The Indigo Thief by Jay Budgett Page B

building. It was more like a fortress, really, except for the windows. The tall, bare concrete walls appeared to wrap all the way around the island. Clearly whoever had built this place hadn’t been concerned with aesthetics.
    As I turned another corner, I came upon a section of New Texas where the ocean looked smooth. No megalodons. The water barely rippled.
    Another dart whizzed past me. Mila was closing in. My heart beat hard.
    I stared at the water. It was the megalodons or the Lost Boys. The megalodons had teeth; the Lost Boys had guns.
    The thought of the calmness that filled my chest whenever I swam made my choice. I dove headfirst into the water. The cuts on my hand stung and bled again in the salty water. As I ducked beneath the surface, I saw that the trash-compacted island was only about eight feet thick.
    Massive shadows hurtled toward me. Megalodons swarming. One snapped open its jaws as it approached.
    No running. No hiding. Something in my gut told me to just swim . I kicked straight toward the monster’s open jaws and aimed for the back of its throat.
    Its jaws clamped around me.
    No light. No air. It had swallowed me whole.
    The world went black.

Chapter 7
    A ringing sounded in my ears like bells between classes. My fingertips and toes tingled and blistered. Voices echoed around me, whispering my name. I caught only fragments, like wisps of smoke through fingers.
    “—should’ve let him die—”
    “—too bold and too stupid—”
    “—need bold, stupid, and brave—”
    “—worried about Tim—”
    “—can’t tell him the truth, or he’ll—”
    “—like Bugsy, just Bugsy. Balls, the poor kid wasn’t ready—”
    “—well, dear, that’s what we’ll tell him, then—”
    “—putting a damn iris scan on the next one—”
    The voices melded together in a symphony of sound. One ran into the next. All of them drowned beneath the ringing.
    “—he’ll stay. That’s final. We need a spark—”
    “—Sparky’s been asleep for two days, dear—”
    “—Bertha’s got the bag ready for Newla. We’ll leave this afternoon. I suspect he’s already awake.”
    I tried to slow my breathing, but it was too late.
    “Unlock his wrists,” ordered Phoenix. “On second thought, wait until he’s fully conscious.”
    Kindred sat herself at the edge of my bed. “How are you feeling, dear?”
    “Toes,” I said. “T-toes and fingers. B-burning.”
    Cold metal pressed against my wrists—handcuffs. They hadn’t been so kind this time. I guessed it was fair, considering I’d tried to kill them.
    “Bertha, dear, could you grab some algae and eucalyptus from the stores?”
    Bertha grumbled something under her breath and then left. Kindred checked to see if Phoenix was looking before she undid the locks.
    “There you are, dear,” she whispered. “Our little secret.”
    Mila stood silent at the back of the room. Her bright green eyes glowed like a cat’s.
    I glanced around at the eyes in the room. Dove, Phoenix, and Kindred had the familiar blue eyes. So Mila and I were the only ones unvaccinated. I blushed when I realized I was probably the youngest person in the room.
    Phoenix caught Kindred pretending to fiddle with the cuffs. “I suppose you can take them off,” he said. “In fact, I’ll bet you already did.”
    She smiled innocently. “There we are, dear.” She let the shackles fall. “Pardon our precautions. We just wanted to be a bit more—”
    “Prepared,” finished Phoenix.
    I nodded. My fingers and toes still tingled. Why hadn’t they killed me? What were they planning? Where were the megalodons? I rubbed the burns on my fingertips.
    “So,” I said, “what, uh… happened?”
    The three terrorists exchanged nervous looks. “What happened,” called Bertha as she climbed down the ladder, “is that you shot us up like a moron and damn near killed yourself in the process.” She handed Kindred the algae and eucalyptus. “Far as I’m concerned, we should kill you