Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Read Free Book Online

tree?
    With her lack of body, it certainly seemed possible. Before she could ponder the likelihood any further, she heard something: a rustling of leaves, a parting of mist behind her. She whirled around. Even once she stopped, the world kept spinning—but through fog and mist and her own dizziness, Claire saw him.
    The boy.
    His face was expressionless. His eyes, which tilted up on the ends, met hers.
    “You look at me,” Claire said, trying to remember what it was that had brought this boy to her, what she knew about him, what he knew about her.
    The boy said nothing, and a memory rose to the surface of Claire’s mind—a van. It had hit her. It had sent her flying. And then there had been a blur, and a boy.
    “What the hell were you doing?” he had said. And he’d called her an ambulance, and they’d fought. His face next to hers. His voice a low growl, his hands on her shoulders.
    That’s not what happened
.
    It was, and it wasn’t. Why couldn’t she remember? What was she missing?
    She looked for the answers in the boy’s face. His eyes were blue—light, light blue—and shaped like almonds. His skin was pale, light in color, but rich in tone—likehis heritage had sprinkled it with gold that had been stripped only partially away by a complete lack of sunlight. His jaw was strong, his cheekbones razor sharp, and there were markings on his arm that made him look like a warrior from another time. And yet …
    He looks so sad
, Claire thought. His features were mature, but his expression—hidden behind a mask that blocked it from the rest of the world—was a boy’s.
    “I want to help you,” Claire said. “Can you help me?”
    It was a simple statement, a simple question, but the words were lost under the heavy silence of the fog. Somewhere behind them, a car revved its engine.
    Van. It’s gonna hit me. It’s gonna hurt me. Again
.
    This time, Claire felt panic. Her emotions surged, breaking through the seal that had been placed on them.
    “We have to get out of here,” she yelled at the boy. Determined to save him, she reached out, and he lifted one of his hands out to her. She smiled, imagining the tips of his fingers brushing her palm.
    And that was when Claire saw a glint of silver, and she realized that the hand she was reaching for was holding a gun.
    The boy had it aimed directly at her chest.
    Again.

    Nix had never brought another person into his fade before. Never realized it was possible to spread his
nothingness
over someone else like it was a blanket. He’d never wanted to share his sanctuary with another living person.
    Not a person. She’s a Null
.
    The thought challenged Nix’s grip on the fade, and after a moment’s resistance, he stopped fighting and let himself solidify. The distance he’d put between himself—
and Claire
—and the Sensors was sizable, but it wasn’t enough, might never be enough. Nix knew, better than anyone, how long The Society’s reach was, how merciless Ione and her Sensors were when it came to eradicating a threat.
    That was when he saw the bus.
    Nix walked toward it. The Null was dead weight in his arms, but so small. Her chest leapt with each beat of her heart, and Nix tried not to feel it, see it. He closed his eyes and pulled her closer, cradling her body against his.
    I’m only saving her so I can kill her
, he reminded himself. But that didn’t stop him from walking unnoticed onto the bus. It didn’t stop him from taking a seat, and it didn’t stop him from holding her shivering form, letting the heat from his body warm hers.
    Weak
, he berated himself.
Stupid. Worthless
.
    She was marked for death. He was the executioner. He should have taken the Null’s blackened heart in his hand and crushed it.
    But even miles into the wilderness, he didn’t dare place his cargo into an empty seat. She was a Null, and by definition, Nulls were noticeable. If Nix didn’t want The Society to follow wherever he ran, he’d have to keep her close and hope