ready. I always am.

 Page 23

    The walk to Andrew¡¯s was sheer hell. In summary, I¡¯ll just note, for future reference, that Simon shouldn¡¯t be allowed to give directions to the restrooms, much less anyplace more complicated.


    Three hours after we left the bus terminal, we arrived at Andrew¡¯s place. Any other time, I¡¯d have been gaping at the surrounding fields and woods, wondering why in hell anyone chose to live there, and praying I wouldn¡¯t have to stay long. Right now, though, the isolation looked safe and quiet and welcoming.


    As we walked up the long lane, I had visions of collapsing on the nearest couch while Simon explained the situation to Andrew. When he rang the bell, I was craning to see through the front window, looking for that sofa.


    Simon rang it a few times.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not working,¡± I said.


    I rapped on the door . . . and it opened.


    ¡°No, that was not a spell,¡± I said before Simon could comment. ¡°It wasn¡¯t closed properly.¡±


    I pushed it open farther and started to go in.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Simon said. ¡°Manners?¡±


    He nudged me aside and leaned in. ¡°Andrew?¡± Then louder. ¡°Andrew?¡±


    ¡°Now can we go in?¡±


    ¡°No, he might be out back.¡±


    I sighed and plunked myself on the porch to wait while Simon checked. He came back saying there was no sign of Andrew and¡ªfinally¡ªlet us go inside.


    Six


    Simon searched every room, getting more anxious by the second, until he reached the kitchen. There, he stared into a half-full cup of cold coffee for almost a minute.


    ¡°Yes, your dad¡¯s friend is a slob,¡± I said, waving at the cup and other breakfast dishes.


    ¡°He¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not insulting¡ª¡±


    ¡°And I wasn¡¯t being defensive. Andrew is a neat freak. He wouldn¡¯t leave the place like this. Towel dropped in the bathroom. Mail all over the floor. Dishes on the table. Something happened.¡±


    ¡°Um, yeah. He got busy. It happens. I like things tidy, too, but come exam time . . .¡±


    I was talking to myself. Simon had disappeared into the next room. When I caught up with him, he showed me a set of keys and a wallet.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t just leave. It¡¯s like what happened with my dad. He was there. And then he wasn¡¯t. Disappeared.¡±


    ¡°A spell or something?¡±


    ¡°Magic doesn¡¯t work like that.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean¡ª¡±


    ¡°So this is how your dad vanished?¡± I walked to the fridge, opened it and grabbed a Diet Coke.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t just take¡ª¡± He began as I popped open the can.


    I lifted my brows.


    ¡°I guess we can¡¯t exactly ask first,¡± he said. ¡°Go ahead. We¡¯ll take food and drink.¡±


    ¡°Take it where?¡±


    ¡°Outside,¡± he said, opening a cupboard. ¡°We can¡¯t wait in here.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t think Andrew would mind.¡±


    ¡°No, and neither would whoever took him, if they¡¯re after us. Get what you need. I¡¯ll leave a note for Derek and Chloe.¡±


    We retreated to the pool house. It was lovely. Dark and dank and cold. Stunk of chlorine and mildew. We set up lawn chairs. Then we sat and ate. When Simon was finished, he stood.


    ¡°I think we should take a look around,¡± he said. ¡°In case we¡¯re being watched.¡±


    ¡°Seriously? You really like this running-for-your-life stuff, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No, Tori, believe it or not, I¡¯d really rather be safe at home right now. I¡¯d rather know my brother is safe. I¡¯d rather know Chloe is safe. I¡¯d rather know my dad is safe.¡±


    ¡°But not me.¡±


    He exhaled and slumped into the lawn chair.


    ¡°What?¡± I said. ¡°Do you think I didn¡¯t notice you left me off that list?¡±


    ¡°I left Rachelle off, too. I hope she¡¯s okay, though. Same as I hope you¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    ¡°Great. So the girl who¡¯s been watching your back for two days gets as much sympathy as the one who betrayed you.¡±


    ¡°Watching my back? Like you watched Chloe¡¯s with those gangbangers?¡±


    ¡°That was a mistake. I was running and I thought she was right behind me.¡±


    ¡°Did you check?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Did you check?¡± he repeated. ¡°One glance over your shoulder to make sure she was still there?¡±


    I didn¡¯t answer.


