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said loudly, and I met Shoe s eyes, mouthing for him to stay down. It s over. I m putting a guardian angel on
him.
I peeked above the lab bench to find Ron at the front of the room before the whiteboard. A hazy glow above
him had to be the guardian angel, as yet unassigned. Ron was wearing his usual off-white tunic and pants, and
he looked satisfied. It was all I could do to keep my mouth shut and let him believe that Shoe was the mark.
Maybe I can pull this off after all.
Go, Barnabas said, hunched beside me. Grace and I will keep him busy. If he wants to put an angel on Shoe,
then Ace doesn t have one yet.
Madison? Ron called. Show yourself.
But you can t stand up to Ron! I almost hissed. He ll just stop time or something.
Grace drifted down to land on Barnabas s shoulder, giggling. I m a guardian angel first, baby, she said, her
words cheerful. I can keep Ron from messing with time.
We ll be fine, Barnabas said, gesturing with his eyes for me to leave. Go.
What about the other guardian angel? I asked.
She doesn t have free will, Grace said. No name, you see.
I licked my lips, wondering if I might be able to salvage something. Shoe s life, maybe.
Madison! Come out and admit you lost! Ron shouted. There s no shame here. You can t expect to win when
you re trying to beat a thousand years of experience.
This guy has an ego bigger than my old chemistry teacher s.
Go! Barnabas said urgently as Shoe stared at us, frightened. Nakita, you go with them. In case you have
to&
His words trailed off, and I met his eyes, shocked. Was he agreeing with Nakita s position, to kill Ace if he
wouldn t change?
Nakita, too, was surprised. You think I m right in ending his life? she asked, and Shoe fidgeted, seeming
more concerned about not getting caught in a demolished lab than with our conversation about killing his friend.
No. I mean, I don t know what I believe anymore, Barnabas said, his brown eyes solemn. I held Madison as
she lived in the shadows of the future, heard her cry from the pain of the beauty in the stars. Maybe it would be
better if his life ended before he does himself so large a hurt and robs his soul of the chance to find that beauty.
I don t& know anymore. I have& doubt. His eyes came to mine. Please make him see reason. Don t force me
to have to make that choice.
I swallowed, scared. Were things so wrong that an angel doubted his own mind?
Madison! Ron shouted.
Nakita touched Barnabas s arm. I understand, she said softly.
From above us, Grace said, Uh, guys? He s coming over here.
Barnabas looked at all of us in turn. On the count of three, he said, then took a breath. One. Two
Three! Nakita shouted, jumping straight up to land atop the bench, screaming as she drew her sword. On her
chest, her amulet glowed a sharp amethyst, hurting my eyes.
Nakita! Ron exclaimed, and Grace lit up, bathing Nakita in a crystalline beauty. My amulet warmed, and I
knew the former guardian angel was blocking whatever Ron was trying to do as Nakita screamed at him, her
sword making large circles as she advanced.
Barnabas sighed and hunched closer. Three, he said. Get Shoe out of here. Talk to Ace. Please make him
understand. We ll catch up with you.
It was all the encouragement I needed. Grabbing Shoe s hand, I ran, trying to stay below the level of the
benches. Glass sparkled on the floor, and the night air came in through the broken windows. Cars had pulled up,
and flashing lights had begun playing on the ceilings.
Cop cars and alarm bells. Ohhh, I knew this song. We had to leave, and leave now. Ron s breaking of the
window had been more than noticed.
What about her? Shoe said when we skittered out of the room and into the hall. It was cooler out here, and
darker.
I glanced behind us and sighed. Nakita doesn t want to kill you now. She s after Ace. You ll be fine.
Breaking into a jog, we headed down the hall. I got that part. Is she coming?
It never failed to amaze me how people could go from fear to acceptance. Meeting him stride for stride, I said,
She ll catch up. How did you get here? Will your bike hold two?
Shoe pulled me into a room. It was another lab, and, moving fast, he led me to the back and the attached
greenhouse. I ve got a car. But with the cops
A car? I interrupted him. How do you sneak out your bedroom window, then drive a car to the school? For
all my moaning and groaning about having left my car in Florida, I d found a new freedom with my bike.
Slipping away was easier when you weren t making noise.
I park it in the street, he said, flashing me a grin. It s not like my parents want it in the drive. They can t get
their cars out with me in the way.
I nodded as Shoe pointed to an open window in the school s greenhouse.
Another boom shook the school, followed by the sound of frantic radio chatter. The hoot of the fire alarm
started. An instant later, the sprinklers went off.
Damn! Shoe said, watching the water spill out of the ceiling. There weren t any spigots in the greenhouse,
and, glad for small favors, I bent to slip out the narrow window. I could hear cops in the hallways complaining
about the water. I d be willing to bet that between Ron and Barnabas, everyone in the school with a pulse would
remember tonight just as the one when the fire alarm went off.
My feet skidded on the dew-wet grass when I finally got outside. The night was cool, and I waited, fidgeting
and scanning the empty parking lot while Shoe scraped himself out the window. There was a glow on the
horizon where the moon was about to rise. Shoe s feet thumped silently onto the grass, and after a quick look at
the distant cop lights, we jogged across the empty parking lot.
So where s your car? I asked, hoping Barnabas and Nakita were being enough of a distraction, but not so big
that it made international news.
I didn t want it seen at the school, so I parked it down the street, he said, breathless as we ran. But when we
rounded the corner, it was me who stopped dead in my tracks.
Shoe drove a gray convertible. And the top was down.
No freaking way, I said, the memory of my heart pounding in a past fear. It looked like the car I had died in.
Right down to the leather seats and the key in the ignition.
Shoe jumped over the closed door and turned the key. Get in! he exclaimed, surprised to find me six feet
back. Behind me, fire trucks were starting to arrive.
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