FIRE & FLOOD Extras

Chapter Four

I leap out of bed, heart pounding. This must be a joke. A prank. It can't be real.

Can it?

If this is a joke, it's the worst kind. Because I'd do anything to save Cody's life. And this device — this woman — just told me there's a way. Did my dad listen to this? My mom? Do they know what she said? If they did and they thought there was even a possibility of it being true, why would they ever try to destroy it?

I don't know. I don't care. This is about me now. The blue box was on my bed. I'm the one who received the invitation.

But this can't be real. Can it?

My heart aches as I consider my brother. What's crazy is — as absurd as this race sounds — I can't stop thinking, What if it's true? I want to believe it's real. I want to believe there can be an end to Cody's blood tests and MRIs. That my mom will learn to sleep again, and that my dad will stop quietly raging. I don't want to smell antiseptic anymore or meet another kindhearted nurse who's great at hitting a vein on the first try. How about, instead, you leave Cody alone?

How about, instead, you make him better?!

Driven by raw emotion, I weigh my choices. Ignore the woman's message and go back to bed.

Or.

Take the chance, the miniscule chance, that my dad knew there was something to hide.

The realization that I may be onto something slams into me. My parents tried to conceal this. My brother passed it off as a joke. But I'll be damned if I'm going to let anyone in my family stop me from helping Cody.

Assuming this is all real.

"It has to be," I whisper in the dark.

Anger coils in my stomach like a serpent. My dad didn't think I could do this. That's why he tried to destroy the device. But maybe he doesn't know his little girl as well as he'd like to believe. Because when it comes to doing something for my family, I'm not just his daughter.

I am strong.

I will be strong for my brother.

My hand grips the device I've removed from my ear. The woman said I needed to get to the Old Red Museum within forty-eight hours. How long has it been since I first saw the box? How long did it take to get to me?

Grabbing my old backpack from my closet, I think about what to pack: clothes, food, water, the device . . . maybe some nail polish. Just because I'm entering a race doesn't mean I don't want to look magically delicious. I throw on a black, long-sleeved T-shirt, jeans, and yellow ballet flats. Then I jam things into my bag as quickly as I can, knowing I want to leave before the sun rises and my parents wake up. The first thing I've got to do is figure out where the Old Red Museum is. We don't have an Internet connection here, but some place in town will. I'll be able to look it up there. At least I hope so.

A ball forms in my stomach as I think about leaving. My parents will be fine, but what about Cody? Will he be okay while I'm away? I stare at the bag in my hands, then drop it onto the bed. I'm not even sure of what I'm doing when I leave my room and head to Cody's. I stop in his doorway and listen to his even breathing.

I'm glad he's asleep. There's no part of me that wants to banter with him right now, even if he does like it. I just want to tell him I love him. So I do.

"I love you, Cody," I say. And then, "Please don't die."

Tears sting my eyes as I run toward my bedroom. I want to keep this picture of him in my head, his sleeping chest rising and falling under the heavy blue blanket. This race may be a crock, and I may only be gone chasing a phantom for one day, but I'll still miss him.