Nemesis (Project Nemesis #1)(45)

"God only knows what they sent Tack to do."

"We're all required back at the church tomorrow morning." Min scowled at the ceiling fan. "For new orders, I assume. I swear, sometimes I want to punch Ethan in the balls."

Someone pounded on the door.

I locked eyes with Min, but she shook her head. It could be anyone.

For the second time, it opened without being answered. "Incoming!" Tack warned. Seeing Min on the couch, he muttered something I didn't catch, then walked to my kitchen and cracked the fridge.

"Make yourself at home," I said sarcastically.

"Way ahead of you." Tack grabbed a bunch of grapes, then strolled back to the living room and flopped into an easy chair, leaving me the only one standing. "Thought you guys might be here. Still no one at the trailer park. It's eerie."

I sat down on the love seat, frowning as Tack ate my last grapes.

Min perked up, impatient to hear about his day. "What'd they have you doing?"

Tack snorted. "I was part of a select group of champions sent to investigate the woods. The ones north of town, where there's absolutely no one on a regular day. It was riveting. No deer, though-did you guys notice all the animals are gone?"

I nodded along with Min, who asked, "Who was in your group?"

Tack noisily popped grapes as he listed companions. "Leighton and Lars-I can't stand those guys. Dakota Sergeant. Emma Vogel. The boys were trying to boss everything, of course. Barking orders like we were slaves. I lasted thirty minutes and bailed. Don't need that crap."

"Ethan will hear about it," I warned. "He's not tight with those two, but they talk."

"I couldn't care less. I'm not bowing and scraping for him. Things might be crazy around here, but that doesn't make Ethan some kind of warlord. That dude flunked geometry."

His cavalier attitude irritated me. "You're just giving him what he wants, you know. If you make waves, he has the excuse to crack down on everyone. Don't think he won't."

Tack flapped a hand, popping the last grape. "Those guys aren't going to do anything."

I'd thought the same earlier, but hearing it from Tack made me reconsider.

Who knows what people might do in this situation.

A familiar crawling sensation squeezed my heart. I bowed my head, trying to hide my nervousness. When I stole a glance at Min, I thought she looked disappointed in me. I sank even lower. She doesn't understand. No one does.

My panic disorder hadn't disappeared with the townspeople of Fire Lake. And now I was alone, with no help. No drugs. No smiling doctor to put me back together. I had to white-knuckle the occurrences, something I'd never done well.



       
         
       
        

The room wobbled. My breathing quickened.

Neither Min nor Tack seemed to notice, arguing about the morning. After some arm-twisting, Tack reluctantly agreed to attend the meeting, if only to see what Ethan had planned. By the time they remembered me, I'd semi-recovered.

"Good. Sounds fine." Trying to sound as normal as possible. Outside, full dark had descended. "Are you guys sleeping here tonight? You're both welcome-I have plenty of room."

Suddenly, more than anything, I didn't want to be alone.

"Yes, yes, you have a castle." Tack rolled his eyes. "How very nice for you."

"You don't have to stay if-"

"Tack, quit being a jerk." Min glanced outside, let out a deep breath. "I suppose there's no point hiking all the way back to an empty trailer. And I wouldn't mind having friends around tonight. Thanks, Noah."

I nodded, relieved. "I'll make up the guest rooms."

"I like pillow mints," Tack called after me.

With no TV or Internet there wasn't much to do, and everyone was tired. Tack and Min both grabbed a quick Hot Pocket, and then we all headed upstairs. I showed them to their rooms.

"'Night, Noah. Thanks again." Min squeezed my hand before closing her door. I smiled dumbly as her light winked out, then noticed Tack watching me from his doorway. He gave me a dark look, but for once I didn't let it get to me.

Back in my room, I lay awake for hours, trying to come to grips with what had happened. Found I couldn't make sense of anything. The only thing cheering me was the thought of Min, just down the hall.

On a mad impulse, I slipped from bed and snuck down the corridor. Stood outside her door, listening. Then I slowly turned the knob, cracking the door an inch until I could see her lying in bed. A feeling of peace swept over me, even as part of my mind screamed that I was acting like a pervert.

