Infusion Read online

  “I know.” I didn’t meet his eyes. “Let’s just go—this way.” I gestured vaguely out in front of us. Nobody argued, so I slowly walked parallel with the distant structures.

  “I was here before,” Dee said quietly, almost at a whisper. “With Elliot. We jumped from the warehouse.” I fell in step beside her, Tyler and Sarah following. “Elliot said their training facility is behind us somewhere. And over there,” she pointed to distant structures, “are their living quarters.”

  We slowed our pace more, studying the distance. In such barren landscape, we could literally see for miles.

  “Wish he’d been as helpful about where they’re building the bridge.” Sarah’s hard edge was back. Nobody replied.

  I wasn’t so sure we were ready to attack them head-on and, with that kind of knowledge, we’d have to. We wouldn’t know how much time we had until it was too late.

  “Hang on.” Dee raised her hand. We all stopped. Listening carefully, we slowly became aware of a faint hum, approaching from behind. Turning, almost as one, instinctively drawn nearer to each other, we stared up at a large group of airborne creatures.

  Sarah whispered, “Since when can they fly?”

  Changing trajectory, the creatures headed straight toward us at high speed. We stood transfixed. There were too many to count. As they advanced, their great gray wings became clearer, the same hue and texture as their leathery bodies. Their black and expressionless eyes fixed on us. Their mouths opened.

  “Run!” Shouting, I repeated, “Run!”

  Shrieking filled the air, the creatures announced their presence. Our legs carried us swiftly over dry, uneven ground, Elliot’s blood making our feet quick and sure. We weren’t fast enough. The first creatures reached us, and Dee cried out as one landed on her back. The creature’s wings disappeared, tucked back against its body. Dee swung around, and it careened off her, into one of its own, knocking both to the ground. Another landed. Dee crouched to spring as it lunged at her. Tyler grabbed it from behind and hauled it backward.

  Sarah was beside me, engaged, defending herself. I glanced at her. She had the situation under control. Four of them attacked her—lunging, biting, scratching, striking. She was quick and competent; their blows glanced off her arms as she blocked them.

  One leapt on top of me. Like before, my body reacted instinctively. I absorbed the creature’s weight, swung it around, and smashed its head hard against the ground. I focused on reading its mind. It was unguarded, unconscious, but alive. Screeching echoed around us. More were coming. I glimpsed confused, dark images from the downed one.

  Then, I concentrated on getting us out of there. The air before me shimmered, and the dimensional tear widened. I enclosed us in its fabric, taking us home.

  As I stood outside the gate to the warehouse, the others picked themselves up from the pavement. I wondered what it must have been like to the creatures to see us vanish, to close their grasps on emptiness.

  Sarah winced at the thick, deep lines along the length of her forearm, her sleeve shredded into red bloody strips.

  “You okay?” Tyler examined the damage.

  “It’ll heal.” She pulled her arm, shrugging him off. “How’s everyone else?

  I considered them as they took stock of their injuries. Dee had a small scratch on her neck and a purplish blue bruise forming on her cheek. Tyler’s lip was bleeding. I felt stiff and sore, but we were alive. Not terribly successful, but alive.

  “So, wings, huh?” Tyler said, as they started toward the warehouse. “Guess the trip wasn’t a complete waste.”

  Dee muttered, “We know how much scarier those things are.”

  “Let’s not tell Jonathan.” It went without saying. We went over the fence easily, despite our injuries.

  Sarah celebrated. “On the bright side, we totally had that.”

  As we entered the warehouse, Jonathan still perched on the tire rack, his legs tucked in close to his body. He looked up as we entered.

  “You missed a good one,” Sarah called to him, grinning.

  His drawn expression didn’t change, and he hopped down. “I didn’t know when you’d be back,” he mumbled, dropping his gaze. “You were afraid. I was—I should have come. I don’t know why I didn’t.”

  I felt a twinge of pity for him. He was so afraid of absolutely everything. With good reason—his fear was completely founded in reality.