    He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not accusing you of letting that girl grab Chloe so you could get away. I¡¯m not accusing you of seeing her in trouble and deciding to do nothing about it. I know you didn¡¯t look back. You never thought of it.¡±


    ¡°I was scared, okay? You want me to admit that? Fine.¡±


    ¡°Chloe would have looked back for you.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Of course she would. Because Chloe is good and perfect.¡±


    ¡°No, because she thinks of others. I would have looked back, too, if you were behind me. Even Derek would have. Why? Because we¡¯re a team now. We need to have each other¡¯s backs. No matter what.¡±


    ¡°No matter what you think of the other person, you mean.¡±


    He groaned and dropped his face into his hands.


    ¡°Oh, please. Don¡¯t go all drama queen. I know you don¡¯t like me.¡±


    He lifted his head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t. When I first met you at Lyle House, I liked you well enough. But I let you know I wasn¡¯t interested in you as a girlfriend. I tried to do it nicely. It was nothing personal¡ªI had too much else on my mind to think about girls¡ªand I didn¡¯t want to hurt your feelings. But you wouldn¡¯t stop. Then Chloe came along and I paid attention to her because I thought she needed a friend, and you went nuts. You locked her in a basement crawlspace. Tied up and gagged.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d have gone back for her.¡±


    ¡°So that makes it okay? The only thing that made it even slightlyokay was thinking you were mentally ill. Only you weren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I was on meds.¡±


    He sighed and shook his head.


    ¡°What? I was. And I was stressed out.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s not your fault. No reason to take responsibility. Sure as hell no reason to apologize. You¡¯ve treated us like shit, Tori. Me, Chloe, Derek. You¡¯ve made it clear that you think we¡¯re all losers and you¡¯re only here because you have no choice. And you seem to think we should be okay with that. We should start to treat you better. You haven¡¯t stuck a knife in our backs, so obviously you¡¯ve changed and we¡¯re jerks for not seeing that.¡±


    When I said nothing, he pushed to his feet. ¡°I¡¯m going to scout outside. Are you coming?¡±


    I didn¡¯t answer.


    He stood there a minute, sighed again, said, ¡°Suit yourself,¡± and left.


    After Simon was gone, I lay on the inflatable raft and closed my eyes. It didn¡¯t take long for me to start dozing. Not really sleeping, just slipping in and out of consciousness.


    ¡°Tori?¡±


    A hand shook my shoulder. I leapt up, but no one was there. I rubbed my eyes and shook my head. I¡¯d been dreaming.


    I closed my eyes and drifted into the dream again. A hand touched my shoulder, shaking me. I was back on the bus. It was dark and warm and I just wanted to sleep, but Chloe kept shaking my shoulder.


    ¡°Tori?¡± she whispered. ¡°We¡¯re at a truck stop. It¡¯s Derek. He . . . he¡¯s not feeling good. It could be the Change again. He needs to get off the bus. I¡¯m going with him.¡±


    ¡°Mmmph.¡±


    ¡°Are you awake? Did you hear what I said?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Derek Changing. You going.¡±


    She said something else, but I was already drifting back to sleep. Then she was gone.


    I bolted upright in the pool house. Chloe had told me they were getting off the bus. Damn it! I¡¯d screwed up. I¡¯d really¡ª


    No, wait. I hadn¡¯t remembered this before, so that suggested it never really happened, that I¡¯d just dreamed it now.


    Of course. That was it. Damn Simon. He¡¯d made me feel guilty and now I was dreaming that I¡¯d let them down.


    Unless I¡¯d forgotten because I¡¯d been half-asleep when it happened.


    But Simon wouldn¡¯t believe that. He¡¯d think I¡¯d lied because I¡¯d wanted to push on to Andrew¡¯s house, where I could get a soft bed and hot showers.


    Chloe couldn¡¯t have told me anything. I was sure of it.


