Kingdom Keepers: The Syndrome Read Online Free Page B

wanted me to do: to have me spy for her. But why would she be so cryptic? My anger
simmered. Was she testing me? If so, it wasn’t fair. I’d been through plenty on the ship, certainly enough to prove my trustworthiness.
    But what else could she want?
    AMANDA
    I reached South Lakemont and waited for the 313 bus to the Corners. Boarding came down to timing. And as I was the only one waiting at the stop, my plan was compromised from the
start.
    “You coming?” the bus driver said.
    I’d wanted to wait until the very last moment to board, steal a peek out the window, and catch a glimpse of my pursuer. “Yes, sir.” I tried miserably to contain my defeated
tone as I boarded and used my elevated position next to the driver to look down Summerfield Road.
    “You done sightseeing? I got passengers, you know?”
    “Sorry.” I still had my Youth ID pass, which lowered my rate.
    I was halfway toward the back door when I spotted Mattie Weaver—first in profile, then I made out her face off the glass of the window. Her eyes told me in no uncertain terms that I did
not know her, was not to come anywhere near her. That look of hers rattled me.
    MATTIE
    Engulfed in my thoughts, I hardly noticed Amanda board the bus. She seemed disheveled and distant, but I knew that I couldn’t reach out to her. Not with Luowski lurking on
board.
    Amanda was glancing out the window when she caught my reflection. Our eyes met and hers widened in surprise, but I couldn’t acknowledge her. Instead I gave her a sharp look of rebuke to
keep her from making contact. It worked. She slipped into a seat across from mine. My whole body tensed. I hoped there wouldn’t be a scene.
    When Amanda got off at Mizell Avenue, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. Best for me to stay on board, I decided, since Luowski also remained on board.
    We were supposed to meet at Starbucks. I could still make that happen.
    AMANDA
    I got off at Mizell Avenue, before the hospital, way before the Corners. Had to walk five more long blocks because of it.
    I went from thinking someone was behind me to discovering Mattie was ahead of me.
    Disoriented, disturbed, and still unable to stop thinking about Finn, I headed for the Corners. The Starbucks there had practically been part of Winter Park High our senior year. They could have
renamed it the Caffeine Lab. I arrived and took a table.
    Mattie showed up a few minutes later. She didn’t look happy.
    “Hi, there!” I said, decaf mocha in hand. “What was that about on the bus?”
    “You were five feet away from Luowski,” she said.
    “Not possible.”
    “For real. I promise. And if this is this some kind of test or something, I don’t appreciate it!” Mattie glanced around, making sure no one could overhear us, paying special
attention to those outside.
    “No test,” I groaned. “He was on the bus?”
    “He got on the stop before yours. He was out of breath, like he’d been running hard. Why the note? Why’d you want me here?”
    “I came all the way from Burbank to find Finn. I need your help. This has nothing to do with Luowski!” As I said his name, my chest tightened. I was either going to cough or throw
up. I coughed. “To be sure: Luowski? Greg Luowski?”
    “That’s the one. He was on there when you saw me.”
    “No way!”
    “Way.”
    I’d allowed spotting Mattie to distract me. You don’t survive mistakes like that. “Come on!”
    “What?” she asked, pulling away.
    I tugged her T-shirt. It read: NO HOPE? GOOD LUCK! “We’re going. Now.”
    I walked her east, taking several precautions to make sure Luowski wasn’t following us.
    “We’re good,” I said from inside the lobby of a bank. I led her out the back door into a parking lot, through a connecting parking lot, and across the street to a bus stop. We
boarded, and I picked a bench seat by the back door. We needed to be able to get off quickly.
    “He was running to make sure he caught your bus, wasn’t he?” Mattie asked.
    I