“DID YOU GUYS miss me?”
It’s my little joke. Or at least my attempt at one.
I’m in the school courtyard, talking to a bunch of kids who couldn’t care less about whether I came back at all. So what? I can’t keep my mouth shut any longer. If the government took my grandmother, they can take anyone. I have to speak up. If I had a picture of Grandma, I would have found a way to print up some Missing flyers. But maybe I can at least recruit some people to help me search.
But I’m not having much luck.
“We got cleaning detail because of you!” said Lisa Crane. I can tell she’s really pissed off, and so are the other kids. Obviously, my daring escape had not gone unnoticed. And I know the whole class sometimes gets punished for one kid’s offense.
“Look, I’m sorry,” I say. “But cleaning duty is the least of our problems. It’s getting worse out there. More TinGrins. More roundups. It’s only a matter of time before they come for everybody!”
“This is a school!” says Lisa. “We’re safe here as long as we follow the rules—until somebody like you messes it up for everybody!”
“Open your eyes, Lisa!” I say. “This isn’t a school. It’s a holding pen! Someday you’re going to wake up and realize that we should have done something while we had the chance!”
I’ve never been much of a speech maker, but I had to warn people. Even people who think I’m a loner weirdo delinquent.
Just then, I see a face in the doorway that leads to the courtyard. It’s Renny Zale, the politician’s daughter and permanent teacher’s pet. The last person I wanted to run into. Sure enough, two seconds later, there’s a teacher in the doorway too. And she’s pressing a button on her pendant.
Shit. This is not good.
I hear the pounding of boots from the hallways, heading this way. This time, they won’t give me a second chance. They’ll ship me off to a school where cleaning is pretty much the whole curriculum. Or they might just execute me on the spot, as an example.
Guards rush into the courtyard from all sides, like an invading army. The other kids scatter, but the guards don’t even make a move to stop them. There’s only one person here they’re interested in, and that’s me.
“Maddy Gomes!” I hear my name, but I can’t really tell who’s talking. The guards’ voices come through speakers in their chest plates and the words echo around the courtyard walls. “You are under arrest for inciting insurrection!” They always make a show of announcing the charge. It’s like a warning to everybody else. Inciting insurrection is no joke. It’s a capital offense. Coming back here was a huge mistake.
The guards are closing in. I can hear their equipment rattling. I can see green laser sights pointed at me. My stomach is burning. I feel like I might throw up. Forget mind control. I can’t even think. And there are too many guards to control anyway. I see Renny standing with the teacher in the doorway. She gives me a sick little “bye-bye” wave. It’s like everything is moving in slow motion.
Concentrate, Maddy!
The rifles are almost touching my chest. I close my eyes. Ready to accept whatever happens. One of the guards reaches for me. Almost touching me.
And then I feel it. A rush in my head—like I’m falling, then floating.
The guards start spinning around like tops, pointing their guns every which way. I back away, but nobody’s looking in my direction. I’m expecting somebody to grab me and throw me to the ground. But nobody does.
Then I realize why.
Omigod, it happened.
I’m invisible!
There’s a light buzz in my brain, but my thinking is clear. Clearer than ever. Even my vision seems sharper. This is crazy!
I pick up a stone and throw it against a window across the courtyard.
When the stone hits the glass, the rifles all turn in that direction. The Shadow strategy!
I can see my way out—right behind the column where Renny is hiding. She doesn’t want to get shot by mistake.
I move across the courtyard on tiptoe, trying not to make any noise. Not that it would matter. Kids are screaming and the guards are shouting orders at one another. On my way out, I do one last thing. I can’t resist.
I knock Renny Zale onto her skinny rich ass.