A small ledge jutted out from the rock.

It was large enough for the pair to pause, but not for them to become too comfortable. The ledge, both narrow and thin, didn't appear to be strong enough to hold them both, so each stepped onto it gingerly, testing it before allowing it to take their full weight. Being children, neither weighed a great amount, but the ledge seemed to be able to handle them both, if only temporarily.

Bren sat with her legs dangling over the edge. Thomas, though he wasn't particularly afraid of heights, remained standing, his back firmly in contact with the rock. He wanted as much of his body to be in contact with the solid, immutable stone as possible. While Bren was gazing around and appearing relaxed, he was staring straight ahead. He didn't know how high they had come, nor how much was remaining. He had never needed to surmount anything other than a tree or someone's back fence while he ran from Billy and his kin.

"Why can't you just teleport us up there? Why are we having to climb?"

"I can't," Bren answered.

"But why? And why don't you just answer me without being evasive?"

"Am I being?"

"You know you are," said Thomas. "I thought we were friends. Do friends keep secrets from each other?"

They do if they have to, Bren thought, thankful for Thomas's lack of telepathy.

Still,. She had to tell him something. She was expecting him to follow her blindly, and he was doing so. She wasn't so sure his trust in her was well founded and didn't know if she'd do the same if the tables were turned.

"I can't teleport us up there because there's a Blocker."

"Why didn't you just tell me that?"

Why didn't she? Because it would lead to other questions. Ones she did have answers to, but couldn't share. Not yet. She'd felt it better to say nothing than to risk having to circumvent the more direct interrogation Thomas might engage in.

"I don't know," she said, though she knew exactly. "I guess I just wanted to show you instead of telling you."

"Well, that stinks," he retorted. "You shouldn't keep things from me."

I saved your life, part of her mind whispered. You should be grateful rather than moan.

A larger part, the one she embraced to keep the darker side at bay, nodded.

"I know," she said quietly. "I'm not used to giving a shit. Or being given a shit about."

"Well get used to it," Thomas told her, daring to move his hand from the cliff side to her shoulder.

Bren was about to turn to her friend and smile. It would have been a warm smile. One to warm both their hearts. A flash of something bright stopped her.

She squinted, then remembered she no longer needed to. With a flicker of concentration – such things were fast becoming second nature to the girl – her eyes doubled in size and she could focus on what caused the flash. It was a reflection. Sun on metal, glancing off as if to give something away without actually appearing to do any such thing.

The Spotters were coming.

"How the hell did they find us?" she said, thinking she was saying the words in her mind.

Unfortunately...

"Who," Thomas asked, his hand tightening on her shoulder.

"Spotters!"

Thomas knew already. Who else would cause Bren to give such a reaction? But, how had they...

He looked down at the hand he'd rested on his friend or, more precisely, the wrist.

"The watch!" Bren glanced at it, confused. Thomas held it up for closer inspection. "It's a tracker. Oscar said he'd always be able to find me!"

"Damn it! And damn Oscar for giving them the means to track them down."

Thomas quickly removed the timepiece, fumbling a little with the strap buckle. He swung it, hard, against the rock, then did so again when the first attempt didn't even scratch the glass.

"Give it here," said Bren, holding her hand out.

When Thomas gave it to her, she held it in her clenched fist and squeezed. There was a subtle shimmer around her hand and the sense that it didn't look quite right, but you couldn't tell why. Then the watch crunched. Bren opened her fist to show the watch was now a mess of shattered glass and broken plastic. She emptied the fragments into Thomas's hand, and he threw them out, away from them both. The remains fell to the ground, too small to make a sound loud enough to be heard from their height.

"We've no choice but to keep moving now," Bren said anxiously. "They'll be here too..."

"Why don't they just teleport instead of driving?"

"There'll be no markers out here, especially up here. There's nothing for them to target for the jump."

"It's Womack, isn't it?"

Bren stopped talking and nodded, hiding her surprise at the abrupt change of subject.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Why didn't she? She could have, easily. She should have, perhaps. But she didn't, and the reasons for that were her own.

"I didn't want to worry you," she said. It was the truth, in a way.

"Why would I be worried? This is what I want! What we both want!"

"I know, but still. You don't have powers. I thought I could do this on my own, without putting you at risk, but then I heard they were going to attack Oscar's. I knew you'd be there, or else why would they bother?"

"So you came to rescue me."

"I did."

Thomas smiled. He knew she wouldn't deliberately hide things from him. She was just trying to protect him, that was all. He should be grateful. He was. But, powers didn't make you invincible, and the lack of them didn't make you a failure. Besides, it was hs choice.

"How did you find him?"

"We need to move," Bren said impatiently. "I'll tell you later."

"Tell me now," Thomas insisted. He knew any delay could mean they'd be caught again by the Spotters, but there had to be no more lies or evasions.

"It was easy, really. Ci could sense it."

"What?"

"The Blocker. I could sense it. It's like a dead space."

"But there's loads of Blockers around. What made you think this was where he was?"

"It's big," Bren said. "Like, really big. I've never seen anything like it. I was just laying there with my eyes closed. My mind sort of wandered, and I didn't know it was actually doing stuff, you know? I thought I was just daydreaming. I needed to rest before I could find you again."

"OK," Thomas said quietly.

"And then I felt it. It's more like the air is holding its breath here. I couldn't miss it. And there's nothing around for miles. I can't think of a better hiding place, can you?"

Thomas shook his head and looked up at how far they had to go. They were barely a quarter of the way up the cliff. They had to move faster. Yes, his questions had caused a delay but, if they couldn't accelerate their ascent, it wouldn't really matter anyway.

"You can't teleport?"

Bren shook her head.

"How high can you jump?"

Bren smiled and wrapped her arm around her friend. Her hand elongated, the fingers stretching and multiplying. Within seconds, she had created a meshed harness that held Thomas's body close to hers. Without warning him to hold on or prepare himself, she jumped.

And rammed her fingers into the stone surface.

And, heaved herself back into the air.

And again.

And again.

Then, she stopped.

"Why are...?" Thomas began, but he quickly choked on his words as Bren simply let go of the wall. "Wha...?"

Bren looked at him, but didn't say anything. Her mouth turned up slightly into a half smile that was more an uncomfortable hope than anything resembling mirth. She took a deep breath.

"I think I can..." she started. She didn't finish. Instead, she let go of the cliff face.

Thomas, given no warning to take a deep breath, left any potential lungfuls behind as Bren suddenly shot upwards. Even though he knew he was safe in the cocoon she'd fashioned, literally handmade, he still couldn't stop the squeal escape his lips as the rock fell away, to be replaced by...

Oh.

It was what they both felt. The plateau that stretched away as they passed the top of the cliff was... it was empty. Perfectly flat and perfectly devoid of anything. No lizards scooting across. No birds eyeing the lizards for lunch. No buildings.

And no Womack.