    Now that I was awake, though, I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about what Simon had said. Had I ever apologized to Chloe for the crawlspace thing? I was pretty sure I hadn¡¯t. At least, not a real apology. But how do you apologize for something like that? How do you say you¡¯re sorry when, deep down, you still don¡¯t really understand how it happened?


    Simon said I kept defending myself. But I wasn¡¯t just making up excuses. I really did think it was the meds or stress or a combination of the two, because otherwise . . . Otherwise, how do you explain it? I wasn¡¯t a bad person. I wasn¡¯t my mother. But I¡¯d done a very bad thing, and no matter how hard I tried, I didn¡¯t understand it myself.


    I can¡¯t say I acted on the spur of the moment. I can¡¯t say I got angry, knocked her out and ran. I set it up. I put the rope and the gag in the crawlspace, and then I went and lured her to the basement. Knocking her out hadn¡¯t been part of the plan, but the rest had.


    I¡¯d wanted to teach her a lesson. I¡¯d wanted to make her afraid of me, and I thought this would do it. Later, when Derek said I could have killed her with the brick or suffocated her with the gag, my first thought was, ¡°That¡¯s nuts.¡± But later I realized he was right. My plan could have gone very wrong, and I hadn¡¯t foreseen that. I hadn¡¯t thought it through. Just like I hadn¡¯t thought to look over my shoulder while those girls were chasing us.


    My mom always said I was insensitive. Inconsiderate. Dad said I was just impulsive, maybe a little thoughtless. I¡¯d always presumed they were wrong. After all, look what I did for Lara. Except now, lying here, I realized I hadn¡¯t done it for Lara. I¡¯d picked up her slack so I wouldn¡¯t catch shit when stuff wasn¡¯t done.

 Page 24

    But was it wrong to put yourself first? That¡¯s survival, right? If you¡¯re running for your life, you don¡¯t get the luxury of being nice. They were going to learn that. It¡¯s fine to wave the pompoms for teamwork¡ªall for one and one for all¡ªbut when push came to shove, these guys wouldn¡¯t be risking their lives for Chloe, maybe not even for each other. I was sure of it. Once things got worse, it would be everyone for himself. It always is.


    Seven


    When Simon didn¡¯t come back after an hour, I started to get concerned. By ninety minutes, I was worried. By two hours, I was freaked.


    Maybe Simon wasn¡¯t just being paranoid. Maybe the house really was being watched. What if he¡¯d been taken captive and they were searching for me? It wouldn¡¯t be hard to find me here.


    I slipped out of the pool house and looked around. Nothing.


    Woods surrounded the yard. I crept into them and made my way to the front of the property. When I reached the road, I looked both ways.


    We¡¯d come in from the left, but I was pretty sure with Simon¡¯s crappy sense of direction, we¡¯d gotten turned around. So if I was going to head to town, I should go the other way.


    WasI going to head into town?


    Sure. It was safer there than here.


    What about Simon? What if he was still scouting?


    No, it¡¯d been too long. He¡¯d been taken.


    But if he had, shouldn¡¯t I do something about that?


    Right, get myself captured for a guy who didn¡¯t give a damn about me. No, thank you. I couldn¡¯t fight men with guns. If Simon had been captured, he was lost.


    But what if he hadn¡¯t been captured? What if he¡¯d fallen down a ravine or something? Shouldn¡¯t I at least look around? I¡¯d walked straight to the road. Never even tried to find him.


    What did that say about me?


    I sighed, turned around and trudged into the woods.


    I¡¯d been searching for twenty minutes. I didn¡¯t dare call his name, so I just kept walking through the forest, hoping to see or hear him. Like that was going to happen. All I could see was trees and all I could hear were birds. Simon could be twenty feet away and I¡¯d never spot¡ª


    I spotted him.


    He wasabout twenty feet away, sitting on a log. His back was to me. Captured? Bound and gagged? Left there while they hunted for me?


    No, he wasn¡¯t gagged, but his feet and hands were in front of him, and could be bound. He must be. Otherwise, why would he just be sitting there?


