Two Schools Out - Forever

by James Patterson

  Finally-here, at the back of the store. Electronics. Ari's heart sped up as his eyes darted past the rows of TVs, all tuned to the same station. Maybe thirty of them. It was so awesome. Ari could sit here all day, watching them. But that wasn't all. There were boom boxes, cool phones, Walkmans, MP3 players. It would be great to be able to listen to cool music all the time.

  Then he saw it. The huge Game Boy display. There were eight Game Boys, all different colors, cabled to a shelf. Next to them was a TV, and it was playing videos of all the different Game Boys, like, having adventures. The blue one was surfing, and the red one tried to break out through the TV, and the silver one got a tattoo. It was the coolest thing Ari had ever seen. He stood there, mesmerized, for a long time.

  "Uh, sir?"

  Ari turned and saw a salesman wearing a red vest.

  "Can I help you, sir? These babies are really hot. Can't keep 'em on the shelves. Would you care to see one?"

  "Yeah."

  The salesman blinked at the sound of Ari's gravelly, morph-roughed voice. But he regained his composure and managed a smile. "Certainly." He pulled a set of jingling keys from his pocket. "Now, what color would you like, sir? They all have their merits."

  "The red one." The one that had tried to break out of the TV.

  "I like this one too." The salesman unclipped the red Game Boy from its cable and handed it to Ari. "You'll see it has all the advanced features, including-hey, wait a minute, sir."

  Ari was already walking down the aisle toward the exit.

  "Sir-wait! You can't take that out of this department! If you want one, I have to ring it up for you!"

  His voice sounded like a gnat buzzing around Ari's head. Ari opened the Game Boy and pressed the on button. The screen flickered to bright, colorful life. He smiled.

  The salesman caught up with him and grabbed his arm. Ari shrugged him off easily. He thumbed through the menu and chose a game. Another man, larger, stood in front of him, arms crossed.

  "You're not going no-," he began, but Ari snapped out his fist and punched him without even looking. The man's breath left him in a whoosh and he doubled over.

  Ari walked right through the exit doors. Alarms sounded. A tinny voice said, "You have triggered our security system..." That was all Ari heard because he was out in the parking lot. His thumbs started working the controls. This was a good day. A favorite song popped into his head, and he started rapping under his breath about "a kid who refused to respect adults."

  Ari had his Game Boy. It was incredibly awesome. And he'd gotten it for himself. He didn't need anyone to give him stuff.

  He became vaguely aware of a ruckus behind him. Turning, he saw an unarmed rent-a-cop holding a billy club, and four store employees, vests almost as red as their faces. Ari sighed. They always had to make things difficult. Well, he could simple things up real fast.

  Whirling, he went for a full-out morph. As always, it was kind of uncomfortable, like getting pulled in all directions till his joints popped. His jaw elongated, his eyes yellowed, long, sharp canines pushed down through his gums. He raised his hairy, claw-tipped paws high, one of them incongruously holding a red Game Boy.

  "Arrgh!" He'd practiced this in the mirror, the raised claws, snarling muzzle, angry expression, the roar. It all came together in a terrifying, grotesque picture, and now it had the intended effect: Everyone stopped dead. They gasped in fright.

  Ari grinned, knowing how horrible he looked when he gave a morphy grin. He looked like a nightmare, like anyone's worst nightmare.

  "Arrgh!" he roared again, raising his claws higher.

  That did it. The employees scattered, and the rent-a-cop put a hand over his chest and turned pale.

  Ari laughed and loped out of the parking lot, waiting until he was out of sight to unfurl his heavy, awkward wings and take off.

  He loved his Game Boy.

  100

  That night we crashed in General Coffee State Park, not far from Douglas, Georgia. Fang and I scouted around for a few minutes and found a scooped-out indentation in the face of some limestone rock.

  "Not as good as a cave, but decent," Fang said.

  I looked at it and nodded. "This will keep us out of the wind, and it probably won't rain. Looks pretty clear." I turned to get the others, but Fang put his hand on my arm.

  "You okay?" he asked. "What happened back there at Anne's?"

