“Yeah, that was cool,” Sam said with shaky defiance. “Can you do it again?”
“He’s baiting you.” It was Diana coming into the room and obviously not happy with what she was seeing.
“He’s trying to prove he’s tough,” Caine snapped.
“Yes. And he’s proved it. Move on.”
“Watch how you talk to me, Diana,” Caine grated.
Diana sauntered over to stand beside Caine. She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head at Sam in mock dismay. “Well, you look pretty bad, Sam.”
“He’ll look worse,” Caine threatened.
Diana sighed. “Here’s the deal, Sam. Caine wants some answers from you.”
“Why not ask Quinn?”
“Because he doesn’t know the answers, but you do, so here’s the thing: if you don’t answer Fearless Leader’s questions, Drake is going to start beating on Astrid. And just so you know: Drake is sick in the head. I’m not saying that to scare you, I’m saying it because it’s true. I’m a bad girl, Caine has delusions of grandeur, but Drake is flat-out sick in the head. He could kill her, Sam. And he’s going to start up in five minutes unless I go back and tell him not to. So, tick-tock.”
Sam swallowed blood and bile. “What questions?”
Diana rolled her eyes and turned to Caine. “See how easy that was?”
Amazingly, Caine took it from Diana. No threats, no attack on her, just seething and resentment and acceptance.
He’s in love with her, Sam realized with a shock. The times he had seen them together there had never been any outward sign of affection, but there was no other possible answer.
Caine said, “Tell me about your father.”
Sam shrugged, a painful move that made him wince. “He wasn’t a part of my life. All I know is, my mom didn’t like talking about him.”
“Your mother. Nurse Temple.”
“Yeah.”
“The name on your birth certificate, where it has father’s name? It says ‘Taegan Smith.’”
“Okay.”
“Taegan. A very unusual name. Very rare.”
“So what?”
“Whereas ‘Smith’ is really common. It’s a name a man might use who wanted to hide his real name.”
“Look, I’m answering your questions, let Astrid go.”
“Taegan,” Caine repeated. “Right there on the birth certificate. Mother: Constance Temple. Father: Taegan Smith. Date of birth: November the twenty-second. Time of birth: ten twelve P.M. Sierra Vista Regional Medical.”
“So now you can do my horoscope.”
“You’re not interested in any of this?”
Sam sighed. “I’m interested in what’s going on. Why the FAYZ happened. How we make it stop, or else how we escape from it. On the big list of things to worry about, my biological father, who I never knew, who wasn’t anything to me, is way down that list.”
“You bug out in five days, Sam. Interested in that?”
“Let Astrid go.”
Diana said, “Come on, Caine. Get on with it.”
Caine smirked. “I’m very interested in the question of disappearing. You know why? Because I don’t want to die. And I don’t want to suddenly find myself back in the world. I like it here in the FAYZ.”
“Is that what you think happens? We jump back into the world?”
“I’m asking the questions,” Caine snapped.
“Let Astrid go.”
“The point is,” Caine continued, “you and I share something in common, Sam. We were born just three minutes apart.”
Sam felt a tingle go up his spine.
“Three minutes,” Caine said, moving closer. “You go first. And then me.”
“No,” Sam said. “It can’t be.”
“It can,” Caine said. “It is. And you are…brother.”
The door burst open. Drake Merwin barreled into the room. He was looking for something. “Is she here?”
“Who?” Diana demanded.
“Who do you think? The blonde and her retard brother.”
“You let her get away?” Caine demanded, forgetting Sam for the moment.
“I didn’t let her get away. They were in the room with me. The girl was pissing me off so I smacked her. Then they disappeared. Gone.”
Caine shot a murderous look at Diana. Diana said, “No. She was months away from turning fifteen. And, anyway, her little brother is four.”
“Then how?” Caine furrowed his brow. “Can it be the power?”
Diana shook her head. “I read Astrid again on the way here. She’s barely at two bars. No way. Two people teleporting?”
The color drained from Caine’s face. “The retard?”
“He’s autistic, he’s like in his own world,” Diana protested.
“Did you read him?”
“He’s a little autistic kid, why would I read him?”
Caine turned to Sam. “What do you know about this?” He raised his hand, a threat. His face inches from Sam’s, he screamed, “What do you know?”
“Well. I know that I enjoy seeing you scared, Caine.”
The invisible fist sent Sam sprawling on his back.
Diana, for the first time, looked worried. Her usual smirk was gone. “The only time we saw teleporting was Taylor up at Coates. And she could only go across a room. She was a three. If this kid can teleport himself and his sister through walls…”
“He’s baiting you.” It was Diana coming into the room and obviously not happy with what she was seeing.
