The Dark Corner by Christopher Pike Page A

to make of any of this. “It sounds like it’s going to be an interesting school year.”
    Sally brightened. “There are some cute guys at school.”
    Cindy was cautious. “Are they human?”
    Sally waved her hand. “There’s this one guy, his name’s Bryce Poole, and he’s so cool. He’s like a young James Bond. Nothing disturbs him. You’ll adore him, Cindy. He’s got real dark hair, and super warm brown eyes. He’s only twelve but he doesn’t act like a kid. He talks like a well-read, sophisticated adult—like me.”
    Cindy was interested. “How come we haven’t seen him this summer?”
    â€œHe’s a loner,” Sally said in a confidential tone. “He takes his own risks and he doesn’t go whining to anyone about the consequences.”
    â€œIt’s hard to imagine anyone who’s taken more risks than we did this summer,” Adam muttered.
    â€œAnd I can’t remember that we ever whined to anyone,” Watch added.
    Sally stopped and laughed. “Are you guys jealous of Bryce?”
    Adam shrugged. “How can I be jealous of someone I’ve never met?”
    â€œI’ve met him and he’s no big deal,” Watch said.
    â€œWhat bothers you guys more?” Sally persisted.“Is it his obvious intelligence? His smoldering good looks? Or is it his dynamic attitude?”
    â€œI told you,” Adam said, “I’ve never met the guy. I know nothing about him.”
    â€œI’m trying to tell you about him,” Sally said. “And you’re getting all upset.” She paused. “I think you’re jealous, but you don’t have to be. I like him as a friend. There’s nothing between us.”
    â€œI bet he’s wonderful,” Cindy gushed.
    â€œHow can you say that?” Adam, who was a little insecure about his looks and especially about his height, demanded. “You haven’t met him either.”
    â€œBut if Cindy does fall in love with him when she meets him,” Sally said, “you mustn’t stand in her way, Adam. You have to be mature about it. So Bryce is better-looking, taller, and smarter than you and Watch. It doesn’t mean you’re not worthy human beings.”
    â€œOh brother,” Adam muttered.
    â€œWhere’s a good place to meet him?” Cindy asked.
    Sally spoke seriously. “You have to catch him coming or going. He never stays in one place long. He’s always taking some super risk to protect this town from danger.”
    â€œHold on a second,” Adam said. “Since I’ve beenhere, what has he done to protect this town? I mean, where was he when we had to deal with aliens, the Haunted Cave, the Cold People, not to mention the witch. Where was he all this time?”
    â€œYeah,” Watch agreed. “Bryce didn’t even bother to help us out with the Howling Ghost.”
    Sally smiled condescendingly. “Bryce doesn’t deal with small crises. He only handles major ones.”
    â€œHow can you call the Cold People a small crisis?” Adam demanded. “If we hadn’t stopped them, they would have taken over the whole planet.”
    â€œYes, but this isn’t that big a planet,” Sally said. “Not compared to the rest of the galaxy. Bryce deals more with cosmic emergencies.”
    â€œI thought you said he protected the town,” Adam interrupted.
    â€œAnd many other places,” Sally said.
    Adam and Watch looked at each other and rolled their eyes. “Like what kind of cosmic emergencies?” Adam tried again. “What is this big shot Bryce doing right now to protect us?”
    Sally glanced around the coffee shop to make sure no one was listening. She spoke in a hushed tone. “Bryce is working with the Secret Path. He’strying to halt the interdimensional flow of negativity so that it doesn’t seep into our reality.”
    Adam