Chapter 3

“Mirs, what’s wrong?” he asked again.

“Uh,” I shook my head to regain my focus, “nothing. I just miss hearing your voice.” My dad had the gentlest voice on Earth. The sound of his voice made me stop crying instantly when I was younger.

“I miss you too, sweetie,” he replied.

“How long will you be?” I asked, forgetting the whole reason why I even called.

“We could come home now if you’d like.”

“‘Could?’” I echoed.

“Well, your mother…” His voice trailed off.

“Hi sweetie. Your father and I were thinking about, well, you’re doing so well on your own,” my mom interrupted (had she forgotten the car bomb?), “and well, we thought we should stay here until summer.” Nothing slipped between my lips. I wanted to see dad again, but them coming back would be dangerous. My throat went dry and I felt my eyes fill up.

“Stay,” I managed to say.

“Are you sure, honey?” Dad was on the line again. I tried to picture his face, but it was gone. I hadn’t seen him for four years.

“I’m sure,” I cleared my throat. “You have fun and keep in touch.”

“Will do, Mir-dear,” he said. I could tell he was smiling. So was I. We hung up and I slowly pressed down on the gas to move the car forward again.

“Mirs?” Belina called. I was fighting tears, but eventually, I let them out.

“Mirs!” Daniela said, patting my back.

“Dad” was all I could say.

*     *     *

“So how long are they going to stay there for?” Belina asked. I pulled up in the parking lot of the mall.

“Until summer.” I had gotten over it already. I figured I’ve been through four years missing him, one more month wouldn’t hurt.

“So how do we convince our parents to let us move in with you?” Daniela asked.

“Just tell them about my parents being away; I’m sure they would be okay with it as long as went home every weekend,” I said. They nodded in agreement. We stepped out of the car and the heat of the desert hit us immediately. “Let’s get shopping.”

We decided to take a lunch break from shopping and being in the crowds.

“Alright, what do you want to eat?” I asked, standing up from my seat.

“I think I want fried rice with orange chicken and an eggroll,” Belina asked specifically.

“Just get me whatever you get,” Daniela said.

“Okay.” I walked over to the register at Mojo’s MooShoo. As I was taking my order, I received a text and after paying, I checked my phone.

You can’t avoid death forever.

I took my tray and walked carefully back to the table, glancing around the mall.

“What’s wrong?” Daniela asked. I set the tray down and showed them the text, still looking around.

“Crap. They know we’re here?”

“Yep.” Just then, a group of guys passed my sight.

“I think my suspicions towards Justin have grown,” I said, pointing them out. Justin, Sean, and Conner were on the third floor of the mall. They didn’t see us. It looked like they were just walking around, talking. Talking about what though?

“Let’s follow them,” I said. We went up the escalator and followed them all the way to a sports shop. We stood by the women’s equipment which was on the opposite side of the store from the men’s, and listened.

“Which helmet pads did the coach tell us to get?” Justin asked.

“I think those ones,” Sean pointed out.

“Are you sure? I thought he wanted these…” This was getting stupid. All they talked about was helmet pads. They left the store. We followed behind, just close enough to hear them.

“So, did you ever talk to that one girl?” Conner asked Justin.

“Who?”

“That…Miranda girl.”

“No.” I scoffed at his answer. “No, wait. She yelled at me one time about taking her cell phone,” he remembered.

“Did you take it?” Sean asked. Justin’s phone went off suddenly.

“Hello?” he answered, “Is that so? Well, you know what to do. Call me afterwards.” He hung up. I pieced his words together. Could he be the one after me? Maybe he was talking to one of the snipers. Suddenly, the sound of a gunshot echoed throughout the mall. I looked back at Justin who was staring at me. People pushed past us, screaming, taking cover. Another shot was fired and Justin ran off. Where was he going?

“Come on and keep low!” I told Daniela and Belina. We chased after them to the parking lot. Cars were screeching, pulling out of the mall. I hate to say it, but we lost Justin. I scanned the roof of the mall and spotted a black figure. My senses kicked in and I could hear the click of the trigger and a gunshot, aimed towards Daniela. I jumped and pushed her down. The bullet hit the red truck behind us.