  “We were fine. Next time,” I said.

  He nodded earnestly, stifling a yawn. His short hair was slightly ruffled from resting his head on his knees while he waited for us. He seemed younger than his fourteen years.

  I surveyed the others. They were beat, too. “Let’s call it a night.” There was mild, half-hearted protest before I rushed on. “We can meet here tomorrow night. We’ll figure out a plan from there.”

  “Why not first thing in the morning?” Sarah smiled brightly. “Let’s get an early start.”

  She knew the answer already. Her gray eyes sparkled, and despite our recent excursion, she wanted to embarrass me. I might be the proclaimed leader, but I couldn’t miss a day of classes. No wonder it rubbed her the wrong way. I guess it didn’t help that I opened dimensional walls and she couldn’t even see energy fields. She was a fighter, though. She might be better than Tyler.

  “What would you suggest I tell my parents, Sarah?” I met her eyes. “That there are really bad aliens trying to build a bridge to our world so they can destroy us and take it from us? A few other kids and I need to spend the day figuring out our plan to save the world?”

  She didn’t miss a beat. “Sounds good to me.”

  Jonathan piped up from across the room, “Homeschooled. Mom wants to know everything about everything I do. So evenings are better for me, too. I can always tell her I joined a club.”

  “I guess you kind of did.” I turned back to the others. “Nighttime makes more sense to me. It’s quiet, there’s nobody around, and we have a secluded place right here, with all the employees gone.”

  Everyone nodded but nobody moved.

  I lifted my hand in a farewell wave. “See you all tomorrow. Goodnight.” I think everyone was surprised I wrapped up the meeting, since we’d just met, but no one argued.

  As we walked through the door together, Dee extinguished the lights.

  Outside the fence, along the shadowed street, I realized I wasn’t as terrified as before. Not that I wasn’t afraid, but the strength of the others stayed with me even as I moved farther away from them.

  “Hey.” Tyler’s voice called. I turned around. He stood beside his bike. “Are you sure you don’t want a ride?”

  “My parents— ”

  “Just to the end of your street.”

  I hesitated. It was a nice bike. “I guess.”

  I approached the motorcycle and took the offered helmet. He’d brought an extra one this time. I climbed onto the bike and wrapped my arms around him, feeling the warmth of his body through his thin t-shirt. I worked at controlling my thoughts; he could read them, after all.

  I watched houses whip by, trees that lined the street nearly a blur. I wondered at my lack of fear at being on a bike, but attributed it to the fact that I’d just discovered alien life and had a second hand-to-hand, violent encounter with them.

  At the end of my street, he screeched to a stop and I hopped off.

  “How did you know where I live?”

  He raised an eyebrow.

  “Oh, right. The thought thing.”

  “Want me to pick you up here tomorrow morning?”

  I was surprised. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you don’t usually make it a habit to show up to school bright and early.”

  “Might as well kill time. Plus, I should probably keep an eye on the team.”

  “Half of the team.”

  “Yeah, but Jonathan’s at home with his mom. And Sarah can take care of herself.”

  At that, I nodded. “Sure.”

  “I’ll try not to oversleep, ” he calle
d after me as I walked rapidly down the street. I didn’t hear his engine come to life again until I was at my front door.

  Chapter Seven

  As soon as I opened my eyes, I sensed them. I studied the metallic bracelet on my wrist. With it on, my energies blended with theirs even at a distance.

  I managed to get out of the house before my mom and Mikey were up. At the end of my street, I was surprised to see Tyler waiting for me. I hadn’t expected him to be there. If he’d shown at all, I’d figured he would be late.

  “Didn’t think I’d show, hey?” He grinned.

  I looked at my hands quickly. How had he read that?

  “Didn’t have to read your mind. I can read your face. You were floored to see me here.”

  I climbed on the back of the bike without replying and pulled the familiar helmet on again. I never thought I’d be riding a motorcycle, much less be comfortable on one, but I liked it.

