The plate seemed tiny now, and I had to squint a bit to focus.

Just aim and shoot.

I aimed.

I shot.

Curtis ran over to check out the target. He produced a distant yelp.

d.a.m.n.

"She did it again!" said Daniel interpreting his brother's cry.

"No I didn't," I said.

It took a moment, but Curtis returned with the plate to show us all. This time there was no doubt that the third bullet had gone through almost the exact same spot as the first two. The hole kind of looked like a squished eight.

"This is amazing," said Father Peter.

"d.a.m.n right!" said John.

"It's not!" I wasn't sure why I was insisting so hard that this wasn't anything special. Probably because I knew it was and that freaked me out. What did it mean that I was so good at this, and without any practice or anything either? I hoped it was as simple as having good eyesight and a steady hand.

Fortunately, after the third shot everyonehink s agreed it was time to move o," sai

We walked over to Etta Mae's, everyone talking up a storm. It seemed like everybody was pretty excited about our plans, and I was thrilled that they all seemed to get on okay. Even Wild Frank had a loveable quality when he wasn't firing weapon affected by our poweroIidDJs without warning.

Only Lacy seemed sad still, as she and Curtis brought up the rear of our group. I wished there was something I could say to make her feel better.

The same kids were playing on Etta Mae's lawn, and that same girl with the yellow dress smiled brightly at me. Mr. Clayton was sitting in his chair ignoring us all as Etta Mae welcomed us into her home. Even though I'd been at her place half a dozen times by now, I was always struck how frozen in time it seemed. Nothing ever changed.

"Aunt Mae!" called out John and rushed into her open arms.

"There's my strapping boys! All smarter and taller I see!" said Etta Mae squeezing John tight.

"Not taller, Aunt Mae," said Daniel. "Not sure about smarter either."

"I can tell just by holding y'all, you're a d.a.m.n sight smarter." She pulled Daniel into the hug as well.

"If you say so," said John with a laugh.

"Never thought I'd live to see the day when one of my kin went to college. Never even dared hope it would be three at the same time. Where's my Curtis?"

"Here, Aunt Mae," he said, climbing up the stairs holding Lacy's hand. "Aunt Mae, this is Lacy Green."

"Hi," said Lacy quietly. I'd never seen her shy before.

"It's lovely to meet you," said Etta Mae with a soft smile. "Aren't you just the prettiest thing."

"Thanks," replied Lacy, her eyes lowered.

"Frank Tinsley and Father Peter," I said, introducing the last two.

"I know them both," said Mae shaking each of their hands. "Father Peter, I tell you what, with everything being as it is, you're a good man and that's enough."

"Uh, thank you," replied Father Peter.

"This is Mr. Clayton," said Etta Mae, making a quick gesture of introduction. As usual, Mr. Clayton didn't pay any attention to any of us. "And now come inside! Y'all must be famished!"

We all pa.s.sed through into the small front room. I was last, and as I did so, I saw Mr. Clayton look at me, and then back again. He always seemed to pay special attention to me whenever I visited, which wasn't saying much. It was little more than a glance, but it always left me feeling unsettled.

Lunch, as usual, was amazing, as lunch always was at Etta Mae's, and the conversation was lively and full of laughter. Even Lacy opened up and seemed happier, and it was pretty clear that Curtis really interested her. Once we were done eating, it was time to coordinate schedules. For now it seemed weekends were best. Lacy had cheerleading practice after school three nights a week and was working with a coach for the beauty pageant the other two nights. The weekend would be fine for now anyway, giving me and Gabe a chance to do our school work, and the Alexander brothers time to find summer jobs. Once school was over we could meet up more regularly, of course, and work around whatever job schedule the Alr powermo, fe

The next couple months were insane. First there was the training. That would have been enough, thank you very much, without everything else besides. It turned out I actually was a pretty good teacher with the aiming thing. I guess to me it just seemed obvious. Keep both eyes open, aim, and shoot. It wasZngidDJ about getting out of your head. You had to stop looking at yourself from the outside and just be in the moment. I hadn't realized how most of them had trouble just focusing on the target in front of them. I guess I should have realized it, considering how much was going on in my mind usually. But for some reason, with this, I could just be empty and present. Explaining and teaching that to everyone was tricky, but it was a cool challenge.

At first I'd let Curtis show Lacy what to do, but after a while it just seemed like he was more of a distraction than a help, so I wound up taking over. She didn't seem so keen about that idea, but then when she hit her first target, thanks to my instruction, she got over her resentment pretty fast. After that, like I'd predicted, Lacy was a quick study. She'd put her mind to it that she was going to be just as good as the rest of us, and her learning curve was really steep. I wound up working with her more than anyone else. She was so insistent we practice as often as possible. And when she hit three targets in a row, she'd actually hugged me. We pulled apart and sort of just stared at each other after it'd happened.

"You know what, Lacy?" I finally said.