“Hurry, we have to stand against the wall!” I said. I pulled them up and another shot was fired. The next thing I felt was a sharp pain in my thigh, as if I kicked with cleats on, but I could still run. We pressed our backs against the wall of the four story high mall where it was impossible to shoot a bullet directly down at us.

“Ah…” I cried. Belina looked at my leg. I wasn’t bleeding. I smiled and reached into my pocket, pulling out my savior; my cell phone, which was now completely damaged. I threw it aside.

“You okay?” Daniela asked, patting my shoulder. I laughed and noticed it was extremely quiet. I looked over at Belina who had her eyes fixated on something in the distance.

“Mirs! Sniper!” Belina pointed at the building in front of us. We ran back inside the mall, which was the stupidest thing we could do. I flinched at the sound of someone’s voice on the intercom.

“Attention!” his voice was familiar, “At ease girls, this will only take a second.”

“Why are you doing this?!” I shouted back.

“I was given a job. He told me you were a danger to society. It is my duty to protect my country.”

“Hayes,” I figured, “Who told you this?” There was a pause.

“He’s actually here with me now (It had to be Justin!), but he doesn’t want to speak nor be known.”

“Were you the one who told the three other snipers to leave camp?” There was a chuckle.

“Yes. And they’re all trained well. As a matter of fact, they’re in the mall with you right now.”

“If they’re so well trained, why aren’t we dead yet?!” Belina challenged him. I hushed her.

“Don’t worry. You’re time will come no matter what,” he said.

“We’ll see about that!” I turned towards Daniela and Belina, “Can you guys handle a sniper with a gun?” They grinned. It was our turn to attack.

“Piece of cake,” Daniela replied.

“I don’t really like cake. It’s too sweet,” Belina said. I hugged them both.

“Be careful,” I said. We separated and ran towards our snipers.

*Daniela*

I ran to the east side of the mall. I didn’t know what to look forward to, but I felt ready. Adrenaline rushed throughout my body, but it all disappeared when the lights suddenly went out.

“It’s Dolores right?” I spun around and saw a sniper with his gun pointed in my direction.

“Daniela,” I corrected.

“Ah. I see,” he sighed, “Well, Daniela; how do you feel about death?” He walked towards me and had his gun at my head.

“Kendall, don’t do this,” I said. Kendall looked twenty and had tanned skin and dark brown hair. He smiled and placed his finger on the trigger.

“Since when do you tell me what to do?” Right as he pulled the trigger, I pushed the gun away from my direction and his shot missed. It sounded throughout the mall. I kicked the gun out of his hand then kicked him once more at his side and darted for the stairs. I reached the fourth floor, breathing heavily. When I looked down over the railing to the first floor, Kendall and his gun was gone. A voice came from behind me.

“The elevator still works you know,” Kendall said.

“Idiot!” I thought. He smiled and picked up his gun, aiming it at my head once again. I ran up to him quickly and back kicked his hand, knocking his gun out of my direction. He didn’t waste a bullet on me this time. I kicked his side once again. He stumbled to the side and suddenly fell over the rail. Instead of falling four stories, I found him grasping the rail with one hand, his gun in the other.

“Help me,” he begged. He let his gun drop below him and reached up to me for a hand. Was this guy serious? I sighed. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself knowing I watched a guy die knowing he could have had a chance to live. I reached over the bar to grab him. His hand almost touched mine, but suddenly, three consecutive gunshots sounded and I pulled back. I heard a thud and I gasped.

“Kendall…” I looked over the railing. Kendall was on the ground; his legs bent the wrong way, dead. My eyes widened in fear. I could’ve saved him, but I didn’t I walked to the elevator and pressed the down button. When I reached the main floor, I ran to the center of the mall, avoiding eye contact with the body. All that mattered was that Miranda and Belina were safe. I smiled to see they were fine and embraced them…

*Belina*

I’m scared.

I’m worried.

I’m scared and worried.

I don’t know what to do.

I should have told them I needed help.

