The connection Max had formed among the six of them in the cave hadn't completely broken, even though it had been two days. He could still feel the others around him. It was like he finally had a family. And he would do whatever it took to protect them-all of them.
Maria scanned the gym wildly. Where was Kyle Valenti? She had to find Kyle, now.
She spotted him near the stage and ran toward him, pushing people out of her way. 'Kyle, call your dad! Someone stabbed Alex in the neck. He's out in the parking lot. Hurry!'
Kyle didn't say a word. He turned around and bolted for the pay phone against the back wall.
Half the people in the gym were trying to shove their way over to the big double doors leading to the parking lot.
'This way' Liz appeared at Maria's side. She grabbed her hand and dragged her out the side door. They ran down the hall, their footsteps echoing in the empty building. They burst out the main entrance and tore over to the parking lot.
'Let us through,' Maria begged. She and Liz squeezed their way past the rows of people crowding around Alex. He sat on the ground, a dazed expression on his face.
'I thought you said he was stabbed,' Liz cried.
'He was,' Maria insisted. But there was no wound on Alex's throat. And the blood on his skin was already starting to dry.
'I want all of you back in the gym,' a loud voice ordered. Maria didn't have to look to know that it was Sheriff Valenti. 'Now,' he barked.
'I guess we'd better go back,' Liz said. 'Are you going to be okay?' she asked Alex.
'Yeah. Go on.'
Valenti pushed his way through the retreating crowd. 'Do you want to tell me what's going on?' he asked Alex. 'I got a report that you were stabbed, but that's obviously not what happened. '
Alex pushed himself to his feet and leaned against the closest car. His legs felt a little rubbery. 'I came outside because the gym was really hot. Some guy came up from behind me and told me to give him my wallet. I told him to forget it.'
Valenti made a circling gesture with his hand. He obviously wanted Alex to get to the point a little faster.
'The next thing I knew, I was on the ground,' Alex said quickly. 'He tackled me, I guess. And then I saw the knife. The guy stabbed me in my throat. That's all I remember. Maybe I blacked out or something.'
'Do you want to try to explain why you aren't dead?' Valenti asked. 'There are a lot of veins and arteries in the throat, and you're not even bleeding.'
'I don't know. I guess the guy just nicked me. Maybe I passed out from fear. Pretty humiliating,' Alex answered.
Valenti shone the flashlight in Alex's face, studying him for a long moment. Then he moved the beam down onto Alex's throat.
'You want to tell me the rest of the story?' Valenti asked.
He saw the mark, Alex thought. He saw the silver handprint.
'I told you I don't remember,' Alex answered. He wished he could see Valenti's eyes. Who wore sunglasses at night?
'Will you remember better if I bring you back to my office? We can go back there and have a nice long talk,' Valenti said.
'You're not going to believe me, all right? What's the point of telling you?' Alex cried.
Valenti didn't answer. He just stared at Alex from behind his shades.
Alex sighed. 'Okay, this is what happened. The guy stabbed me in the throat, and then he ran off because he heard someone pulling into the parking lot. This other guy came over to me, and he put his hand over the hole in my neck, and it… it just closed up. So are you going to take me to the mental ward now?'
'What did this other guy look like?' Valenti asked.
'I don't know. I mean, I was bleeding to death. That kind of had my complete attention.' Alex could tell Valenti didn't like that answer, but he didn't push it.
'What about the car-what was he driving?' Valenti demanded. Alex looked at the ground, thinking. 'It was an old green pickup. I saw it when he pulled back out of the lot. He turned left, heading out of town, I guess. But shouldn't you be asking me about the guy who tried to kill me?'
'Later.' Valenti turned and strode toward his cruiser. He climbed in and closed the door with a quiet click, then pulled the car out of the parking lot and turned left. Heading after the green truck.
What did I just do? Alex thought.
Max heard the high scream of a siren behind them. He glanced over at Michael. 'Valenti,' they said together.
'Let's see what this baby can do,' Michael said.
Max tried to increase his concentration. He could see the molecules that made up the old truck spinning around them. He shoved them forward-without letting them break apart-moving the truck forward with his mind.
'You are helping me push, right?' Max asked.
'No, I'm just here for the ride,' Michael shot back. 'Of course I'm helping you push.'
Max checked the rearview mirror. He could see the lights of Valenti's cruiser in the distance. 'Well, push harder. He's gaining on us.' If they didn't make it to the Lake Lee overlook before Valenti caught up to them, it was all over.
Max knew fear made it harder to move the car. He took a couple of deep breaths, the smell of the lake's salt and minerals filling his nose. He focused completely on the molecules, slamming them forward.
The truck picked up speed. Max darted a quick glance at the rearview mirror. Still okay, he thought. The truck bounced and rattled as they sped down the road to the overlook.
'Okay, let's do it,' Michael yelled.
Max threw open his door. He heard Michael's door click open at the same time. The ground rushing past made him dizzy. 'Don't look down,' he called to Michael-and then he jumped.
Pain shot through his elbow as he landed. He ignored it. He had to concentrate on keeping the truck moving. It was harder to control the molecules from a distance, but he gave one last hard shove with his mind. The truck crashed through the fence and made the eight-story drop into Lake Lee, landing with a huge splash.
Michael ran over and pulled Max to his feet. Valenti would reach the overlook any second-and they had to be out of sight.
'How lucky are we to live so close to a bottomless lake?' Michael asked as they took off.
Max didn't answer. He wanted all his breath for running. He raced back toward town until his lungs felt like they were on fire, then he slowed to a jog.
'Tired already?' Michael asked. But Max could hear him panting.
'Thought I'd give you a chance to rest,' Max answered. They kept their pace at a fast jog all the way back to the school parking lot.
Before they headed into the gym, Max ran his fingers through his hair and brushed the dirt off his pants and shirt. His jacket would hide his sweat-soaked shirt. He wiped his forehead with his sleeve.
'Aw, do you want to look nice for Liz?' Michael asked.
Max slapped the dirt off Michael's back. 'We want everyone to think we've been here the whole time, remember?' He led the way back to the gym. In two seconds Liz, Isabel, Maria, and Alex were gathered around them.