  Just like that, it all came rushing back-my day. Being trapped in a school full of-enemies, teachers, Pruitt. Thinking Sam was an Eraser. Leaving Anne's house, knowing she was responsible for a lot of our situation.

  Suddenly I was exhausted. "It was pretty much business as usual." Which was the sad truth.

  "What's in Florida?" Fang asked. "Why does Angel want to go there?"

  "I don't know. Maybe just Disney World?" I looked at him. "You think it's something else?"

  He frowned, then shook his head. I noticed his hair was getting long again, growing out from his funky New York haircut. That seemed like a lifetime ago. "I don't know what to think," he said, "I'm tired of having to think about it, you know?"

  "I totally know," I said, rubbing my temples. "Finding our parents, figuring out the whole whitecoat thing. Me saving the world, and so on. I'm tired of all of it."

  Fang looked away for a moment. "I'm ready to forget all that stuff. Look what happened with Iggy. I don't even want to know at this point. I just want to quit running. I also miss having somewhere to make entries in the ol' blog. I really do."

  "Let's think about it, think about how we can do it. From Florida, we'd be in a good place to head out over the ocean, find some deserted island somewhere. We could do some research." The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a great idea. We would be safe. We could rest. We could relax on a beach and eat coconuts, and Angel could talk fish into committing suicide for our dinner. It would be heaven.

  And the fact that I was even entertaining this idea as a possibility only showed how pathetically desperate I was. And how out of touch with reality.

  101

  "Come on, one more time," Iggy wheedled.

  "No," said the Gasman.

  "One more time."

  "No. It's no fun. You always win, like, right away."

  Fang and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes. Those two had been at it all morning.

  "I guess Iggy feels okay again," I said out of the side of my mouth. Fang nodded. Iggy, of all of us, had faced the most disappointment lately. We'd actually found his parents: They were real. And they had turned out to be traitors, betrayers. All of Iggy's hopes and dreams about one day finding his parents and having them not care that he was blind and a recombinant life-form-they'd all come true. And then they'd all been torn away.

  It was much worse than for the rest of us, who hadn't even gotten close.

  Iggy had been silent and stoic since he'd come back to us, but now he had recovered enough to make Gazzy's life miserable, so I knew he was getting back to normal. I shifted Total in my arms and rolled my shoulders.

  "How long till we get to Florida?" Nudge asked. "Are we really going to Disney World? Do you think we'll see anyone famous? I want to go to the Swiss Family Treehouse. I want to see Beauty and the Beast and get their autographs. I want to see the Tree of Life-"

  I held up a hand. "Okay, hang on. I'm hoping we can go to Disney World, but we have to get down there first, check everything out. We just crossed the Georgia-Florida border, so-"

  "The ocean!" said Gazzy, pointing. Way to the east, we could see the dark gray-blue of seemingly endless water. "Can we go to the beach? Please? Just for a minute?"

  I thought about it. We'd had some really good times and some really bad times at beaches. "It's almost winter," I hedged.

  "But the water's not cold," Iggy said.

  I looked at Fang. He shrugged helpfully: my call.

  Max, you need to stay focused.

  My Voice. I'm... somewhat focused, I thought defensively. I could practically
hear the Voice sigh.

  If you're going to Florida, go to Florida, said the Voice. Pick a goal and follow it through. When you're saving the world, you can't exactly take commercial breaks.

  That did it.

  "Hey, guys, wanna go to the beach?" I called.

  "Yeah!" said Gazzy, punching one fist in the air.

  "Yes, yes," Angel said happily.

  "I'm up for it," said Total, in Fang's arms.

  Nudge and Iggy cheered.

  "Beach it is," I said, swerving in a graceful arc, heading east.

  Max, you're acting like a child, the Voice said. You're above rebelling against your fate just to rebel. You've got a date with destiny. Don't be late.

  I brushed some hair out of my eyes. Is that a movie quote? Or is it an actual date? I don't remember destiny asking me. I never even gave destiny my phone number.

  The Voice never displayed emotion, so I might have imagined the tense patience I heard. Max, sooner or later you have to take this seriously. If it was just your life, no one would care if you bothered. But we're talking about saving everyone's lives.