Look at me; saying I, I, I. How much more self-centered can I be? I shook my head to clear it. I’ve been walking on the west side of the mall for ten minutes already and still no sniper. The lights suddenly shut off.

“Well, this should be a breeze.” The voice made me flinch. I turned to look. There, with his gun at his side, his hand in his ruffled hair, and a smile on his face, was Joshua Switoski.

“You could have shot me already. Why haven’t you?” I stalled.

“Don’t rush me. I don’t like to be rushed.”

“Then I won’t rush you. Take your time, please.”

“Thank you.” He ruffled his hair again. How conceited.

“And I thought I was self-centered.” I murmured.

“What was that?” he asked.

“You’ve got something in your teeth…” I lied.

“Really?” He turned away, picking at his teeth. I smiled and ran to an electronic store, the only place that still had its lights on. I heard a gunshot from the east side of the mall and I spun around.

“Daniela…” I said under my breath.

“Hey, get back here!” Joshua called after. I had to think fast. I scanned the store and spotted a bottle of water. I poured it across the floor and up to the counter and threw the empty bottle aside. Now I need electricity. I heard his footsteps get closer. I ran behind the counter and hid.

“Come on out. I know you’re here.” I held my breath. My hands suddenly touched something that made me thank God; a clock radio. The puddle was outside the counter, so if I could throw it there, I should be good. I waited and listened. Joshua stepped forward, slowly. I hugged the object tightly against my chest and then, I heard the sound of wet footsteps. Quickly, I threw the plugged radio over the counter and only heard a smash. After three seconds, something heavy dropped to the ground. I stood up slowly and peeked over the counter. Joshua was unconscious from electrocution. I made my way around the puddle and almost fell in when I heard a series of gunshots.

“No…Miranda, Daniela…Please be alright,” I prayed. I hurried back to the center of the mall. Immediately, (and thankfully) I spotted Miranda, then Daniela. I ran to hug them tightly…

*Miranda*

I headed towards the south side of the mall, where the sniper, who had shot me, was. I passed the food court and suddenly, the lights shut off.

“Run, run as fast as you can…” I heard someone say. It sounded close. I turned and nearly screamed.

“Jayden…” He had his gun pointed at my head. Jayden Lewis was rather tall, like Justin, had short blond hair, and green eyes.

“How’s your leg?” he asked with a smile.

“Fine. How’s your aim?” I smirked. His smile faded. I watched him pull the safety back on his caliber. Immediately I added, “Why not make this a fair fight?”

“Fair?” he echoed.

“Fist.” I put up my hands, ready to fight.

“Alright.” He placed the safety back on and slid his gun across the floor, fifteen feet away from us.

“Ready?” He brought his fists up and struck first, but I dodged and kicked his knee. There was a painful snapping sound. Jayden yelped.

“Give up?” I challenged, and punched his face. Suddenly, I heard a gunshot and glanced up, turning my attention away from Jayden. He then grabbed my wrists and shoved me into the wall.

“You think you’re so tough, huh? Your friends are dead now, so why don’t you give up?” he hissed in my face, holding me down. I struggled, but he only tightened his grasps more.

“You need me to give up?” I hissed back. I bit my lip to hold back tears. He could’ve been right about Daniela and Belina…no. I should have confidence in them. I jammed my knee into his gut and Jayden limped over, groaning in pain. I jabbed his back with my elbow, knocking him down lower to the floor. I pushed him down all the way with my foot. He cried in pain.

“Argh! Get the hell off of me!” He twisted himself around and made me stumble off of him. Jayden crawled over to his gun and pulled back the safety. At the same time, I ran over to him and pushed the gun out of my direction. A gunshot went off. His finger was still caught on the trigger. We twisted and turned and another shot went off towards the other end of the mall. We were knotted up to where I was behind him and my arms were around his waist, my hands still on the gun. One last shot sounded and we both flinched. It took me five seconds to realize, I was fine, but Jayden on the other hand… My eyes widened as I watched him drop to his knees and lay dead on the floor in a puddle of his blood. I breathed heavily, staring at him.

