Eliza poked at her cereal, watching the patterns the Corn Flakes made as they got soggier and soggier.
"You know, I don't think you can absorb nutrition through your eyes."
She didn't answer Joe, her mind still tangled in the thoughts that had kept her up half the night.
"I'd say a penny for your thoughts, but it looks like I'd need a lot of pennies."
She sighed, letting her spoon fall into the slop and sitting back in her chair.
"Sorry, I'm just... distracted."
"No problem," he said with a cheerful shrug, swirling his orange juice. "I can't blame you, we all had quite the ordeal."
"Yeah," Eliza said, her gaze drifting to the table by the window where Tori and her entourage sat.
"On the bright side, no one's called me names today. But then, no one's really spoken to me yet, so it's too early to tell."
Eliza forced herself to smile, trying to drag herself back to the present.
Joe cocked his head. "Do you wanna go see that new movie this afternoon?"
"New movie?"
"Yeah, the one about aliens."
Eliza chuckled, but her brain latched onto that word.
Were those shadows aliens?
"I mean, we don't have to if you don't want to..."
"I think I'm going to bike by the base," Eliza said suddenly, snapping to a decision. She couldn't just keep wondering and hoping that some answer might magically appear. She had to do something or she was going to lose her mind.
Joe's smile fell.
"I don't think that's a good idea. What if they recognize you?"
"They won't."
"Look, I know you're not exactly into sitting things out, but that was nuts last night. Can't you find a better way to blow off steam than poking the freaking army?"
"I'm not poking anyone. I just want to check something out."
"Eliza..."
"You don't have to come with me," Eliza said, folding her arms.
"Maybe I won't. Unlike you, I like my weekends to be relaxing. Have you heard of the word? It's quite a novel concept, I — hey wait, you're leaving now?"
Eliza had shoved to her feet, pushing the bowl of cereal away and ignoring the way Tori's eyes flicked to her before returning to her own posse.
"I'll only be gone an hour."
"Now hold on —"
"Get tickets for that movie, I'll be back by noon."
Ignoring Joe's open-mouthed shock, Eliza snatched her messenger bag and hurried out of the dining hall before she could lose her nerve.
Her bike was parked in front of the dorm, rarely used on the entirely walkable campus but invaluable when it came to getting away. The center of town was a good mile and a half from Meru and, in order to keep Eliza from going totally stir-crazy in the quiet little Western Massachusetts town, her parents had relented and bought her a blue cruiser bike with tall handlebars and a wide, plushy seat. Perfect for popping into the city for some groceries or a quick trip to the mall. Terrible for long distances.
Her parents knew her well.
Eliza popped off the U-lock and swung her leg over to settle on the wide seat, cursing the mandatory skirts of Meru's uniform. What she wouldn't give for a few pairs of jeans, but their headmaster insisted that Meru students needed to look polished and professional at all times, even on weekends.
It was a warm, sunny Saturday morning, so naturally the bike lane that followed the highway into the woods was full of mothers and strollers and dogs. Eliza had to move slow to keep from hitting anyone, which only made her anxiety sharper, her doubts thicker. Was Joe right? Was this a mistake? Maybe she should go back....
But no matter how much the uncertainty settled into the pit of her stomach, she couldn't bring herself to turn around.
Katie, I hope you're keeping an eye on me, Eliza thought as she drew closer to the military base and the sprawling hills of Ian Eckelson's endless estate.
Eliza had been the bold one. The one to drag Katie into lakes and through fields, making up wild stories so they could pretend to be magical spies or poison testers. But, despite being six years older, Katie had always gone along with Eliza. Together they'd climbed trees and built forts and chased after terrified squirrels. Katie had moderated the wilderness in Eliza's soul, kept her safe without making her tame. No one else had accepted the natural restlessness that seemed as much a part of Eliza as her skeleton. But Katie had.
If she were still alive, Katie would be right here, biking beside her, trying to talk her into a more rational course of action without talking her out of it entirely.
Damn, I miss you, Eliza thought as she passed a pair of gossiping moms fast-walking back to Scottstown.
She could see the fence now. The pedestrians had thinned so that Eliza was almost alone. Cars sailed past as she stopped and leaned to the side so she could peer into the metal cage of Fitzgerald Base. A few soldiers were outside drilling and the line of jeeps stood suspiciously silent and undisturbed. It looked just as it had every time Eliza had seen it — orderly, quiet.
Normal.
Eliza rolled into the driveway that twisted into the heart of the base.
Did she dare get closer?
Suddenly, Eliza felt something approaching. Predatory. Dangerous. Her senses hummed for her to run. She twisted on her bike seat just in time to see a black, unmarked car crest the hill and slow.
She felt as if the car's headlights were eyes, looking right at her.
And then, with an impatient roar, the car began to accelerate, veering into the bike lane.
Right at her.
"Shit!"