  For some reason that really stung. My jaw set. Shut up! I'm tired of you! Tired of my so-called destiny! I'm acting like a child because I am a child! Just leave me the hell alone!

  I felt tears forming in my eyes, which burned from the constant wind. I couldn't take this anymore. I'd been having a rare decent day, and now the Voice had ruined it, dropping the whole world onto my shoulders again.

  "Yo."

  I looked over to see Fang watching me. "You okay? Is this a headache?"

  I nodded and wiped my eyes, feeling like I was about to explode. "Yeah," I said. "A huge, freaking, unbearable headache!" I was practically shouting at the end, and five heads turned toward me. I had to get out of here. And, thanks to my supersonic power, I could, in the blink of an eye.

  102

  "See you at the beach," I muttered to Fang, and then I hunched my shoulders and poured on the speed. In seconds I had shot way past the flock, the wind making my eyes water more. It was funny, but going this fast almost made me want to put my arms out in front of me, like Superman, as if it would split the air out of my way or something.

  What the hey-no one could see me. I stretched my arms out in front, feeling like an arrow, a spear, slicing through heaven.

  I was at the beach in four minutes. I braked and slowed down, but not enough, and ended up running too fast through the sand and then tripping onto my face. Slowly I got up, spitting out sand, and brushed myself off. I was burning up and pulled off my sweatshirt.

  I had maybe twenty minutes till the rest of them came. I walked along the beach, keeping my wings out so they would cool off. I felt desperate and scared and angry. "I don't even know how to save the world," I said out loud, hating how pathetic I sounded.

  By existing, said the Voice. By being strong. By lasting.

  "Shut up!" I yelled, kicking a piece of driftwood so hard it practically flew out of sight.

  I'd had it, totally had it. No more. I ran to the water's edge and looked down at the sand. In moments I had found it-a piece of broken shell, sharp on one side.

  It was time for the chip to go. The Voice came from the chip, I was sure of it. No chip, no Voice inside my head that I couldn't get away from. I pressed my lips together hard and started sawing at my forearm, where I had seen the chip on an X-ray, three lifetimes ago, in Dr. Martinez's office.

  The first slice brought blood and a surprising amount of pain. I clenched my teeth harder and kept sawing. Blood ran down my arm. I would have to cut through tendons and muscles and veins to get to the chip. Dr. Martinez had said that if I tried to take it out, I could lose the use of my arm.

  Too bad.

  I heard skidding, running footsteps behind me, and then Fang was panting over me.

  "What the hell are you doing?" he shouted, and grabbed my wrist, smacking my hand to make me drop the piece of shell. "Are you crazy?"

  I glared at him, then saw the rest of the flock approaching slowly. I realized what they must be seeing: me kneeling on sand stained red with blood. I was beyond being upset.

  "Want the chip out," I said brokenly. I looked down, feeling a thousand years old. Just over a week ago, I'd been a fourteen-year-old girl on her first date, getting her first kiss. Now I was me again, a mutant freak running away from a fate that was closing around me like a net.

  "Look where you're cutting!" Fang snapped. "You're going to bleed to death, you idiot!" He threw my hand down and took off his backpack. In the next moment he was dumping antiseptic into my wound, making me wince.

  Nudge lowered herself to the sand next to me. "Max," she said, her eyes huge, "what were you doing?" She sounded horrified, shocked.

  "I wanted to get the chip out," I whispered.

  "Well, forget it!" Fang said angrily, now starting to bandage my arm. "The chip stays in. You don't get off that easy! You die when we die!"

  I looked up at him, his face pale with anger, his jaw tight. I had scared him. I had scared them all. I was supposed to be the solution, not the problem. I wasn't supposed to make things worse.

  "I'm sorry," I barely managed, and then-get this-I burst into tears.

  103

  I could count on one hand how many times these kids had seen me cry. I'd learned to swallow my feelings because they needed me to be strong. Invincible Max. Saving the world, one bird kid at a time. For the first six years of Angel's life, I don't think she saw me cry once. In the last few months? I was about to run out of fingers to count on.

  I didn't even have the strength to run off and hide. I just knelt in the sand, my hands over my face. My cut hurt like hell.