Min rolled over in her sleep, suddenly facing me. She yawned.

I shut the door and fled.

Back in my bedroom, the bad feelings returned.

Who am I kidding? I can't keep up. Min's stronger than me. Better than me.

I vowed to get my act together. To become a person Min might respect, instead of the Spineless Noah Livingston I always was.

Then I shut my eyes and drifted off at last.





38 


MIN



I awoke with a start.

The dream was fading fast. Something about running, jumping into water. The details slipped away before I could gather more. I looked around, experienced a second jolt. It took me a moment to remember where I was.

Noah's house. Tack and I slept over.

I rose quickly and pulled on yesterday's clothes. Cracked the door. I could hear someone puttering around downstairs. I closed the door, used the bathroom, then made myself as presentable as possible. Seconds later I bounded into the kitchen, tracking the distinct smell of bacon.

Noah was manfully attempting to cook breakfast. I could tell immediately he had no idea what he was doing. Patting his shoulder, I lowered the heat on the eggs and scrambled them, then checked the microwave. The bacon was still soggy. I gave it another two minutes.

Noah nodded gratefully. He was standing over some sort of juicing contraption with a bag of oranges. That machine, at least, he seemed to know how to operate. Together we finished preparing the meal and filled three plates. Tack stumbled downstairs just in time to be served without having to help.

"I swear you planned that," I scolded. "Slacker."

Tack yawned theatrically. "I was born with good timing."

There were four seats in the breakfast nook. Tack and I took chairs next to each other, and Noah sat on the opposite side of the table. I dug in, thanking Noah profusely for his efforts. Even Tack grunted appreciatively. The day was off to a good start.

But as I watched Noah, I could tell something was bothering him. He picked at his food, stealing glances at me as I ate. But when I looked up, he avoided my eyes. I got a weird vibe that I was bothering him somehow. I had no idea why, but the feeling persisted.

"You still good with going to the church?" I asked, hoping to draw him out. But Tack answered before Noah had a chance.

"Master Fletcher's plantation?" Tack scoffed, gnawing on the last of his bacon. "I most certainly am not."

Noah's eyes flashed, but when he spoke, his voice was neutral. "We have to go. It's the only way to keep on top of things." Then he twitched, as if just remembering something, and told us what the Summit Pass explorers had discovered.

I blew out my lips. "No Internet, radio, or TV. The Plank is gone, and the pass is blocked. Like it or not, Ethan's jerk network is the only 'organization' in the valley. We have to keep an eye on it until we come up with a better plan."

"I've already got one." Tack burped loudly, then pushed back from the table. "The three of us should form our own group, based in this luxurious home of Noah's. Get the normal kids to join us. Then we can stop bowing and scraping to those dorks."

Noah was shaking his head before Tack finished. "Who needs some big showdown right now? It's not like their ideas have been bad so far."

"Who cares?" Tack sat forward, speaking excitedly. "I've been thinking about it all night. Sixty-four sophomores, right? Most don't run with Ethan's crowd-they've been lording it over the rest of us for years. The not-cool kids have the numbers! We could run things instead of Ethan. And do a better job, too."

"But that's not how it should work either." I set down my fork. Spoke patiently. "We should all be working together. Voting on things, or whatever. No one should be railroading anyone."



       
         
       
        

Tack rolled his eyes. "Good luck with that."

"Ethan would still have the edge," Noah said irritably, ruffling his hair in a way that stirred me further awake. I looked away. Didn't want to be distracted. Even just out of bed, Noah looked good. "He has the jocks on his side," Noah continued, "and those rich girls scare the crap out of the others. It's not just head count, Tack. It's personalities."

"And you can jump back to their side any time," Tack said, rising and walking to the stairs.

Blood rushed to Noah's face, but I held up a hand. "It's not worth it," I whispered. "I'm going to talk with him today. The friendly fire has to stop."

Noah nodded, seemed suddenly uncomfortable. He gathered all three plates and carried them to the kitchen. I sighed, downed the last of my orange juice, hoping the rest of the morning would go more smoothly.