"Hmm. That sucks."
"Yeah, it does. Trust me on that. If you come with me, you'll get a caring home, and people who'll understand you. Understand what you can do."
Toby's eyebrow popped up at that. Then he raised his hand, and looked at it, watching it fade away into nothing, as if someone poured invisible paint on it. "It freaked me out, at first. I couldn't see myself in the mirror." He pointed at the mirror in the room. "So I wanted it to go away, and it did. I can control it, I think."
"It's a lot to take in, but you have powers. We both do. That's why I healed. That's why you turn invisible. Pretty crazy, right?"
"Pretty cool," said Toby, as he disappeared completely.
"Toby?" The mattress shifted in the bed and he could tell Toby stood up. "Where are you?" Drake got up, a feeling of butterflies in his stomach. "That's enough, Toby." Something pinched his back. "Oww." He heard Toby laughing and turned around.
Toby reappeared looking very puckish. "Man, this is going to be fun."
Drake's face couldn't decide whether to smile or scowl, but the smile won out. "So, what do you think about Washington? They have a big mansion and everything."
That got his attention. "Mansion, you say? That's like a big house, right?"
Drake nodded.
"Then Washington may be pretty good. Right now, I figure I should stick with you."
"Me?"
"Yeah. I mean, you saved me, didn't you? That's why I'm here. I remember them strapping me down to a bed, putting a needle in my arm, making me sleepy. Then I wake up here and see you passed out. So you saved me, man. Right?"
Drake nodded again, amused by Toby's enthusiasm.
"You're like a hero, yo."
His amusement faded. "No. Trust me, I'm not." Even Sam would agree with him on that.
"Of course a hero would say that," said the boy as he pounced around on the bed. "I can be your sidekick."
"Don't need one."
"Every hero thinks that at first. But they always learn, eventually."
Drake was about to argue some more when someone knocked on the door. He opened it to the smell of food. A man in a white apron wheeled a small table in and left them two silver dome-shaped plates. Toby and Drake sat down to eat, each anxiously pulling off the cover to reveal the world's smallest cheeseburgers.
Toby started laughing. "Man, no wonder there's lots of skinny rich people if you all eat like this."
Drake laughed with him and scarfed down his burger in one bite. He wiped his mouth, sucked down some soda, and stood. "Time to pack up and get going. We've got to get to Washington as fast as possible, but first, let's grab a real dinner and pick you up some clothes that aren't covered in holes. How's that sound?"
"Awesome!" The kid jumped up and down and whooped.
They checked out, stopped for a very filling Mexican dinner, and each picked up a few changes of clothes and backpacks at the store. With the cheap car Drake had picked up using Steele's cash, they started their drive to Washington.
The sun set and Toby, finally clean and full, fell asleep in the front seat.
So far, they were in the clear. Steele hadn't called yet, so he must still trust Drake. He must not know Drake was on his way to Sam. But it would be a temporary reprieve. He'd call eventually, and if Drake didn't answer, or didn't do what Steele wanted, then Ana would pay the price.
They had to act fast to put an end to it all so he could bring his family back together and be the kind of father he'd always wanted.
A sign to the right of the freeway caught Drake's attention, and he pulled off to follow it. Before he saw Sam again, he had one more stop to make.
Chapter 93 – Lucy
The sound of pigs mating woke Lucy. No wait, did I just dream that or hear that? She wiped sleep from her eyes and took a moment to relieve herself and freshen up, then did a light stretch routine to keep the skin on her back from shrinking as it healed. She wished for some lotions or creams to use. Maybe she could find some aloe vera plants, or ask Mr. K if there was an equivalent around here that would help. She really didn't want horrible scars across her back forever—especially from a lizard.
Now a wolf mark, that would have some dignity. But lizard? Didn't the Native Americans believe that if you were scarred by an animal and survived, it became your animal guide? She wasn't sure, but she really didn't want to get stuck with a giant mutant lizard for hers.
On a patch of sand near the water, Luke and Hunter sparred with each other—the source of the grunting that had woken her. Topless and in shorts, with their bare skin reflecting the sun and white waves crashing on the smooth beach, they looked like a PlayGirl Calendar photo shoot. But one of those hot bods belonged to her brother, so it didn't quite have the same impact on Lucy that it might have had on others.