CHAPTER 26
NOBODY SPEAKS. ALL EYES ARE WIDE-OPEN, staring up in shock. Sarah and the dogs must be somewhere in the back. I close my eyes and lower my head. All I
can smell is the smoke. "Just remember what's at stake," Henri had warned. I know damn well what's at stake, but still his voice echoes. My life, and now
Sarah's life. There is another scream. Terrified. Severe.
I feel Sam's eyes on me. He has seen firsthand my resistance to fire. But he also knows how I am hunted. I glance around. Mark is on his knees,
rocking himself back and forth. He wants it over with. He wants the dogs to stop barking. But they don't stop, and he takes each bark as though being
stabbed in the gut with a knife.
"Sam," I say so that only he can hear, "I'm going in." He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, fixes me with a stare.
"Go get her," he says.
I hand him my phone and tell him to call Henri if for some reason I don't make it out. He nods. I begin moving to the back of the crowd, weaving in
and out of the mass of bodies. Nobody pays me any attention. When I finally reach the back I make a mad dash for the yard's perimeter and then sprint to
the rear of the house so that I can enter without being seen. The kitchen is completely submerged in flame. I watch it for a brief moment. I can hear Sarah
and the dogs. They sound closer now. I take a deep breath and with that breath other things come. Anger. Determination. Hope and fear. I let them in, I feel
them all. And then I lunge forward and sweep across the yard and burst into the house. I am swallowed by the inferno immediately, hearing nothing but the
crackle and hum of the flames. My clothes catch fire. There is no end to the blaze. I move to the front of the house and half of the stairs have burned away.
What is left is on fire, looking brittle, but there isn't time to test them. I rush up but they collapse under my weight when I reach the halfway point. I tumble
down with them, the fire rising as though someone has stoked the flames. Something pierces my back. I grit my teeth, still holding my breath. I stand from
the rubble and listen to Sarah screaming. She's screaming and she's scared and she's going to die, die a hideous miserable death if I don't get to her.
Time is short. I'll have to jump to the second floor.
I jump and grab hold of the edge of the floor and pull myself up. The fire has spread to the other side of the house. She and the dogs are
somewhere to my right. I leap down the hallway, checking rooms. The pictures on the walls have burned in their frames, nothing more than blackened
silhouettes melted to the wall. Then my foot falls through the floor and my breath catches in surprise and I breathe in. Nothing but smoke and flame enter. I
begin coughing. I cover my mouth with my arm but it does little to help. Smoke and fire are burning my lungs. I drop to a knee, coughing, gasping. Then a
fury surges through me and I stand back up and I move on, hunched over, gritting my teeth, determined.
And then I find them in the last room on the left. Sarah is screaming, "HELP!" The dogs are whining and crying. The door is closed and I kick it
open, send it flying off its hinges. All three of them are huddled as tightly against one another as far into the corner as they can get. Sarah sees me and
yells my name and starts to stand. I motion to her to stay where she is, and as I step into the room, a huge flaming support beam falls between us. I raise
my hand and send it upwards, crashing through what remains of the roof. Sarah seems confused by what she's just seen. I leap towards her, covering
twenty feet in a single bound, moving straight through the flames without them affecting me at all. The dogs are at her feet. I push the bulldog into her arms
and pick up the retriever. With my other arm I help her stand.
"You came," she says.
"No one, and nothing, will ever hurt you as long as I'm alive," I say back to her.
Another huge beam falls and takes out part of the floor, landing in the kitchen below us. We need to get out the back of the house so no one sees
me, or sees what I think I'm going to need to do. I hold Sarah tight against my side and the dog against my chest. We take two steps, then leap over the
flaming chasm created by the fallen beam. As we start to move down the hall, a huge explosion below takes out most of it. The hallway is gone; where it
used to be are a wall and a window, quickly being consumed by flames. Our only chance is through the window. Sarah is screaming again, clutching my
arm, and I can feel the dog's claws digging into my chest. I lift my hand towards the window, stare at it, and focus--and it blows out of its frame, leaving us
the opening we need. I look at Sarah, pulling her securely against my side.
"Hold on tight," I say.
I take three steps and dive forward. The flames swallow us whole but we fly through the air like a bullet, heading straight towards the opening. I'm
worried we're not going to make it. We barely clear it, and I feel the edge of the shattered frame scrape against my arms and the tops of my legs. I hold
Sarah and the dog as best as I can, and twist my body so that I'll land on my back and everyone else will be on top of me. We hit the ground with a thud.