"What?"

"How about, while we're doing all this stuff, we just get over our opinions of one another and decide we like each other."

Lacy thought about it for a minute. "Well, I've always liked you okay, Riley. I invited you over to eat with us in the caf remember. It's you who doesn't like me."

"What are you talking about? You were the one with all the little snide comments about my clothes and stuff-not telling me about the pool party and making me wear one of your swimsuits that were way too small for me."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I don't like you, just that...well, I felt you thought y'all were better than me so I had to bring you down. You know."

"Seriously?"

"And you were the one to stop eating with us. That was kind of mean."

"I didn't think you'd care. But it had nothing to do with you. It was Amber. I don't think I like her very much."

"Oh my G.o.d, she's so annoying. And I hate how much she wors.h.i.+ps Pastor Warren."

"Exactly."

We stopped talking for a second. You could hear the guys on the opposite end of the lawn laughing about something.

"So," she said.

"So."

"So what, you want to be friends?"

"Would make things easier," I said. "I've got a lot on my mind, without having to deal with stupid girl issues."

"Okay, sure. Yeah. Let's be friends. But only here," she added as an afterthought.

"Don't worry, Lacy," I said. "In public we can still dislike each other. I mean, I've got my own image to maintain."

Lacy laughed, and I felt a huge weight off my shoulders.

And that was how we actually started to like each other. I didn't go so far as to attend her pageant. It would have been strange with all her friends around. But she did show me her talent routine, and I helped her practice answering questions. She even showed me how to walk, but I just felt stupid. Curtis did go, however, and reported back all the strangeness that was such an event. Not strange, though, was that she won the compet.i.tion. Evidently that was a huger deal than I affected by our powerg m felt 'd thought, because the mayor and Pastor Warren organized a special presentation of the key to the city on the steps of the town hall, and she had her picture taken with both of them for the local paper. She had to go to Baton Rouge for a parade, which was a little frustrating as it was over the weekend, and she'd already missed so much practice recently. But when she got back, she doubled her efforts.

Her biggest effort, and most helpful contribution, had been her and the Alexander brothers fetching the clay pigeon throwing machine from the club. They told us the story, how everyone had stared as they drove up in the old pickup truck. Lacy had had it all arranged ahead of time, the guys just had to go out back to get it. But the four of them walking through the club had been a serious disturbance. John had described it as a blanket of silence falling on everything. With broad smiles they'd nodded at the patrons in the restaurant, who, as he said, "Were frozen mid-bite, their forks just hovering over their plates, bits of food falling off." Lacy had loved every moment. Especially the look of sheer horror when she and Curtis pa.s.sed by, his arm draped over her shoulder. It looked like Lacy was turning into quite the little rebel.

Of course, we were still going to school during all of this. Helping Gabe study for the SATs, even though he claimed he wasn't interested in going to college, actually was really helpful for my PSAT scores. I'd been working extra hard to make up for my poor showing the year before, and I was really proud of the results. Top of my cla.s.s, or nearly, in every subject, even gym since I'd found this new confidence thanks to my shooting skills. In fact, I discovered I was pretty good at sports if I just applied that same kind of centered focus I used when I was aiming at target practice. Even in the wrestling unit that Hannah had dominated since middle school, I actually managed to score the highest marks.

"You're a fighting machine!" Gabe had said afterward.

"There's no stopping me."

Then there was Gabe's graduation, which probably was the most emotional event for us. Well, at least me and Gabe. I think junior prom, which I did not attend, was the highlight of Lacy's year-yes, she was crowned prom queen and took Curtis as her date. Don't know which was more impressive to the kids that night-her win or the university man on her arm.

But Gabe's graduation was extra special. He'd never thought he'd ever be in such a ceremony. Considering he'd dropped out, it was pretty obvious that he'd never thought he'd actually get a diploma. Still, here he was now, standing at the edge of the small stage in his cap and gown, waiting for his name to be called. He looked so cute-not hot cute, but adorable cute-nervously playing with the edge of his robe, staring straight ahead at Princ.i.p.al Johnson. By this time, Gabe was a fixture in the school as if he'd been through all the grades with us. When his name was called, no one seemed to notice that his only family was me and my parents. Everyone was too busy cheering for him, the girls especially. When Mrs. Johnson handed him his diploma, I saw him look out into the crowd, searching for something. Then he caught my eye and waved the diploma in the air, "Hey, sweetheart, how do you like them apples!" I waved and whooped in return.

Afterward we went to Le Chevre, the only real sit-down restaurant in town, with my parents to celebrate. Gabe kept the cap and robe on the entire time. On the way home, he offered to give me a ride on his bike, but I wasn't quite ready for that yet. He never stopped offering, but I just wasn't brave enough. So we went home separately and met on the front porch on the bench, the tears welled upodk my parents inside watching some TV.

"Had a good day?" I asked.

"Absolutely ace," he replied.