“He’s trying to prove he’s tough,” Caine snapped.
“Yes. And he’s proved it. Move on.”
“Watch how you talk to me, Diana,” Caine grated.
Diana sauntered over to stand beside Caine. She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head at Sam in mock dismay. “Well, you look pretty bad, Sam.”
“He’ll look worse,” Caine threatened.
Diana sighed. “Here’s the deal, Sam. Caine wants some answers from you.”
“Why not ask Quinn?”
“Because he doesn’t know the answers, but you do, so here’s the thing: if you don’t answer Fearless Leader’s questions, Drake is going to start beating on Astrid. And just so you know: Drake is sick in the head. I’m not saying that to scare you, I’m saying it because it’s true. I’m a bad girl, Caine has delusions of grandeur, but Drake is flat-out sick in the head. He could kill her, Sam. And he’s going to start up in five minutes unless I go back and tell him not to. So, tick-tock.”
Sam swallowed blood and bile. “What questions?”
Diana rolled her eyes and turned to Caine. “See how easy that was?”
Amazingly, Caine took it from Diana. No threats, no attack on her, just seething and resentment and acceptance.
He’s in love with her, Sam realized with a shock. The times he had seen them together there had never been any outward sign of affection, but there was no other possible answer.
Caine said, “Tell me about your father.”
Sam shrugged, a painful move that made him wince. “He wasn’t a part of my life. All I know is, my mom didn’t like talking about him.”
“Your mother. Nurse Temple.”
“Yeah.”
“The name on your birth certificate, where it has father’s name? It says ‘Taegan Smith.’”
“Okay.”
“Taegan. A very unusual name. Very rare.”
“So what?”
“Whereas ‘Smith’ is really common. It’s a name a man might use who wanted to hide his real name.”
“Look, I’m answering your questions, let Astrid go.”
“Taegan,” Caine repeated. “Right there on the birth certificate. Mother: Constance Temple. Father: Taegan Smith. Date of birth: November the twenty-second. Time of birth: ten twelve P.M. Sierra Vista Regional Medical.”
“So now you can do my horoscope.”
“You’re not interested in any of this?”
Sam sighed. “I’m interested in what’s going on. Why the FAYZ happened. How we make it stop, or else how we escape from it. On the big list of things to worry about, my biological father, who I never knew, who wasn’t anything to me, is way down that list.”
“You bug out in five days, Sam. Interested in that?”
“Let Astrid go.”
Diana said, “Come on, Caine. Get on with it.”
Caine smirked. “I’m very interested in the question of disappearing. You know why? Because I don’t want to die. And I don’t want to suddenly find myself back in the world. I like it here in the FAYZ.”
“Is that what you think happens? We jump back into the world?”
“I’m asking the questions,” Caine snapped.
“Let Astrid go.”
“The point is,” Caine continued, “you and I share something in common, Sam. We were born just three minutes apart.”
Sam felt a tingle go up his spine.
“Three minutes,” Caine said, moving closer. “You go first. And then me.”
“No,” Sam said. “It can’t be.”
“It can,” Caine said. “It is. And you are…brother.”
The door burst open. Drake Merwin barreled into the room. He was looking for something. “Is she here?”
“Who?” Diana demanded.
“Who do you think? The blonde and her retard brother.”
“You let her get away?” Caine demanded, forgetting Sam for the moment.
“I didn’t let her get away. They were in the room with me. The girl was pissing me off so I smacked her. Then they disappeared. Gone.”
Caine shot a murderous look at Diana. Diana said, “No. She was months away from turning fifteen. And, anyway, her little brother is four.”
“Then how?” Caine furrowed his brow. “Can it be the power?”
Diana shook her head. “I read Astrid again on the way here. She’s barely at two bars. No way. Two people teleporting?”
The color drained from Caine’s face. “The retard?”
“He’s autistic, he’s like in his own world,” Diana protested.
“Did you read him?”
“He’s a little autistic kid, why would I read him?”
Caine turned to Sam. “What do you know about this?” He raised his hand, a threat. His face inches from Sam’s, he screamed, “What do you know?”
“Well. I know that I enjoy seeing you scared, Caine.”
The invisible fist sent Sam sprawling on his back.
Diana, for the first time, looked worried. Her usual smirk was gone. “The only time we saw teleporting was Taylor up at Coates. And she could only go across a room. She was a three. If this kid can teleport himself and his sister through walls…”