Dozer goes rolling. Abby yelps. I hear the breath go out of Sarah. We're about thirty feet behind the house. I feel a cut on the top of my head from the
broken glass of the window. Dozer is the first one up. He seems fine. Abby is a little slower. She limps on her front paw, but I don't think it is anything
serious. I lie on my back and hold Sarah. She is starting to cry. I can smell her singed hair. Blood drips down the side of my face and gathers in my ear.
I sit in the grass to catch my breath. Sarah is in my arms. The bottoms of my shoes have melted. My shirt has completely burned away, and so
have most of my jeans. Small cuts traverse the length of both arms. But I am not burned at all. Dozer walks over and licks my hand. I pet him.
"You're a good boy," I say between Sarah's sobs. "Go on. Get your sister and go back up front."
There are sirens in the distance that should be here within the next minute or two. The woods are about a hundred yards from the back of the
house. Both dogs sit watching me. I nod to the front of the house and they get up as if they understand and both begin walking that way. Sarah is still in my
arms. I turn her so she is cradled in them and I stand and head to the woods, carrying her as she cries on my shoulder. Just as I enter them I hear the
whole crowd erupt in cheers. Dozer and Abby must have been seen.
The woods are dense. The full moon still shines but there is little light coming from it. I turn my hands on so we can see. I start to shiver. Panic
sweeps through me. How will I explain this to Henri? I'm wearing what now look like singed cutoffs. My head is bleeding. So is my back, along with various
cuts on my arms and legs. My lungs feel as though they are on fire with every breath I take. And Sarah is in my arms. She now must know what I can do,
what I am capable of, or at least some of it. I'm going to have to explain everything to her. I'll have to tell Henri she knows. I already have too many strikes
against me. He'll say someone will slip at some point. He'll insist we leave. There's no way around it.
I set Sarah down. She's stopped crying. She looks at me, confused, scared, bewildered. I know I need to get some clothes and get back to the
party so that people aren't suspicious. I need to get Sarah back so people don't think she's dead.
"You're okay to walk?" I say.
"I think so."
"Follow me."
"Where are we going?"
"I need to get some clothes. Hopefully, one of the football players has a change of clothes for after practice."
We start walking through the woods. I'm going to circle around and look inside people's cars for something to wear.
"What just happened, John? What is happening?"
"You were in a fire, and I got you out of it."
"What you did isn't possible."
"It is for me."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
I look at her. I had hoped never to have to tell her what I'm about to tell her. Even though I knew it probably wasn't realistic, I had hoped to stay
hidden in Paradise. Henri has always said never to get too close to anyone. Because if you do, at some point they're going to notice that you're different,
and that will require an explanation. And that means we have to leave. My heart is pounding, my hands are shaking, but not because I'm cold. If I have any
hope of staying, or of getting away with what I did tonight, I have to tell her.
"I am not who you think I am," I say.
"Who are you?"
"I am Number Four."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Sarah, it's going to sound stupid and crazy, but what I'm about to say is the truth. You have to believe me."
She touches her hand to the side of my face. "If you say it's the truth, then I'll believe you."
"It is."
"Then tell me."
"I'm an alien. I am the fourth of nine kids sent to Earth after our planet was destroyed. I have powers, powers unlike any human, powers that allow
me to do things like I did in the house. And there are other aliens here on Earth who are hunting me, the ones who attacked my planet, and if they find me
they will kill me."
I expect her to slap me, or laugh at me, or scream, or turn and run away from me. She stops and looks at me. Looks right into my eyes.
"You're telling me the truth," she says.
"Yes, I am." I look into her eyes, willing her to believe me. She stares searchingly at me for a long moment, and then nods.
"Thank you for saving my life. I don't care what you are or where you're from. To me you're John, the boy I love."
"What?"
"I love you, John, and you saved my life, and that's all that's important."
"I love you too. And I always will."
I wrap my arms around her and kiss her. After a minute or so, she pulls away.
"Let's go find you some clothes and get back so people know we're okay."
Sarah finds a change of clothes in the fourth car we check. They're close enough to what I was wearing--jeans and a button-down shirt--that no one will
notice the difference. When we reach the house we stand as far away as possible while still being able to see. The house has collapsed in on itself and is
now nothing more than a twisted heap of blackened coals soggy with water. Wisps of smoke sporadically rise, looking ghastly in the night sky. There are
three fire trucks. I count six cop cars. Nine sets of flashing lights but no sound to go with them. Few people, if any, have left. They've been pushed back, the
house cordoned off with yellow tape. The police officers are questioning some of them. Five firemen stand in the middle of it all, sifting through the rubble.
Then I hear "There they are!" yelled from behind me. Every set of eyes in the crowd turns my way. It takes me a full five seconds to realize that it is
me the person is referring to.
