Waiting on the tracks

I've never been so mucky. The Guardian was in a big ole muck-pile. It attacked our minds, and made the Genius and Ashleigh march toward it. And the smell was horrible!!

If James hadn't a dived in the way and scooped me up I mighta been as bad off as the others. They most all got hurt. The thing took long to die.

And then Carrie took a dive. She turned her gun on us - she thought she worked for the King. She was really way out of it. We had to teleport her away, but I couldn't take her far enough. I was out of energy. The fight was too hard.

I was going to teleport again, and this time, I knew I was going to pass out. Then I felt James's mind nearby, concentrating on the right place with me, and together we both teleported.

When we got back near everyone went their separate ways. Until James called a meeting the next morning. We both knew we had to keep people together. I was real proud of James for calling everyone, too. Genius and Ashleigh liked my waffles!

Ashleigh says he can't sleep. I said maybe he could sleep by the rose. He hemmed and hawed about that suggestion till Carrie said he could sleep on her couch. He liked that idea, but he seemed embarrassed, like maybe he shouldn't - or like maybe we all didn't understand.

I knew. Sometimes a person can be the rose. I tried to explain how that's so with me and James, to make things less awkward, but I just made everyone go quiet. I don't really understand it, but I think people aren't supposed to talk about other people being like the Rose. But I don't care. Carrie says things other people don't say all the time, and it doesn't matter. It's better to be clear and to the point. I meant to make him feel better.

Anyway, Carrie said there's another vision. It's another horn we need. She describes the horn, curved and smooth and pretty, lying in a battlefield. It's on the grass, still as a whisper, and trembling like a penny on the railroad tracks.

We've got to save it or the horse flattens it.