Resistance (The Variant Series #2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

finally lost it and all that caffeine had shorted out her gray matter.
    “Numerical Tourette’s?” suggested Cassie.
    The sound of Alex’s laughter was like music to his ears. It was the first genuine smile she’d cracked all day.
    “Your combination?” she asked.
    Kenzie nodded an affirmative, smiling wide. “You should see it , Decks. Thing of beauty, I’m tellin’ ya.”
    “No fishy remains?” asked Alex, reaching for her own piece of pizza.
    “Nope.”
    Declan looked back and forth between the girls. He’d definitely missed something.
    Alex leaned in close, the smell of her strawberry scented shampoo washing over him in a wave.
    “Her locker,” she explained in a whisper.
    “Ah.”
    Twenty minutes of food and joking conversation had an almost miraculous affect on Alex. During the course of their lunch break, she went from withdrawn and nervous to laughing and at ease. 
    At one point, she even joined Cassie where she lay basking in the sunshine, slipping out of her shoes and rolling up the edges of her jeans in an attempt to soak up a few more rays.
    But the closer it came to the bell, the more withdrawn she became. The jeans were rolled back down, her distracted frown returned, and she began glancing at the clock on her cell phone every thirty seconds or so.
    Three minutes before the bell, Alex checked out of the conversation entirely. She started tugging at the edges of her sleeves again.
    Declan frowned.
    Cassie was right. It was this place that had changed her. The other Alex— his Alex—was still in there somewhere. He just needed to find a way to bring her back.
    Cassie and his sister continued on with their discussion, oblivious.
    Declan reached for his discarded jacket.
    “Here.” He held it out to Alex. “Take it.”
    She took the jacket from him, running a hand across the canvas fabric before slipping it on. “Thanks, Decks,” she said quietly.
    The jacket was too big for her. Her hands disappeared inside the sleeves.
    Alex smiled.
    He kicked himself for not thinking about offering it to her earlier.
    “It’s stupid,” she said suddenly.  “I know it’s stupid, the way I’m acting. I mean, I walked through those halls for months before I knew what I could do, and except for the computer lab thing, nothing ever happened. I don’t know why I’m so scared now. It’s just… there are fifteen hundred kids at this school, right? And the odds are against there even being one Variant here, much less two.”
    Alex pulled the borrowed jacket more tightly around her.
    “But I can’t get past the what-ifs .” She looked away. “I’m scared to take that risk.”
    Suddenly, Declan had an idea.
    “Hey, hand me my cell,” he said.
    Alex reached into the right pocket of her borrowed jacket and fished out his phone.
    “Thanks,” he said, getting to his feet. “Be right back.”
    Declan dialed, walking away from the girls until he was certain he was out of earshot.
    On the other end of the line, the call stopped ringing and went to voicemail. There was no message from the owner of the number, just one long beep.  The person he was calling wasn’t the sort to answer a call from just anyone.
    Declan could only hope that he’d be an exception. He didn’t have time to jump to London right now.
    The beep ended.
    “Yeah, Oz. It’s Declan.” He glanced back toward Alex where she sat in the shade of the towering oak, looking small and frail in his dark gray jacket. “I need a favor.”
     

 
    — 4 —
     
    “S o what do you think?”
    Alex looked up from the pottery piece she’d been detailing with ceramic glaze. Forcing a smile, she rolled the thin handle of her paintbrush between her fingers.
    “That’s a, uh, a very nice horse, Declan,” she managed.
    His brow furrowed slightly. He turned the sculpture over in his hands. “It’s supposed to be a dog.”
    Alex tried to hide her smile. “Oh! Well, it’s a lovely dog. Nice job.”
    “You’re a terrible liar, Alex,” he