hand under his jacket, and Kira could just see part of the wooden gun butt.
Jen finally seemed to sense the growing danger. She glared at Bullet, then looked down at Kira.
"Walk away," she said, calmly.
"I can’t," insisted Kira.
"Can’t what?" said the old man, turning to look at her again.
"There’s no way for us to stop what’s going to happen here," said Jen, sadly.
Kira stared at her, shocked. In all the months she had known Jen, she had never once heard any emotion in her voice, seen anything but flatness on her face, but now her one good eye shone with a strange look of grief, and Kira sensed that part of that was her doing. Something was changing in Jen, and somehow she was the cause of it, but whatever it was it wasn’t going to save anyone in this bank. Her heart pounded in her breast. The final drum roll for the condemned.
"If I just walk away," said Kira, quietly. "He’ll shoot me."
"Who will, Honey?" said the female teller, leaning closer to the window and squinting down at her.
Jen shook her head. "Just walk away."
But Kira knew she was missing something important. "Tell me exactly what’s going to happen."
The teller shook her head, raising her eyebrows at the old man.
"Nothing that we can change," said Jen.
"Why not?"
"Sweetheart, who are you talking to?" asked the old man.
She glanced over her shoulder and saw that Bullet had the pistol half out of his pants. He was listening to the conversation in confusion. She stared at the teller, the old man, and then the lady in blue, and she thought of all the people who had died around her already. She shook her head. She couldn’t just walk away knowing that she was leaving more death in her wake.
"There’s nothing you or I can do," said Jen, staring past Kira at Bullet.
Kira turned in time to see him jerk the pistol out and point it at her.
"Everybody put your hands up!" he shouted.
The lady in blue spun, her hand slapping over her mouth. The old man fell back against the counter. The teller was reaching beneath it.
"I can’t save them," said Jen, shaking her head.
"Why?" gasped Kira, as Bullet’s pistol swung from her face to aim finally at the teller.
"I do not have the power. It is not what I was created for."
"Then what?" screamed Kira. "Stop this!"
Her words echoed around the high ceilinged space, and as she drew in her breath she noticed that that hissing gasp was the only sound she heard. She stared at the teller, frozen in place, the old man not even blinking, the lady in blue in the act of stumbling backward toward him, caught in mid-fall. Bullet’s pistol arm was paralyzed in place, not even quivering from the weight of the gun.
"What did you do?" whispered Kira.
"I stopped them," said Jen, simply. "Walk away."
Kira shook her head. "You never did anything like this before. Why didn’t you stop the Grigs when they came for my family? Why didn’t you stop them when they came for Clancy?"
"It wouldn’t have mattered. I can’t stop what’s going to happen to them. I was created to protect you."
Kira stared around her at the weird tableau. "Is everything like this? Everywhere?"
Jen shook her head.
"Outside people are moving?"
Jen nodded.
"I’ll go get the sheriff!"
"It won’t help."
"Why not? He can come here and stop this!"
"Look," said Jen, nodding toward Bullet.
Kira could see his finger already pressed on the trigger. All that would happen would be that the sheriff would walk through the door as the gun went off. Bullet would turn on him and he’d get killed before he could draw his own pistol. But if she could warn him, maybe he’d have his own gun out...
Only he wouldn’t. No cop was going to listen to her, a fourteen-year-old girl, small for her age. What was she going to tell them?
There’s a crazy man in the bank with a gun, but my friend Jen has frozen time.
No. All that would happen was some more innocent people would be killed, and she would end up in police custody
Jen finally seemed to sense the growing danger. She glared at Bullet, then looked down at Kira.
"Walk away," she said, calmly.
"I can’t," insisted Kira.
"Can’t what?" said the old man, turning to look at her again.
"There’s no way for us to stop what’s going to happen here," said Jen, sadly.
Kira stared at her, shocked. In all the months she had known Jen, she had never once heard any emotion in her voice, seen anything but flatness on her face, but now her one good eye shone with a strange look of grief, and Kira sensed that part of that was her doing. Something was changing in Jen, and somehow she was the cause of it, but whatever it was it wasn’t going to save anyone in this bank. Her heart pounded in her breast. The final drum roll for the condemned.
"If I just walk away," said Kira, quietly. "He’ll shoot me."
"Who will, Honey?" said the female teller, leaning closer to the window and squinting down at her.
Jen shook her head. "Just walk away."
But Kira knew she was missing something important. "Tell me exactly what’s going to happen."
The teller shook her head, raising her eyebrows at the old man.
"Nothing that we can change," said Jen.
"Why not?"
"Sweetheart, who are you talking to?" asked the old man.
She glanced over her shoulder and saw that Bullet had the pistol half out of his pants. He was listening to the conversation in confusion. She stared at the teller, the old man, and then the lady in blue, and she thought of all the people who had died around her already. She shook her head. She couldn’t just walk away knowing that she was leaving more death in her wake.
"There’s nothing you or I can do," said Jen, staring past Kira at Bullet.
Kira turned in time to see him jerk the pistol out and point it at her.
"Everybody put your hands up!" he shouted.
The lady in blue spun, her hand slapping over her mouth. The old man fell back against the counter. The teller was reaching beneath it.
"I can’t save them," said Jen, shaking her head.
"Why?" gasped Kira, as Bullet’s pistol swung from her face to aim finally at the teller.
"I do not have the power. It is not what I was created for."
"Then what?" screamed Kira. "Stop this!"
Her words echoed around the high ceilinged space, and as she drew in her breath she noticed that that hissing gasp was the only sound she heard. She stared at the teller, frozen in place, the old man not even blinking, the lady in blue in the act of stumbling backward toward him, caught in mid-fall. Bullet’s pistol arm was paralyzed in place, not even quivering from the weight of the gun.
"What did you do?" whispered Kira.
"I stopped them," said Jen, simply. "Walk away."
Kira shook her head. "You never did anything like this before. Why didn’t you stop the Grigs when they came for my family? Why didn’t you stop them when they came for Clancy?"
"It wouldn’t have mattered. I can’t stop what’s going to happen to them. I was created to protect you."
Kira stared around her at the weird tableau. "Is everything like this? Everywhere?"
Jen shook her head.
"Outside people are moving?"
Jen nodded.
"I’ll go get the sheriff!"
"It won’t help."
"Why not? He can come here and stop this!"
"Look," said Jen, nodding toward Bullet.
Kira could see his finger already pressed on the trigger. All that would happen would be that the sheriff would walk through the door as the gun went off. Bullet would turn on him and he’d get killed before he could draw his own pistol. But if she could warn him, maybe he’d have his own gun out...
Only he wouldn’t. No cop was going to listen to her, a fourteen-year-old girl, small for her age. What was she going to tell them?
There’s a crazy man in the bank with a gun, but my friend Jen has frozen time.
No. All that would happen was some more innocent people would be killed, and she would end up in police custody
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