‘It’s OK, it’s OK, I’ve got you,’ Sam whispered.
‘What? Where am I?’ Gabriella stammered. She looked up and was shocked to see she was still in her house. Her memory came back in a rush, ‘That machine—I was back in the dream I had days ago? It was a nightmare.’
‘You did well,’ Sam said, trying to soothe her nerves. Her face was flushed red and beaded with sweat. ‘It can be very unnerving to use the machine, but we learnt a lot from it. You saw which book we need, right?’
‘I did, and which library too,’ Gabriella said, before the reason for her panic came rushing back, ‘but there was a man! And we were trying to get away from him … and you—’ she faltered. ‘I couldn’t find you and then he was there, hurting me, and I was alone …’
‘Sam, time to get moving,’ Lora’s voice cautioned over the phone. ‘You guys are making great progress but you’re outstaying your welcome.’
Sam replied, ‘On our way.’
‘What does your friend say?’ Gabriella smiled weakly, the colour starting to return to her face as she tried to loosen the nightmare’s grip.
‘Our friend, Lora, says it’s time to go,’ Sam said, pocketing his phone. He walked out onto the small balcony and peered over. Below on the patio stood a birthday cake, a model of the Tower of Pisa, almost two metres tall. Guests still milled about, laughing and dancing to the Europop music down below. It looked like a bigger drop than he’d seen in his dream.
Well, I guess any paparazzi watching are about to get a photo that’ll sell millions of magazines.
‘That’s nearly a full-size replica,’ Sam said, pointing to the cake.
‘I grew up in Pisa,’ Gabriella said, as she joined him on the balcony.
‘We need to go,’ Sam said.
‘Where to?’ Gabriella said.
‘Someplace safe. Tell me, is that cake made of sponge?’ Sam said.
‘Yes, I think so. Why?’
‘Ah, well …’
Might be a softer landing than the one I dreamed.
‘Sam, we are safe here, I’ve got gates and cameras, and security.’
‘No,’ Sam said, shaking his head. ‘We have to leave in your red Ferrari.’
‘I don’t have a Ferrari.’
‘Maserati?’ Sam asked.
‘I have a scooter,’ Gabriella offered.
Sam was stunned. ‘Maybe your dad has a car here?’
‘No car, just the record company limo, but it’s probably gone.’
‘Right,’ he said. ‘Scooter it is then.’
‘Now?’
‘Did I not mention the part about the bad guys storming the room at any moment?’ Sam said.
‘And now I’m wondering why you didn’t start with the part about the bad guys storming the room!’ Gabriella complained.
Sam shrugged. ‘Sorry. Ready?’
‘Can I pack a bag?’
Sam hesitated. Pack a bag—is she serious?
‘No, sorry, we have to leave here right—’
SMASH!
‘—now!’
Two massive guys burst into the room. Her security guards, right on cue.
‘What is it?’ she screamed at them.
‘Security breach,’ the biggest guy said. ‘We have to get you to a safe—’
Before he could finish, he and his comrade slumped forwards, several small darts spiked into their backs.
‘We have to jump!’ Sam said. He took Gabriella by the arm and they leapt as the Enterprise Agents stormed the room.
He could hear the startled cries of guests as they fell, landing squarely in the cake, sending it flying in all directions.
‘They’re here!’ Sam shouted into his phone mic as he struggled to get out of the mass of iced sponge cake. He found Gabriella’s wrist and looked around to get his bearings. Up at the balcony he saw the Agents trying to get a clear aim at them.
Gabriella fended off the helping hands of a dozen partygoers. Amid the confusion, people didn’t know whether to call for help or give a round of applause.
‘Hurry!’ Sam said, dragging Gabriella to her feet and running under the cover of the terrace as the Enterprise Agents sent more darts fizzing through the air around them. The now-scattering guests shouted out in surprise and fear.
THUMP! THUMP!
Two darts smashed into the pavement right where they’d just been.
‘We need to get outta here fast!’
‘OK—follow me!’ she yelled.
‘Come on!’ Gabriella said, going straight to her scooter as they ran into the dark garage.
The garage was in shadow but for a small spotlight on something big and covered in wrapping paper.
‘Look!’ Sam said, pointing to the present, which had the unmistakable shape of—
‘A Maserati! No wonder I dreamed about driving,’ Gabriella said, running over to it and pulling off the bow-wrapped car cover to reveal the gleaming red sports car underneath. A small birthday card was tucked under a windscreen wiper. ‘It’s from my father! Oh, that’s so sweet …’
‘You’re reading the card?’ Sam said. ‘We have to move!’
Even though he was prepared, Sam’s fingernails still dug into the dashboard of the sports car as Gabriella tore out of the garage and merged with the Rome traffic in a cloud of burning rubber.
‘You have driven one of these before, right?’ Sam asked.
‘One of these?’ Gabriella replied, flicking the steering wheel as she sent the car sliding sideways through the traffic and made a wide turn around the Colosseum. ‘I have never driven any car before!’
‘Lora!’ Sam said into his phone. He looked over his shoulder. ‘Yes, I see you—look out behind you!’
Behind Lora and Eva’s car and the Guardians’ motorbikes hard behind them, there were four blacked-out vehicles—the Enterprise. He saw Lora pull away hard to avoid an impact.
Oh no!
‘Get down!’ Sam yelled at Gabriella, the two of them sinking low in their seats as an Enterprise car bumped in hard behind them.
‘Hey!’ Gabriella cried out, looking over her shoulder with a furious expression.
‘Watch the road!’ Sam said, and they swerved to miss an oncoming taxi.
A loud noise and mess of glass exploded in the car—the rear-window had been shot out by their pursuers.
‘I thought you said they used dart guns! Who are these guys?’ Sam said into his phone. He couldn’t make out the reply as he watched his friends’ car careen fast across the road and ram against one of the Enterprise vehicles.
‘Yes!’ Sam yelled in momentary triumph.
Gabriella expertly down-shifted, swerved, and manoeuvred to avoid a collision, still with three Enterprise cars hot on their tail.
Sam, impressed with the manoeuvre, said, ‘You’ve never driven?’
‘I play racing games,’ Gabriella shrugged.
‘I said they’re shooting at the tyres, trying to slow you down,’ Lora said, her voice sounding determined and calm over his earpiece.
‘Well, they’ve got terrible aim!’ Sam yelled.
‘Where are you headed?’ Lora replied.
‘Hang on,’ Sam replied into the mic, then to Gabriella, ‘Do you know where you’re going?’
Gabriella flew through the gears, the Maserati roaring, then she pulled the handbrake and they slid around a tight corner into a one-way street. Cars beeped and pulled out of the way as she threaded the needle.
‘Si! Yes!’ she said loudly over the toots and screams from the rest of Rome, her voice calm despite the vehicles still chasing them. ‘I know where that book is kept. The one we need. We are going there now!’