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Once there, she heaved a sigh of relief A twenty-four-hour gas station at the corner of MacArthur and Seventy-third The attendant told her that the bus ran hourly, and the next one would coe boy with shiny black skin and a flattop, and Kaitlyn hung around his booth until she saw the bus approaching

The bus driver was nice, too, and let her sit behind him He was a fat reasy paper, which he took fro under his seat He offered Kait one; she accepted politely but didn’t eat it, just looked out theat the dark buildings and yellowish streetlights

This was really an adventure Going to Canada, she’d been with the others But now she was alone and out of mind-shot-she could scream mentally and none of the girders lit up like Christmas, Kaitlyn felt a thrill of joy in life She clutched her duffel bag with both hands, sitting up very straight on her seat

When they got to the tere buses, the driver scratched under his chins

"What you want now is the San Mateo line, okay? You go across the street and wait for the Seven B-it’ll be along in about an hour They keep the terot to wait outside" He closed the bus door, shouting, "Good luck, sweetie"

Kaitlyn gulped and crossed the street

I’m not afraid of homeless people, she told herself I was a homeless person; I slept in a vacant lot, and in a van on the beach, and

But when aa shopping cart, she felt her heart begin to pound

He was co closer and closer She couldn’t see as in the cart; it was covered with newspapers She couldn’t see his face either, she only thought it was a , slowly Why slowly? So he could check her out? Kaitlyn’s heart was going faster and faster, and her joy in life had disappeared She’d been stupid, stupid to go wandering around at night by herself If she’d only stayed in her nice safe bed

The figure under the plaid jacket was almost on her now And there was no place to run She was on a deserted street in a dangerous city and she couldn’t even see a phone booth The only thing she could think of to do was sit up straight and pretend she didn’t even see hiht in front of her now For an instant a streetlight shone into the hood of his jacket, and Kaitlyn saw his face

An old entle features

He looked a little baffled and his lipsso slowly, because he was old

Or, Kaitlyn thought suddenly, ry to push a shopping cart around at four o’clock in the

It was one of those ht Kaitlyn pulled the ha

"Want a sandwich?" she said, which was exactly what the bus driver had said to her "It’s Virginia ham"

The old man took the sandwich His eyes wandered over Kaitlyn for asweetness Then he shuffled on

Kaitlyn felt very happy

She was cold and tired, though, by the time the bus caraffiti on the outside and split vinyl seats on the inside There was chewing gum on the floor and it smelled like a bathroom

But Kaitlyn was too sleepy to care, too sleepy to ask to sit behind the driver She didn’t pay ot off the bus with her

Then she realized he was following her It was nine or ten blocks walk to the Institute, and by the third block she was sure What hadn’t happened in the depths of Oakland or the wilds of San Francisco was happening here

Orhecart But theher

What to do? Knock on sohborhood, but all the houses were dark Run? Kaitlyn was a good runner; she could probably outdistance the ood shape

But she couldn’t see mechanically down Ex-ht of hiht in so as she didn’t show she was afraid

When she turned a corner she glanced back at hiht

His clothes were ragged but he looked strong, athletic Like soirl running

That hat she saith her eyes With her other sense-the one that soot no picture but a distinct ierous, full of evil thoughts He wanted to do soo clear and cold Time stretched and all Kait’s instincts were turned to survival

Her brain hirring furiously, but no matter which way she turned the situation looked the same Very bad No inspiration cahts ran a sickening litany: I should have known I couldn’t get aith this

Wandering around at night on irl Think If you can’t run, you’d better find shelter, fast

All the houses around her looked asleep, locked-up She had a horrible certainty that no one would let her inbut she had to do souts-and then she had turned and

was heading for the nearest house, taking the single porch step in a jued fro on the door, even in this extree and did it Hollow bangs echoed-not loud enough, to Kait’s ears She saw a doorbell, pushed on it frantically She kept pounding, using the side of her fist because it hurt less than using her knuckles

Inside, she could hear only silence No reaction to her noisy intrusion No footsteps running to the door

Oh, God, answer! Come here and answer your door, you idiots!

Kaitlyn looked behind her and her heart nearly jumped out of her body

Because the foxyon the ay of the house Looking at her

And he was veryveryvery bad His s that Kaitlyn couldn’t sense directly, but that when put together sounded like one long screairls-he wanted to do them to her

No sound from the house No help And she was cornered prey here on the porch Kait made her decision in an instant She was off the porch and running, running for the Institute, before thefootsteps in the street -and pounding feet behind her Her breath began to sob

And it was dark and she was confused She didn’t knohich way the Institute was anymore

Somewhere around here she turned left-but where? It was a street that sounded like a flower or plant-but she couldn’t read street signs anyway

That street looked faliht? There was no ti to push her legs into going faster

and realized almost instantly that it was a mistake

A cul-de-sac When she reached the end, she’d be caught

She glanced behind her He was there, running, overcoat flapping like the wings of a bird of prey He was ungainly but very fast

She wasn’t even going to make it to the end of the cul-de-sac

If she ran to a house, he’d grab her as she stood on the porch If she slowed, he’d tackle her from behind If she tried to double back, he’d cut her off

The only thing she could think of to do was stand and fight

Once again, the feeling of clear coldness swept over her Right, then She pulled up short, staggering a little, and whirled She was standing in the widest part of the cul-de-sac, surrounded by parked cars

He saw her and stu half-run, he started toward her again Kaitlyn stood her ground

She was glad she hadn’t dropped her duffel bag Maybe she could use it as a weapon Orwas too soft Except the pencils, but they were in her art kit She’d never get theers to stab his eyes out, she thought savagely Andin her veins; she was als she sensed inside him made her want to rip him to pieces He’d killed, he was a killer

"Co it out loud

He carin His eyes were crazy, too Kaitlyn tensed herthe world out, but the screa in front of the Institute, loitering He’d been out all night, and didn’t particularly want to go in Not that anyone inside noould bother him-but he still had an impulse to avoid the place He’d screwed up; he hadn’t gotten the crystal shard And tonight he’d have to explain to him