When the Wind Blows - James Patterson [87]
Kit needed to see for himself. He braced his foot on the trunk. He reached for a low limb, pulled himself up to a crotch in the tree. He continued to climb quickly and expertly until he arrived at the crook where Max was sitting.
“That’s the hard way up here,” Max said and made a face.
“I can’t fly, Max. I’m not supposed to reveal that I’m Superman. Not yet.”
“Oh, okay. Your secret’s safe with me. Hardee-har.” She had mimicked Matthew’s crazy laugh and she regretted it instantly. Max scooched over to make room for Kit in the bough of the tree.
“I’ll keep watch up here for now,” he said. “Why don’t you go down and get some sleep? Please get some rest.”
“I can’t sleep,” she said. “Anyway, I’m used to it, staying up. I was always afraid of being ‘put to sleep.’ I have nightmares about it all the time. So I don’t sleep too much.”
“We’ll be all right for a while,” he told her.
Max frowned. “Bull.”
Kit smiled. “A little bit, I guess. What’s going on in there?” he asked, tapping the young girl’s head.
“Too much for my own good, especially now. I hated the putrid School, but it was my putrid home.”
He nodded, understood a little bit. “There are lots better places out here in the world. Honest. Wait and see.”
Max threw a deep sigh. “I like Frannie a whole lot. I even like you—sometimes. Like now,” she teased.
“Are you going to breed with Frannie?” Max suddenly asked.
Kit started to laugh. He couldn’t help it, and hoped it didn’t hurt her feelings.
“Are you going to?” Max insisted. “Your secret’s safe with me, Kit. I’ll pinkie swear on it.”
“Frannie’s not even talking to me,” he told Max, let her into his confidence.
“How come?”
“Because,” he said, slowly, “I didn’t tell her some secrets I didn’t feel I could tell anyone.”
Max nodded her head. “Oh, I see. Like the secrets I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone? But you insisted I should tell you?”
“Yeah. I guess so. Point taken.” She was so damn quick.
Max nodded with satisfaction. She licked her finger and made a mark, a score, in front of his face.
“Anyone ever tell you how smart you are?”
Max smiled, clearly pleased. She had such a beautiful, radiant face. “Wendy and Peter are smarter. I only tested one forty-nine on the Stanford-Binet. They’re in the high genius range. Adam and Eve were off the planet. But it didn’t save them. I always wonder why. Don’t you?”
“I wonder about a lot of things, Max. That’s why I ask so many dumb questions. Do you know why they were put to sleep?”
Max shook her head. “I remember the night it happened, though. There must have been an error, a flaw. They were rejected. Something was wrong with them.”
Kit listened and shook his head. “Something is wrong with all of us, sweet-stuff. Nobody’s perfect. That’s what makes us interesting.”
“I know. I understand that part. I really like your imperfections.”
She leaned up against him. He felt incredibly warm feelings toward her. It was nice, almost father-daughter. Together they stared into the red-rimmed horizon. The fire was out there. Danger. Suddenly, he was remembering Tommy and Mike. His own children. He didn’t want to remember, not now.
“Seriously. I like you a lot,” Max said to him. “You have kind eyes. I know you wouldn’t hurt someone unless you had to. It’s the way you are.”
“Thank you,” he said, and nuzzled her cheek. “One of us should sleep for a while, though. You go ahead.”
“I’m wide awake,” Max said. “Besides, I can see and hear better than you. I’m our best chance.”
He smiled. “You’re probably right,” he said. He let his eyes slowly close and it felt so good. “My real name is Tom,” he whispered.
“I’m Maximum. You’ll see why.”
Chapter 92
I WAS RUNNING FOR MY LIFE inside a shadowy, feverish dream—David was in it—when I felt Pip yanking hard at my sleeve.
“Stop it, Pip. You’re already outside. Go pee by yourself. Be a good boy. G’wan.”
Scolding and shoving him away didn’t stop him. He was such a persistent little bugger, so I forced my eyes open.
I half expected David to be there beside me, but he wasn’t of