Free Switched by Amanda Hocking Page A

down at me. He wore the same jacket as the girl, and I thought it was neat that they had matching outfits, like a crime fighting duo.
    He smiled at me, and that’s when I decided that I was in trouble.
    “That’s a really nice invitation, but my house is like three houses down.” I pointed towards it, as if I didn’t think they already knew exactly where I lived. “So I think that I should probably just get home before my brother starts looking for me.”
    “You should’ve thought of that before you left the house,” the guy suggested wickedly.
     I wanted to take a step forward so I’d be away from him, but I thought that would only make him pounce on me. I could probably take the girl, but I wasn’t so sure about him. He was like a foot taller than me.
    “You guys are trackers?” I asked. Something about them reminded me of Finn, the way they stared at me and insisted that I come with them.
    “You’re a quick one, aren’t you?” the girl smiled wider at me, and it didn’t set right with me. 
    They might be trackers, but not the same kind as Finn. Maybe they were bounty hunters or kidnappers or just big fans of chopping up girls into little pieces and disposing of them in a ditch. Fear crept through me, but I tried not to let on.
    “Well, this has been a blast, but I have to get ready for school. Big test and all that.” I started taking a step away, but the guy’s hand clamped painfully on my arm.
    “Don’t damage her!” the girl insisted, her eyes flashing wide. “She’s not to be hurt!”
    Not to be hurt. Okay. That’s a good thing. I can work with that, at least.
    “Yeah, ease up!” I tried to pull my arm from him, but he refused to let go.
    I had already decided that I wasn’t going wherever they wanted to take me. Since they were under some kind of instruction not to hurt me, I thought I might have some leeway with fighting them. I only had to get a few houses down, then I’d be at home, and Matt kept a gun under his bed.
    I elbowed the guy in the stomach as hard as I could. He made a coughing sound and doubled over but didn’t let go of my arm. I kicked him in the shin and raised my arm so I could bite his hand that was gripping me.
    He yowled in pain, and then the girl was in front of me. He had let go of me, and she tried to grab me, so I punched her. She dodged it, so my fist just connected with her shoulder.
    Then I was off balance, and the guy grabbed me around the waist. I screamed and kicked at him as hard as I could. Apparently, he got tired of that, so he dropped me on the ground.
    I was on my feet instantly, and he grabbed my arm again and turned me so I was facing him. He raised his hand and slapped me harder than I had ever been hit before. Everything went white, and my ear started ringing. He let go of me, and I collapsed backwards on the grass behind me.
    “I said not to hurt her!” the girl hissed.
    My neck ached from the force of his hit, and my jaw screamed painfully. The back of my eye had a spreading pain, but. I tried to stagger to my feet. She kicked me, not hard enough to really hurt, but enough so I’d fall back.
    I lay on my back, staring up at the sky, and realized that I didn’t stand a chance against them.
    “I didn’t! I was subduing her!” the guy growled and looked down at me. “And if she doesn’t knock it off, I’ll subdue her again, but harder this time!”
    “Let’s just get her to the car,” she sounded exasperated.
    He bent down to try to pick me up, but I hit away his hands. I was lying on my back, and I lifted up my legs. I wasn’t really trying to kick him, but I was going to use my legs to push him back if he came near me.
    In response, he hit my calf hard enough to give me a Charlie horse, which I gritted my teeth through. He put his knee on my stomach, holding me down so I couldn’t fight as much.
    When he tried to grab me, I pushed him back with my hands, so he grabbed my wrists, pressing them tightly together with one