Chapter Twenty-nine

RIDING IN DEAN’S CAR, I felt as if I were in a haze. I rolled down the passenger window and let the cool night air hit my face. It reminded me I wasn’t dreaming. Dean and I drove in silence for a while.

“Thanks,” I said, finally finding my voice.

Dean nodded.

“I had a feeling he was bad news, so I asked my dad to stick around and step in if anything went crazy.”

“Crazy isn’t half of it. There’s a lot more to it than that,” I said.

Dean’s Dodge Intrepid gunned along Memorial Avenue almost as fast as I began to yammer, filling Dean in on everything that had happened up to Dr. Vance’s strange visit.

“Whoa, wait a second.” Dean turned the car stereo down to make sure he had heard me right. Keeping his eyes on the road and attention to traffic, he tried to straighten out the facts.

“Okay, so you’re saying there is something inside minds now? Could it just be a projection of themselves or something?”

I waved my hands as if I were an umpire for one of Dean’s games, calling a player safe.

“No, no, it’s definitely not them. It’s something else, wearing their skin.” I tried to think, but my head was blurry. “Man, I don’t know what happened. It was all so fast.”

I ran my hand through my hair, starting to question what I had seen. Dean changed lanes and turned on his signal to enter the mall’s parking lot.

“Hopefully Kate can figure it out,” I said, my thoughts moving into words.

“Kate knows?” Dean took his attention off traffic and looked at me.

“Uh, yeah. Sorry, I must have left that part out.”

“What did you tell her?”

“I told her everything,” I said simply.

Dean’s mouth was still ajar. “Everything, everything?”

I winced like I was going to get hit by a baseball bat and answered, “Yeah.”

Dean blew out a big breath of air and let his shoulders sag, his hand tightening on the steering wheel.

“Why didn’t you run this by me first?” he said, shaking his head. I hadn’t expected him to say that.

“I didn’t think I had to,” I said, turning a bit defensive.

Dean blew out another breath of frustration. “Okay. I guess that was your choice.” He sounded annoyed and strangely upset. I thought he’d give up then, but he pressed further. “Did she believe you?”

I nodded.

The Dodge slid into a parking space underneath a yellow industrial lamppost marked Row 8. Dean killed the ignition and leaned back in his seat, rubbing his face.

“This is heavy, man,” he said.

I released my seatbelt.

Dean was concerned, and I couldn’t tell if it was because I’d told Kate my secret or if he was still fuming about Dr. Vance.

“Tell me about it,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. I rolled up the window and grabbed for the door handle.

“Wait, Nolan.” Dean reached over and held me back. “Look, man, I heard what you were saying in the family room.”

I had figured as much. It was still fresh in my mind as well—even more reason I had to fill Dean in on everything.

“Whatever it takes, man,” he said. “I … I can get you help. You and I will figure this out.” His words were optimistic, but he sounded defeated by the information I’d just unloaded on him.

I immediately agreed, but I wanted to make it clear that I trusted Kate and added, “You mean the three of us.”

It was true. Now two people knew about my strange—heh, uncanny—power.

I was about to find out they weren’t the only ones.