  As we pulled into the school parking lot, people were staring again. Maybe they were curious about how I was dealing with my near death and the death of my best friend. I suspected it had more to do with the fact I was on Tyler’s bike. I was a little surprised he was so relaxed walking in with me. I half expected him to pull alongside and drop me off.

  He reached the door first and held it open for me, raising his pierced eyebrow as I passed. “Bet you didn’t know I was a gentlemen.” He unsuccessfully suppressed a grin.

  Releasing the door, he fell into step with me as we walked down the main hallway.

  “This is me.” We reached my locker.

  “Okay.” He leaned against the locker beside me, and then, looking past me again, he stood abruptly. “See you in English.”

  I watched him walk quickly past Lisa and realized immediately the reason for his sudden exit. She glared at him, turning to watch his retreating figure. When she looked back to me, her eyebrows lifted expectantly.

  “What?” I tried to look innocent.

  “Who was that?”

  “You know him. He’s in our English class and I’m pretty sure we had Geo with him last year.”

  She rolled her eyes at me. “That’s not what I meant. What are you doing with him?”

  I shrugged. I knew it looked bad. I’d been shot by my best friend, who subsequently died in a freak accident, and it was the second day at school, and I arrived on the back of the bike driven by a guy people barely knew. Not that they really knew me, either, before any of this happened. It also didn’t help that I was so clearly not his type.

  “We just hung out a little after English.” I tried for casual.

  “I noticed you weren’t in the courtyard at lunch.”

  “I wasn’t feeling well, so I went home.” I sorted my books.

  “Really? Julie said she saw you take off with him yesterday. On his bike.”

  “Julie?” One of her new friends. As if I cared what she thought. I bit back a sarcastic response. Lisa was worried because she was my friend, and I was acting weird. “I’m sorry. Tyler’s been through some similar stuff.” Not a complete lie. It depended on what stuff you were talking about.

  “What’s with the matching bracelets?” Her tone became milder, less accusatory.

  “He ...” I struggled for a plausible explanation to placate her. Then I threw out, “It belonged to someone he lost.” It was kind of true, anyway. “He thought his friend would want me to have it.”

  “But you hardly know him.”

  “We just—connected.”

  Lisa chewed her lip and slowly nodded. She wasn’t entirely satisfied, but she wanted to be. “Okay. You can talk to me.”

  “Of course.” I could just imagine how that conversation would go. As we walked down the hall in silence, I was relieved it was Day Two; we didn’t have the first two classes together today. It would be nice to get away from her. I had the impression she felt the same.

  “See you later.” She veered away.

  I was careful not to touch her. I didn’t want to know what she was thinking. It was so much easier when people were a mystery.

  It was different to feel the four others as I walked through the halls. Each one had a unique signature. It wasn’t that I sensed the mundane things; I didn’t know if they enjoyed their breakfast or were frustrated looking for something to wear. But I recognized a general impression of their being, and a brief spike when someone felt something particularly strong.

  Jonathan’s fear was barely present this morning. Sarah, though—I sensed Sarah more than the others. She radiated anger. As I headed toward my classroom, the emotion became stronger—almost blinding. I tried to think calming thoughts to her. It didn’t change anything.

  “Hi.” Dee’s voice startled me. She was surrounded by her usual minions, but she didn’t seem to mind acknowledging me. She smiled briefly, then whispered to me, “Sarah’s mad about something, hey?”

  I nodded quickly. “Do you know what it’s about?”

  “No idea, but it’s pretty distracting.” She shook her head, trying to look annoyed, but she was worried. “Anyway, see you around.”

  She waved, and one of her entourage asked, “How do you know her?” I couldn’t help but wonder what she told them. Were we lab partners one time? Did she tutor me? Distant cousins? They’d never seen me speak to her. In fact, they’d probably never really seen me before. I knew who they were though. Everyone did.

