Part 18 (1/2)

I ALMOST DIDN'T want to let Fang join us in our hotel room. Part of me was tempted to say, ”I think your gang is waiting for you on the next floor.” But if we were going to battle the Doomsday Group, we all had to work together. So I gritted my teeth while he went to get the others, and then we all crammed into the room that Nudge, Angel, and I shared.

”But-she's seven,” I heard Star whisper. ”Why does she have a plan?”

I didn't bother to explain.

”Okay, we've seen that the Doomsday Group is made up of young people,” Angel said, pacing back and forth. ”Like, really really young people. But... I'm the right age to actually join them.” young people. But... I'm the right age to actually join them.”

”Join them?” Nudge asked. ”How?”

”Let myself be recruited,” Angel said, leaning against one of the beds. ”They're way less likely to suspect anything from an innocent-looking little girl. Teenagers aren't innocent-looking, ever. And as an actual member, I could get much deeper. I could really get inside and find out much more, I bet.”

”But...” Holden looked around. ”Maybe an older kid should do it. It's probably pretty dangerous.” I didn't mention the fact that he looked about ten himself.

”I can deal with pretty dangerous,” Angel said, not bragging, and Fang's gang looked surprised.

I sat there, straining to keep my mouth shut, which just goes to show that a person can change. I was having my typical knee-jerk reaction, which meant I wanted like crazy to keep everyone I cared about safe, nixing ideas and squas.h.i.+ng risky plans to make that happen. Clearly, this was a risky plan. I wanted to squash it. I wanted to squash it really, really bad.

But I wasn't going to.

The old me, dealing with the old Angel, definitely would have. And for good reason. But... I'd changed. And so had Angel. And the changed part of me felt that I should probably, against my better judgment, let Angel do what she wanted. And I believed that the changed part of Angel might not sell me down the river while she did it. Lately, she'd been like her old self, the trustworthy old self. The nonbackstabbing old self. And maybe she needed to prove that to me right now. And maybe I needed her to prove that to me.

Slowly I nodded, forcing words out of my mouth. ”I think... that's a good idea,” I said, shocking everyone. ”You're the perfect mark for their indoctrination, and an insider could get a lot of useful information. Yes, it could be a real danger fest, but, as you said, you can handle that.”

Angel looked at me with s.h.i.+ning eyes, and I got a nice warm feeling inside.

”Wait a second,” Ratchet said. ”She's a pip-squeak! Those are seriously crazy people! There's no way this should happen!”

”I agree,” said Kate.

”I'm pretty tough,” Angel said mildly.

”But, still,” Kate protested.

”I think it's a good idea,” said Maya, though no one had asked her opinion. At all. She nodded at Angel. ”You can pull it off.”

Angel looked at Fang. She didn't need his approval. But it would be nice to have-they both knew that.

”Yeah,” said Fang, running a hand through his shorter-than-I'm-used-to black hair. ”Good idea. Just be careful, 'kay?”

” 'Kay.” Angel beamed, first at him, then at me.

”Um,” said Holden, ”I just don't think-”

”Look, Holden,” I said. ”You have special powers. So do I. So does everyone in this room. This kid”-I pointed at Angel-”flies, can breathe underwater, can read minds, can control people, and can fight like Chuck Norris. She'll be okay.”

Holden shut up and sat down.

And oddly, while I was rea.s.suring him, I'd rea.s.sured myself. I grinned at Angel, and she grinned back.

Now, if only she wouldn't completely betray all of us, we'd be golden.

66.

”HOW OLD ARE you?” a teenage boy with short dark hair asked, looking her up and down, not smiling.

”Seven,” Angel said. She s.h.i.+fted from foot to foot, her eyes bright and a hopeful expression on her face.

”She was out in the park, by the fountain,” said the girl standing next to him.

”What's your name? Where are your parents?” The boy looked suspicious.

”Angelika,” said Angel. ”My parents are back in America. I'm here with my school.” Without changing her facial expression, Angel edged her consciousness next to theirs, sidling up to their minds, quietly listening in.

It took all of her self-control not to jump as a barrage of static blasted her mind. Jangly, hard-edged thoughts were chopped up by pictures, like bits of a film. Fire raining from the sky. Blood pooling in the street. Terror. But mostly, she received an overpowering sense of fear, a desperate need to belong, false feelings covering up real ones. With great effort, Angel tore her mind away, trying to regulate her breathing. She felt her heart beating hard.

They were in a poorer, much less pretty part of Paris, in an ancient, sunless alley. The kids were blocking her exit, and Angel noticed with alarm construction overhead. She was feeling a little... trapped.

”And you want to save the world, don't you, Angelika?” the girl asked in a soothing voice, her eyes burning into Angel's. They were nearly colorless like Iggy's but... hypnotic. Angel nodded and glanced away, but the girl grabbed her chin and made Angel look at her. Angel had already visited the minds of the cult members once before, at Ella's school. She hadn't expected to feel so weak now. The cult was getting stronger.

”There you are!”

Angel turned to see Gazzy walking up, enjoying an ice-cream cone. She quickly sent him two thoughts: Angelika. We're here with our school. Angelika. We're here with our school.

He blinked once, then licked his cone. ”Hey, I was looking for you.”

What are you doing here? Angel thought at him. Angel thought at him. This was my thing. I can take care of myself. This was my thing. I can take care of myself.

Gazzy shrugged. ”I was worried about you, Angelika.”

”Who's this?” The older boy's voice was cold. Angel caught another glimpse of his violent, fiery thoughts.

”My brother, Andrew,” Angel said. Don't look into their eyes, Gazzy. Try to block what they say. Don't look into their eyes, Gazzy. Try to block what they say. She saw fear on Gazzy's face and freaked out a little. She could do this. The flock needed her to do this. She saw fear on Gazzy's face and freaked out a little. She could do this. The flock needed her to do this.

”Does anyone know you're here?” the girl asked, sounding a little too casual.

”Nope,” Gazzy said, shaking his head, eyes downcast. ”They're doing some museum today.”

The boy nodded at the girl, then they grabbed Angel and Gazzy by the arms and hustled them deeper into the dark alley. They walked past overturned trash cans and piles of broken boxes, saw rats scurrying away from them. The girl flipped open a black pad attached to a wall and pressed her thumb on a b.u.t.ton. Locks released, ringing out like gunshots in the quiet alley. The sound startled Angel but she tried to remain calm. She couldn't remember ever feeling so skittish.

”Everybody in,” said the girl, pulling open a thick door covered with rusty sheet metal. Angel felt the girl's senses quicken, felt a mix of antic.i.p.ation, anxiety, and fear.