Gone (Gone #1)(62)

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 real zed 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 certifcate, where it has lather'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 ^eal 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"

"YouYe not interested in any of :his?"

Sam sighed. "I'm interested in what's going on. Why the FAYZ happened. How we make it s:op, 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,"Comeon, Caine-Get on with it" Caine smirked/* fm 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 teleport-ing?"

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 tdeporting was Taylor up at Coates. And she could only go across a room. She was a three. If this kid can teleport himself and liis sister through walls.. "

"He could be a four" Caine said softly.

"Yes," Diana said. "He could be a four" When she said the word "four" she looked straight at Sam. "He could be even more."

Caine said, "Ore, Howard: lock Sam up, tie him down so he can't get that Mylar off his hands, then get Freddie to help you. He's done plastering before, he knows what to do. Get whatever you need from the hardware store" He grabbed Drake by the shoulder. "Find Astrid and thai kid."

"How am I going to catch them if they can just zap out whenever they want?"

"I didn't say catch them " Caine said. "Take a gun, Drake. Shoot them both before they see you "

Sam charged ai Caine and plowed into him before he could react. The momentum carried them both to the floor. Sam headbutted Caine in the nose. Caine was slow to recover, but Drake and Ore swarmed over Sam and kicked him off Caine.

Sam groaned in pain. "You can't kill people, Caine. Are you crazy?"

"You hurl my nose," Caine said.

"You're screwed up, Caine. You need help. YouVe insane" "Yeah," Caine said, touching his nose and wincing at ihe pain. "That's what they keep telling me. It's what Nurse Temple . . Mom .. told me. Just be glad I need to keep you around, Sam. I need to see you blink out, figure out how to keep it from happening to me. Ore, take this hero away Drake: go"