can’t miss a shot.”
She smiled uncertainly, and then gestured to a far cot. “Do you see the boy with the shaved head? See his baseball cap next to him?”
Matt grinned, and then turned and, without any preparation, threw the cookie. It spun through the air, crossing over a dozen tables, and landed squarely in the sleeping boy’s hat.
Matt turned back to Aubrey. “Can I have yours?” Amazed, she handed him her cookie.
Without looking, he threw it behind him, over his shoulder, and then turned to watch as it wobbled through the air. It looked like it was going to fall short and to the left, but to Aubrey’s amazement the cookie plunked down into the same baseball cap.
A few people, who hadn’t been paying attention fully, clapped when they saw what he’d done.
“I can’t miss a shot,” Matt said again.
Jack lowered his voice, suddenly serious. “Why are you doing this in here? They’ll find you.”
Matt picked up his pouch again and looked inside. “They already swabbed my mouth. It’s too late.”
Aubrey glanced at Jack. Their eyes met for a moment and then she turned to Matt. “How do you know that’s what the test was about?”
“The guys who’ve been here longer,” Matt said. “They told me that’s what happens.” He set his pouch down on the table and stood. “Come on. I’ll take you to meet Sibley and the others.”
FIFTEEN
LAURA KNELT IN THE DRY mountain grass. She carefully rolled her tent into a neat package, and then slipped it into its green nylon bag.
She hadn’t slept much. She was amazed that Dan had been able to sleep through the forest ranger’s cries, but he’d always had the worst reactions to using his powers. He’d probably be tired for days.
Gina Brown had known more than she’d let on, just as Alec had expected. Yes, she was just a forest ranger in an obscure part of central Utah, but she’d been monitoring her radio, and even the forest service was being conscripted into service.
“You need to hurry,” Alec called out to Dan, who was still moving sluggishly around the campsite. “They could be here any minute.”
One of the most important bits of information Brown had was that this roundup of all the teenagers was somewhat localized—a huge number of soldiers had moved into the West earlier in the week. With Brown’s disappearance, and the collapsed Eagle Canyon bridge only forty miles away, it was almost certain that troops would be on the mountain soon, if they weren’t there already.
Worse, Brown told of an enormous army base that had sprung up in the desert west of Salt Lake City. Laura had assumed the three of them were in the middle of nowhere—a thousand miles from any of the real action—but now it sounded like they were only a few hundred miles from one of the largest military centers in the United States.
She glanced over at Brown, who lay awkwardly on her back, staring at the sky. She was quiet now, her mind having been ravaged. Alec hadn’t held back, fully aware of the consequences. So many memories had been inserted during the night, most of them conflicting. Some were horrifically violent and others were reassuring her with warmth and trust. Laura didn’t know if Alec had ever done this before, but the results were appalling. Gina’s cries—cries of intense pain but also of joyful rescue—had gone on for hours until her mind just couldn’t take any more.
“Come on,” Alec demanded. He shoved the last of his gear into his bag and threw it to Laura.
She wanted to ask what Alec was going to do with Brown, but knew that asking wouldn’t help anything. If the ranger was lucky, he’d shoot her. If she was unlucky, he’d leave her there to die—her mind too scrambled to know how to survive on her own.
Laura looked at the ranger again, and their eyes met. There was no emotion or movement. If Brown hadn’t blinked, Laura would have assumed she was dead.
“Dan,” Alec called. “Laura. Come check this out.” He had
She smiled uncertainly, and then gestured to a far cot. “Do you see the boy with the shaved head? See his baseball cap next to him?”
Matt grinned, and then turned and, without any preparation, threw the cookie. It spun through the air, crossing over a dozen tables, and landed squarely in the sleeping boy’s hat.
Matt turned back to Aubrey. “Can I have yours?” Amazed, she handed him her cookie.
Without looking, he threw it behind him, over his shoulder, and then turned to watch as it wobbled through the air. It looked like it was going to fall short and to the left, but to Aubrey’s amazement the cookie plunked down into the same baseball cap.
A few people, who hadn’t been paying attention fully, clapped when they saw what he’d done.
“I can’t miss a shot,” Matt said again.
Jack lowered his voice, suddenly serious. “Why are you doing this in here? They’ll find you.”
Matt picked up his pouch again and looked inside. “They already swabbed my mouth. It’s too late.”
Aubrey glanced at Jack. Their eyes met for a moment and then she turned to Matt. “How do you know that’s what the test was about?”
“The guys who’ve been here longer,” Matt said. “They told me that’s what happens.” He set his pouch down on the table and stood. “Come on. I’ll take you to meet Sibley and the others.”
FIFTEEN
LAURA KNELT IN THE DRY mountain grass. She carefully rolled her tent into a neat package, and then slipped it into its green nylon bag.
She hadn’t slept much. She was amazed that Dan had been able to sleep through the forest ranger’s cries, but he’d always had the worst reactions to using his powers. He’d probably be tired for days.
Gina Brown had known more than she’d let on, just as Alec had expected. Yes, she was just a forest ranger in an obscure part of central Utah, but she’d been monitoring her radio, and even the forest service was being conscripted into service.
“You need to hurry,” Alec called out to Dan, who was still moving sluggishly around the campsite. “They could be here any minute.”
One of the most important bits of information Brown had was that this roundup of all the teenagers was somewhat localized—a huge number of soldiers had moved into the West earlier in the week. With Brown’s disappearance, and the collapsed Eagle Canyon bridge only forty miles away, it was almost certain that troops would be on the mountain soon, if they weren’t there already.
Worse, Brown told of an enormous army base that had sprung up in the desert west of Salt Lake City. Laura had assumed the three of them were in the middle of nowhere—a thousand miles from any of the real action—but now it sounded like they were only a few hundred miles from one of the largest military centers in the United States.
She glanced over at Brown, who lay awkwardly on her back, staring at the sky. She was quiet now, her mind having been ravaged. Alec hadn’t held back, fully aware of the consequences. So many memories had been inserted during the night, most of them conflicting. Some were horrifically violent and others were reassuring her with warmth and trust. Laura didn’t know if Alec had ever done this before, but the results were appalling. Gina’s cries—cries of intense pain but also of joyful rescue—had gone on for hours until her mind just couldn’t take any more.
“Come on,” Alec demanded. He shoved the last of his gear into his bag and threw it to Laura.
She wanted to ask what Alec was going to do with Brown, but knew that asking wouldn’t help anything. If the ranger was lucky, he’d shoot her. If she was unlucky, he’d leave her there to die—her mind too scrambled to know how to survive on her own.
Laura looked at the ranger again, and their eyes met. There was no emotion or movement. If Brown hadn’t blinked, Laura would have assumed she was dead.
“Dan,” Alec called. “Laura. Come check this out.” He had
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