“You…are one…scary guy!” I said to him, completely breathless and tired. I turned and ran back to the center of the mall. I was met up by Belina and Daniela and immediately embraced them both…

“It’s not over yet guys,” I said. We pulled away and waited. Someone was clapping their hands and the sound travelled throughout the mall. A figure appeared out of the darkness.

“Well, I must say, I’m flabbergasted. Those men are worthless. I, on the other hand, won’t do the same.” It was Hayes. He pulled out his gun and shot randomly at us. We darted for the exit, trying to avoid his shots. Suddenly, I noticed Belina drop to the floor in the corner of my eye.

“Belina!” Daniela and I shouted. We ran to her side. She was shot in the stomach, but she wasn’t crying in pain, just breathing heavily in fear. She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her cell phone. The bullet was inside. I sighed with relief.

“What do we do?” Daniela asked. We were on the south side of the mall, where I was before. I spotted Jayden’s dead body, and next to him was his caliber.

“We fight fire with fire.” I took the gun and aimed at Hayes who was running towards us. He stopped the minute he saw the gun in my hands and raised his gun, aiming it at me. Hayes smiled.

“Hmm, teacher and apprentice…” he said.

“You didn’t teach me anything,” I interrupted.

“Well, I would have if I had known you were this good.”

“Tell me who told you to do this.”

“Does it really matter?”

“Tell me!”

“Hah! You wish!” he shouted. Hayes grinned and pulled back on the trigger. I heard a click, and then a gunshot. At this moment, I felt like a real secret agent. I dove on my back, dodging his shot and pulled back on the trigger of my gun. A gunshot sounded throughout the mall. I finally heard that “fft” sound. The gun dropped out of my hand and onto the floor. I was lying there, breathing heavily. Daniela and Belina ran to my side.

“Are you okay?” they asked.

“Yeah.” They picked me up to my feet and we walked towards the exit of the mall, passing Sergeant Hayes; dead with a bullet to his head.

We reached the parking lot and got in the Mercedes. We didn’t say much, probably because we were still in shock of what we did. As I drove us out of the mall and onto the main road, I glanced at my rear view and noticed police cars, bomb squads, and the SWAT Team, pull inside the mall. We got out just in time.

We arrived home, knowing now that it was safe, and sat on the couch, curtains closed just in case. We sighed and suddenly, I let out a giggle.

“What’s so funny?” Daniela asked.

“We’re inexperienced teenagers who just killed four of the government’s highly trained snipers. Now tell me why that couldn’t be any more hilarious!” They rolled their eyes. I took the remote off the table and switched to the news.

“Three snipers were found dead and one was found unconscious today in the Carson Mall,” a woman announced, “FBI are still trying to figure out why there was a shooting and who shot them; more news on that tonight.”

“You think they will find out we did it?” Belina asked.

“Probably, but we’ll end up innocent anyways. Don’t worry.”

“So much for a relaxing weekend,” Daniela complained.

“We still have tomorrow.” I didn’t even believe what I said and yet I still said it. I doubt tomorrow will be any easier.

*    *    *

It was Sunday. We all decided it was time to get another cell phone after yesterday’s incident. We inspected my Mercedes (which was becoming a habit), got in, and drove out to the phone store.

“Hello girls, how can I help you today?” the store owner asked. He seemed…metro-sexual.

“We need new phones…” Daniela said.

“Actually, do you have anything that will unblock a private or blocked number, or like a tracking device of some sort?” I cut in.

“Miss, this is not a spy shop…but, I think I do have something to your needs,” he pulled out a black sleek phone, “This phone will track down callers and messengers to their location. This phone is actually illegal, but I think I understand why a girl like you would need one.” I scanned through its features.

“How much?” I asked.

“A hundred…each.”

“I’ll take three.” The man handed me a black, white and red phone and in return, I handed him a check for three hundred dollars (Mom left her check book for me in case of emergencies). I signed some papers for minutes, text, and other features, and finally, I left.

“Thank you, come again!” he said.

“I call red!” Belina said.

“Black for me!” Daniela called.

