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Grunsday exists on a timeline they don’t recognize. Unfortunately, almost everything has a chip these days. That’s why we have to keep the old refrigerator from quitting.”
    â€œOhhhh.” Jax nodded. “And that’s why your motorcycle is a piece of junk.”
    â€œJunk? The Honda 350 is a classic!”
    A classic piece of junk . “But wait,” Jax said. “There’selectricity in town. The traffic lights are on, even if they’re stuck, and the emergency lights were on in Walmart.”
    â€œThat’s an afterimage of the light that was there at midnight on Wednesday.” Riley picked up the gasoline can and walked it to the shed. “The lights in Walmart—did you have trouble seeing by them?”
    â€œActually, yeah.”
    â€œDon’t break into a store again. If it’s an emergency, there are other ways to get what you need.”
    â€œI thought it was an emergency,” Jax said indignantly. “I’m not a thief.”
    â€œI’m not a thief either,” Riley replied. “But I have stolen when I needed to.”
    As much as Jax wanted to hold himself above those ethics, he couldn’t. He had a closet full of Walmart goods that proved otherwise.
    Riley spent the afternoon working on his bike. Jax kept his eyes on the windows of the house next door. He wanted to ask Riley what the girl did in there all day, but if she refused to talk to Riley, he probably didn’t know. So instead, Jax asked a bunch of other questions Riley couldn’t or wouldn’t answer.
    Why hadn’t Jax’s father told him about this extra day? Did other Aubrey relatives have the same ability?
    â€œDo you have other Aubrey relatives?” Riley asked.
    Not that he knew of. His father had been an only child, and his Aubrey grandparents had died before he was born. “Why are you my guardian?”
    â€œYour dad knew my dad.”
    Jax watched Riley check the fluids on his bike. “Your dad’s dead, isn’t he?”
    Riley didn’t look up. “My whole family’s dead. At least you have cousins.”
    â€œCan I still go live with them?”
    â€œEventually. I was gonna talk to Crandall’s dad about it. We were all so sure you were going to be a Normal. Now . . .” Riley stood and picked up his helmet. “We can’t let you go without some training.” He mounted his motorcycle, then paused. “You can come along. If you want to.”
    Jax didn’t want to go to A.J.’s house, and Riley didn’t want to bring him. Jax could see it on his face. “No, I’m gonna ride my bike and look around.”
    â€œStay within the town limits. It’s safe for you here.”
    â€œAnd it’s not safe outside of town?”
    Jax watched Riley’s expression. He seemed to be mulling over how to answer that question. “Just stay close,” he said finally, turning the ignition and revving the engine. “And leave the girl alone.”
    The motorcycle was hardly out of sight before Jax whipped off a note to the mysterious girl and shoved it throughMrs. Unger’s mail flap. Then he spent the rest of the afternoon kicking himself for not waiting until he came up with something less stupid than:
    Hi, I’m Jax Aubrey. Maybe we can hang out sometime and have a soda. I’d like to meet you .
    He wondered if she would read the note or just leave it lying by the front door for Mrs. Unger to find. Mrs. Unger would think Jax was nuts.
    When it was obvious the girl wasn’t going to introduce herself—or even come to a window again—Jax took a bike ride through town. It wasn’t as interesting as he’d thought. In fact, it seemed like the extra twenty-four hours were going to be pretty dull. He could ride his bike on the empty roads and wander into stores that had been open at midnight. He also could walk out with anything he wanted and snoop in neighbors’