Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 62262 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 311(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62262 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 311(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
“I’m trying to keep the call small and contained, so only that one squirrel responds.”
“Should I be able to hear something?”
“No. It’s not a sound.”
He concentrated for a few more seconds. Then he yelled, “Run!” There was some sort of a disturbance happening in the woods, but before I could see what it was, he grabbed my hand and dragged me inside.
About two seconds after we closed the door behind us, dozens of squirrels began racing onto the deck. I stared in disbelief as they rushed to the glass door and stood up with their little hands pressed against the glass.
“I tried amplifying the signal a tiny bit,” he said, “but it ended up shooting out all at once. It’s like when you try to squeeze ketchup from a bottle. I was getting nothing, and then I tried too hard and got way too much.” He pushed his hair back as he watched the squirrely mayhem unfolding. “I can’t believe there are so many. I never got that much of anything in the city, for obvious reasons.”
“I’d tried to imagine what your power must be like, but I didn’t fully get it. Now I do. It really is amazing.”
“You wouldn’t be so amazed if we were stuck outside with that.” He swept his arm to indicate the squirrel circus. They were climbing all over the chairs, running along the railing, and generally being chaotic. A creative rodent even tried to climb into one of the coffee mugs we’d left outside. “Can you imagine if we went on a hike and I accidentally called them? It’s a good reminder that I need to stay the hell out of the woods.”
“Still though, you’re powerful. There’s no denying it.”
He dropped onto the couch and sighed. “Powerful isn’t necessarily a positive. A powerful strain of anthrax would be a terrible thing.”
I sat down beside him and took his hand. “I wish I knew how to help.”
Andy slumped over, so he was leaning against me with his head on my shoulder. “I appreciate it, but I don’t think anyone can help. It is what it is. The best I can hope for is learning not to set it off by accident. Other than that, it’s never going to be good for anything, short of getting a job as the Pied Piper of San Francisco and luring all the rats out of the city or something.”
He thought about that and added, “That almost sounds useful, but where would I put the rats? Also, they wouldn’t be content with following me. They’d insist on climbing all over me, and that’s just gross.” I shuddered, despite myself, and he nodded. “Exactly.”
Most of the squirrels wandered off after a few minutes. The stragglers returned to the woods a bit later, when it started to rain. I’d been fascinated by it, but it was easy to see why Andy thought of his power as a negative. It had felt pretty out of control when all of that was happening.
We shifted gears after that. The rainstorm was the perfect excuse to forget about being productive. Instead, we curled up together on the couch, with warm blankets and a crackling fire burning in the fireplace. I held Andy securely and felt him relax in my arms.
As much as I wanted to relax too, I found myself listening carefully. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to hear the sound of an approaching engine from inside the cabin. The rain made it seem even more unlikely. Not that our pursuers should be able to find us here… but what if they did?
More than anything, I wanted to keep Andy safe. He was the only thing that mattered. But what if I wasn’t strong enough to protect him?
I hated that thought.
A few hours later, Andy’s ringing phone startled both of us. It was April checking in, and he paced around the cabin while they talked.
When the call ended, he joined me in the kitchen where I was making us some tea, and I asked, “What did she say?”
“It turns out this isn’t the first time Edward Rosselin has been suspected of doing something shady. April’s agents started digging into his past and found out he’d been under investigation a few years ago.”
“By SPAM?”
“No, by the FBI. A few people went missing, and signs pointed to Rosselin’s involvement, but they couldn’t get anything to stick. She’s trying to get more details, but that’s not easy since the FBI isn’t big on sharing their intel.”
Andy leaned against the edge of the counter and continued, “The overall gist of our conversation was that Rosselin is probably a very bad person, one who’s managed to get away with all sorts of stuff for a very long time. I can’t believe I was dumb enough to go right to him and wave a juicy carrot in front of his nose.”