"You don't understand! I'm not your enemy," she said in a voice laced with raw panic.
"Sure you're not," Lewis said.
"No, you're just his daughter," said Kaitlyn. Then she felt Anna's hand on her arm.
"Wait a minute," Anna said quietly. "At least let her say what she wants to." To Lydia, she said, softly but severely, "Go on."
Lydia gulped and addressed herself to Anna. "I know you won't believe me, but what I told you in the car was true. I do hate private school, and riding clubs, and country clubs. And I hate my father. All I ever wanted was to get away—"
"Yeah, yeah," Lewis said. Gabriel just laughed.
"It's true," Lydia said fiercely. "I hate what he does to people. I didn't want to come after you, but it was my only chance."
Something about her voice made Lewis falter in his sneering. Kaitlyn could feel his indecision in the web.
"You weren't going to tell us, though, were you?" Kaitlyn said. "You'd never have told us who you were if I hadn't found out."
"I was going to," Lydia said. She squirmed. "I wanted to," she amended. "But I knew you wouldn't believe me."
"Oh, stop sniveling," Gabriel said.
Kaitlyn was looking at Rob. I know I'm going to hate myself for asking this—but do you think it could be true?
I. . . don't know. Rob grinned suddenly. But maybe we can find out.
He sat on the bed, taking Lydia by the shoulders, and looked into her face. She shrank back.
"Now listen to me," he said sternly. "You know that we're psychics, right? Well, Kaitlyn has the power to tell if you're lying or not." To Kait he said, Go get your drawing stuff.
Kaitlyn hid a smile and brought it from the bathroom. Rob went on, "All she has to do is make a drawing. And if that drawing says you're not telling the truth…" He shook his head darkly. "Now," he said, looking hard at Lydia again, "what's your story this time?"
Lydia looked at Kait, then at Rob. She lifted her chin. "It's the same. Everything I told you was true," she said steadily.
Kaitlyn made a few scribbles on the pad. Her gift didn't work that way, of course, but she knew that the real test here was of Lydia's demeanor.
Well? she asked Rob.
Either she's telling the truth or she's the greatest actress in the world.
Like Joyce? Gabriel put in pointedly. You know, I could probably tell if she's telling the truth. I could mind-link with her.
Yeah, but what are the chances that she'd survive? Rob asked.
Gabriel shrugged. The hunger flickered again.
"Look, what was it you were supposed to do when you found us?" Kaitlyn asked Lydia.
"Keep you guys from going wherever you were going," she said promptly. "Convince you to go to the police or something instead—"
"He wants that? Your father?"
"Oh, yes. He knows he can fix the police. He's got lots of friends, and he can do things with the crystal. He's not afraid of police; he's afraid of them."
"Who?" Kaitlyn demanded.
"Them. The people of the crystal. He doesn't know where they are, but he's afraid you'll find them. They're the only ones who can stop him." She looked around. "Now do you believe me? Would I have told you that if I were your enemy?"
Kaitlyn could feel the wavering in the web, and the sudden resolution. Rob and Anna believed her. Lewis not only believed her but liked her again. Gabriel was cynical, but that was typical Gabriel. And Kait herself was convinced enough to have a new worry.
"If Mr. Z wants us to go to the police—" she began.
"Right," Rob said grimly.
"But we'll never convince my parents," Anna said.
"Right," Rob said again.
A feeling was stirring in Kaitlyn, part terror, part dismay, and part wild excitement.
Lewis gulped. "But that means—"
"Right," Rob said a third time. He grinned at Kait, his grin reflecting her bewildering mix of emotions. "The search," he announced to the room at large, "is back on."
Gabriel cursed.
Lydia was looking from one of them to another in bewilderment. "I don't understand."
"It means we're going to have to run away again," Rob said. "And if you really want to help us—"
"I do."
"—you can drive us to Vancouver Island. There's a ferry, right?" He glanced at Anna, who nodded.
"I'll do it," Lydia said simply. "When do we go?"
"Right now," Kaitlyn said. "We've got to get out of here before Anna's parents wake up."
"Okay, everybody," Rob said. "Grab your things and let's get moving."
Chapter 12
"The ferry leaves from Port Angeles at eight-twenty," Anna said as she and Kaitlyn hurriedly changed their clothes in her bedroom.
"It's started raining again," said Kaitlyn.
They all met a few minutes later in the front hallway. There were ominous stirring noises from the back of the house.
"Shouldn't you leave a note?" Lewis whispered.
Anna sighed. "They'll know," she said briefly.
"I'll leave them the files," Rob said. "Maybe they can do something with them."
Gabriel snorted.
Outside, the sky was cold and gray. The rain seemed to come at them horizontally as they drove to Port Angeles. If they kept the defroster on maximum, it cleared the windshield but scorched their skin; if they turned it down, the windshield immediately steamed over. If they opened the windows, it cleared everything but they froze.
At the ferry the water was navy blue with just a hint of green. They waited in a line of cars and finally drove onto a large boat. It cost twenty-five dollars, and Kaitlyn paid because Lydia only had credit cards.
On the passenger deck Kaitlyn watched the deep blue water slipping away on either side. We're on our way, she thought. To Canada. She had never been to a foreign country.
She was drinking a vending-machine Coke that Rob had brought her when Lewis rushed up, breathless.
"Trouble," he said. "I just talked to some kids in the bathroom. They said if you're under eighteen, you're supposed to have a letter of authorization to get into Canada."