The Flight of the Silvers (Silvers #1)(96)

Theo saw David’s eyes narrow to a cool squint. The dark demon smiled. The boy doesn’t like you. He sees you for the burden you are. You think he’s the only one?

“Looks like we’re split down the middle on this,” Amanda said.

David chucked a hand in frustration. “You guys can do what you want. If I have to go to New York alone, I will.”

“Hey, come on . . .”

“David!”

Zack raised his palms. “Okay. Stop. We’ve had enough drama for one day. Can we just agree in the short term that we need to get the hell away from California?” His posit was greeted with soft nods. “Good. Then we can all keep going northeast. Maybe Mia will get more info along the way. Maybe we’ll dig up our own. The point is that we have days to decide.”

Everyone tensed up as the sound of police sirens filtered in from the street. The Silvers sat motionless, fingers extended, until the noise faded away.

Zack sighed exhaustedly. “We also have more pressing concerns.”

Mia’s older self had succinctly explained the scope of their legal problems.

It’s not the cops you need to worry about. It’s the Deps. DP-9 is the federal agency that handles temporic crimes, and they’re very good. They already know what we look like and what some of us can do. They’re extremely eager to meet us, especially Amanda.

The news had caused five stomachs to drop, and sent Amanda to the bathroom with dry heaves. But the warning came bundled with advice, three simple rules for avoiding detection:

1. Stay away from civic cameras. That means no hospitals, no bank machines, and no public transportation of any kind. They’re all heavily monitored. You will get spotted.

2. Don’t get friendly with the locals. The more you talk, the more you expose yourself as foreigners. They do not like foreigners here.

3. No public displays of weirdness, ever. Keep your talents hidden. Even if you think no one’s looking, assume they are. It’s the only way you’ll make it to New York.

David lurched forward in bed, matching Mia’s prone position. He playfully brushed her shoulder.

“Thanks to our invaluable messenger here, we have nearly everything we need to keep ahead of the federal agents. The one thing we’re missing is transport. If we can’t take buses or trains, then we’ll have to acquire a car.”

Amanda eyed him sharply. “I hope you’re not talking about stealing one.”

“I am, actually. Is your objection moral or practical?”

“Both,” she said.

“For the moral objection, I assume they have auto insurance on this world. Anyone we steal from will be reimbursed.”

“Yes, and I assume they have LoJack on this world, or some other high-tech system that makes it easy to track stolen cars. Are you really that eager for another police chase?”

“Well, that’s the practical objection, but—”

David stopped at the sound of Theo’s dark chuckle. For a moment, the boy’s expression turned so cold that Mia felt the unprecedented urge to move away from him.

“I was about to say that we could target an older vehicle, one less likely to have a tracking device. But by all means, Theo, go ahead and mock me. At least I’m offering options.”

“I’m not mocking you, David.”

“Then why were you laughing?”

Theo couldn’t safely answer that question either. He remembered what it was like to be sixteen and fearless. He remembered the false security his own brilliance afforded him. Now, at twenty-three, it was far too soon to play the role of the hardened old crank. And yet here he was, chuckling at David’s impertinence, fighting the urge to say, “Boy, it ain’t that easy.”

“I was mocking myself. But for what it’s worth, you’re right that we need wheels. We’re going to hit desert soon. That won’t be fun to walk.”

Zack continued his memory sketch of Evan Rander. “As long as we bring enough water and don’t pray to any golden calves, we’ll make it through the desert. I’m more concerned about the financials. Fifteen hundred isn’t enough to get us across the country.”

“You don’t think so?” Amanda asked. “I mean we’re stocked up on supplies now. If we’re careful—”

“If there’s one thing I learned today, it’s that ‘cheap’ times six equals ‘expensive.’ Unless Future Mia fronts us another loan, we’ll have to come up with more.”

“I’m not so sure.”

Theo shook his head. “No, Zack’s right. It’s not enough money to get to Brooklyn.”

Hannah leered at him with sudden puzzlement. He caught her hot stare. “What?”

“You said that before.”

“Excuse me?”

“That thing you just said. You used those exact words back in the van.”

Now it was Theo’s turn to become baffled. “I don’t recall saying that.”

“I don’t recall him saying that either,” David attested. “I was there the whole time.”

“No. I don’t mean the van today. I mean six weeks ago. When I first met you.”

In the wake of everyone’s dumbfounded looks, Hannah bared her palms. “I’m not making this up! We were on our way to Terra Vista. You’d fallen asleep. And then suddenly you mumbled, ‘He’s right.’ I said, ‘Who’s right?’ and you said, ‘Zack. He’s right. It’s not enough money to get to Brooklyn.’ Then your nose got all bloody and you fell into your coma.”