be very nice. Or smart. So she kept going, trying to get them moving as fast as she could.
“Who are these guys again?” she asked no one in particular. She didn’t expect an answer; she just wanted someone to validate the situation for her. The black body armor looked like something right out of the movies. It creaked like leather, but her fuzzy memory told her that they could take a beating. Their helmets resembled black bug heads with large, glossy eyes and pointed noses.
“The New,” Mark said. “And they don’t like us very much.”
The dust settled and Lys saw that Kamau had been right. A small parking garage lay before them. Four cars and two vans occupied six of about twenty stalls.
“Where do we go?” Mark asked.
A blast sounded from behind, and Lys turned to look. More dust rolled at them, and she could hear Brady laughing hysterically.
“I told you to stay back!” his enthusiastic voice said. “I tried to warn you.”
Two more figures ran toward them from the opposite direction Brady had gone. “Brady!” Lys cried. “Watch out.”
An alarm started to squawk, and strobe lights began to flash. The two figures ran at the hole. Brady arrived in the same instant they did. Both parties stumbled to a stop. Through the strobing lights, Lys could see that the two figures weren’t men in black. They were kids.
Well, not little kids, although one of them wasn’t even as big as Brady, but teenagers like her.
The taller figure grabbed the little one and got in front of him.
“Whoa,” Brady said, holding up his hands.
“Who are you?” a girl’s voice, accented in Spanish, demanded.
“I, uh . . .” Brady stumbled over the words. Between strobe light assaults, Lys finally got a good look at them.
The shorter figure, a boy probably only twelve or thirteen, studied Brady through long, scraggly blond hair. The other figure, a taller girl with skin the color of caramel and dark hair that hung in loose curls down to the middle of her back, glared.
“Inez, look at him,” the younger boy said, working his way out from behind her to get a better view of Brady. “Check out his eyes.” He pointed.
“Who are you?” This time Mark spoke. He managed to use an imposing voice, and both figures turned to see who had addressed them. The girl grabbed the younger boy by the collar and shoved him behind her again.
“Cut it out!” he complained.
“Who are you?” Inez asked, glaring at them through the dust. She kept her eyes moving back and forth between Brady and Mark. “Are you with them?” She jerked her head back down the hall toward the last place Lys had seen the guys in black. Now the hall stood completely blocked by rubble.
“No,” Mark said. He tried to stand up, but it didn’t really work. “We’re not with them.”
Inez continued to glare. Her angry, haunted eyes seemed out of place on her beautiful face.
Lys felt the Need kick a foot loose and looked away. Why had it felt so repressed before, and why was it coming out now?
“That one is using,” the kid said, pointing at Brady.
“Shut up, Peter,” Inez said although she did glance over at Brady, looking at his face for a moment.
“We need to get out of here,” Mark said. “Before they bring reinforcements.”
Inez glanced at Lys, Kamau, and then back at Mark. When her eyes came to his hands, they widened, and she muttered something in Spanish. Lys had no idea what she said.
“Inez,” Peter said, tugging on her arm. “They’re coming.”
“I can get you out of here,” Brady said, finally regaining the use of his tongue. “We were just leaving.” He shot Inez a crooked grin; Lys thought he was going for charming.
Inez gave him a hard glare. “We don’t need your help.”
“We’re all going to get caught if we don’t move,” Peter said. Lys noticed that he kept breathing deeply and looking back down the hall.
“You’re on your own,” Inez said to Brady, grabbing Peter by the arm.
“Wait!” he
“Who are these guys again?” she asked no one in particular. She didn’t expect an answer; she just wanted someone to validate the situation for her. The black body armor looked like something right out of the movies. It creaked like leather, but her fuzzy memory told her that they could take a beating. Their helmets resembled black bug heads with large, glossy eyes and pointed noses.
“The New,” Mark said. “And they don’t like us very much.”
The dust settled and Lys saw that Kamau had been right. A small parking garage lay before them. Four cars and two vans occupied six of about twenty stalls.
“Where do we go?” Mark asked.
A blast sounded from behind, and Lys turned to look. More dust rolled at them, and she could hear Brady laughing hysterically.
“I told you to stay back!” his enthusiastic voice said. “I tried to warn you.”
Two more figures ran toward them from the opposite direction Brady had gone. “Brady!” Lys cried. “Watch out.”
An alarm started to squawk, and strobe lights began to flash. The two figures ran at the hole. Brady arrived in the same instant they did. Both parties stumbled to a stop. Through the strobing lights, Lys could see that the two figures weren’t men in black. They were kids.
Well, not little kids, although one of them wasn’t even as big as Brady, but teenagers like her.
The taller figure grabbed the little one and got in front of him.
“Whoa,” Brady said, holding up his hands.
“Who are you?” a girl’s voice, accented in Spanish, demanded.
“I, uh . . .” Brady stumbled over the words. Between strobe light assaults, Lys finally got a good look at them.
The shorter figure, a boy probably only twelve or thirteen, studied Brady through long, scraggly blond hair. The other figure, a taller girl with skin the color of caramel and dark hair that hung in loose curls down to the middle of her back, glared.
“Inez, look at him,” the younger boy said, working his way out from behind her to get a better view of Brady. “Check out his eyes.” He pointed.
“Who are you?” This time Mark spoke. He managed to use an imposing voice, and both figures turned to see who had addressed them. The girl grabbed the younger boy by the collar and shoved him behind her again.
“Cut it out!” he complained.
“Who are you?” Inez asked, glaring at them through the dust. She kept her eyes moving back and forth between Brady and Mark. “Are you with them?” She jerked her head back down the hall toward the last place Lys had seen the guys in black. Now the hall stood completely blocked by rubble.
“No,” Mark said. He tried to stand up, but it didn’t really work. “We’re not with them.”
Inez continued to glare. Her angry, haunted eyes seemed out of place on her beautiful face.
Lys felt the Need kick a foot loose and looked away. Why had it felt so repressed before, and why was it coming out now?
“That one is using,” the kid said, pointing at Brady.
“Shut up, Peter,” Inez said although she did glance over at Brady, looking at his face for a moment.
“We need to get out of here,” Mark said. “Before they bring reinforcements.”
Inez glanced at Lys, Kamau, and then back at Mark. When her eyes came to his hands, they widened, and she muttered something in Spanish. Lys had no idea what she said.
“Inez,” Peter said, tugging on her arm. “They’re coming.”
“I can get you out of here,” Brady said, finally regaining the use of his tongue. “We were just leaving.” He shot Inez a crooked grin; Lys thought he was going for charming.
Inez gave him a hard glare. “We don’t need your help.”
“We’re all going to get caught if we don’t move,” Peter said. Lys noticed that he kept breathing deeply and looking back down the hall.
“You’re on your own,” Inez said to Brady, grabbing Peter by the arm.
“Wait!” he
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