Read Online Hurricane Power by Sigmund Brouwer - Free Book Online

got in a boat. No one has seen them since. It’s easy to throw someone off a boat out there—lots of water.”
    I shook my head in sympathy. I mean, what could a person say after hearing something like that?
    â€œMy father’s dream,” Carlos said, “is for all his children to grow up here. Become part of this country. Be citizens and have good jobs and freedom.”
    I finally understood why Carlos had not gone to the police when I’d taken his money. But it didn’t explain why the school’s computer had the wrong address for him. Or what was going on with those two guys with tattoos. And it didn’t explain one other thing.
    â€œCarlos,” I said, “how did you know my dad was a doctor? And how did you know where I lived?”
    He turned his dark eyes on me. “Please,” he said. “Don’t ask. For me and for you—you don’t want to know.”
    â€œBut—”
    â€œNo,” he said, “listen. You talk to me about getting on the track team and trying for a scholarship. That would mean the world to me and my family. But there is no way I could do that. Not with where I am now and what I have to do to stay here. It is only a dream.”
    â€œBut—”
    â€œYou can’t even let anyone know I came to your house. If they find out, they will do terrible things to me and my family. Maybe to you too.”
    â€œThey?”
    â€œPlease. I have already said too much.” His mouth snapped shut.
    I wanted to know so badly that I would have pushed him hard for an answer.
    But I didn’t have a chance.
    Dad walked into the waiting room. He had dark bags under his eyes. And a big grin on his face.
    â€œShe’ll be fine,” he said to Carlos. “We brought her temperature down and gave her fluids. She’s breathing easier, and the antibiotics seem to be working.”
    â€œThank you,” Carlos said quietly. “Thank you so very much.”
    He bit his lower lip, as if he was trying not to cry from relief.
    I kept my questions to myself.

chapter nineteen
    The school hallways were empty. Except for the two guys who had threatened Carlos in the library. Their footsteps echoed as they walked toward me. I backed away.
    Then my feet got stuck. I looked down. My shoes were trapped in a puddle of black tar. I couldn’t move.
    The two guys got closer. They flashed their knives at me. Big knives with shiny blades.
    I pulled at my feet. I still couldn’t move.
    I was desperate. I reached down and untied my shoes. I jumped sideways, landing clear of the tar. I turned and ran—and smacked into a wall that appeared from nowhere in the middle of the hall.
    I was trapped!
    I turned around again to face them.
    They moved in closer and closer. They moved like zombies.
    In my mind, I heard Carlos’s words from the hospital waiting room: “You can’t even let anyone know I came to your house. If they find out, they will do terrible things to me and my family. Maybe to you too.”
    â€œDavid...David,” I heard. The voice was a low monotone, like a zombie’s. In a weird way, I recognized the voice. It sounded like my math teacher. “David...David.”
    What kind of nightmare was this?
    â€œDavid. David.”
    They brought their knives up to stab me. I screamed.
    I threw myself to the side. The floor opened up beneath me. I felt myself falling. Screaming. Falling. Screaming.
    Thunk
!
    I landed.
    It hurt.
    I opened my eyes. I was no longer in a hallway trapped by guys with knives. I was on the floor of my classroom. With my desk on top of me.
    I’d been asleep?
    â€œDavid.”
    It
was
my math teacher’s voice. Mr. Johnson was standing over me. I saw his black shoes first and then his black pants. As I looked up, I saw his white shirt and black tie. Then his face. He was rolling his eyes in disgust.
    I pushed myself to my feet. Everyone in the classroom had started giggling. I