“Then I guess I’m left with white.” It didn’t look bad or anything, it was just a bit…boring. Oh well. Having a phone was what mattered.

“Alright, whose house do we go to first?” I asked. Daniela raised her hand.

“Alright then, let’s go.”

*     *     *

After visiting Daniela’s and Belina’s parents, we headed back to my place. Night fell.

“Why don’t we test this phone out by calling David?” Belina suggested. I pulled my phone out and dialed his number. As the phone rang, a map was displayed and it zoomed in, moved left and right and finally a red dot was pointed out. It was moving along a road. David answered.

“Hello?”

“David? Hey, it’s Mirs.”

“Mirs!”

“Yeah. So what are you doing?” Belina and Daniela giggled quietly.

“Oh, I’m at home listening to the radio.” Music started playing in the background. What a liar.

“At home huh? Okay then, just called to check up on you. Bye!” I hung up quickly before he would start asking questions.

“I bet that caught him off guard!” Daniela laughed.

“Hopefully he doesn’t end up in a car accident from being so dazed,” I said. We sat on the couch, laughing our heads off. I looked at the phone again, watching where David was going. Huh. What was he doing in Utah? Suddenly, the light disappeared and my phone blinked “Area Restricted”. That’s weird.

“Please enter access code,” it said. I jumped from the sudden voice. Okay…I couldn’t do much with it. I saved the location in my phone and turned the map off. What was David doing?

“I’m going to text Conner,” Belina said. She sent a text and a map displayed. Funny thing, Conner was on the same street in Utah as David…

“Area restricted. Please enter access code,” her phone said. Huh.

“Let me text Sean,” Daniela said. The same thing happened on her phone. Had we been ripped off or were we not getting something here?

“Hey, Conner texted back. He said, ‘Sorry, busy right now. Talk to you later’,” Belina informed.

“Sean said the same thing too,” Daniela noted. Hmm.

“Let’s…” I shut their phones, “just enjoy the rest of the Sunday we have left, okay?” They nodded in agreement. Belina took the remote and switched on the TV.

“Turn to the news,” I said. She switched to Carson City News on channel five.

“In other news today, our most wanted serial rapist was apprehended a few minutes ago. Kyle Hawthorne, aged twenty-eight, has been on the run for five years. He was found in a motel room. The man tried to escape, but authorities caught him before he could…”

“Wow. What an idiot. How could a guy like him be called ‘America’s Most Wanted’?” I said.

“More like ‘America’s Most Stupid’,” Daniela corrected. Belina switched to a movie.

“Ooh! The Fast and the Furious is on!” she announced. It was an old favorite of ours. We watched it only because we loved the speed and the cars.

*     *     *

It was one in the morning when I woke up abruptly. I don’t know why. Was it because it was too quiet? Just then, a soft snore came from Belina. I chuckled softly and lay back down, staring at the ceiling, thinking.

Could Justin be the one who’s after me? What does he have to hide? How did I end up alive after that night? I pictured the incident in my head.

I was driving; I looked up, and saw a dark figure in the road. I turned to the right and saw nothing but trees, and then I shut my eyes.

Sounds…I heard rustling, my brakes screeching…but wait, I didn’t have my foot on the brakes, so how could they have been released? I opened my eyes when the sounds faded into silence and saw I was still on the road in one piece. My headlights were gleaming on Justin who had his hands up in the air as if he was trying to stop my car. He was breathing heavily, like he was tired or worn out, possibly scared. His eyes were no longer his beautiful green, but a silver color. When he saw how scared I was, they went green again and he ran off.

I fell asleep after that and woke up with the sun in my eyes. I looked around me and noticed Daniela and Belina were gone.

“Belina? Daniela?” I called. No answer. Suddenly, my phone buzzed on the table across from me. I looked at it.

Got a ride from Conner and Sean! We’ll see you at school! –Daniela and Belina

I sighed with relief, but then my eyes shot open in realization. Shoot! Justin’s the one! And Conner and Sean are on it too! I grabbed my keys and ran out the door to my car. I didn’t bother to check it again, but before I reached for the door handle, I remembered I forgot my cell phone on the couch. I ran back inside and grabbed it, but suddenly… I was flung backwards and hit the wall.

