Darius scurries between the cars in the parking lot. He cannot find Noah anywhere. Panic consumes him, and he feels a tightness in his chest. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Darius rushes at a random car and yells at its driver.
“Get out!”
“No way,” the driver says.
Darius smashes his foot against the door handle over and over until the handle snaps off and the door opens.
Darius grabs the driver by the throat and drags him out of the car. A few of the other drivers look on in disbelief, but no one wants to be a hero.
Darius throws the driver to the ground and rips the keys from his pocket.
He jumps into the car and fumbles to start it. He’s never driven a car — he’s only watched Drivers start an engine. As he stalls it a few times, some of the other drivers come out of the woodwork to throw futile words at the teenager.
The engine turns, and Darius takes off on a crash course through Zalmon. He knocks down picket fences, rips up turf, and bangs into medians.
Until he arrives at his house.
He parks diagonally in his driveway, gets out, and whips up his walkway. He startles Priya, who is on his couch.
Mahlah is up in her room.
“We gotta go!” Darius yells at the top of his lungs. His adrenaline leaves no room for normalcy. He wants to tell them everything, but not here, not like this.
Priya huddles into herself and pulls a blanket up to her chin.
“Now!” Darius is angry that no one seems to be listening or taking him seriously.
Mahlah flies down the stairs.
“Go grab yourself some clothes,” Darius orders. “Meet me in the car.”
Mahlah has never seen her brother so dead serious. She does as she’s told.
Priya, on the other hand, doesn’t move.
“I’m not messing around, Priya. They’re on to me. They’ll be on to you!”
“Me? Why me?” Priya gasps.
Darius lowers his voice, afraid Mahlah will hear. “Because you saw my mother die, and you and I both know that wasn’t a Natural Death. Stop being so naive, please! I can take us someplace safe.”
“I’m not naive, and I’m not going!”
Darius can see equal parts ferocity and fear in Priya’s eyes. He tries to calm himself. “I want you …,” he says. “I want you with me.”
“I’m only here because I wanted to know that you’re okay,” says Priya. “I know it now. Well, okay is an overstatement, but … I’m leaving now.”
“They’ll kill you.”
Mahlah is downstairs now, behind him. Darius grabs her arm — she jumps. Darius leads them outside but turns once more to Priya.
Who just shakes her head.
Darius and Mahlah run to the stolen car in the driveway and peel away at breakneck speed.
Back home, Priya tosses and turns in her own bed. She cannot stop the thoughts from running rampant in her mind. She’s normally a great sleeper who easily surrenders to slumber, but these days? No way.
There is a knock on her bedroom door. Priya freezes.
“Can I come in?” It’s her mother, Priscilla.
She doesn’t answer.
“Priya? There are two men outside who need to see you about a matter.”
Priya shoots upright. She isn’t sure what to do or say. “Tell them I’m out, Mom.”
“They would never believe that.” She laughs. “It’s well past curfew.”
“Well, just tell them anyway!” Priya shouts.
“What’s wrong? Who are they?”
“Tell them!” Priya insists. “If it’s so important, they’ll leave me a message.”
Priya waits for her mother to make her way back down the stairs before she bolts to her bedroom window and peeks out to watch the two men retreat to their car and pull away.
Priscilla is back outside Priya’s room. “There was no message,” she says. “Can I come in?”
Priya opens the door.
“They just needed to ask you some questions.”
Priya tries to shrug it off, but Priscilla notes the trembling of her daughter’s hands.
“What pressed you to lie to them? Tell me what’s going on.”
“It’s not important.”
“They sure looked important, Priya.”
Priya sits back down on her bed, and the tears start flowing.
Priscilla walks over to her and taps her on the arm. “It’s about that boy, isn’t it? The one from the grocery store.”
Priya shrugs.
Priscilla gets the hint. “I’m here for you, Priya.” She turns to go but pauses to say, “For advice you won’t find in the Book.”
As soon as her mother closes the door behind her, Priya whips on warmer clothes and escapes out her window.