“I don’t know how we’re going to find him, but we will find him. And honestly, as of right now, I don’t know what you can do to help us. But I do know that we can’t leave you here alone. If you stay, they will find you. They’ll take you, and you’ll be considered another runaway, just like Toby.”
“If I go with you, my grandfather will worry about me. He’s old. I can’t put him through that. And my parents aren’t even in the country. If they find out that I’m missing, they’ll have to come home. I can’t even begin to imagine how angry my father would be.”
“So, you would consider coming with us, if your family didn’t find out?”
“Well…um…I guess, but…”
Eddie looked at Tyler as though he were an idiot. “And what exactly do you have in mind? Don’t you think that her family would notice her absence?”
Tyler grinned at him, but addressed Liliana. “One thing that I’ve learned is to never say never. There’s always a way to accomplish something. Sometimes you just have to think outside the box.”
“I’m open for ideas,” Liliana said, “but I really don’t see what I can do.”
Tyler sat for a moment, in silent contemplation. There had to be a way. He watched a lone seagull, with a fish in its mouth, land on a pillar in the water. Another seagull landed on a nearby pillar and eyed the fish enviously. Viewing the other bird as a threat, the seagull with the fish flew away.
Tyler turned to her. “You said that your parents are away right now? Who are you staying with?”
“I’m staying with my grandfather, but I think I’m going to go stay with my friend…” Liliana paused for a moment and thought, Of course, maybe I could tell my grandfather that I’m going to stay with Aimee, but really, I could go with you.
Perfect! Tyler thought back. He smiled at her and winked when she realized that he had heard her thoughts.
This is too weird, Liliana thought. I’ve never had someone else in my head. You must be used to it, having your brother and all, but it’s a first for me.
It’s kind of a first for me, too. I mean, I’m used to my brother. He’s been in my head since the day we were born. But I’ve never had anyone else hear my thoughts.
He smiled at Liliana. She really was pretty. Remembering that she could hear his thoughts, he focused to push all feelings of attraction aside and worked to keep his mind on the problem at hand. So, what do you think? He continued the silent conversation. You tell your grandfather that you’re going to stay with your friend and then you come with us? What about your friend? Do you think she’ll say something?
No, I trust her. Obviously, I can’t tell her what I’m up to, but if I ask her not to tell anyone, she’ll stay quiet.
What if your other friends call your grandfather’s place and ask for you?
They won’t. Aimee’s the only one with his number. My other friends would call my cell phone. Liliana frowned as she thought the plan through. I’ll have Aimee tell my friends that I have laryngitis. And even if they did happen to get his number and call, my grandfather only speaks Chinese. Basically all he’d be able to say is, ‘Liliana not here’."
Tyler laughed. “It’s perfect,” he said out loud. “Probably the best plan we’re going to be able to come up with.”
Eddie looked back and forth between Tyler and Liliana, who were still smiling at each other as though they shared a secret. “Excuse me? Plan? Why do I get the feeling that I just missed out on an entire conversation?”
Tyler shared a smile with Liliana and laughed. “Sorry I guess we forgot for a moment that this is a three-way conversation.”
Their waitress stepped up to the table, then, and interrupted. “Can I get the three of you anything else?”
“Uh, no, thanks,” Tyler replied. “I think we’re ready for the check.”
“Okay then. I’ll be right back,” she said and departed.
Eddie turned to Liliana. “So what’s the plan? You coming with us?”
“It looks like I am. I must be crazy.”
“Join the crowd. I’ve been convinced that I must be crazy since I began this escapade.” He looked to Tyler. “Where are we headed next?”
“We need to go to Liliana’s place so that she can pack a bag and pretend to go to her friend’s house. And then…I don’t know. Hopefully I’ll hear from Toby soon.”
“What about my school?” Liliana interrupted. “When I don’t show up tomorrow, they’ll call my house. And when they don’t get ahold of anyone there, they’ll call my grandfather. The school secretary does speak Chinese.”