  Sarah’s anger surged through like a wave. Her energy was overwhelming. It began to blend with Jonathan’s fear, which increased in response to her anger. I tried my best to ignore it, but it was hard.

  I was anxious for third period, to talk to Tyler. He’d know what to do.

  By third period, though, her anger was almost gone. It abruptly diminished to a dull ache. She was okay. It was under control. I took my seat at the back of the class beside Lisa and watched for Tyler. The second bell went, and Mrs. Reimer began class.

  Lisa leaned over. “Trouble in paradise?” she whispered. I shot her a look. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I said that.”

  “It’s fine.” I turned back to the front. It was hard for her. Jared only just died. But she had it wrong. Tyler and I weren’t together, not like she thought. I suddenly knew where he was and why Sarah was no longer seething. It stung a little, but he’d only done what we all should have.

  In the courtyard at lunch, Lisa invited me to sit with her new friends. I smiled awkwardly as I squeezed into place at the already full table. What were they talking about? The formal. What they were wearing, where they were getting their hair done. I’d never cared about any of that, and I cared about it even less since the night I died.

  I felt his presence before I saw him. Tyler walked past our table, carrying a basket of fries, and sat at another table by himself, facing me. I studied my plate with deliberate intensity. The pressure of his stare pierced my reserve.

  I glanced up. As soon as he made eye contact, he tapped the tabletop beside his fries. I sighed and stood. “Hey, guys, I forgot I told—someone—I’d meet him.” I interrupted their conversation abruptly. They stopped talking. “Anyway ...” I hoped Lisa caught the apology in my voice, but judging from the look on her face, she didn’t. “Catch you guys later.” I knew they would watch me as I crossed the courtyard.

  “You know they’re going to think we’re dating,” I said as I sat across from him.

  “So?” He shrugged. “Who cares what they think?” He popped a fry into his mouth and chewed slowly.

  “Yeah, but they’re going to think that you’re dating me.” I tried to clarify the problem.

  “Would it bother you if they thought we were together?”

  I felt warmth rising to my cheeks. It was ludicrous, how often I was blushing around him. “No.”

  “Good. It doesn’t bother me either. People think whatever they want.” He took another fry.

  I changed the subject. “So, did you check on Sarah?”

  He seemed surprised. “Yeah. How’d you know?”

/>   “Sarah calmed down, and you weren’t in English.”

  “Great powers of deduction, Watson.” His smile faded. “You know she doesn’t go to school, right?”

  “Not our school.”

  “Not any school. She’s seventeen. On her own for the past two years.”

  “Wow.” I couldn’t imagine it. “That’s tough.”

  “Yeah, but she does okay, usually.”

  “Usually. So what happened this morning?”

  “When she came home last night, her stuff was on the lawn, most of it carried away.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know much, just that her landlord wanted more from her than she was willing to give. So he kicked her out. There was nothing she could do, nobody who would do anything to help her. No place to go.”

  “Why didn’t she call the police?”

  “She thought about it, but the cops and Sarah—don’t have a stellar relationship. She wanted to kill the guy. She was waiting for him.”

  “And so you went there and—what—talked her down?”

  “I listened, mostly,” Tyler said.

  I wondered if that was all he did to comfort her. I grabbed a fry and intentionally let my fingertips graze the back of his hand. A flash of Sarah, sitting beside him, leaning against the side of the building. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and his shoulder was touching hers. I brought the fry to my lips.

  Tyler shook his head with a look of wounded reproach. “You could have asked.”

  I tried to look innocent. “Ask what?”

  “I know what you were doing. Remember—I see what you see. We shared the thought. Right?”

  I couldn’t think of a single response. I swallowed and refused to acknowledge his observation. “So, is she going to stay with you?” Please say no.

  “No.” His expression didn’t change, but he added, “There’s no space.”

  I thought of his small room and Sarah sharing it with him. “I’d offer, but my stepdad’s a control freak. There’s no way he’d go for that.”