Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

Martin, and Sarah will enter together, but Tracey will be invisible. Tracey, disappear.'

'Now?' Tracey asked.

'We only have time for one rehearsal,' Clare said. 'We need to cover everything. Disappear.'

Tracey folded her arms across her chest. 'What if I don't want to?'

'Then I'll order Sarah to make you disappear.'

'What if Sarah refuses?' Tracey asked.

If Clare had seemed cold before, this was nothing compared to the way she looked at Tracey right that minute. It was as if icicles were shooting out of her eyes.

'Haven't you wondered where Emily is going to be while all this is going on? She'll be waiting in the car with me. And I will be armed. Do you see where this is going?'

Emily's stomach turned over. So she'd been right. This was what her mind had refused to show her. They'd hold her hostage to ensure that the others would do what they were supposed to do.

Clearly Tracey got the message, too. She faded away. Clare spoke to the empty space where Tracey had been. 'And don't even think about trying to do something now either. Your friends will suffer for it.'

She turned to Martin. 'Martin, go to the bank counter. If there's a line, take your place in it. Don't go to the front. You mustn't draw attention to yourself. Sarah, stand behind Martin. From there, you can see the guard and the tellers at the counter.'

'Why do I have to be able to see the tellers?' Amanda-Sarah asked. 'I thought I only had to stop the guard from reacting.'

'The tellers have alarm buttons under their side of the counter,' Clare told her. 'They can't be given any time to press the button and alert the police. You'll need to stop them as well as stop the guard. You can do that, can't you?'

'I … I don't know. I've never tried doing two things at once.'

'Well, that's why we're having a rehearsal-to make sure you can,' Clare said. She went over to the sofa and dragged one of the small end tables behind it. 'We'll call this the door to the vault. Tracey, go behind the counter and stand by it so you can follow the first person who goes through.'

Even though she couldn't see her, Emily assumed that Tracey was doing as she was told. She was too good a friend to risk Emily's life.

'Now we're all in place. The first thing that has to happen is that someone goes into the vault. It could be one of the tellers or the bank manager. Howard, you do it.'

Howard took some keys from his pocket, jingled them in his hand, and spoke to an imaginary companion.

'Yes, of course, Mrs. Montague, we can get your diamond necklace out of your safe-deposit box. Come with me, please.' He walked slowly toward the sofa and continued talking to his pretend client. 'And may I ask where you will be wearing that lovely necklace? Ah, the opera! How very nice.'

Clare looked at him with undisguised contempt. 'Howard, we don't have much time.'

Howard quickened his pace. Behind the sofa, he twisted the key as if he was putting it into a lock.

'Get right beside him, Tracey,' Clare said. 'Stay with him as he goes inside.'

Howard acted as if he was opening a door. He made a big show of standing aside to allow the invisible Mrs. Montague to precede him, and presumably the invisible Tracey went through, too. He walked a few more steps and then made the movements of turning a combination dial.

'Watch this carefully, Tracey,' Clare said. 'You have to be able to remember the numbers. Now, Howard, leave the vault. Tracey, stay where you are.'

Howard obeyed, once again pretending to open the door for the lady and locking it behind her. Clare's eyes remained on the position behind the sofa.

'Tracey, show yourself,' she demanded sharply.

Emily held her breath. What if Tracey had run off in search of a weapon to combat the crooks? But she'd been right to assume that Tracey wouldn't risk being disobedient. Tracey reappeared, right where she was supposed to be.

'Very good,' Clare said. 'Now, Martin, this is your big moment. You're at the front of the line, facing the teller. I'll play the teller.' They took their positions, and Clare continued.

'We want the teller to make you angry, so you'll be strong enough to break down the locked door leading to the vault. You'll have to create the right atmosphere so she'll upset you. Do you understand me?'

It was obvious Martin didn't have a clue. 'Huh?'

Clare frowned. George approached her. 'Actually, considering what we just saw, it might not be a good idea to practice teasing. You don't want him breaking any doors down in here.'

Clare considered this. 'But he needs to see what he has to do.'

'I'll play his part,' George offered, and Clare agreed. They held a brief, whispered conversation, and then Clare turned back to Martin.

'Martin, you have to watch very carefully and remember what George says. All right, George, you're Martin. What is the first thing you say to me, the teller?'

'I'd like some money, please,' George said.

'Do you have a check you want to cash?' Clare asked.

'No.'

'Do you have a debit card and a PIN?' 'No.'

'Do you have a checking account or savings account at this bank?' 'No.'

Clare shook her head. 'I'm sorry, young man. You're not eligible to withdraw money here.'

'But I want some,' George said. 'I want a million dollars. Right now.'

Now Clare produced an artificial and condescending smile. 'Don't we all. But that's not how the banking system operates.'

'Please can I have some money? Pretty please?'

'I'm sorry, no. Now please step aside and let me help the next customer.' Looking toward Martin, she said, 'This is when you start crying.'

George wasn't much of an actor. 'Boo hoo,' he said flatly. 'Boo hoo. Give me some money.'

'Now, Sarah, you start teasing him.'

'Get out of the way! You're holding everyone up. What kind of idiot doesn't understand how a bank works?' Amanda-Sarah scoffed.

'Will that be enough to make you get strong, Martin?' Clare asked.

Martin actually looked offended. 'I can call on my superpowers whenever I want!'

Amanda-Sarah piped up. 'If it's not enough, I can do more. I'm good at annoying him-I can get him to explode.'

Does she have to he so cooperative? Emily thought. Knowing Amanda, she was probably just relieved Emily was going to be the hostage instead of her. Amanda didn't care about anyone but herself, but Emily never would have thought she could sink so low … Could Amanda be the traitor among them? There were so many possible spies. Emily hadn't thought her spirits could go any lower, but now they were plummeting to depths she'd never before experienced, and that dark cloud enveloped her completely. She didn't even need to drum up a vision to know that they were all doomed.

The rehearsal continued. George went back to playing the guard, and Martin took over his own role. He made a big production out of breaking down an imaginary door, even adding sound effects.

'Emily, you stand in for the guard,' Clare ordered. 'Sarah, make her unable to move.'

'Sure thing,' Amanda-Sarah said. She fixed a wide-eyed stare in Emily's direction.

Emily tensed up, expecting some sort of cold tingle to creep over her as her body froze up. But nothing happened. She knew she could have moved if she'd wanted to.

So Amanda hadn't absorbed any more of Sarah's powers-not yet, at least. But Emily wasn't going to point that out. She stood very still and held her breath.

Clare gave a short nod. 'That will be all. We'll leave for the bank at six o'clock.'

'Banks aren't open at six o'clock,' Tracey said.

'Northwest National is open till seven one night a week,' Clare informed her. 'Which happens to be tonight. Tracey, come with me. I want to teach you some tips on memorizing numbers. If any of you are hungry, there are