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the cries of alarm and the command to freeze. But there was no shouting, only the sound of the birds beginning to chirp and police radios muttering to themselves. I took a breath and opened my eyes to find all the officers staring at us, but not moving. Caelan, still next to me, had one hand outstretched toward them.
    I looked up at him. "What are you–"
    "Move to the car now," he said through gritted teeth. "I will not be able to maintain this for long."
    So we stumbled our way to the car and got in. I pulled out of the parking lot as fast as I dared without attracting more attention. A quick glimpse in the rearview mirror revealed all of them still 62
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    sitting there, waiting for the first officer to come out of the office. Once the motel was out of sight, Caelan collapsed back onto the seat, lowering his hand.
    "How did you do that?" I kept my eyes on the mirrors for any sign of a chase, but so far, so good.
    Caelan stretched out as he best he could in the confined space of the front seat, his shoulders turned to spare his back and his head almost in my lap. I could have suggested he move to the backseat, but I didn't think he could manage to climb over the front seat, and I was not stopping the car now.
    "I made them see what they expected to see," he said, his voice muffled.
    "What does that mean?" I frowned.
    "It means they didn't believe we were there," he said.
    "Sheryl's dragged us out here on a false alarm. Though I can't think she'd want us hanging around for no reason, it's bad for business. But who says this waitress is missing anyway? She probably just took off with the insurance check and her boyfriend." He recited their thoughts word for word in a flat tone, just as he'd done with Mike's thoughts at my house. It was creepy.
    "They didn't believe we were there, so they didn't see us? Is that it?" I tried to wrap my brain around this idea.
    "No. It would be difficult, much more effort than I am capable of now, to convince them that they did not see anyone at all. I merely showed them what they expected to see."
    "Which was?"
    "A man, many years older, and a woman, sharing your same number of years but much different in appearance." Some silicon-enhanced former cheerleader, no doubt. I pushed aside my annoyance to think about what he'd said. "So that's how you'd do it, hide in plain sight, I mean."
    "Yes."
    "So all those people out there trying to keep tabs on you 63
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    folks–"
    "Could pass us in a crowd of humans or an empty street and still not be aware of our presence as other, provided that we sensed the intent of that human to detect us."
    "And," I added, the snowball of thoughts gathering speed as it rolled down a mountain of speculation, "even if a few of you were busy concentrating on something else, like you were with the sheriff, and they recognized you for what you were, it'd be no big deal." "Because that many more would have hidden in time."
    "So there's no way to know how many of you are actually here." I stared down at him, implications ringing through my head.
    "There could be thousands, and we wouldn't even know about it."
    "I don't know the exact number any more than your human government, but it is well beyond their estimations, I am certain." I had no idea how to respond to that, except with sheer panic. I'd been right all along. They were up to something. The question now was what? It seemed possible that they... Caelan shifted on the seat beside me, suddenly making me very aware of his proximity to my leg. The heat of his skin seeped through my jeans in a much too pleasant way.
    Zara, what is wrong with you? I tried to slide away a little bit, but my maneuvering room was limited by the steering wheel and my door.
    "So how long before this trick wears off and the police come after us again?" I tried to focus on more important things.
    "They will not. They have seen what they expected, nothing more."
    A chill went through me. "You mean, it's not a trick.