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18

12:00 AM

MONSTER

Rex shambled back across the desert like a zo as they had immediately after his transforely like his father - eyes glazed and ait barely a shuffle

He wasn&039;t bruised or bleeding, and his clothes weren&039;t torn, but the empty expression on his face made Jessica&039;s skin crawl

"Are you okay, Rex?" she said

He didn&039;t answer, just turned to Melissa "Did you touch her?"

"No, I waited I promised, didn&039;t I?" Melissa reached toward him "Loverboy, you look like crap"

"Feel like it too" Rex took her offered hand and shuddered, then straightened, as if taking strength from her "Thanks"

"What the hell, Rex?" Jonathan said "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Rex thought about the question for a few seconds, like it was a tricky one, but finally he shook his head "I&039;et all points of view I think I&039;ve been a pretty crappy historian"

"Pretty crappy driver, more like!" Melissa cried She pointed at the old Ford, which was listing to one side; both tires on the right were reduced almost to bare metal rims "The first time I let you take my car somewhere without me, and you totally kill it?"

"Yeah Looks that way"

"I can&039;t believe you, Rex! Mr Responsible, who always gets his library books back on time, but when it comes to my car, you don&039;t even bother to use the road? The front axle&039;s busted!"

As Jessica watched Melissa continue her tirade - holding Rex tighter with every insult, their fingers intertwining, their bodies leaning against each other for support - she realized hoell the ht never return Even when they&039;d touched, Jessica had only caught a glimpse

Finally Melissa&039;s diatribe sputtered to a halt Rex held her in silence for a moment, then said, "I&039;ll always reie"

Melissa pulled away and turned to stare at the frozen figure in the wrecked car, her voice lowering to a growl "Well, she&039;s my consolation prize, then She really owes me now"

"Wait a second," Rex said

"No way I&039;ve already waited too long for this"

He drew Melissa back to hiainst her cheek

After a moment her eyes widened "What? Why not?"

"I made a deal"

"Well, I didn&039;t make any deal!"

"You did With ht to end"

Jessica wondered if anyone else was having trouble following this "What are you talking about?"

"Yeah," Dess added, still holding a bloody rag to the cut above her left eye "Could those of us who aren&039;t psychic at least get some subtitles?"

Melissa yanked herself out of Rex&039;s ar at hiie"

"Excuse s about the past," Rex said "About oing to wait till ht ends, then we&039;ll talk to her Just talk"

"Hang on," Jonathan said "Are you saying we all risked our lives tonight to have a chat?"

"No way!" Dess cried

Rex looked at Jessica, his exhausted eyes asking for her help "We don&039;t have to use ," he said "We can trust her"

"To what?" Melissa spat "Kidnap us less often?"

"I&039;," he said, his gaze not wavering from Jessica "Far from it But she is like us in one way: she wants to learn the truth about ainst her will"

Jessica drew in a slow breath The night they&039;d rescued Cassie Flinders, she&039;d tried to talk theirl&039;s nored her But if Rex hihts, maybe this tiree with Rex," she said "I think"

The other three stared at her, and Jessica half expected one of them to shout, Who cares what you think? But as the silence stretched out, she felt soroup Even Melissa&039;s y seemed to fade a little, like a child&039;s tantrum left unanswered

Jessica crossed her ar ht I&039; here An inch lower and psycho-kitty would have taken outto talk to her, which would imply that we could have done this with a phone call?"

"Possibly resulting in less dae to my car?" Melissa said

"Not really," Rex said "Here in person you canI believe her, but the rest of you also have to be certain" He let out a short laugh "And frankly, I don&039;t think it would have worked this way on the phone Soer helps"

"Well, no proble as you bonded"

"No, no" Rex shook his head tiredly "My bonding tonight happened out there Angie&039;s just confused"

"Confused!" Melissa groaned "She&039;s a kidnapper, Rex She should be in jail forever! And nothing happens to her?"

He sht

"I didn&039;t say that"

As the dark moon set, real time swept across the desert, followed by the sudden return of the cold autumn wind Next to Jessica, Rex jumped a little, like dishes left behind by a yanked tablecloth - as if he didn&039;t belong in normal time anymore

He had refused to answer their questions about what had happened to hi he couldn&039;t reie&039;s face sprang to life, eh channels: confusion, fear, suspicion, and finally lots erly with her fingertips, as if checking to make sure her ears hadn&039;t fallen off at the stroke ofin a row in front of the car, ar for an albu Melissa had decided to join them, once she realized that this little et to wreak on Angie

The woh the front windshield

"Coie slowly pulled herself out fro behind the protection of the open car door

"Wow," she said softly

Jessica guessed that people appearing out of nowherearound

"How&039;s your ie puzzled over that one for a uess so"

"Like I would dirty my hands with your rank little brain," Melissa said

Jessica gave her a sidelong glance So not true

"Then let&039;s talk about the history of Bixby," Rex said

"I thought we already covered that"

"Maybe I want to hear it all again" He patted Melissa&039;s shoulder "And this ti the truth Or at least, if you think you&039;re telling the truth"

"It&039;s all true," Angie said "I can show you the docuan telling thehters, the Grayfoots&039; revolution, and the rest of the other secret history of Bixby She started slowly and softly, her baffled expression at their sudden appearance taking a while to fade But gradually her voice gained in strength, and soon she was declai with the utmost confidence

Rex had already explained most of it to them while they&039;d waited for the blue time to end, but as Jessica heard the revelations repeated in Angie&039;s side the desert chill of the Oklahoht

If this was all true, then how one on back in her day? She&039;d only been seventeen when the Grayfoots had swept the enerations of hters had been doing creepy things for thousands of years?

And would any of theht about all this? Of course, Melissa wouldn&039;t have much choice in the matter the next tilad it would be Melissa, and not her, doing the asking

By the tiie drew her lecture to a close, she didn&039;t see at them like they were just kids

"So now that I&039;ve explained reality to you," Angie finished, "what are you going to tell me in return?"

Jessica narrowed her eyes at the wolad Melissa hadn&039;t turned her into a drooling idiot, but that didn&039;t ie Not at all

"Here&039;s theyou need to know," Rex said

"As far as we can tell, all hell&039;s going to break loose on Noveht before, actually," Dess added "When October 31 rolls over into Noveht on Halloween, huh?"

"It may sound cheesy," Dess said coolly "But numbers don&039;t lie"

"I don&039;t know if I believe all that nuy?" Dess&039;s jaw dropped open "This is math, you di moment, but then a troubled look crossed her face "You know, before they cutwas arriving soon And after the darklings stopped answering, everyone started getting anxious about it He said it had to do with the flaht?"

Jessica nodded

"But the Grayfoots never got all their instructions before the halfling died"

"What exactly did Ernesto say?" Rex asked

"All he told me was a name - the old " She shrugged "He never told me who that was"

Melissa shook her head "Not &039;who,&039; dimhen Saoth," Dess muttered

"Like you should talk," Melissa answered