Forgotten (Reject High: A Young Adult Science Fiction Series Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

cops through the front door. They were loitering, not doing much of anything. We didn’t need the extra attention. I tried not to panic. How can I get Rhapsody and Sasha to move faster? I knew my way around Aunt Dee’s junk with everything spread out. Clumped together, it might be impossible for any of us to find what we wanted. That’s why I sent them. I’d have gotten frustrated and started breaking things apart.
    My attention shifted back to Nil. I must have lost control for a second, because he was in a different position.
    Half bent over, his left forearm was reaching for something underneath the counter. Under his right hand was the trigger of a sawed-off shotgun.
    He’d called the cops with a silent alarm.
    The bell on the inside of the door clanged. I released Nil from my control.
    “No sir,” I said before he could ask the same question for the third time. Heels clicked on the parquet floor behind me and stopped a foot or so away. “I don’t have my school ID yet.”
    The policemen spoke to each other in low tones. They couldn't prove I had done anything wrong – all I had done was ask a few questions about a storage unit with my name on it. I hoped if they said anything to me I wouldn't have to explain or respond. Courtney was right. When we were back on the road she'd told me, “Mind control takes a lot of concentration.” She was right. It was exhausting. I couldn't do it anymore. My head throbbed incessantly, and my stomach cramped from hunger.
    Nil straightened his posture at the sight of us. He massaged his temples, trying to figure out what had happened that would make him draw his gun. His black and gray eyebrows raised. “What was I saying...no ID?” He placed his firearm back underneath the counter. “Well, why not? School has been in session for weeks, no?”
    I had to think fast. “We don’t get ID’s like that. It’ll be at least until mid-September.”
    “Do you have last year’s? Anything will do.”
    “Nope, not on me. Just my name.”
    Nil shrugged. “Sorry. There’s no letting you access it without an ID or key.”
    The cops were still behind me. No matter if I did something right or wrong, I still did not trust them. I could almost hear them breathing. Neither said anything to me. They mumbled in hushed tones to each other, and Nil still appeared to be confused. He looked over my shoulder. “Next in line,” he said, waving me aside. “What can I do for you?”
    I stepped to my far left and avoided showing my face without looking suspicious. I’d have checked my cell phone, but I didn’t have one anymore, and my bus pass wasn’t that interesting. Trying to leave might be a mistake. They could recognize me. Am I paranoid? Maybe I should just power up, bolt and dare them to stop me. My brain was worn out, but I could try using the scarlet emerald again. I’d freeze them all.
    Fortunately, I didn’t have to try. Right when I was about to risk it, Rhapsody and Sasha appeared long enough for me to see them and the flash of crystals in Rhapsody’s hands. At the same time, one of the policeman put a firm hand on my shoulder. I had the urge to toss him, but his radio crackled with a “10-80” at an intersection about ten miles away. The dispatcher called all units. It must be bad.
    The officers hurried outside. I left behind them in time to see the two squad cars speed off with sirens blaring and a cloud of black smoke in the distance. Sasha and Rhapsody met me at the front, their pockets full with scarlet emeralds and goshenite.
    “No luck, Cap,” Rhapsody said. “We used all of the emeralds last time.”
    “We'll find you both one,” I told Sasha. I didn't say anything more about it. “Last time” was when we tried to save her father with emeralds, which had worked for a short time before he slipped back into a coma. He had since died.
    “Until then, I'll just make do with these.” Sasha patted her pocket. It might suit her better. Mind manipulation was