Crowds were gathering around the bus. Noah could hear them whispering as Avery led him away. His own breathing and footsteps were too loud for him to make out what they were saying, but he hoped they were focused on the bus and not the kids running away from it.

Eventually, Avery pulled him into a convenience store and they stopped to catch their breath.

“That was crazy.” Avery gasped. “That lion was breathing fire!”

“It wasn’t a lion.” Noah muttered. He was trying to listen to their surroundings. He had gotten good at avoiding bumping into people after years of practice, but convenience stores and other narrow places still gave him trouble. They were too echo-y.

“What do you mean?” Avery didn’t sound surprised. Or, rather, Noah would guess she was surprised that he knew the creature hadn’t been a lion.

Noah paused. How had he known? Obviously, the fact that it had almost barbequed Avery meant that it wasn’t just a lion. But he had known about the fire too.

His neck prickled, and his mouth went dry. “Chimera.” He gasped. The creature had been called a Chimera.

“Noah?” Avery sounded concerned.

Noah put a hand to his head. He felt a little unstable, like he wasn’t part of reality. What was happening to him?

“Easy.” Avery caught his arm before he could stumble into a shelf. “Deep breaths.”

Noah focused on his breathing. He made his world consist of just Avery’s hand on his arm and his own breathing. He didn’t know if his eyes were open or closed. That wasn’t important.

After a moment, Noah felt better. His world expanded, and he tapped Avery’s arm. Whatever had happened, it was over.

“You kids okay?” A man called from somewhere to Noah’s right.

“Fine.” Avery called back. “Just a bit of adrenaline.”

Noah followed her through the store. She stopped once to open what he guessed was a cooler from the vacuum seal sound and blast of chilled air. Then, on the other side of the store, she placed something on a counter.

“Did you see all of the police?” The man, who must have been a cashier, commented as he scanned the item Avery had grabbed. “Something big must have happened.”

“Yeah.” Avery tensed at the mention of the police. “Bus accident.”

“Yikes.” The cashier was silent for a long moment. Noah couldn’t even hear him moving behind the counter. “You kids weren’t on the bus, were you?”

Avery shifted, and her arm pressed against Noah’s. It was damp. Was she bleeding?

“No.” Avery lied to the cashier. “Just saw the aftermath.”

“Oh.” The register dinged, and Noah heard coins being exchanged.

“Here.” Avery pressed something into his hands. It felt like a water bottle, and he ran a hand over the top before opening it. After many embarrassing mishaps in the past, he had gotten the hang of drink from bottles without pouring water all over himself.

He paused when he realized that there were no other sounds around him. It was the sort of absence of sound that usually meant someone was watching him.

The cashier cleared his throat. “I could call someone for you.” He offered. “It might be easier for him-” Noah guessed the cashier was gesturing to him while talking to Avery. “-if someone gave you a ride. You know, with the crowds and all.”

Noah felt Avery tense up beside him. He handed the water bottle to her to distract her from her anger. Then he turned in the direction of the cashier’s voice. “Thank you for your concern, but I’m fine in crowds.” He flashed a smile. “I’ve had lots of practice.”

The cashier shuffled about behind the counter. “Er, right.”

Noah put a hand on Avery’s arm. “Let’s go.”

She led him back through the store. When he heard her open the door, he raised a hand and waved to the cashier. He may let Avery stand up for him a lot, but that didn’t mean he didn’t like to make people uncomfortable after they judged his ability to navigate the world.