Câmon, honey,â I pleaded.
But Pendell had already pulled Marisa off his girlfriend. She continued to struggle and cry hysterically in his grip. I still wanted to punch him, but instead, I sucked in a deep breath and tried to channel the voice of reason rather than my inner prizefighter. âWill everyone just calm down? What is wrong with you people? Marisa, baby, come over here.â
From under her nest of wild hair, Marisa stopped struggling and met my gaze, the fight drained out of her. The defeat in her eyes was far more terrifying than her rage.
Pendell gently eased her into my arms and looked me stonily in the eye. âIf Iâm not mistaken, you were the one who jumped me . Not a good idea to start stuff you canât finish, Glass.â
I shook my head and let Marisa burrow her face into my chest, her ribs shaking with silent sobs. All I wanted to do was glue her broken pieces back together. And sleep. âIâm tired. Weâre both tired. Seriously, canât this wait? Look at her. Have a heart.â
Pendellâs mouth was set in a firm line. The redhead glared at me, arms crossed in front of her chest. Clearly the Dynamic Duo had no intention of letting up.
âThereâs a dangerous person on the loose,â Pendell said. âI saw the whole thing. He wore a black bandana. Itâs not just about catching a maniac. Itâs aboutâ¦â
The redhead had opened her palm to display a silver button. Pendell tensed up at the sight of it, his eyes blank and unfocused.
Wrenching herself free of my embrace, Marisa said, âThatâs my coat button. How did you get that? And how did you know aboutâ What the hell kind of freak are you? â
Pendell continued to stare straight ahead, frozen like heâd been turned into a wax figure.
âWhat the hell is wrong with him?â Marisa shot me a panicked look.
The redhead looked on in fear. No one seemed to know what to do.
The loud knock made us all jump. Except for Pendell, who remained inert and unblinking, as if he hadnât heard a thing.
âCampus security. Open up!â
7
Bobby
Saturday: 1:37AM
I t had felt wrong to bust in and violate their privacy like that. And taking advantage of Glassâs disability the way we did made me want to run into the bathroom and puke.
I hadnât told Gabe everything. Iâd insisted that it was our duty to stop a criminal before he hurt anyone else. I knew that would rile her up and sheâd want to take action.
I should have asked her to tuck that silver button away somewhere safe. Explained to her how touching it had detonated an explosion in my brain. How I had been trapped inside the scene of Marisaâs attack and couldnât get free.
Sheâd known all along about my visions and the tumor that had nearly blinded me. When sheâd finally put the button away, the vision eased up, but its remnants still clung to my sight in frayed strips.
The moment I spotted the button glinting on her open palm again, I was instantly sucked back in. And I didnât even have to touch it. This had never happened before.
My heart was pounding wildly, their voices echoing faintly as if from miles away. Half-deaf to what was around me, all I could see was the continuous loop of Marisa fighting off the man in a bandana whoâd overpowered her. Sheâd never had a chance.
I was stuck, as if Iâd been dropped into wet plaster that had begun to thicken.
I blinked and tried to shrug off the bone-deep exhaustion that had turned my limbs to rubber. I was about to keel over any second. The real room behind the vision shimmered in a vague blur.
âEasy, dude. We got you.â Glass had me by the arm.
âWas there some kind of party in here?â I heard the security officer ask. âUnderage drinking is not tolerated on this campus.â
âNo maâam,â Glass said. âWe were just, uh, roughhousing a bit.â
My