“You’re not others.”
“No?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I love you.”
Astrid was silent for so long, Sam thought he must have upset her. Yet she never loosened her hold on him, never pulled away but kept her face buried in his neck. He felt her warm tears on his skin. And at last she said, “I love you, too.”
He sighed with relief. “Well, we got past that.”
But she didn’t join in the nervous laughter. “I have something to tell you, Sam.”
“A secret?”
“I wasn’t sure of it, so I didn’t say anything. It’s hard to separate it from IQ. Intuition is usually just the name we give to heightened but normal perception that takes place below the level of conscious thought.”
“Uh-huh,” he said, using his dumb-guy voice.
“For a long time I wasn’t sure it was anything other than normal intuition.”
“The power,” he said. “I was wondering if you knew. Diana said you were a two bar. I kind of didn’t want to, you know, force you to think about it.”
“I suspected. But it’s weird. I touch a person’s hand and I sometimes see what looks in my mind like a streak of fire across the sky.”
He held her out at arm’s length, the better to see her face. “A streak?”
She shrugged. “Weird, huh? I see it as bright or dim, long or short. I don’t know what it means, I don’t have any control over it and I haven’t really tried exploring it yet. But it feels like I’m seeing some measure of, I don’t know, significance or something? It’s like I’m seeing a person’s soul or maybe their fate, but in highly metaphorical terms.”
“Highly metaphorical,” he echoed. “Your power is the power of metaphor?”
That at last earned him a smile and a shove. “Smart-ass. The point is, I’ve known from the start that you were important in some way. You’re a shooting star across the sky, trailing sparks.”
“Do I shoot right into a brick wall tomorrow?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But I know you’re the brightest shooting star in the sky.”
Computer Jack woke and felt her soft hand over his mouth. It was dark outside, but the room was bathed in the blue glow of a computer screen. He could see the outline of her face, her dark hair. Her eyes glittered.
“Shh,” she cautioned, and put a finger to her lips.
His heart was already pounding. Something was wrong, no question.
“Get up, Jack.”
“What’s happening?”
“You remember our deal? You remember your promise?”
He didn’t want to say yes. He didn’t want to. He had always known that whatever Diana wanted, it would be dangerous. And Jack was more terrified than ever.
Drake was back. Drake was a monster.
Diana stroked his cheek with her fingertips. He felt a shiver go up his spine. Then, just ever so softly, she slapped his cheek.
“I asked if you remembered your promise.”
He was mute. Too confused to be able to find his voice, too aware of her beside him, too terrified of what she might want.
He nodded.
“Get dressed. Just your clothes. Nothing else.”
“What time is it?” he temporized.
“Time to do the right thing.” Her soft mouth twitched a wry smile. “Even if it is for the wrong reason.”
Jack climbed out of bed, very, very glad that he had found a pair of pajama bottoms to wear. He made her turn away and dressed quickly.
“Where are we going?”
“You’re going for a drive.”
“I only drove once and I almost ran into a ditch.”
“You’re a very smart boy, Jack. You’ll figure it out.”
They crept from the room into the darkened hallway. Down the stairs, careful, careful. Diana inched the outside door open and looked at the courtyard. Jack wondered if Diana had an excuse ready if someone stopped them.
The sound of sneakers on the gravel of the driveway was amplified in the foggy night air. It was as if they were trying to make noise. Like each step was delivered with a sledgehammer.
Diana led him to an SUV parked haphazardly on the grass. “The keys are in it. Get in. The driver’s seat.”
“Where are we going?”
“Drive to Perdido Beach. And it’s not we. Just you.”
Jack was alarmed. “Me? Just me? No, no, no! If I go, Caine will think it was all my idea. He’ll send Drake after me.”
“Jack, either obey me or I’ll stand here and scream. They’ll come and I’ll say I caught you trying to escape.”
Jack felt his resistance crumble. It was all too plausible. She would do it, and Caine would believe her. And then…Drake. He shuddered.
“Why?” Jack pleaded.
“Find Sam Temple. Tell him you escaped.”
Jack gulped and bobbed his head.
“Better yet, find that girl, Astrid.” Diana recovered some of her mocking attitude. “Astrid the Genius. She’ll be desperate to save Sam.”
“Okay. Okay.” He steeled himself. “I better go.”
Diana touched his arm. “Tell them about Andrew.”
Jack froze with his hand on the key. “That’s what you want me to do?”
“Jack, if Sam blinks out, Drake will turn on me, and Caine won’t be able to stop him. Drake is stronger than before. I need Sam alive. I need someone for Drake to hate. I need balance. Tell Sam about the temptation. Warn him that he’ll be tempted to surrender to the big jump, but maybe, maybe, if he says no…” She sighed. It was not a hopeful sound. “Now: go.”