Wild Sky 2 Read Free Page A

we were standing in, between the kiosk and the jungle—“and have a conversation with someone who potentially wants to knock you unconscious, throw you in the trunk of their car, and take you to a Destiny farm where they’ll bleed you dry?”
    “I wasn’t—” I started.
    “He says freeze and you freeze?” Dana asked. “What were you thinking? Why were you thinking? You should’ve at least tried to blast him with your telekinesis before you even turned around!”
    At this, I exploded. “That’s bullshit !” I exclaimed, the foul word exiting my mouth like a glob of poison. “And you know it! I knew it was Cal!”
    “His voice was disguised,” she argued.
    “I knew it was him,” I insisted. “And yes, his being here made me a little confused, but—”
    “All the more reason to send out a mental shock wave,” Dana insisted. “I mean, yes, considering your limitations, it probably wouldn’t’ve worked—”
    “You seriously are on my case because I didn’t hammer my best friend with a big ol’ telekinetic left hook to the balls?” I laughed humorlessly, because last time I’d checked, Dana had been adamant about not letting me use my extremely limited water-based TK to try to move people—not even in a no-stress training session, let alone one like this. Although as I looked at Cal, I realized his robot suit wasn’t just for visual effect.
    He knew what I was thinking and tapped on his chest. The sound he made was similar to that of a drum kit’s hi-hat. “Pretty sure this technology makes me Skylar-proof. Not only did we crash-test both the suit and the chair, but we’re pretty sure you can’t move me because you can’t access the fluids in my body. The metal shields me. Neat-o, huh? The suit’s just a loaner—we’ve got to give it back—”
    “As in, we need to return the stolen goods?” I interpreted.
    “Semantics,” Dana said dismissively as I shook my head.
    “It’s not the easiest thing to move around in,” Cal continued, “and I gotta admit it’s toasty warm in here, but…” He shrugged as he glanced over at Dana. “Hot blond chicks can talk me into things.”
    That pissed me off even more. “Dana! Seriously! Did you mind-control Calvin into doing this?”
    Dana shook her head. “Cal signed up willingly. The point here is that whether you knew it was Calvin or not, that was not the right time to stop and have a freaking chat!”
    I shook my head, exhausted and angry, but also tremendously relieved. I turned to look at Milo, who was still standing slightly behind me. The important thing was that he was safe.
    I didn’t think the moonlight was bright enough for him to see the tears that were brimming in my eyes, but he reached out and took my hand and our connection immediately clicked on.
    I’m so sorry. His thoughts immediately filled my mind. I love you.
    I kind of laugh-sobbed as I nodded and squeezed his hand. I love you, too. I had to let go of his hand, or I would’ve started to cry. And I was not going to cry in front of Dana. She was my friend, yes, but these days she felt more like my worst frenemy.
    She was still stomping around, trying to turn this farce of a so-called test into a teaching-and-learning moment. “You know, Bubble Gum, if you’d waited for me—your teammate—you could have given me the command to move him.” She pitched her voice higher. “ Dana, zap the monster! And I would’ve…” She nodded, her brows furrowed in concentration, and we all watched her use her powerful telekinesis to blast Calvin’s chair high into the air. He whooped like he was on an amusement-park ride, and she twirled him a few times before she gently set him down on the other side of the clearing. “Done that.”
    “Oh, snap!” I heard Cal call from the distance. Then, “Hey, can I come back now?”
    Dana’s grin flashed and then faded so fast, I might not have seen it if I wasn’t looking directly at her. But then she nodded again, lifting Calvin back