"That a good thing?"

"The best."

We sat in silence for a while, staring out into the dark of the front yard, down the driveway.

"Hey," he said suddenly, turning to face me, "it's been a while since you mentioned seeing that weird white ghost thing. Has it been around at all?"

Instantly my heart was in my throat. "Why're you asking?"

"Just staring into the dark made me remember. Can't believe I forgot."

I sighed. He had no idea what a loaded question that was. The fact was I was actually feeling a bit resentful toward the strange ghost thingy these days. Since the conversation about the Thralls, it had appeared only once more outside my window a week later. But it had vanished the second I'd come downstairs to speak with it. After that, well, I hadn't seen it since, and now it had been close to four months since it had told me about the "obvious question". Since then it had decided it wasn't in the mood to chat with me. Sure I'd been a bit focused on other things lately, leading an army and training and stuff. But still, every once in a while, lying in bed at night planning the next day's practice session, suddenly the ghost thingy would pop into my mind. I wondered why it didn't want to have a conversation with me anymore. I wondered what the answer to the "obvious question" was. I felt...well, it was stupid, but I felt a bit like it had deserted me. I also wondered if I'd...how anwell, if I'd done somyone else how

Now, see, we didn't actually get to go on a date until a good month and a bit after graduation. Training had taken a turn for the worse now that we were aiming at moving targets. Of course, I turned out to be just as awesome at that as I was with shooting at non-moving targets, but the others...not as much. Wild Frank was just plain dangerous the way he just shot wildly in the air, and Lacy was back to being really hard on herself every time she made a mistake. Even the Alexander brothers were having trouble with it. Lunches at Etta Mae's had become a lot more subdued, and I had the feeling people weren't as keen on meeting up for practice now that it had become more like work and less like fun.

At least we got to practice more frequently now that school was over. Of course, this also meant we had to be extra careful, now that we were mysteriously absent from our usual lives more frequently. Lacy especially had to worry and was under some obvious strain now that her parents had decided to attend Commune every Wednesday and forced her to come along. Commune, from what Lacy described, had grown into a huge affair since the last time I'd attended. I wasn't surprised. With the way some people spoke now in the town, using some of the same lingo I'd heard that night at the Commune in their everyday conversations, it was pretty obvious there was at least one person per family in town in attendance. Pastor Warren didn't float every time, but he often did. Lacy said that when he would, everyone would collapse to the ground and bow low in honor of the angels. I said it sounded more like they were bowing low to him. Lacy said, "d.a.m.n right they are. And you know he loves it. He says he's all "reveling in the Glory," but the only Glory affected by our powerUOsh. CouldI can see is the one he's created for himself."

"Wires and stuff..." I muttered.

"Yeah, probably," replied Lacy.

"Anyone actually looked into it?"

"Like who? The only people who'd be interested are the ones wasting every free moment missing targets," replied Lacy, her voice lined with bitterness.

She was right. We couldn't do everything. We just didn't have the time to investigate Pastor Warren's bulls.h.i.+t. And saving people at the Taking seemed way more important.

Anyway, it was also tough for all of us to meet at the same time, and since I was the leader and the best shot and teacher, I had to be there for every practice session, even when most everyone else could only make it half the time. Gabe came with me, though, and at first I'd kinda wished he wouldn't. Ever since he'd asked me out I'd felt stupidly uncomfortable around him again, like back in the fall when we'd first been getting to know each other. But as the time pa.s.sed, and the idea of a date seemed more and more just that and less something that would actually happen, I became more and more comfortable with him again.

And then.

And then it happened. We were into August, just a little over a week away from the Taking. It was like everything that we'd been struggling with suddenly decided to straighten itself out. Suddenly everyone was. .h.i.tting moving targets. Even Wild Frank had realized that if he stopped waving his gun around and aimed, then he'd maybe hit a thing or two. We got so good that we started having little compet.i.tions, which I was never allowed to enter. I had no idea how it happened, maybe just muscle memory or something, but suddenly I had a team of crazy-good marksmen, who I imagined could give any professional sniper a run for his money.

You'd think this would be a good thing. And it was, for our purposes. But it was also a bad thinghat I knew abo

The general reaction to Riley going on a date was as big and ridiculous as I had imagined it was going to be. Lacy had squealed through the phone at a pitch probably only dogs could hear when I told her. My parents thought it was just the cutest thing ever, and I'm pretty sure I saw tears in my mother's eyes.

I couldn't sleep all night and avoided Gabe as much as I could during the next day. It really sucked living with the guy you were going on a first date with. Your first date ever with.

Lacy arrived around 4:00 p.m. to help me get ready, and I was really glad she did. The idea of putting together an outfit for this was making me feel physically ill. Which didn't make sense, since Gabe had seen me in just about everything I owned already and had still decided to ask me out. It wasn't like I needed to impress him or anything. Still. I kind of wanted to.