Min winced. She knew it, too.
Ethan's whole body went still, a bad sign. "Did you say something, Tack?"
Min intervened before he could answer. "Enough, Ethan. Go after him again and I'll tell Myers. Tack covered for you last time, but I'm sick of it. Bullying is so lame. Nobody's impressed."
"You'll tell the principal? Talk about not impressed."
This was so tired. I glanced at Chris. He shook his head sharply. Don't get involved.
When I looked back, Min was staring at me. Unnerved, I dropped my gaze.
Ethan didn't miss the exchange. "What, you think Noah is going to rescue you? Is that what you want?" He slugged my shoulder, flashing a crooked smile. "Sorry, Trailer Park, but you're reaching above your pay grade."
Min's face burned. She glanced at me again, this time with contempt.
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
"Come on, Tack." Min grabbed her friend's arm and pulled him toward the courtyard.
"See you guys later!" Ethan called. "Save me a spot in the far corner!"
The others laughed dutifully. Even me. Then Sarah snaked my arm. Flashing white teeth, she guided me up the walkway. "Hey, Noah. What's new?"
"What? Oh. Nothing." My pulse accelerated, and not in a good way. "You?"
"Not much." A few classmates were loitering by the flagpole, but most had gone inside. Yet Sarah leaned close and spoke conspiratorially. "I was thinking of going to the park after school, just to hang out for a while. Do you want to come with me?"
I strolled along beside her, playing it casual, secretly as uncomfortable as I'd ever been. I felt like a surfer who'd spotted a dorsal fin in the waves, then lost sight of it. I didn't know how to discourage this new attention.
"Who's going?" Stalling. We were ten yards from the door, where I could pull away without looking like a prick. "Jessica and everyone?"
Sarah flashed her flirty smile. "I haven't asked anyone else. We never do stuff alone anymore."
Red alert! I could feel the noose tightening. Groped desperately for an escape.
"I'd hate to leave the others out. They always include us." Before she could object, I pivoted, called out to the first people I saw. "Chris! Toby! You guys want to hit the park after school? A bunch of us are going, I think."
The two boys looked at each other, then shrugged, nodding in mild surprise. I was never the one to make plans. I glanced back at Sarah and nearly missed a step. Anger flashed in her eyes before disappearing behind a plastic smile. "I guess that settles it." She released me abruptly and went inside.
All I felt was relief. I was sorry to hurt her feelings-and, frankly, a little worried about what she might do-but I wasn't interested. Sarah was gorgeous and smart, the only daughter of two doctors, but she was also cold and manipulative. When we'd been dating, I'd watched her slyly orchestrate fights among the girls. Potent words dropped here and there, untraceable, that caused major rifts down the road.
Min crashed my thoughts. She was completely different. A raging fire where Sarah was ice. Why am I comparing them?
"Hey, space cadet!"
I spun. Ethan waved me over to where he was huddled with Toby and the guys. Charlie seemed worked up about something. "You heard?" he asked excitedly, scratching at his pimply cheeks. I shook my head along with the rest. I'd come straight from Lowell's office and hadn't checked my phone.
"The earthquake?" Ethan said dismissively. "Who cares? It was in Wyoming. I barely woke up."
Charlie puffed, excited to share fresh gossip. "That was just the start. There've been six more since then!"
"They're called aftershocks," I corrected absently. "They couldn't have been much if we didn't feel them."
Charlie's head wagged. "No! Six more earthquakes. The biggest was in South America-it set off some volcano in Peru. The news guys can't explain it."
"Like the bees," Toby chimed in.
Derrick squinted his way. "What?"
Toby ran a hand over his shaved scalp. "Something like a million bees in Tennessee all dropped dead at once. It might even be a billion. One second, they're buzzing around, stinging people like a bunch of jerks, then boom. All dead." He shrugged. "Apparently that's bad."
Chris laughed. "Nobody believes those conspiracy sites, man. The Anvil is gonna miss, so now they need a new problem to geek out about. You liberty campers are freaking gullible."
Toby shot him a wounded look. "That story was on Buzzfeed, bro. My mom's Facebook timeline, too. Real enough for you?"
First bell rang. Ethan rolled his eyes. "How many more years of this? I swear, working at the grocery store is less painful."
Toby grunted in agreement as we trudged inside. "Graduation can't come fast enough."
