Chosen

  *****

  Apparently to be on the safe side, Uncle Seth and her dad drove over four hundred miles, only stopping for gas once in a tiny little hamlet with a population of 59. Seth said they needed to put as much space between her and the trackers as possible before the Bishop’s men rode into Sunburn. He made it sound like a showdown in an old Clint Eastwood spaghetti western.

  So when they pulled into a deserted roadside rest stop a little before one in the morning, Jael was surprised awake. She sat up and looked around the dimly lit parking lot and yawned. “Nice,” she muttered when she spotted the rustic facilities.

  “Be happy they have lights,” her mom said, turning to look back at her. Her eyes were puffy from crying but she managed a smile. “You go first. Looks like a one-seater.”

  Jael climbed out of the truck and stretched her arms above her head before shutting the door. She saw Seth jogging up and down the small parking area waiting his turn. The door of the men’s room slammed shut as her dad exited.

  He shot her a quick smile. “Mornin’, sunshine.”

  “That’s two things you’re wrong about. It’s not morning, and my name’s not sunshine.” She heard him chuckle as she entered the cement cubicle.

  When she got back to the truck, her dad had taken Bruno off for a little walk. Seth trailed after her, and reached in the cooler for a soda. Her mom climbed out, leaving them alone.

  “Where exactly are we going?” Jael asked, leaning against the front bumper and gazing up at a star-filled sky. The moon was a creamy yellow tonight, looking more like butter than cheese. Maybe because she was craving hot, buttered toast right about now. “I hope you aren’t driving us all the way to Minnesota tonight.”

  He took a long gulp of his root beer before answering. He looked tired and worried. “Not tonight. You have a lot to learn before we should even get close to the Amish community. We’ll find a nice off-the-road place to set up camp pretty soon, and stop for a few hour’s sleep.”

  Bruno and her dad returned from the field across the road. The big dog struggled to run while her dad yanked back on the leash and braced his knees with every step to slow him down. Slowing down Bruno when he wanted to run was like slowing down a freight train with the power of a lawnmower.

  Bruno got to the truck and jumped up with his giant paws on her shoulders, nearly knocking her down. Her dad caught up, blew out an exasperated breath and handed Jael the end of the leash. “I need a drink,” he said.

  Seth handed him a cola out of the cooler.

  Jael released the leash from Bruno’s collar. “You big lug,” she said fondly, putting her cheek against his chest and giving him a hug. He bent and licked up her nose and she just about gagged. “Eww! All right, get down now. You’re squishing me,” she shoved him back and wiped the sleeve of her sweatshirt across her face. She was going to need a bath to get all the dog slobber off.

  She reached in the pocket of her sweatshirt for her phone to check for messages, and heard the crinkle of paper. The note Shadow had slipped to her after school. With all the family turmoil and running away from Sunburn, she’d completely forgotten to look at it.

  Shadow had printed in red ink: Ask your dad about the bishop

  Too late for that. The Bishop was out of the bag. She folded the paper and walked over to throw it in the trashcan, then hesitated, hand over the barrel. What if her parents and uncle were holding back more information regarding the Bishop? Had Shadow been trying to tell her something other than what she already knew – that the Bishop wanted her dead? She drew her hand back and stuffed the note in her pocket again. Once they stopped and got some sleep, she would demand to know everything they knew. She was the Chosen One after all. Didn’t she have a right to know what she was up against?

  Chapter 20

  B.O. of the undead