Page 3 of Fallen Star

Well, shit.

"Um, Trevor, we might have another problem."

He lowers himself next to me, still facing the wall. His body is so close our shoulders brush against each other, and I wait to see if I feel that zing of attraction I felt before.

Nope. Fizzled already. Ah, well. These things never do last long.

"What problem?" he asks, breathless.

"See for yourself."

He turns slowly and then curses. "There's nothing here."

"That was my first thought too. But… we might be wrong." An idea is forming in my head. And so I slide my picks into their custom-made slots in my pants (what, yours don't have those?) and creep forward, into the center of the circular room. The wall reaches higher than I can see, with a great black emptiness above us. There are small crevices that break up the wall, like the one we snuck through, but otherwise it's giant and unending. The floor is a series of square stones in different shades of ochre and gray.

I find the center of the room and stand there, staring at my feet.

Trevor stays by the wall, presumably to be helpful, I'm sure. "See anything?" he asks, a nervous tremor in his voice.

Again, not judging, just reporting it like it is.

But I don't respond, because in fact, I do see something. The outline around the center stone is deeper and the grooves are more prominent compared to the rest of the floor. And that makes me wonder.

So I pace around it, my brain whirling, as pieces fall into place. Colors. Puzzles. Lines. Differences. Everything I observe clicking into a new order as I move the information around in my mind.

Until it snaps together and I laugh out loud. "Of course! Like in Budapest only with color."

"Budapest? What the hell are you going on about, Alex?"

I wave a hand at him dismissively and get to work, stepping on different stones in different configurations as I suss out the puzzle.

It takes time, but I am patient (oh, shut it. I am. When it counts.) Trevor paces impatiently (see, that's what it looks like to not be patient. Very different frommoi, no?) Finally, I solve the riddle and jump back as the center stone begins to push itself up from the floor.

Under the stone is a compartment that holds the glowing fragment of what was once a perfect orb. But this is only a piece of the original orb. Global Tech thought they were getting the whole thing. Bam! Instant power. But I knew we would only find a piece.

How, you ask, could I possibly know that?

Because… I have one of the pieces. Shh… that's a secret no one but you and I know. I first discovered it after my parents were murdered when I was twelve. It was in a hidden vault under our Malibu mansion.

Which leaves a few more pieces out there. This is my life's work. This is what my parents died protecting and what I will risk my life to find.

I pull a canvas bag of rice out of my pocket. It happens to weigh exactly what this orb piece weighs. What an unlikely coincidence. Taking no chances—because of course I've seen Indiana Jones—I transfer the rice bag to the pedestal as I remove the orb, holding my breath and moving with cat-like grace.

When the transfer is complete, I look down in awe at the pulsing moon-like crevice slightly larger than my hand as the power it holds begins to pour through me. Closing my eyes, I open myself to its history.

Here's where I tell you my real secret. Promise you won't tell? Especially Mr. Wanna-Be-Jones here? Okay. Here it is.

I don't think I'm entirely human.

I mean, don't get me wrong. I look as human as they come. All the parts in all the appropriate places.

And I have the full range of human emotions.

But… I also can do things other humans can't.

Like read objects. I can touch an object and see its history. Where it's been. What it can do. What it's done.

It's my cheat. The reason I'm the best at what I do.