"Mike, I think I'm going to need to talk to Zack alone," Amy says, when there's a break in the conversation. "Then we can go get some breakfast, okay?"
As she expected, Mike seems a little taken aback by her request. Then he shrugs. "Okay, just call me when you're ready to leave."
They drive the rest of the way to the hospital in silence. Amy gets a visitor's pass from the receptionist at the front desk. Clutching Mike's bouquet, she heads upstairs, and her heart accelerates as she approaches Zack's room. She wonders why she's nervous, and after a moment realizes it's because she's excited to see him.
She knocks on the door and opens it. Zack's parents and Olivia are sitting beside his bed. "Hi, dear," Zack's mom says.
Olivia gives Amy a hug, then looks back at her parents. "Hey, I'm starving," she says. "Why don't we hit the cafeteria?"
Zack's parents glance at each other. "That's a great idea," Mr. Parker says. "But how about Harper's Diner instead?" He winks at Amy. "Food's a lot better."
"Yes!" Olivia exclaims. "Much better than hospital food."
Olivia and her parents say their goodbyes, leaving Amy alone with Zack. She fusses with Mike's bouquet, carefully arranging it in a vase with a half-dozen roses. At first she can't bear to look him in the eye, but his smile draws her in, and she smiles back, dazed for a moment by how good-looking he is. To her surprise, he slowly gets up from the bed, and they stand looking at each other in awkward silence. "It's good to see you. You look great," Zack finally says.
"Only because of you." Impulsively, Amy pulls him into a warm embrace. "I never got a chance to say thank you." For the first time since the incident, she feels safe and at peace. She takes his hand, and they sit on the bed. Amy takes a deep breath. "I have so many questions, and I don't know where to start."
"Fire away," Zack says. He waits for a moment, then senses her hesitation. "Before you ask, yes, Olivia and I are Euperians. Our parents were servants to a royal stationed here on Earth."
Eyes wide, she gasps, "Your parents are Euperian?"
"Well, yes, and no. My biological parents were, but the ones you know are completely Earth human. They adopted us when I was seven and Olivia was five."
"And your biological parents … they're dead?" Amy asks.
Zack shakes his head. "I have no idea. We don't even remember them because of some trauma we suffered. To be honest. I don't even know their names. Mom and Dad are our parents now."
"What are your... powers?"
"Well, I can see into people's minds... but I usually don't." Zack smiles. "Except for Olivia's, of course. It drives her crazy. I can also gather energy from my body and my surroundings and release it in a concentrated pulse. Oh, and my skin is pretty much impervious to fire, and my wounds heal quickly."
"And what can Olivia do?"
"She can gather and project energy like me. She can communicate telepathically with a person as long as she can see them. With me, she can communicate telepathically anytime, anywhere. She can also transport a projection of herself to wherever I am."
Amy nods. "What do you remember about that night? All I can remember is looking up and seeing the roof collapse. I closed my eyes, knowing it was over. But when I woke up, you were unconscious and I was practically untouched."
"With the help of my sister's powers, I found you trapped under a pair of metal beams. One of them had gone through your shoulder. You'd lost a lot of blood, and... and you didn't have a pulse. I didn't know what to do, so I put my hand on your wound... and somehow I healed it. Then I woke up here. Honestly, I didn't know I had that kind of power."
Amy nods. She looks down at her hands. "Zack, have you ever heard of a brother and sister named Zec and Odilia?" she asks.
"No. Why?"
"I've been dreaming about them since you saved me. They look a lot like you and Olivia, and they have the same powers you describe."
"I've never heard those names before," Zack says honestly.
After a brief moment of silence, Zack takes a deep breath and squeezes Amy's hand. "Amy, Olivia and I are unregistered aliens, and even worse, we're registered as humans. With our kind being hunted, if what happened gets out, we'll be deported to Azha, and our parents will be treated as terrorists and traitors. Can you promise me that you'll keep quiet about this?"
"Of course."
Chapter 7
Blake Johnson, a well-built young man with a tattoo sleeve on his left arm, has been Jim Parker's only employee outside the family for the past couple of years. Money is tight at the mechanic's shop, which would have gone out of business if not for the relatively steady streams of income provided by the electric charge pods and the lone gas pump outside; but Blake has an uncanny ability when it comes to fixing anything that runs on electricity or gasoline. Zack, who has been helping out at his father's shop since his freshman year of high school, has learned a lot under Blake's tutelage. The pair have become so close that their friendship could be characterized as brotherly.
Blake is working in the back of the shop when he notices the lights of a car pulling up to the self-service charge station. He takes a closer look, but doesn't recognize the sparkling new blue vehicle, so he walks up front and sees Zack entering the shop. They extend their arms wide and hug each other. "For a guy who almost died, you look great," Blake says.
"Thanks again for visiting," Zack replies with a smile. "It really
