Page 43 of The Power of Six (Lorien Legacies 2)

“Sarah,” I say into her ear. “I’ve missed you so, so, so much. ”

“I can’t believe you’re here. This can’t be real. ”

I kiss her again, and I don’t stop while I twist us both around and around until the ropes above her separate. Sarah pushes off from the seat and lands in my arms. I kiss her cheeks and her neck, and she runs her hands over my head, gripping my short hair between her fingers.

I set her down and she says, “Somebody got a haircut. ”

“Yeah, it’s my whole tough-guy-on-the-run look. What do you think? You into it?”

“I am,” she says, pressing her palms to my chest. “But you could be bald for all I care. ”

I take a step back to cement this image of Sarah. I note the brightness of the stars behind her, the tilt of her winter hat. Her nose and cheeks are red from the cold; and as she bites her lower lip and stares at me, a small cloud of breath floats from her mouth. “I’ve thought about you every single day, Sarah Hart. ”

“I promise I’ve thought about you twice as much. ”

I lower my head until our foreheads touch. We stay this way wearing ridiculous grins until I ask, “How are you? What are things like for you around here right now?”

“Better now. ”

“It’s so hard being away from you,” I say, kissing her cold fingers. “I’m constantly thinking about what it feels like to touch you and hear your voice. I’ve come close to calling you every single night. ”

Sarah cups my chin and runs her thumbs over my lips. “I’ve sat in my dad’s car so many times just wondering where you are. All I needed to know was which direction and I would’ve started to drive. ”

“I’m right here. Right in front of you,” I whisper.

She drops her hands. “I want to come with you, John. I don’t care. I can’t go on like this. ”

“It’s way too dangerous. We just finished battling fifty Mogs over at Sam’s place. That’s what life is like with me right now. I can’t put you in the middle of all this. ”

Her shoulders shake, and tears dot the corners of her eyes. “I can’t stay here, John. Not with you out there and me not knowing if you’re dead or alive. ”

“Look at me, Sarah,” I say. She raises her head. “There’s no way I’m going to die. Knowing that you’re here waiting for me, it’s like a force field. We’re going to be together. Soon. ”

Her lip quivers. “It’s so hard. Everything is awful right now, John. ”

“Everything’s awful? What do you mean?”

“People are jerks. Everyone’s saying hateful things about you, and they say a lot of things about me, too. ”

“Like what?”

“That you’re a terrorist and a murderer and you hate the United States. Guys at school call you names like Bomb Smith. My parents say you’re dangerous and I’m never supposed to talk to you again no matter what; and as an added bonus, there’s a reward on your head, so people are always talking about shooting you. ”

She puts her head down. “I can’t believe you have to put up with all that, Sarah,” I say. “At least you know the truth. ”

“I’ve lost almost every friend I had. Plus I’m at a new school where everyone just thinks I’m this weirdo. ”

I’m devastated. Sarah was the most popular, most beautiful, most liked girl at Paradise High School. Now she’s an outcast.

“Things won’t always be this way,” I whisper.

She can’t hold back the tears any longer. “I love you so much, John. But I can’t imagine how we’re going to get out of this mess. Maybe you should turn yourself in. ”

“I’m not turning myself in, Sarah. I just can’t. We’ll get out of it. Of course we will. My one and only love, Sarah. I promise, if you wait for me, things will get better. ”

But the tears don’t stop. “How long do I wait, though? And what happens when things do get better? Will you go back to Lorien?”

“I don’t know,” I finally say. “Paradise is the only place I want to be right now, and you’re the only person I want to be with in the future. But if we’re able to somehow defeat the Mogadorians, then yes, I have to go back to Lorien. But I don’t know when that will be. ”

Sarah’s phone buzzes in her pocket, and she pulls it halfway out to check the screen.

“Who’s texting you so late?” I ask.

“Just Emily. Maybe you should just turn yourself in and tell them you’re not a terrorist. I don’t want to lose you over and over, John. ”

“Listen to me, Sarah. I can’t turn myself in. I can’t sit in a police station and try to explain how an entire school was destroyed and how five people were killed. How am I supposed to explain Henri? Those documents they found in our house? I can’t get arrested. I mean, Six would absolutely kill me right now if she knew I was here talking to you. ”

Sarah sniffs and wipes her tears away with the backs of her hands. “Why would Six kill you if she knew you were here?”

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