Jessica thought furiously. They just needed something to pull them downward. If only they had something heavy….

Then she realized. They did have something heavy: her.

“Give me your chain,” she ordered.

“What?”

“Do it!” she yelled.

Jonathan unwound Obstructively from his fist. She snatched it from him. The stainless steel links looked strong enough. She held one end in her free hand. “Grab the other end. Tight.”

He grabbed it.

With her other hand, she let go of Jonathan.

“Jess, no!”

She fell, yanking the chain taut and pulling Jonathan downward after her.

“Jess!” His eyes were full of terror.

In a few seconds they were falling fast enough, and she yanked on the chain to bring him close to her again. They frantically grabbed for each other’s hands, and with the warmth of his flesh, weightlessness wrapped itself around Jessica again.

Momentum carried them down toward the ground quickly, but with the soft pressure of midnight gravity.

Jonathan wrapped his arms around her. Jessica realized she was shaking.

“I never dropped anyone before,” he said quietly. “And now I’ve dropped you twice in one night.”

The grass below them was turning green. They were at treetop level, and then their feet touched the ground lightly.

Normal weight settled onto them a few seconds later.

“Well, the third time’s a charm,” Jessica said. She was still shaking.

They stood there, looking at each other.

Finally they let go of each other’s hands.

“Ouch,” he said softly.

Jessica giggled, rubbing her hand. “Ouch is right.”

Jonathan laughed out loud. “You’ve got one hell of a grip, Jess. My hand feels it got slammed in a door. Talk about clingy.”

“Me?” she retorted, laughing too. “My hand feels like a truck ran over it.”

They were both still laughing when the police car pulled up.

15

12:01 A.M.

CURFEW

The police car crunched onto the roadside, gravel popping out from under its tires as it slid to a stop.

Jonathan clutched Jessica’s hand and instinctively bent his knees to leap, seeing in his mind’s eye the precise jump that would take them safely over the car and onto the roof of the house across the street. He could see the proper angle of landing and how the next leap would take them over to the next block and out of sight. Away to freedom.

But his legs crumpled under him, and Jonathan remembered that he was heavy, leaden, earthbound. Flying time was over.

Jonathan’s exhausted leg muscles could barely push him back to standing again. He doubted he could even make a run for it. For the next few minutes his body would feel like stone as it slowly readjusted to normal weight. Even breathing took effort in these horrible moments after the secret hour ended.