lawn in front of a campus. I thought it was Caltech, but nothing looked familiar. Then I remembered. Joshua’s dorm was behind the library. I ran across the lawns, past a guy with long hair who stared as if I came from outer space. The dorms were a cluster of Spanish-style buildings surrounded by lawns. As I took the steps in Blacker House two at a time, one thought kept hammering me: What if Joshua wasn’t in?
The second floor was painted black, with flames on the walls. Joshua once told me “flaming” meant flunking out of Caltech, and reasons why people flamed were hidden in the wall paintings. I ran past them to room 52 and pounded on it.
The door opened and Joshua stood there, dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, tousled curls falling into his eyes. “Tina!” A grin spread across his face. “What are you doing here?”
I took a breath. “I need your help.”
He pulled me inside and closed the door. “What’s wrong?”
“A friend of mine is hurt. I was hoping he could stay here.” He regarded me for a moment. “All right.”
I almost closed my eyes with gratitude. Just like that. It was Joshua’s way. After everything that had happened to him, he didn’t trust easily. He chose his friends with care, but once you were among them he was fiercely loyal.
“Do you have a car?” he asked.
“We can’t use it. I’ll explain later.”
He switched off his desk lamp. A book lay open there, and papers covered with equations were scattered everywhere. Glancing at me he said, “You want some tennis shoes? You better wear a sweater too.”
I looked down. I was still holding my shoes and blood covered my blouse. “All right.”
His sweater hung around my hips and his shoes slipped off my feet. I crumpled a stocking into each heel to fill the space. Then we went down the hall, past dismantled pieces of electronic equipment, to another room. On its door, the initials DEI were made out of old computer chips. As Joshua knocked, I hung back in the shadows.
A guy holding a half-eaten Milky Way bar and wearing a gray T-shirt that said Confederation, 44th World Science Fiction Convention opened the door. “Hi. What’s up?”
“Daniel, I was wondering if I could borrow your Jeep,” Joshua said.
“What for—” He stopped when he saw me. When he realized he was staring, he turned back to Joshua. “Yeah, sure. Just a second.” He vanished into his room and reappeared with a set of keys. “Keep it as late as you want.”
“Thanks,” Joshua said. Then we took off.
The Jeep was open, and as we drove the wind threw my hair around my body. I told Joshua everything, except for letting him believe Althor came from Fresno. I hoped I hadn’t made a mistake, hiding Althor on the mountain. Thinking of him alone and injured made the minutes drag out endlessly.
At Mount Wilson, Joshua stepped on the gas. When he finally pulled off the road, I jumped out and ran toward the woods.
“Tina, wait.” He ran after me and caught up in a few strides.
We made our way through brush and scraggly trees. They threw shadows across our path, pools of black in the night’s darkness. Wind whispered in our hair. The walk seemed to take longer than before, until I became convinced we had passed the cave.
Then I caught sight of the two stones. We ran over and eased ourselves between them, into the hidden cavity. Joshua’s flashlight played over the walls—and across Althor’s body. He lay on his back on the ground, still and silent.
I knelt next to him, my heart racing. “Althor?”
He didn’t answer, and my heart jumped a mile. “Can you hear me?” I asked.
No answer.
“Althor!”
This time his lips moved, words I couldn’t hear.
Relief swept over me. ¿Que, hijo? ”
“Took out the bullet,” he mumbled. “With knife.”
That’s when I saw it, the bloodied remains of a bullet lying by his arm. I couldn’t believe he cut it out of his own body. I didn’t see how he stayed conscious. If he lost any more blood,
The second floor was painted black, with flames on the walls. Joshua once told me “flaming” meant flunking out of Caltech, and reasons why people flamed were hidden in the wall paintings. I ran past them to room 52 and pounded on it.
The door opened and Joshua stood there, dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, tousled curls falling into his eyes. “Tina!” A grin spread across his face. “What are you doing here?”
I took a breath. “I need your help.”
He pulled me inside and closed the door. “What’s wrong?”
“A friend of mine is hurt. I was hoping he could stay here.” He regarded me for a moment. “All right.”
I almost closed my eyes with gratitude. Just like that. It was Joshua’s way. After everything that had happened to him, he didn’t trust easily. He chose his friends with care, but once you were among them he was fiercely loyal.
“Do you have a car?” he asked.
“We can’t use it. I’ll explain later.”
He switched off his desk lamp. A book lay open there, and papers covered with equations were scattered everywhere. Glancing at me he said, “You want some tennis shoes? You better wear a sweater too.”
I looked down. I was still holding my shoes and blood covered my blouse. “All right.”
His sweater hung around my hips and his shoes slipped off my feet. I crumpled a stocking into each heel to fill the space. Then we went down the hall, past dismantled pieces of electronic equipment, to another room. On its door, the initials DEI were made out of old computer chips. As Joshua knocked, I hung back in the shadows.
A guy holding a half-eaten Milky Way bar and wearing a gray T-shirt that said Confederation, 44th World Science Fiction Convention opened the door. “Hi. What’s up?”
“Daniel, I was wondering if I could borrow your Jeep,” Joshua said.
“What for—” He stopped when he saw me. When he realized he was staring, he turned back to Joshua. “Yeah, sure. Just a second.” He vanished into his room and reappeared with a set of keys. “Keep it as late as you want.”
“Thanks,” Joshua said. Then we took off.
The Jeep was open, and as we drove the wind threw my hair around my body. I told Joshua everything, except for letting him believe Althor came from Fresno. I hoped I hadn’t made a mistake, hiding Althor on the mountain. Thinking of him alone and injured made the minutes drag out endlessly.
At Mount Wilson, Joshua stepped on the gas. When he finally pulled off the road, I jumped out and ran toward the woods.
“Tina, wait.” He ran after me and caught up in a few strides.
We made our way through brush and scraggly trees. They threw shadows across our path, pools of black in the night’s darkness. Wind whispered in our hair. The walk seemed to take longer than before, until I became convinced we had passed the cave.
Then I caught sight of the two stones. We ran over and eased ourselves between them, into the hidden cavity. Joshua’s flashlight played over the walls—and across Althor’s body. He lay on his back on the ground, still and silent.
I knelt next to him, my heart racing. “Althor?”
He didn’t answer, and my heart jumped a mile. “Can you hear me?” I asked.
No answer.
“Althor!”
This time his lips moved, words I couldn’t hear.
Relief swept over me. ¿Que, hijo? ”
“Took out the bullet,” he mumbled. “With knife.”
That’s when I saw it, the bloodied remains of a bullet lying by his arm. I couldn’t believe he cut it out of his own body. I didn’t see how he stayed conscious. If he lost any more blood,
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