Chasing Power (Hidden Talents) Read Online Free PDF Page A

he said, “Stone was about to kill you, remember?”
    “I’m sorry, it all tends to boil down to the same crazy,” Sam said. “This is the last time I ask nicely.  Let.  Me.  Out.”
    “Did she ever ask nicely?”  Al said, looking over at Lane.  Lane shook his head.
    “Fine.”  Desperate times called for desperate measures.  Unbuckling her seatbelt, Sam whipped opened the car door and looked out at the whirring pavement below.  Her breath caught.  God.  This was going to be harder than she thought.  But better to critically injure herself now, where she might get help, then be murdered somewhere in the middle of nowhere later.  Right?  Right?  Somewhere between her brain’s orders to “jump” and her body’s response her gut kicked in and she hesitated.
    Two pudgy, but still strong, arms latched around her stomach: “Don’t do it!” 
    Air rushed into the vehicle at seventy miles per hour. Sam’s long hair whipped back, stinging her face, mouth, and eyes as she tried to push the door open.  Grunting, Harry worked against her, pulling on the door handle while struggling to maintain his grip around her middle.  Using her index and middle fingers, Sam hooked his nostrils and yanked upwards, using her other hand to push him away. “OW!” he yelled, “OW OW OW!  THAT HURTS!”
      Sam responded by kneeing him in the groin.  He started crying, but stubbornly held on.  Damn, that fat kid had determination!
    “ Shut the door !”
    Accompanying the command came an abrupt decrease in acceleration.  Without a seatbelt, Samantha flew forward, slamming into the back of the passenger seat, sliding with a thump onto the car floor.  Harry undid his own seatbelt, crawled across the seat, and pulled the still open door shut.  Sam started to get up, but that deceptive calm returned, easing through her like warm molasses.  Relaxing, she melted against the car floor.
    The locks slid into place with a “thunk” as the car sped up again.  Shoot.  There went her chance.  She knew she should be upset, but upset was buried under a mountain of unfamiliar contentment.  The carpet on the car floor was comfy, scratchy against her chin.  Someday , Sam thought, I’ll figure out how he’s doing that and make sure he stops.  But for now, I think I’ll just lie down here.  Lying down isn’t bad.
    Up front, Lane cleared his throat: “Why don’t you buckle your seatbelt and we’ll explain everything like civilized folks.”
    Samantha pulled herself back onto the car seat, buckling up.  Harry huddled in the corner opposite, gingerly touching his nose and looking at her like a wounded puppy.
    Fine , Sam thought, I don’t care.  Anyone would have done the same in my situation.   She crossed her arms, turning away.  Stubbornness was the only thing maintaining her indignation now.  That warm molasses feeling still fought to overwhelm her.
    “All right,” Sam said, “Explain.”
    “Look,” Lane said, “I couldn’t take you to the police because the police can’t help you.  They have no defense against people like Stone.”
    “You mean well-dressed?” Her inner smart aleck was still alive and kicking, at least.
    ”No, I mean, Talents—uh, people with special abilities.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “Were you still conscious when Stone used telekinesis to slam you into the wall?  Or were you already out of it?  That’s what I mean by ‘special’.”
    Samantha declined a response.
    “Or like what you did with the bus!” Al said. “Ohmigod that was totally special.  Beyond special.  I haven’t seen TK like that in, like, my whole entire life.”
    Sam gave Al a bewildered look, “Are you talking about the bus crash?  Because that had nothing to do with me.  That was just luck.”  Bad luck getting in the bus.  Good luck surviving.
    “Right, you had nothing to do with that,” Al said, still chattering, “That’s why you blacked out.  That’s why you’ve been having