Eliza kicked herself into motion, pedaling frantically. There was no way it was aiming for her, no way it was trying to hit her. That would be insane. But as she cast a terrified look over one shoulder, she couldn't deny that the car was driving way too far right.
Taking a chance, Eliza swung into the empty left lane.
The car followed.
"Shit, shit, shit," Eliza muttered, throwing her whole body into pedaling.
She'd almost reached the exit where they'd met Tori the night before, but that was a car lane. The crazy person on her tail might follow her. Eliza threw another look behind her and saw only black metal, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off its surface.
The trees whistled past.
No one was around to see what was happening. There were no witnesses.
She had to act fast or she was going to die.
"Damn it," Eliza growled and yanked her handlebars to the side, throwing herself off the road.
It was like someone had put the world into a blender. Her messenger bag went flying. Her body was launched over the front wheel and into the underbrush. Thorns and sharp branches scratched her face. Her hair caught on the underbrush hard enough to make her cry out in pain. In some distant, detached world she heard the squeal of tires, the harmonizing of engines, the roar of oncoming traffic.
And then, as abruptly as it had started, everything stopped.
Eliza lay in the crunchy October leaves, gasping for air. If she had ached before, she felt brutal now. Her whole body was a constellation of bruises and cuts and abused muscles.
But she was alive.
Wincing with every movement, Eliza pushed to her knees. Her eyes scanned through the bars of the trees, glared back at the road. A minivan whooshed past and a Subaru sped by in the other direction. But no black car.
Using a nearby sapling to pull herself to her feet, Eliza frowned at the underbrush, wondering if she'd imagined the whole thing, if the knock on her head really had destabilized her enough that she was seeing things, inventing fantasies as she'd once done with Katie.
But when her gaze found the empty pavement of the road, her jaw clenched. Because there, dark and swerving, were unmistakable skid marks, still smoking and reeking of burnt rubber.
"The hell...?" Eliza breathed, her heart beginning to slow.
The forest didn't answer, so she had no choice but to get moving.
Fighting through the pain, Eliza began to gather her scattered things which had gone flying in the crash. Her bag, her books, her cellphone. Thankfully, the screen remained unbroken.
Her bike wasn't so lucky.
The front was bent at a jagged angle, the metal wheel bed twisted into a reaching claw.
"Damn," she said aloud as she untangled a cluster of leaves from the loose chain. She'd have to bring her bike to the shop, maybe even get a new one. The thought made her feel claustrophobic. She'd be totally dependent on Joe for rides, and she already knew he wasn't interested in the mystery of what was going on in Fitzgerald Base.
Hauling the mess of metal out of the bushes, Eliza managed to crawl her way back into the bike lane. She peered around, waiting for that black car to show up again. But the stretching road between Scottstown and the outlying district was quiet. She squinted up the highway to where she knew the giant gilded gates protected Ian Eckelson and his secrets.
An engine rumbled behind her and she spun, heart hammering.
Joe's pick-up truck crested the hill, squealing to a stop beside her. Eliza exhaled in relief, trying to get her pulse under control.
"Oh my God, Eliza, what happened to you?" Joe said, leaping out of the rumbling truck and running over to her.
"Had a bit of a tumble," she said, ducking her head.
"You look like you got in an accident!"
"It's nothing, I just fell." She took a deep breath, squinting at her friend. "What are you doing here?"
"My spidey senses were tingling. But really, did the trees gang up on you or what?"
"I told you, it's nothing. Come on, Joe, I need a bath."
"Alright, whatever you say. Although for the record, I think the trees won."
Eliza punched him in the arm and they both released nervous half-laughs. Joe knew she was hiding something. She could see it in his expression, in the way he curved toward her like a question mark.
So she gave him the sheepish grin of a person who had just done something clumsy.
"Will you help me with this thing or what?"
"Always in need of the big strong man, aren't you?" Joe said, nodding sagely.
It took both of them to wrestle the heavy, twisted bike out of the bushes and into the high bed of his truck. By the time they were done, both Eliza and Joe were panting and dirty and covered in bike grease.
"You know, I can think of better ways to spend a Saturday," Joe muttered, pressing his handkerchief to the bloody gash Eliza hadn't noticed on her forehead.
"Really? I can't," she said, pushing his hand away. "You're gonna stain your fancy tissue."
"It's fine, that's what they're for," he said, tossing her the bloody linen. "Here, you do it then. If you come back to Meru looking like that, people are going to think you're part of a fight club."
"Maybe I am."
Joe sighed, turning off his hazards and shifting the truck into first gear.
"You know, I wouldn't be surprised."
Under the guise of checking on her bike, Eliza turned and glared down the road. She could see the base's iron fence glimmering through the trees, shining in the sun as if it had nothing to hide.
"I hope you'll take this as a sign," Joe was saying. "I think this is the universe's way of telling you to behave yourself."
Eliza frowned.
Screw the universe, she thought, pinching her eyebrows together. I'm just getting started.