“Does the school know that your parents are out of the country?” Tyler asked.
“No, we never told them.”
“Does your father speak English?”
“Yeah. What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that Eddie can call the school tomorrow morning, pretend to be your father, and tell them that you’re going to be out sick for the rest of the week.”
Liliana raised her eyebrows and frowned with skepticism.
“Don’t worry. It’ll work.”
When she still looked hesitant, Tyler sent a pleading look to Eddie for assistance.
“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” Eddie reassured her. “It’ll work.” Then, he spoke in a baritone voice, “I’ll call the school tomorrow and pretend to be your father.”
Liliana laughed. “My father doesn’t have that deep of a voice. Your own voice should do just fine. They don’t know my father that well to recognize what he sounds like anyway.”
Just then, Toby’s thoughts entered his mind. Good, you found her, didn’t you? Are you with Liliana?
A wave of relief swept over him and he spoke to his brother out loud, “You’re here! I was so worried that you wouldn’t be able to reach me. Yeah, I’m with Eddie and Liliana.”
Eddie glanced at him with a look of curiosity. “Um, are you talking to us?”
“No, it’s Toby. He’s here.”
Liliana looked just as confused as Eddie. “He’s…here?”
“Yes and no. Physically he’s still…somewhere else, but mentally he’s here. I can hear his thoughts and he can hear mine.”
Can you go outside? Toby asked. With all of the conversations and people around, your words are broken up, like a bad cell phone connection.
“Yeah, hold on just a second and I’ll walk outside,” Tyler spoke out loud, for the benefit of his companions. Then, he looked at them and said, “Can you two wait here until the waitress comes back with the check? I need to go outside to talk to Toby. I’ll meet you out there?”
“Sure, go ahead,” Eddie replied. “We’ll be out in a minute.”
So, is she cute? Toby asked, once they were outside.
You and I both know, brother, that now isn’t the time or place for romance.
Who said anything about romance? Is she hot?
Have you figured out where we need to go next? He ignored his brother’s question and looked out to the water. To any passersby, it would appear as though he was simply enjoying the scenery.
Oh, so she is hot.
Um, really, Toby? Focus please.
Sorry. Her name is Sarah Hughes. She’s in a little town called Granite Falls. It’s just north of Seattle, not too far from where you are now. Maybe a two-hour drive.
Okay. We have to go back to Liliana’s place so that she can pack a bag, and then we’ll head up there. It’s getting late though, Tyler thought as he watched the rare Seattle sun near the water’s horizon. It’s going to be dark by the time we get up there. Do you know where we can find her?
Yeah, she’s a waitress at a diner, next to a small motel. She’s not there now, but she should be there again in the morning.
Right now, a motel sounds great. It’s been a long day.
Are you getting one room or two? Toby teased.
Though Tyler couldn’t see him, he knew that his brother was smiling.
She’s HOT, Toby reminded him.
Yeah,
I know, Tyler thought. Don’t remind me. And I don’t know if we’re getting one room or two, so I need to stop being reminded that she’s hot. She can hear my thoughts.
She can? Really? Toby sounded fascinated. NICE!
No, brother. NOT nice if I have to share a room with her. Not cool at all!
Toby laughed. Hey, so good luck with that.
Yeah? I’m going to need some luck finding Sarah.
Um, yeah, about that…You’re going to want to find her as soon as possible. I didn’t tell you before, but the guys who are after you are getting closer. I overheard one of them thinking about a flight he was going to catch to Washington. If they’re not there already, they’ll be there soon.
Great. I hope we’re not too late. What if we’re too late?
You won’t be, Toby reassured him.
Do you know that for sure? Or are you just trying to make me feel better?
I had a vision of you talking to Sarah. You will find her. Don’t worry.
I hope you’re right.
His companions stepped up to the rail, beside him. “Are we ready to go?” Eddie asked.
