Fang and I brushed past Dr. God and walked quickly but smoothly to the exit. It was barely noon, and I’d already made a huge enemy.
Dang, I’m good.
52
“OKAY, TRY THIS ONE,” Gazzy said, handing a hot rod magazine to Iggy. Gazzy guided his finger to touch the photograph on the page.
“Mostly red, I can feel that part — but let me try without touching it.” He concentrated. “Hmm, nice. Sort of curvy. But not like a Porsche. Wait … No, it’s really low and flat but … not a Lamborghini. How about … Let me cheat a little here… .” He touched the picture again. “I’m gonna go out on a limb and say — Bugatti?”
Gazzy jumped up. “No way! I can’t believe you got that!”
“Hey guys! You’ve gotta come out here!” Dylan called urgently from the deck.
“What now?” Nudge asked, pulling her earbuds out. She was in the middle of a What Not to Wear download marathon.
“Probably another Eraser attack,” Iggy said, sounding bored.
Angel scampered out into the blackness, ready to deliver orders from the deck if necessary.
“Ugh!” Nudge whined. “I wish they’d wait until I finish this episode.”
“Seriously, guys,” Dylan insisted, but he sounded excited. “The sky is amazing tonight. Check it out!”
“Oh, joy.” Iggy scowled, then softened his tone. “Go ahead, Gaz,” he said. “All this vision stuff tonight has tired me out.”
Minutes later, the flock had peeled themselves away from what they had been doing and were stepping out onto the deck in the cool, clear night. Even Iggy decided to join the crew. Dylan was flat on his back. The deck was only just as wide as he was tall.
“Come down here,” he instructed. “It’s better this way. You don’t have to crane your neck. Can you believe what’s going on up there?”
“I don’t see much going on,” Nudge said. “There’s a lot of stars, though.”
“Jeb taught us the constellations,” Angel said, a little wistfully, after they had all situated themselves. “A long time ago.”
“What’re they?” Dylan asked blankly.
“Gosh, you do need help, don’t you?” Gazzy commented. “You should have gone to Max’s Home School.”
Dylan chuffed. “Yeah. A little late for that.”
“Well, for starters, there’s the Little Dipper.” It was Jeb’s voice from inside. He’d appeared behind the screen door quietly. “Can you see it, guys? Do you remember?”
“Yeah. I used to call them the Dipsticks,” Gazzy reminisced. “Back when I was a dumb little kid.”
“I know Orion!” Nudge bragged. “I see his belt over there at about two o’clock.”
“Jeb, can you show us again?” Angel asked, sounding more like her younger, more innocent self. “Like Cassiopeia, Andromeda, Cancer, and stuff?”
“I’m totally confused about what you guys are talking about,” Dylan said.
“With you on that, Dyl.” Iggy put his feet on the wooden deck rail and his hands behind his head, staring up at nothing.
“Can’t you see that meteor?” Dylan asked. “Over there. See? The flame is almost, like, greenish… . Whoa! It’s getting bigger — man, how can you not see that?”
Iggy snickered. “Dude, even I know that shooting stars last for like, less than a second.”
“Oooh!” Angel cried, just as the flaming tail appeared in the sky, fast as a flash of lightning.
“Nice one!” Nudge cheered. “How’d you know it was coming, Dylan?”