I groaned as I tried to stand up, coughing from all the smoke. My dad’s Mercedes had just blown up, along with half of our house.

“Damn it!” I screamed. How was I supposed to explain all this to my parents?

I ran outside to the street and to my surprise, a taxi cab passed by and stopped. I ran over to it. The window rolled down to where all I saw was the driver’s sunglasses.

“Need a ride?” he asked. Stupid enough, I got inside.

“Where to?”

“Carson High on Saliman Road, please,” I said.

“You got it miss.” He drove rather quickly and I didn’t notice something was wrong until he made a turn that went the opposite from my school.

“Umm…my school is that way…” I caught glance of an ID on the dashboard. The man in the picture was African American and this guy driving was…white.

“Shoot,” I said under my breath. He stopped the car and turned in his seat, pointing his gun at my head. My body went stiff.

“Hello Miranda,” he said, removing his glasses. I gasped. It was him, the serial rapist; Kyle Hawthorne.

“I’m surprised no one’s noticed your jailbreak yet,” I said, boldly.

“Well, people are stupid to think they can stop me.” He pulled back the safety and placed his finger on the trigger.

“I’m not going to die until I find out that Daniela and Belina are safe,” I thought.

“Hmm, you know, you’re fairly pretty,” he commented. The doors locked suddenly and Kyle pulled his gun away, turned in his seat more and leaped into the back with me.

“Such a waste,” Kyle said, placing his arm around me.

“Who sent you?” I asked.

“I would have sent myself if I had known you.”

“You’re not answering my question.”

“What does it matter?” he grinned and suddenly I was lip-locked with my killer. I couldn’t breathe and tried to remove myself, but my wrists were grasped tightly in his rough large hands.

“No,” I thought, “No!” I kicked my knee upward at him and he leaped back, avoiding the hit.

“Naughty,” he said. I growled and kicked him across his face. He flew towards the front seat as I jiggled the door handle. I heard a click and I was back at gunpoint.

“Now, will you cooperate?” he asked. I clenched my teeth. I could never forgive myself for the stupid thing I was about to do.

I turned quickly, took the gun in my hand and pointed it to the car door handle as Kyle tugged on it to get it back. One shot was all I needed…and I got it. Kyle’s finger had pulled on the trigger and the door opened. I gave on strong tug on his gun and pulled him outside of the car with me. We rolled on the dry dirt, pulling on the gun. He wouldn’t let go. I could hear police sirens in the distance.

“I like you; you’re feisty,” Kyle said. I kicked him across the face and dropped my leg on his arm. I heard a snap, then a scream of pain. I broke his arm and had the gun in my hand. I unloaded his gun, throwing the bullets in the bushes, walked over to Kyle who was on his knees.

“How’s that for feisty?” I said. I held Kyle’s gun tightly in my hand and hit him in the back of his head with it. He passed out. I dropped the gun onto the ground and took a deep breath. That was too much for me in a day.

I got in the taxi and drove to school. The police showed up just after I left.

“Please be okay,” I thought pulling into the parking lot. It was extremely quiet at the school. I guess the bell rang already …which means, I’m late! I ran up to the office, got a pass, and headed to my first class. But before I went inside, I stopped dead in my tracks.

“Justin’s in there,” I remember. I exhaled deeply and walked in slowly.

“Miss Evans! You are late! What’s your excuse?” Kaiser asked. I handed him the pass. My back was stinging. Justin’s eyes must have been piercing through my back, but when I turned to look he had an incomprehensible expression on his face. His eyes were green. I guess the back pain was from earlier today.

I walked over and sat down in front of him.

I was suffering in class. Time went by so slow, but when the bell rang, I darted out and bumped into Belina.

“Ow! Oh, hey Mirs!” she said. Daniela came up behind. I sighed with relief.

“Come on, we got to talk.” I dragged them both behind me into the bathroom.

“Not the bathroom again!” they complained. I looked back and noticed Justin, Sean, and Conner, staring back at us. I shoved Daniela and Belina inside. Quickly, I checked the stalls then went back to them.