Tell Eddie I said ‘Hi’, and tell Liliana that she’s hot, Toby thought.
“No,” Tyler replied, out loud, to his brother.
Liliana looked confused. “No? We’re not ready to go?”
“No, I mean, yeah, we’re ready. My brother says ‘Hi’ to the both of you.”
Well, those weren’t my exact words, but it’ll do. Toby laughed. Good luck, brother. I’ll catch up with you, tomorrow.
“All right. Hang in there,” Tyler said. “I’ll see you soon, Brother. We’re going to find you.”
I know you will. See ya soon.
“So?” Eddie asked. “Where to? Did he say?”
Tyler nodded. “Yeah. We’re headed north.”
CHAPTER 7: GRANITE FALLS
It was late. The quaint town seemed all but deserted as they drove down the main strip of Granite Falls, passing tourist shops, gas stations, and bars as they went. Other than a few motorcycles, parked outside of a saloon, there was no sign of inhabitants.
They didn’t stop, but followed the GPS directions on Eddie’s phone and continued the short drive through town. The restaurant, where Sarah worked, was next to an inn, nestled close to the mountain. They would stay there for the night, and with luck, they would find her in the morning.
When they checked in, the manager informed them that the restaurant had just closed for the night but graciously let them in and assembled a simple meal of sandwiches, chips, cookies, and drinks to take back to their room. Apologetic that she couldn’t offer more, she proclaimed that dinner was on the house.
The room, which consisted of two queen-sized beds and a small sofa, was dark and cold when they entered. Eddie promptly found the lights and cranked the heater up to the red zone.
Huddled in her snow coat, Liliana sat cross-legged in the middle of one of the beds and took a bite of her sandwich. “Mmm, I don’t think ham and cheese has ever tasted so good,” she said.
Her companions took up similar positions around the room and ate in silence, for a few minutes, as the relief of food and the realization that the long day had finally come to an end sank in.
“Wow, I can’t believe it was only yesterday that all of this started,” Eddie said.
Liliana was surprised. “This all just started yesterday?”
“Yep. I met Tyler yesterday and Toby, the night before. It’s been a whirlwind ever since. Now, here we are, a thousand miles from home, and on the run from kidnappers. How did we end up here?”
“That’s a good question. I’ve only known you guys for a few hours, and I can’t figure out how I ended up here either.”
“I called my father and told him that I went on a research trip to Tucson. That excuse will work for a couple of days, but then what? Who knows how long it will take to find Tyler’s brother.”
“I know what you mean. I have a good cover story, and it should be a few days before anyone misses me, but then what?”
“Well, whatever,” Tyler said. “I say we face our worries tomorrow.”
Liliana turned to him. “You don’t sound concerned. You’re not worried about what you’re going to face when you go home?”
Tyler shook his head. “No, not really.”
“You don’t think your family will miss you?”
“Nah. I was staying with a foster family. And really, I don’t care what they think. The only real family I have to speak of is my brother. Once I find him, then I guess we’ll see what happens.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know that you lived with a foster family.”
“Don’t worry about it. Anyways, I say for now we enjoy this gourmet, paper-bag dinner and get some rest. Hopefully tomorrow we can find Sarah and get ourselves one step closer to finding my brother.”
“Sounds good to me. I claim the bed,” Eddie declared, to Tyler. “You can have the couch.”
“Why don’t we flip for it?”
“Hmm, let me think…No,” Eddie said with a smile. “The couch is short and my legs are long. I need a good night’s sleep because I’m the one doing the driving. The bed is mine.”
Tyler looked at Liliana, who sat comfortably on the other bed.
Don’t even think about it, she thought. I’m the girl. I get the bed.
The idea never crossed my mind, Tyler thought. But since we’re on the subject, it would make more sense, don’t you think? You’re a lot shorter than I am. The couch would fit you much better.
The bed is mine. She smiled sweetly, but her thoughts held a slight tone of glee at the idea of his discomfort.
