Page 26 (1/2)

I’h--today was a productive day No tied the contents of our Chests, Saot so time in the newly refurbished Lecture Hall

"Two days fro down to the floor to knock out a quick set of push-ups before bed "I want to get everyone together in the Lecture Hall tomorrow, see how the tea Five’s Chest, but you never know It’ll be good to have everyone get soether And then we’re off"

Sarah’s gone quiet I look up at her She sits on the edge of the bed--our bed, still weird to even think that--her legs curled beneath her She wears her pajaray T-shirt and a pair ofattention to a word I’ a lopsided smile "Sorry, you distractedabout?"

I sit down on the bed next to her, curling h her just-brushed hair She smiles atif I said I hadn’t thought about what could happen with us sharing a bed Things have been hectic since we’ve been in Chicago, between Ella’s nightmares, Five’s call for help, andin the next rooht

"Florida," I remind her

"Oh yeah," Sarah says "You lived there for a while, didn’t you?"

"Yeah, a fewto fill in some blanks There’s still a lot I don’t know about you, John Sers run downhelps distract me froh her hair, down the back of her neck, and slowly dances across her spine Sarah shivers a little and I slide closer, bending my head doards hers "You know, it seeht I think everyone’s asleep"

Right on cue, sohs, her face flushed "Is horrible tiacies?"

I open the door to find Six waiting, her coat on, like she’s just colances over my shoulder at Sarah, then catches my exasperated look, and cracks a devilish s?"

"It’s cool," I say, playing it off "What’s up?"

"You need to co nuts"

We pull on some clothes over our pajamas and then race down the hall after Six I can hear BK before I’ to the roof The sound heand an elephant blowing through its trunk--it’s loud and soulful, not a bad sound at all, but totally not of Earth

"He won’t shut up," Nine says, as soon as I ee onto the roof He rubs his te his telepathy to try calle fores and stretches erratically, like heelse at any second The antler froht’s Chest is clenched in his teeth, the sound not at all muffled by it Flecks of drool drip down the antler and into BK’s fur He stands up on his hind legs, his snout pointed at theout of hiht teleports in froency channels, just in case sohbor calls the cops," he says "I don’t knohat’s gotten into hi to do with that antler"

"No shit," Six says She snaps her fingers at BK "Quiet, Bernie Kosar!"

BK doesn’t even seee of the rooftop, using her night vision to keep an eye out for anyone that o is loud enough that I don’t think anyone will hear BK Even so, I don’t want to take any chances

"Did you try taking the antler from him?" I ask

"Yeah," Nine replies "He didn’t like that Growled at o I didn’t want to hurt him"

"That doesn’t sound like BK," Sarah says, her eyes widening with concern

"Think this is soests

I shake ot hold of that antler It doesn’t seeainst us Even my bracelet, which hurt like hell initially, turned out to be helpful There should be a rational explanation for this

"Where is Ella?" Sarah asks "Could this be like what’s happening with her, but for Chih it," Marina replies "And this seems totally different"

I reach out with my telepathy--Bernie Kosar, you need to be quiet now--but don’t get any response Not seeing any other option but to try and wrestle the antler away from him, I step forward Before I take a second step, Bernie drops onto all fours, letting go of the antler His howling echoes in rab the antler without of the air BK pants happily, looking around at everyone

I make eye contact with Nine, both of us patched into BK telepathically "It’s like he doesn’t knohat just happened," I say

"Are you drunk, BK?" Nine asks,He’s got the saets e’ve just co run outside

"You freaked us out," I tell hiht?"

BK sits down at my feet Sarah crouches down to scratch his ears

"Can you ask hi up at ," I reply, and Nine nods too, squinting at BK "It’s a lot of is, you know? Not exactly words"

"Telepathic barking," Eight observes

"Prettyto ht "He says he was calling the others" I hold up the antler "I guess that’s what this is for"

"The others?" Marina asks "You uess so," I reply, looking down at BK Do you think they heard you?