“Guys; Justin’s the one!” I blurted out.

“Really? Aw…how sweet!” Belina said.

“I think she means he’s the one trying to kill her,” Daniela said.

“Oh. Really?”

“Yes! Sean and Conner are with him on this!” I said, feeling a bit relieved.

“Honestly Mirs, I believed you the first time, but now I don’t believe it. Mirs, it’s just a freak year…” Daniela started to say. My stress came back.

“No, it’s not! I can’t believe you guys! I nearly got raped and killed on my way to school!”

“What?!” Daniela and Belina shouted in unison. Had I finally awakened them?

“The Mercedes blew up along with half the house, Kyle turned out to be my taxi driver this morning, and he almost raped me!”

“Oh my God, Mirs…”

“I know, but that’s why I’m telling you now to be careful around Sean and Conner,” we stepped out of the bathroom, “you don’t know what they’re up to or capable of doing.” I looked up and went silent.

Right down the hall from us was Justin, Sean, and Conner. They must have ditched class; they were the only ones in the hall besides us. Suddenly, our eyes widened as we watched Justin make his cell phone hover in the air. They were laughing.

“Dude, I wish I could do that,” Sean commented. Justin smiled and looked up. Shoot. How could I just stand there, frozen and staring at him? I watched his turn from silver to green as Justin snatched his hovering phone and quickly slipped it into his pocket.

“How did you…” Belina started. I cupped my hand over her mouth. Oh boy. This isn’t good. They walked towards us.

“Shoot, run!” I said. I grabbed Daniela and Belina’s arm and we darted out to the courtyard. Justin and the guys followed us.

“What do we do and why are we running?!” Daniela demanded to know.

“That’s the thing! Listen, I saw Justin one night and he did something I wasn’t supposed to see. Now he’s going to kill us so there are no witnesses!” I explained. The guys were getting closer. “Come on!” Suddenly, the bell rang and a crowd of people rushed out, making it harder for us to get around.

“We have to get to the parking lot!” I said, still pulling them. And then, everything went black.

“Mirs! Mirs! Wake up! Hurry!” Belina pleaded. My eyes shot open and in front of me was Jacob.

“Mirs? Are you okay?” he asked. Jacob pulled me up to my feet.

“Jacob? Ugh, I don’t have time for this,” I took Daniela and Belina in my hands once again.

“Wait! What about us?!” he shouted.

“There is no us!” I shouted back. We arrived in the lot and came across the motorbike parking. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

We searched around the area for a box of spare keys. These bikes belonged to the Carson High’s Motocross team and from what I heard; the spare keys are somewhere nearby.

“Found them!” Belina shouted.

“Seriously?”

“No, it’s just a wrench,” she said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes and looked in the box.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Which key is it?” I asked. There were twenty of them.

“Hurry up and find out. They’re catching up with us!” Daniela warned. I had lost track of time. She climbed onto the bike. Belina and I threw keys at her as she tried each of them. We were down to the last five and Justin was thirty feet away from us. I tossed Daniela a key and the bike revved up. I hopped on behind her, but Belina was still on the ground as Daniela started to move away.

“Belina! Hurry!” I reached out for her hand and she took mine. I pulled her onto the seat behind me.

“Go, go!”  I shouted to Daniela; she lifted her foot off the ground and we rode off. I looked back and saw Justin hop onto a bike and hover his hand over it, and then two other ones. They revved up suddenly.

“How did he…” I thought. Justin was becoming stranger and stranger. He sped up and zoomed past us somehow. He was ahead of us by twenty feet. Daniela slammed on the brakes and we skidded towards Justin. She suddenly lost control of the direction we were headed. I looked at Justin who had his hand up in the air like the night of the incident, and somehow, that was affecting us. Our bike came up to him and continued to move. Justin grabbed my shoulder. I hit his hand off with my arm and swung my fist at his face. He dodged me and swung a punch back at me. I stuck my hand up to stop it but unexpectedly, my hand snapped to his. My eyes shot open at the way it felt. I pulled back on my hand and Daniela revved the bike. We sped off, losing them behind.

