There are so many lights in the distance. It seems as if the Army has set up an entire base at the factory, complete with a wired fence and search lights scanning the desert for anyone who doesn’t belong. As we huddle behind a group of rocks just south of the ruins, I catch the distinct sound of machinery and wonder if they’re digging up the place.
The giant helicopters suddenly make a lot more sense.
“What do we do?” Brady whispers. “If they got caught…there’s no way we’re getting them out.”
“Well, better make sure they’re in there first,” Seth says.
“No.” I put my hand on his arm before I remember we’re fighting. “It’s too far and there are too many places to look—you’ll kill your head.”
Brady winces. “She’s right, bro.”
“So what?” His eyes are determined and maybe a little cold when they meet mine. “We already did the invisible thing once tonight, and if either of you suggest that Fi should sneak into that fortress I’ll lose it.”
Neither of us answer.
“Okay then.” Seth’s eyes narrow as he begins his search. I try not to cringe as I watch him, but as the minutes pass I worry he’ll be in agony for days because of this. “I don’t see them in the trucks or the tents. It looks like the Army has found something underground though…”
“Seth, stop.” My voice quivers at the words. “They must have gotten out. Let’s check back at Bea’s house.”
“Let me make sure.” He grimaces as he pushes his ability, and then he gasps. “There’s a whole building underground! They’ve unearthed stairs and some weird looking machinery. It looks like…”
He falters, and I grab him in an attempt to keep him up. Brady does most of the work though. Seth probably would have fallen on me otherwise. I try to cover his eyes to make him stop. “That’s enough! They aren’t there, so let’s go.”
“Wait!” Seth doesn’t flinch at my hands because he sees right through them. “This is crazy. They’re uncovering all sorts of equipment.”
Panic swells as I picture just how many layers of metal and earth he might be looking through. It’s probably more than he’s ever done, and I don’t know what that will do to him.
“Seth!” Brady says too loudly when we’re supposed to be hiding. “No more!”
“Fine.”
I remove my fingers from his face and wait for Seth’s eyes to focus on me, but instead they fill with horror. Then he cries out in agony and collapses.
Chapter 12
Brady lays Seth gently on the ground, while I kneel down and tap his cheek. “C’mon, punk, wake up.”
“What do we do?” Brady pulls at his hair, and his frightened expression reminds me too much of the time Dad shot Seth. “He’s never passed out before. What if he has brain damage?”
“Don’t say that.” I can’t think like that, not as I put my ear to his chest and listen for a heartbeat. What if he needs a doctor? When no one knows your real ability, it’s kind of hard to go to the hospital and explain what happened. “He’s breathing, and his heart is beating. The pain must have been too much for his body to handle.”
“Let’s get home.” Brady carries him, but we don’t run in fear that it’ll hurt Seth more. The whole way back I flip between being on the verge of tears and wanting to cuss Seth out for being that reckless. It feels like he was making a point about my spying and stealing at the waterfall. Like, if I abuse my ability so will he. Or was this underground part of the factory really that interesting?
Once we’re back within Madison’s borders, Brady risks speaking. “It seems like you guys fought.”
I look at the ground, not really wanting to talk about it. But when it comes to the topic of Seth being able to see me, Brady is literally the only person I can go to because no one else knows. “He promised not to look at me, but he did. Then he freaked over me stealing the formula. So yeah, I’m a little pissed.”
Brady nods. “When he told me the story, he said he thought the commotion was because they caught you—so he had to check. You were so close to the Major that he could have shot you point blank, and everyone was running past you while you were completely vulnerable. One wrong move, and you might have been dead.”
I look at Seth, placid in his brother’s unwavering arms. No matter how hard I try, it’s impossible to see myself like he does. He saw a naked girl walking around a bunch of armed soldiers—but I felt completely safe in my shell of invisibility. I’m not sure whether I should love him for wanting me safe or resent him for seeing me as weak. “Well, he forgets no one else sees what he does.”
“It’s true, but you do realize he’d fall apart if he lost you, right?”
Brady’s words make the guilt rush in, leaving me defenseless. Seth’s spent his entire life picking up the pieces from his mother’s death. Of course he’s majorly worried about my safety. “It’s really annoying when you go all ‘voice of reason’ on me. Now I can’t be mad at him.”
He smirks. “You’re welcome.”
We take every side road through town, hoping to avoid any of Juan’s people who might be out. The last thing we need is another threat right now. By the time we get back to Bea’s house, it must be almost daybreak because it seems lighter than before. Everyone is standing out front, and I hear Bea yell, “There they are!”
“Tell them Seth tweaked his knee and fell asleep while I was carrying him,” Brady whispers as they run toward us. “I’ll take him inside. Come when you can.”
“Okay,” is all I get out before Miles grabs my shoulders and looks me over like he could see if I was injured.
“What took so long?” Graham says at the same time as Miles.
I glance at Brady, who is already taking Seth to their house. Bea and Hector follow him, asking all sorts of questions. I hate lying to Miles, but I don’t have a choice. “Sorry we worried you. Brady didn’t think we should run after Seth hurt his knee.”
Miles lets out a relieved sigh. “After everything we saw at the factory, we were thinking a lot worse.”
“Yeah, I bet. They were at the waterfall, too. I heard the alert when you guys tripped the alarm.”
“Just how close were you to hear that?” Graham asks with a suspicious glare.
I gulp, hoping they don’t freak out as much as Seth did. Pulling out the papers, I hand them to Miles. “Close enough to get this.”
As he unfolds the sheets, Graham and Carlos crowd around him. Their jaws drop when they read the top line. I’m not sure if I’m seeing horror on their faces or disbelief. Miles looks up first. “Fi…”
“I know, but we needed it. After hearing their conversation I think we might know the location of what they want,” I say before he can tell me I shouldn’t have done it. I don’t want to hear it again right now.
He nods slowly. “I wish Spud had time to check, so you didn’t have to do this. Seems I can’t keep anyone I care about safe.”
“We can’t talk about this out here.” Graham snatches the papers from Miles, folds them, and hands them back to me. “Let’s get some rest—we’ll decide what to do with this later.”
Carlos gives him an incredulous look, eyes glowing in the dimness. “Who died and made you king?”
“I…” Graham seems sheepish.
“He’s right. We should rest,” I say, wanting to see Seth as soon as possible. “Meet at my place for dinner, okay? We’ll fill each other in then.”
Carlos doesn’t seem completely satisfied with my answer, but then glances back at his home. “If our parents weren’t about to wake up to an empty house, I’d fight you on that. Tell Bea and Hector to hurry back home.”