Four police officers walk towards us. Behind them is a man holding a notepad and tape recorder. While we were looking for the clothes, Sarah
and I agreed on a story. I came around the back of the house where she was watching the fire. She had jumped out of the second-floor window with the
dogs, who had run away. We had watched away from the crowd, but eventually drifted over and joined it. I explained to her that we couldn't tell anyone
about what happened, not even Sam or Henri, that if anyone found out the truth, I would have to leave immediately. We agreed that I would answer the
questions and she would agree with whatever I said.
"Are you John Smith?" one of the cops asks me. The officer is of medium height, and stands with his shoulders hunched. He isn't overweight but is
far from being in shape, with a slight paunch and an overall look of softness.
"Yes, why?"
"Two people said they saw you run into that house and then come flying out the back of it like Superman, with the dogs and the girl in your arms."
"Seriously?" I ask in disbelief. Sarah stays beside me.
"That's what they said."
I fake a laugh. "The house was on fire. Do I look like I was inside a burning house?"
He scrunches his eyebrows together and rests his hands on his hips. "So you're telling me you didn't go in there?"
"I came around the back to try and find Sarah," I say. "She had gotten out with the dogs. We stayed back there and watched the fire and then
came over here."
The officer looks at Sarah. "Is that true?"
"Yes."
"Well, who ran into that house, then?" the reporter beside him chimes in. It's his first time speaking. He watches me with shrewd, judging eyes. I
can already tell that he doesn't believe my story.
"How do I know?" I say.
He nods his head and writes something in his notebook. I can't read what it says.
"So you're telling me these two witnesses are liars?" the reporter asks.
"Baines," the officer says, shaking his head at him.
I nod. "I didn't go into the house and save her or the dogs. They were outside."
"Who said anything about saving her or the dogs?" Baines asks.
I shrug. "I thought that's what you were implying."
"I didn't imply anything."
Sam walks up with my phone. I try to fix him with a stare to tell him the timing is bad, but he doesn't understand and he hands me my phone
anyway.
"Thanks," I say.
"I'm happy you're okay," he says. The officers glare at him and he slinks away.
Baines watches with his eyes squinted. He's chewing gum, trying to piece the information together. He nods to himself.
"So you handed your phone to your friend before you went for a walk?" he asks.
"I handed him my phone during the party. It was uncomfortable in my pocket."
"I bet it was," Baines says. "So where did you go?"
"All right, Baines, that's enough questions," the officer says.
"Can I leave?" I ask him. He nods his head. I walk away with my phone in my hand, dialing Henri's number with Sarah at my side.
"Hello," answers Henri.
"I'm ready to be picked up," I say. "There's been a terrible fire here."
"What?"
"Can you just pick us up?"
"Yes. I'll be right there."
"So how do you explain the cut on the top of your head?" Baines asks from behind me. He had been following me, listening to my call to Henri.
"I cut it on a branch in the woods."
"How convenient," he says, and again writes something in his notebook. "You know I can tell when I'm being lied to, right?"
I ignore him, keep walking away with Sarah's hand in mine. We head over to Sam.
"I'll find the truth, Mr. Smith. I always do," Baines yells behind me.
"Henri is on the way," I say to Sam and Sarah.
"What the hell was that all about?" Sam asks.
"Who knows? Somebody thinks they saw me run in, probably somebody who drank too much," I say more at Baines than Sam.
We stand at the end of the driveway until Henri arrives. When he pulls up he steps out of the truck and looks at the smoldering house far off in the
distance.
"Ah, hell. Promise me you weren't a part of this," he says.
"I wasn't," I say.
We get into the truck. He pulls away while looking at the smoking rubble.
"You guys smell like smoke," Henri says.
None of us reply, making the drive in silence. Sarah sits on my lap. We drop Sam off first, then Henri pulls out of the driveway and points the truck
towards Sarah's home.
"I don't want to leave you tonight," Sarah says to me.
"I don't want to leave you either."
When we arrive at her house I get out with her and walk her to the door. She won't let go of me when I hug her good night.
"Will you call me when you get home?"
"Of course."
"I love you."
I smile. "I love you too."
She goes inside. I walk back to the truck, where Henri is waiting. I have to figure out a way to keep him from finding out the truth about tonight, from
making us leave Paradise. Henri pulls out and drives home.
"So what happened to your jacket?" he asks.
"It was in Mark's closet."
"What happened to your head?"
"I hit it trying to get out when the fire first started."
He looks over at me doubtfully. "You're the one who smells like smoke."
I shrug. "There was a lot of it."
"So what started it?"
"Drunkenness is my guess."
Henri nods and turns down our road.
"Well," he says. "It will be interesting to see what's in the papers on Monday." He turns and looks at me, studying my reaction.
I keep silent.
Yes, I think, it most certainly will be.
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