The Wire Hanger

Chapter 40

Of all the voices I might have expected to hear, David's wasn't one of them, yet there it was. Esau seemed stuck in place, a few paces behind, so I grabbed his wrist and tugged him with me. The side panel of the van was open – it looked strangely familiar – and we tumbled inside. The door slammed shut behind us and we roared off.

            I had landed, I realized, so close to Noah that I was practically in his arms. We stared at each other for a moment, neither of us moving.

            "You just had to be the hero," he whispered.

            Esau cleared his throat loudly behind us.

            "That was a damn foolish thing you did," David called from the driver's seat, "but I can't say as I don't admire it." We were out in the daylight now, creeping along in rush hour traffic. But wait, I realized, that couldn't be right – the sun had only just risen.

            "What's going on?"

            "You may have noticed, ah, a smallish explosion," said Felix. He was sitting in the passenger's seat.

            "A couple, actually," I said, matching his tone.

            He and David exchanged glances.

            "What – was that you?"

            "Not technically," said David, "though I'd love to take credit for it. It was the Tigers all right.

            "And," said Felix pointedly.

            "And, okay, the Bears helped. A little. With the details."

            "Like basic chemistry," said Felix, "ensuring that they blew up what they meant to and not themselves."

            "Like I said. Details."

            "What a charming display of inter-tribe unity," said Noah dryly.

            "Worked, though, didn't it? They got out."

            "That was for us?" said Esau incredulously, and David laughed uproariously.

            "Please. You all are not that important. We just heard it was happening, is all, and timed ourselves accordingly. Commandeered a van, as you see here." He slapped the steering wheel, evidently pleased with himself.

            "Where's my mom?" I asked suddenly. "And Naomi?"

            "They're safe," said Noah quickly. "They realized what happened pretty soon after you were gone. I had to stop them from rushing after you. They're back at the Professor's house now." We went over a speedbump at a hilariously low speed, which made me jostle against Noah. The bench seat really wasn't meant for three people.

            "Um," said Esau, "about that."

            I turned to look at him. He'd gone ashen-faced.

            "What is it?"

            "I think...I think you need to get them out of there."

            "What?" said David, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. "Why?"

            "I might have...told them where it is. The Protectors. They know where it is now. I think."