  Then strong arms were around me, a gentle hand was pressing me into a wiry, rock-hard shoulder. Fang. I pulled my wings in, leaned against him, and sobbed. Soon I felt other, tentative hands patting my back, stroking my hair. Someone said, "Shh, shh." Nudge.

  "It's okay, Max," Iggy said, sounding shaken. "Everything's okay."

  Nothing in our world was okay. Except that we had one another. I nodded into Fang's shoulder.

  I don't know how long this touching scene rolled on, but eventually my sobs gave way to shuddering breaths, and finally I was spent. Fang's shirt was soaked.

  I was so embarrassed. I was the leader, and here I was breaking down like a baby. How could I boss them around if I was so weak? I sniffled and sat back, knowing I must look like a train wreck. Fang let me go, not saying anything. Slowly I raised my eyes, turning slightly to see the flock. I was way too embarrassed to look at Fang.

  "Sorry, guys." My voice sounded rusty.

  Total came and rested his head on my leg, his black eyes sympathetic.

  The Gasman looked frightened. "We didn't have to go to the beach, Max."

  A sort of choking laugh left me, and I reached out to ruffle his hair. "It wasn't that, Gazzy. Just other stuff, getting to me."

  "Like what?" Iggy asked.

  I sighed heavily and wiped my eyes. "Stuff. The Voice in my head. Everyone chasing us. School. Anne. Ari. Jeb. They keep telling me I'm supposed to save the world, but how, and from what, I don't even know."

  Angel reached out and patted my knee. "From, you know, after everything gets blown up and most of the people are gone. We'll be stronger, and able to fly, so we can leave the blown-up parts and find some nice land that isn't blown up or contan-contama-"

  "Contaminated?" Iggy provided, and Angel nodded.

  "Yeah, that. Then we can keep on living, even if there are hardly any people left."

  104

  There was silence after this little bombshell. I stared at Angel.

  "Uh... where did you hear that, sweetie?" I asked.

  Angel sat back on her heels and trailed her fingers through the cool sand. "At the School. I wasn't supposed to hear it, but that's what they thought." She sounded nonchalant and started digging out a moat for a sand castle.

  "Who's going to blow up the world?" the Gasman asked
indignantly.

  Angel shrugged. "Lots of people can-they have big bombs. Countries and stuff. But the people at the School kept thinking it would be just one company, a business company. They think it's going to blow up the world, mostly. Maybe even by accident."

  Well, this was an interesting turn of events.

  "And what company was that?" I asked.

  Angel looked off into the distance, frowning. "Don't remember," she said. "Like, the name of a deer or something. A gazelle. Can I go swim?"

  "Uh, sure," I said faintly.

  Happily pulling her swimsuit out of her backpack, Angel raced Total down to the water. Within seconds he came trotting back, shaking his fur. "That water's freezing," he said. He raised his nose, sniffed the air, then headed off to investigate some rocks.

  Gazzy, after a nod from me, also ran down to the water, shedding clothes. Nudge and Iggy moved over to sit on a big rock. They fished around in their backpacks and pulled out some protein bars.

  "So, huh?" I said to Fang when the others were gone.

  He shook his head, stuffing the remaining bandages back into his pack. "Yeah. Surprise."

  "How long has she been sitting on this? Why hasn't it come up before?"

  "Because she's six and more concerned with her stuffed bear and her dog? I don't know. Plus, we don't even know if she understood what she heard. There's a chance she got it wrong."

  I thought for a moment. "Even if aspects of it are wrong, I don't see how she could misunderstand the whole blowing-up-the-world concept. And the fact that we were designed to outlast a catastrophe. It fits in with what Jeb keeps telling me."

  Fang let out a breath. "So what now?"

  "I don't know. I need to think."

  We were silent for a while. My arm was throbbing.

  "So what was that about?" Fang said finally.

  I couldn't pretend to not know what he was talking about. "I'm just-really tired. The Voice was ragging on me about my destiny and how I have to get on the stick about saving the world. It just feels like too much sometimes." I never would have admitted that to the others. Sure, I could tell them that things were getting to me, but let them know I wasn't sure I could handle it? No way.