Free Rise of the Elgen by Richard Paul Evans Page B

Heating up dehydrates me like crazy.”
    I sat down on the bench and opened my licorice. I offered some to Taylor.
    “Thanks,” she said, taking a strand. She pulled her knees up to her chest. “So what’s going on?”
    “Jack called his friend Mitchell. He’s coming to pick us up.”
    “Then what?”
    “We’ll hide out at his place until we’ve uploaded the rest of Grace’s information. Once we know where my mother is, we’ll make our plan.”
    “What if there’s no information about her?”
    I frowned. “I don’t know. I have to hope there is.”
    “Hey,” shouted a voice from the back of the truck. “How about some water?”
    It was the guard Wes. Zeus stood up, carrying one of the bottles with him. “You want some water, Wes?”
    The guard looked at Zeus in horror. Zeus poured what was left in his bottle over the guard’s head. The guard sputtered a little as it washed over his nose and mouth.
    “See, Wes. I haven’t lost my sense of humor,” Zeus said, electricitysparking between his hands. “And I’m going to prove it to you.”
    The guard’s eyes widened.
    “Zeus,” I said.
    Zeus looked back at me.
    “Don’t.”
    “What? You didn’t see what he did to me?”
    “Yeah, I did.” I looked Wes in the face. “It was cruel. But we’re not like them. We’re better than them.”
    “Maybe you are,” Zeus said. “But I’m not.” He lifted his hands, and Wes shut his eyes, preparing to be shocked. But it never happened. Zeus had caught sight of Abigail, who looked horrified. Zeus sighed. “All right,” he said. “All right.” He looked at the guard. “You’re lucky these guys are better than us.”
    I leaned back on the bench, closing my eyes.
    “What’s that?” Ostin asked.
    “What’s what?”
    “That.” He pointed to my butt.
    Taylor started laughing as she pulled something off me. It was a refrigerator magnet in the shape of an Idaho Spud with the words IDAHO COUCH POTATO printed across it. “How is that sticking to you?” she said.
    “Wait,” I said, taking it back from her. I put it on my stomach. It stuck. Then she peeled it off me and placed it against my cheek. It stuck there too.
    “Wow,” Taylor said. “You’re like a magnet.”
    Ostin stared in amazement. “Not like . He is a magnet. Doesn’t surprise me with all that electricity running through him.”
    “But I’ve had electricity in me my whole life. Why am I suddenly magnetic, too?”
    “You must still be getting more electric.”
    The words hit me like a bucket of ice water. I felt as if I’d just been told I had less time to live.
    “But why is he becoming magnetic?” Taylor asked.
    Ostin rubbed his chin. “Let’s see,” he said slowly. “How do I explain this to a cheerleader?”
    Taylor bristled. “How would you like a cheerleader to permanently scramble your brain?”
    “No, don’t!” Ostin said, holding his hands in front of him as if he could block her waves.
    “She’s not going to do that,” I said.
    “Don’t count on it,” Taylor said.
    Ostin still looked terrified. “I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”
    I shook my head. “Just explain the magnetism.”
    “Okay,” he said. “It works like this. Electric currents are magnetic. When you coil an electrical current around a core, the magnetism becomes stronger. In your case, your body is the core, and as you have millions of nerves and veins, which are carrying your electricity, it creates a massive coil. So it makes sense that you’re becoming magnetic.”
    “Great. So now I’m going to have things sticking to me?”
    “Like me,” Taylor said, taking my hand.
    I couldn’t help but smile.
    Just then Jack shouted through the front door, “Come on, our ride is here!”
    “What do we do with the guards?” Taylor asked.
    “Leave them,” I said.
    “Tied up?”
    “Yeah. Someone will find them eventually.”
    Outside, Mitchell was standing next to Jack, watching everyone climb out of the truck. “Who are all these