Sarah reappeared in the hallway, and my anxiety spiked. I felt my chest constrict for no reason. I stumbled on my feet, suddenly unable to control my breathing. Derrick gave me an odd look, but I played it off, testing my shoe on the floor. Then I ducked into a bathroom when no one was looking.
Alone, I splashed water on my face. Things were always bad after one of my dreams-plus I'd missed two pills-but this was the worst I could remember. I couldn't shake a feeling of dread. The scar on my shoulder was aching. I was a mess.
"Go away," I whispered to the mirror, embarrassed by what I saw there.
"Whatever this is, please go away."
18
PROJECT NEMESIS
File: INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT: NOAH C. LIVINGSTON ("NL")
Date: JANUARY 4, 2017
Specialist: DR. GERALD LOWELL ("GL")
Subject: TEST PATIENT B, BETA RUN, SESSION 15-A1
NL: I . . . I think . . . it was the worst.
GL: That's understandable. You were only ten years old. You'd dreamed of this man before. You feared him.
NL: [SUBJECT RISES, BEGINS PACING]
GL: How did the day begin?
NL: [SUBJECT PACES] The neighborhood park. I walked there by myself.
GL: You were alone?
NL: [SUBJECT NODS] We were between housekeepers at the time, and my father had divorced again. Tiffany barely lasted six months.
GL: How was your relationship with your father?
NL: Relationship? I barely saw him. [PAUSE] [SUBJECT RETAKES HIS SEAT] It got worse after Tiff left. Dad drank a lot, and the house went to crap after he fired the staff. No food. The yard was a jungle. We never had clean laundry until I learned how to do it. He'd skip weeks of work, traveling by himself. Or just sitting in the media room, watching movies in the dark.
GL: How was he the morning of your birthday?
NL: [SUBJECT SNORTS] He forgot. I don't think he came out of his bedroom the whole day. Honestly, that was a gift all by itself.
GL: Your father was going through a difficult time. His wife had left him.
NL: Second wife. That's what happens when you treat people like possessions.
GL: Let's move forward in your day. Tell me about the park.
NL: Not much to tell. It's three blocks from my house, down the hill like everything else. I hung out by the swings and played with my Transformers. [PAUSE] The weather was nice. I remember . . . having fun. It was a good morning for me. Until . . .
GL: You saw him.
NL: [SUBJECT NODS]
GL: Where?
NL: On the . . . Walking home. I was heading up Palisade, which is pretty steep. I wasn't looking around, because I had toys in both hands and didn't want to drop them. The next . . . he was at the corner . . . [PAUSE] [SUBJECT SOBS]
GL: Noah, we can . . .
NL: He was sitting in a black car. Watching me. No expression on his face. I . . . I just froze. I couldn't believe it.
GL: Do you have any idea when you fell asleep?
NL: [SUBJECT SHAKES HEAD VIOLENTLY] None. I don't remember lying down, or resting, or anything. It must've been at the park, but the memory is seamless. I don't understand how-
GL: Your brain seems to erase the moment you fall asleep. That brief period of time before powering down and falling into a dream state. A low-level narcolepsy, perhaps, not uncommon in these situations. The main problem lies in your body not shutting down its higher functions, such as movement. For some reason you remain active on a subconscious level, and sleepwalk.
NL: It doesn't feel subconscious. Everything about it seems real.
GL: Tell me what happened next.
NL: He . . . he got out of the car. I tried to run, but he was already too close. He grabbed the back of my shirt. I spun . . . begged him not to . . . He tossed me down. [PAUSE] I rolled . . . tried to run again. Something hit the back of my head. I remember how much it hurt. I . . . If I close my eyes right now, I can still feel . . . I can hear my skull cracking-
GL: Noah. Calm your breathing.
NL:-my head caving in! But I didn't die right away. I struggled, but my arms wouldn't move! Then he hit me again-
GL: That's enough, Noah. Look at me. Noah, look at me! [SPECIALIST PLACES HIS HANDS ON SUBJECT] You're safe. We're in my office. It was all just a dream. Understand?
NL: [PAUSE] [SUBJECT NODS]
GL: Let's take a break. Would you like something to drink?
[SESSION SUSPENDED-4:36 PM]
[SESSION RESUMED-4:48 PM]
GL: What happened when you regained consciousness?
NL: [SUBJECT SHRUGS] Nothing, really. I woke up in the cave. Ran home again. [PAUSE] And then you were there, Doctor. Waiting for me in my house.