To make his point, Tyler stretched out on the short sofa, his feet dangling over the edge of the arm rest. You’re going to feel guilty all night, as you lie in your nice, comfortable bed and think of me on this hard, lumpy couch.
And that’s supposed to convince me to give up the bed? You’re going to have to do better than that. She laughed out loud.
From his own bed, Eddie looked amused at their interaction and shook his head. “I don’t have a clue what you two are thinking, but I can sure guess.” He turned to Tyler. “Let her have the bed. Maybe tomorrow night, wherever we are, you two can compromise, and you can have the bed.”
Or we can share the bed, Tyler rationalized. She raised her eyebrows and blushed. Tyler bit his lip and looked away. He obviously hadn’t meant to share that particular thought.
Whether or not he was aware of the awkward moment that had passed, Eddie helped to ease the tension. “Hey, Tyler, do you have the remote for the TV over there?”
“Nope, I don’t see it.”
After a quick search of the room, which resulted in no remote, Tyler pressed the power button on the television but discovered that the buttons to change the channel were broken off.
“Ugh, I think I would rather watch nothing than have to listen to a show on politics,” Liliana said. “Did you try to push the spot where the channel buttons used to be? Are you sure it won’t work?”
“Yeah, I’m sure,” Tyler said. “You sure there’s no remote over there?”
Liliana peeked in the nightstand drawer for a second time. “Nope. Nothing but a bible.”
“What do you want to watch?”
“Anything but this. Why? Are you going to make the channel magically change?”
“Maybe,” Tyler said, with a sly grin.
He moved to sit on the front of her bed and situated himself in front of the television. He stared at the screen for a moment, and then suddenly, the political talk show was replaced by the news, a game show, a homicide detective show, and then a re-run of an old sitcom.
“Will this do?” He turned to face her with a proud smile.
She was speechless as she looked back and forth between the television and Tyler. “That’s so cool! How did you do that?”
Tyler grinned. “Just one of my many talents.”
“Well, thanks. I don
’t suppose there’s anything you can do about the heat? It’s still freezing in here.”
“Let me take a look,” Eddie said. He fiddled with the dials on the heater, cranked up the fan, and held his hand over the vents, but it only blew out cold air.
Liliana peered over. “Is it broken?”
“Looks like it. Give me a minute. I should be able to do something with it.”
Liliana watched with curiosity as Eddie rested both hands on top of the heater and closed his eyes. A moment later he turned to her. “You cold? Come over here and stand by the heater for a minute. It’ll warm you right up.”
“You fixed it?” Even though she was exhausted, the prospect of heat was enough to get her off the bed, and she hurried to the heater in anticipation. “Oh my gosh, thank you!” She rubbed her hands over the blowing air and closed her eyes, allowing the heat to warm her through.
Eddie smiled. “You’re welcome. Now that we’re not freezing, maybe we’ll be able to get some sleep tonight.”
They watched TV until Liliana could no longer keep her eyes open. “I’m exhausted,” she said. “If you guys don’t mind, I think I’m going to bed.”
“I hear ya,” Eddie said. “It’s probably going to be another long day. We should get some rest.”
Curled up under the blankets, Liliana felt the cusp of sleep open its arms to greet her when Tyler’s silent voice filled her head. You asleep yet? he thought.
She smiled to herself as his thoughts invaded her mind. She had, in fact, been thinking of him before she had closed her eyes. Even though it was impractical, she felt an undeniable attraction for him. I was almost asleep.
Oh…sorry. I just thought you might be awake, still. I’ll let you go back to sleep. Night.
Wait, it’s okay…really. I probably won’t sleep that great anyway. I’ve got too much on my mind. I’d rather talk to you.
You would? He sounded both surprised and pleased.
Well…sure. I mean, I’ve never met anyone I could mentally communicate with. It’s kinda cool, don’t you think? But then again, I guess you’re used to it with your brother, huh? I suppose it’s no big deal for you.
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