What just happened? My hand stuck to his like a magnet of some sort. What is he?

*     *     *

We were fifty miles from the border of Utah. I don’t know why we were going there, but anywhere was better than back there where the guys were. Suddenly, we passed an old Ford truck and standing next to it was David.

“Hey, pull over,” I said.

“But…” Daniela started.

“I know they’re close by, but I get the feeling David has something important to tell me.” She pulled off the road. I got up from the motorbike and walked back over to David. “You guys go ahead. I’ll find a way to meet up with you.”

“Are you sure?” Belina asked.

“Don’t worry.” Honestly, I felt that it was my fault all of this happened to them. At least they’ll be far and safe. I watched them drive off down the road.

“David, why are you here?” I asked.

“I need to talk to you about something…” he started.

“David, how many times do I have to say this? I don’t love you like that. I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is,” I said. He sighed.

“That’s not what I wanted to tell you…”

“I’m heading out to Utah,” I interrupted him, “There’s something up with Justin Moore. He’s got some weird superpowers; like he’s magnetic man, if there is such a thing,” I explained.

“Is he coming this way?”

“He should be…He’s been after me these past days, David. I just know it was him that set those car bombs and sent snipers and other criminals to kill us. It’s got to be him!”

“Why don’t you go catch up with Belina and Daniela?” David handed me the keys to his truck, “I can call someone to get me.”

“But in the meantime, Justin will see you and he’ll probably kill you too!” I said, “You have to come with me…” David pushed the keys into my hands.

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

“David…”

“Don’t worry.” He smiled, “Now go, before he gets here.” I hugged him quickly, and then ran over to his truck. “Be careful.”

“You too.” I stuck the key into the ignition, started the car, and drove back onto the highway to Utah. I looked at David in my rearview mirror. He was on his cell phone. I hope he’ll be okay…

*     *     *

I’ve been driving down this highway for two hours already and there was still no sign of my friends. My phone buzzed…

I have them with me. You will cross us soon.

Shoot.

I can’t believe how I got involved in this! First, I meet a new guy and have a major crush on him. Then I find out he’s got some weird ability and now, he has my friends as hostage. I passed a sign saying I was five miles from the border. When I reached the border of Utah, the first thing I noticed was an SUV; black, sleek, tinted windows; and next to it was a motorbike. I slowly pulled up towards it and put the truck on park. The door of the SUV opened and Justin stepped out. He walked up to my car and stopped ten feet away, waiting for me to come out, his arms folded across his chest. I slowly stepped out of the truck, never taking my eyes off him. Justin came up to me and grabbed me by the neck.

“Where are they?!” I demanded to know, but he didn’t speak. “Why are you doing this to me? No one else knows about your little secret except me and my two friends,” I told, but that still didn’t make him talk. “Will you please let them go?” No answer. I went mad. “Can you answer me?!” I yelled. He gripped my neck tighter.

“I can’t let you go like it was all just a misunderstanding. I can’t have witnesses; it’s my responsibility to get rid of them.” He finally spoke. I knew this was going nowhere, and so, I did what any friend would do.

“Then kill me if you must,” I said, “but let my friends go.” He blinked in shock. I guess he never expected anyone to say that just to protect their friends.

“It’s not that simple,” he sighed, “They’re witnesses too.”

“Please.” I gave him a hard look. I don’t know how long we were staring at each other, but he finally said the three words I was hoping to hear.

“Let them go.” I watched his two friends pull out my friends from their SUV, crying; pleading.

“No! Please don’t hurt her!” they said, but I ignored it; painful, but crucial. I stared back into his silver eyes, tearing up.

“I really am sorry to do this,” he said as he raised his gun and pointed it at my head, a foot away. Not a difficult shot to miss, unfortunately. I flinched to hear the sound of the safety being released. He placed his finger on the trigger and I slowly shut my eyes.

“Mirs! No! Please! Stop this!” my friends screamed. A tear slid down my cheek as I heard a click; then, a gunshot.

“Miranda!”

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