Free Forgotten (Reject High: A Young Adult Science Fiction Series Book 3) by Brian Thompson Page B

scrunched together. “What? That’s against the custody agreement.”
    Right. Ray, the lawyer, was back to normal. “You’re in danger, Ray. Leave town.”
    “Why? Christine said that guy was dead.”
    I glanced away. If I had killed "that guy" we wouldn’t be having this discussion.
    Rhapsody jumped into our conversation. “Yeah, he is. Sort of.”
    “So what’s the big deal? Besides, all the hospital bills have got me crunched this month. I’ve got a court date on Tuesday, a couple of briefs to file …”
    “Someone is after me, Ray. That means they’ll come after you, too.”
    This time when he paused it was a good thing. He’d taken what I’d said seriously. Or at least I thought, until he said, “I can’t do that.”
    What was so difficult about taking a vacation? “Why not?”
    “Because if you start running, you’ll never stop.”
    He had a point. Rhapsody didn’t seem to disagree with him, either. Arguing against his viewpoint meant he’d debate me into submission and we didn’t have time for that.
    My father crossed his arms. “Tell me how to defend myself against these people.”
    There was only one way, short of standing guard at his door 24/7, and we had it. Rhapsody produced a palm full of goshenite from inside her suit and handed it to me. The flash and sparkle of the prisms in the afternoon sunlight caught his eye.
    “What am I supposed to do with those? Pawn them and leave the country?”
    I carefully poured them into his hands. “Focus your thoughts on stopping their powers. Then they’ll become ordinary and they can be killed like anyone else.”
    “Gotcha." Ray grinned. He arched an eyebrow. "Sounds too good to be true. What’s the catch?”
    Rhapsody nudged me with her elbow. I had to tell him. “They’re radioactive and toxic to you. Long-term use will give you bone cancer and eventually kill you.”
    The mention of that specific disease silenced us all. It had robbed us of someone we loved. Ray squeezed his fist around the jewels we’d given him. I didn’t need to read his mind to see his thought processes. They played themselves out across his face. A twinge of hurt, the gravity of death hitting his consciousness, and the determination to survive. He rounded the car and opened his driver’s side door. “Offer’s still open. Want a lift?”
    “No thanks,” Rhapsody said as I scooped her into my arms. She tended to her own mask and then mine. My father watched us rocket into the sky and fade to invisibility.

    Sasha’s house came into view as we traveled up the coastline. Rhapsody’s fingers tightened around my shoulder. She thought what I thought. The orange sun floating on the horizon, reflecting against the deep blue landscape, sugar white sand – it was beautiful. Real estate up here must cost a fortune, but Sasha’s parents made a fortune between them. A divorce meant someone would get custody of the house, or they would sell it for profit. Such a shame.
    The beachfront home wasn’t huge, but twice as big as any house I’d ever lived in. A series of robust concrete stilts served as its foundation. A wooden white porch ran the length of the house’s front and parlayed into walking ramps down the sides. Painted a dull shade of blue, its shingles contrasted against the pure white pointing and trim.
    We softly dropped down into the sand. Now visible, I unmasked, loosened my scrubs and kicked them off along with my sneakers. Rhapsody did the same and took my hand. Together we ran into the ocean and splashed around. We weren’t safe anywhere we went, so a little fun couldn’t kill us. Rhapsody splashed me and I playfully pushed water back into her face. The coolness of the water felt wonderful through my bodysuit and against my face. More than that, I didn’t think about anyone or anything else in that moment other than my girlfriend and how much fun I was having.
    While we caught our breath from laughing, Esteban teleported us into Sasha’s living room.