    I looked around, and I took a slow step forward. Another step. Another¡ª


    A twig cracked under my sneaker. Simon leapt to his feet and spun, hands going up, lips moving. Then he saw me and stopped. My gaze went to his raised hands. And to his legs. Neither was bound.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t sneak up on me. I have a killer knockback spell, you know.¡± He smiled. ¡°I could have made you stumble.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°I see that. Why are you still out here?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°Just sitting and thinking.¡±


    ¡°While I¡¯m in the pool house? Alone? You just left me there. Do you know how worried¡ª?¡± I bit my tongue. ¡°You¡¯re a real jerk, Simon. You know that?¡±


    I marched into the woods in the direction of the house. Behind me, I heard him scramble off the log.


    ¡°Whoa, no,¡± he said. ¡°I took a quick look around out here, and went back to check on you, and you were asleep on the raft, so I left to take a better look and then I just . . .¡±


    ¡°Decided that you¡¯d rather sit on a log than risk having to talk to me.¡±


    He exhaled and started to answer, and shook his head.


    ¡°Okay, you¡¯re right. I stayed out there to avoid you, and that¡¯s a lousy thing to say about someone, but I knew if I went back in there and you woke up, all we¡¯d do is bicker. I¡¯m worried about Derek and Chloe, and I wanted to think about our options if they don¡¯t show up. But now you¡¯re awake, so if you¡¯d like to talk about that, we can.¡±


    ¡°Why? You won¡¯t listen to my ideas anyway.¡±


    ¡°And you won¡¯t listen to mine. So I guess we¡¯re¡ª¡±


    Twigs crackled. Simon shot forward so fast I didn¡¯t see what was coming until I hit the ground. He¡¯d knocked me down, before dropping himself and covering me. He got off me fast, but kept his hand on my arm, holding me down and motioning for me to be quiet. Then he gestured for me to stay put. He rose in a crouch, hands out, fingers splayed, ready to cast a spell.


    A slow look around, then he laughed. When I followed his gaze, I saw a deer watching us. I brushed off my pants, and the sound made her bolt. I expected Simon to give me crap for scaring her off, but he only waved toward the pool house.


    ¡°Better get inside before she brings her herd back to trample us.¡±


    Once inside, we talked a bit, about how long we¡¯d wait for Chloe and Derek. But that led to arguing about what we¡¯d do next. He started it. Okay, maybe I started it. Anyway, it was getting dark, so I decided to rest, stretching out on the raft again.


    I woke up to hear the pool house door opening, and Simon saying, ¡°Relax. No windows. You didn¡¯t notice the light, did you?¡±


    A familiar grunt. I cracked open my eyes to see Derek and Chloe illuminated by the glow of a lantern.


    ¡°The longer she sleeps, the better,¡± Simon said. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you two showed up because another day alone with her?¡± He feigned choking me.


    ¡°I saw that,¡± I said as I sat up. ¡°Believe me, the feeling is mutual.¡± I swept my hair back as I yawned. ¡°There¡¯s nothing like spending a whole day alone with a guy to make a girl say, ¡®What was I thinking?¡¯¡±


    ¡°At least one good thing came of it,¡± Simon muttered.


    I shot something back, but as I did, I remembered what he¡¯d done out in the forest. He¡¯d heard a sound and he hadn¡¯t only thought of his own safety. He¡¯d pushed me down. Dropped on top of me. Shielded me.


    A week ago, I¡¯d have been in heaven, thinking it was proof he liked me after all. Now I knew better. He didn¡¯tlike me, and maybe I couldn¡¯t blame him, all things considered. But he¡¯d still knocked me out of harm¡¯s way.


    I couldn¡¯t quite understand that. I¡¯m not sure I even agreed with the impulse. I didn¡¯t need the help¡ªI could take care of myself.


    But it was something to think about. I¡¯d have lots to think about after today.


    Not that I was giving Simon any props for ¡°saving¡± me. I kept arguing with him until Chloe cut in and stopped the bickering.


    And so, the four of us were back together. My team. Not exactly the one I¡¯d choose, but I was stuck with them. And they were stuck with me. Maybe it was time to start making the best of it, see where that led. Who knows, I might even be surprised. I doubted it, but someone on this team had to be an optimist.


    We talked for a few more minutes, before going inside the house to plan our next move. We might be back together, but Andrew was gone, which meant we still had a long way to go on this journey. Together.