Free Saved at Sunrise by C. C. Hunter Page B

without completely freaking
     them out. Especially when it freaked her out. She opened her mouth to say something,
     but was saved by a bell. A very loud bell, more like a siren. The lights in the chandelier
     over the table started flickering.
    Her grandfather, his frown deepening, pulled out a cell phone from his perfectly pressed
     white dress shirt, punched one button, and held it to his ear. “What is it?” He paused.
     “Who?” He snapped and cut his eyes to Kylie. “I’ll be right there!”
    He turned the phone off and shot up from his chair, and then faced his sister-in-law.
     “You and Kylie disappear. Hide out in the barn. I’ll be there shortly.”
    By disappear, Kylie surmised he meant vanish, another thing a chameleon could do.
     Vanish. Like into thin air.
    “What’s going on?” Kylie asked, remembering the ghost saying she was about to get
     company.
    “We have intruders.” His deep, matter-of-fact tone sounded deeper, more serious.
    “Intruders?” Kylie asked.
    His eyes tightened. “It’s the FRU! Now vanish.”
    Her aunt came around the table and reached for Kylie’s hand. Then the woman vanished,
     and in a fraction of a second, Kylie looked down and her own legs had disappeared.
     
    Chapter Two
    Three minutes later, Kylie was led into the barn by her aunt. Or at least she assumed
     it was her. Because everyone was invisible.
    Breathing in the earthy smell of stored hay, Kylie added another thing she’d learned
     about her powers. A chameleon had the ability to make other people vanish. Or it would
     appear that way, because she hadn’t been wishing to vanish and it seemed her aunt’s
     touch had done all the work.
    “Are we all here?” Her aunt’s voice broke into the odd, tense silence. Kylie cut her
     eyes around the empty barn. Not a soul was here that she could see. Of course, she
     couldn’t see herself, either.
    Listening, she heard the slight sound of feet shuffling.
    “Let’s do the count,” her aunt’s voice echoed again. “One,” her aunt said.
    “Two.” Another voice added.
    The count went up to twenty-four, but there had been several pauses, and several numbers
     missed, before someone moved on to the next number. Kylie recognized most of the voices.
     Especially the four other teen chameleons, plus Suzie, the six-year-old, and her parents
     who were the teachers of the groups. The numbers missing were obviously her grandfather
     and the other four elders.
    “And I have Kylie,” her aunt said. “Kylie, your number is twenty-five. Remember it
     and whenever we have the need to vanish, you must say it so we will know you are here.”
    She nodded, then remembering they couldn’t see her, she said, “Okay.” Her mind raced
     thinking about everything that was happening, from being number twenty-five to being
     invisible and especially to what the FRU wanted. Were they here for her? Then her
     racing thoughts stopped on one subject.
    Her grandfather. She was worried about his safety and the possibility of what the
     FRU could do to him and the other elders. Was he okay? Did she need to find him in
     case he needed … protecting?
    “Maybe we should go find the others,” she said, her blood starting the fizzling sensation
     she got when she feared someone was in danger.
    “No,” her aunt said in a voice that left little doubt that she was the one in charge.
     “We wait here. That was the plan and we never stray from a plan.”
    Kylie heard something in her aunt’s voice. Edginess, concern. Kylie’s blood grew hotter
     in her veins.
    “Have the FRU come here before? Do they know we can vanish?” Kylie asked.
    “Only if you told them,” Brandon snapped.
    Brandon, the teen who didn’t like her. Oh, he had liked her plenty in the beginning,
     but when Kylie pretty much told the seventeen-year-old that he was wasting his time
     coming on to her, he’d obviously been offended. He’d snubbed her ever since. And anytime
     Kylie accomplished something that