The Vanished Read Online Free Page A

him?
    Isabel covered her eyes with her hands.
    She’d treated him like a toilet.
    Flush .
    Isabel couldn’t stand it any longer. She had to do something to make herself feel better. She hopped to her feet and shook out her arms. Maybe she should exercise a little — sweat it out of her system. Or she could reorganize her nail polish, maybe catch up on some homework. She glanced at her small white desk.
    Or she could write a letter to Alex.
    Before she could convince herself that writing a letter to someone trapped in another galaxy was a waste of time, Isabel sat down and pulled out a piece of cream-colored stationery. She grabbed a green fountain pen and started to write.
    Dear Alex,
    Now what? Should she say she’d be waiting for him when he came back, in that girlfriend kind of way? She nibbled on the end of her pen cap. Even if Alex still wanted that, she wasn’t sure if she did. She decided to stick with what she knew with absolute certainty.
I need you to know how much I care about you. You’ve been a true friend to me. I miss you every day you’re gone. I miss the way you acted like the entire world was created just for me. You’re the sweetest guy I’ve ever met, and I know we need to be important to each other, in whatever way that turns out to be.
    I hope you’re safe. And believe me when I say that I will do anything in my power to make sure you get back to us safely. Soon.
    Love,
    Isabel
    Isabel put the pen down on the desk and stared at the long letter in front of her. God, it was so mushy — so unlike her. But she couldn’t deny that she’d been as honest in it as she knew how to be. She wished she could give it to Alex. If he could read it, Isabel was certain he’d forgive her.
    But Alex was trapped in another galaxy. That would take some serious postage.
    In a flash, she had an idea. It was a goofy plan, but that meant Alex would love it. Isabel grabbed the paper and folded it into her pocket.
    Twenty minutes later she was driving the Jeep through the desert. The night was chilly, and Isabel pulled her pink-and-gray sweater close to her skin.
    A mile or so away from the site Isabel pulled over to the side of the road. Before she got out of the Jeep, she opened the glove compartment and took out the bottle rocket she’d brought with her. Her father loved the Fourth of July, and he always kept extra fireworks in a metal box in the garage. The box had been locked, but a simple turnkey clasp couldn’t keep out someone with Isabel’s powers.
    Isabel tied the rolled-up letter to the bottle rocket, high enough on the thin red stick so that the paper wouldn’t get burned. Then she got out of the Jeep and walked a few paces into the scrubby vegetation of the desert.
    Isabel stuck the bottle rocket into the ground, leaning it against a small rock. Then she realized she’d forgotten to bring matches.
    Not a problem. She took a deep breath, reached out with her mind toward the wick, and scratched. The friction produced a tiny spark, which was enough to get the wick sizzling.
    As she stepped back, the rocket launched, whistling into the dark sky. Isabel watched its smoky path through the air until she lost sight of it against the canopy of stars.
    Go, she thought. Go to Alex. Tell him how I feel.
    The only reply was a sharp report and a shower of sparks as the rocket exploded in the distance.
    Isabel smiled as she looked out across the desert. She’d just done a really silly thing, but it made her feel slightly better, and that was all that mattered.
    A sudden breeze picked up, and Isabel realized with a chill that she wasn’t far from the ruins of the compound. An inexplicable fist of fear gripped her heart, erasing any warm and fuzzy Alex feelings. She felt like she was being watched.
    Okay. Enough with the midnight hike, Isabel thought.
    She turned and hurried back to the Jeep, fully prepared to gun the engine and speed back to town. But