The next morning, the Bear took them back to the large cavern, but instead of getting them to run laps he gave them each a rope that was to be stored in a pocket in their shōzoku. For two hours they practiced throwing their ropes over a pole suspended thirty feet overhead, tying some complicated ninja knot, climbing to the top of the rope, sliding back down, undoing the knot, and then doing it all over again.

Kate coped all right with the rope throwing and knot tying, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t manage to climb more than a couple of feet off the ground. She thought the class would never end.

After breakfast, the students were divided into groups. Ami took a small group that included Cormac, Kate, and Ghost. They were all yawning after their late night, but woke up when they learned they were to go up to Niwa, the Garden.

Kate’s heart did a little somersault. She missed the outdoors, the open space and fresh air—having lived on the streets for a while, she’d gotten used to the feeling of the sun on her face and the wind in her hair. But even more, she missed the everyday chatter of animals and birds. She hadn’t heard a single one underground.

“Though it’s a safe zone,” said Ami as she led them from the dining room, “it’s still visible from the air. If you hear aircraft in the sky, hide under a tree. If this is not possible, just lie on the ground and stay still. Your shōzoku will do the rest.”

“We’re going outside!” whispered Kate.

“I know,” replied Ghost. “I feel like I have been in the ground for a long time.”

Ami, clipboard in hand, led them along the West Tunnel.

“This is not the way Makoto brought us,” said Cormac.

“There must be more than one entrance,” Kate agreed.

At the end of a long flight of concrete steps, Ami punched a number into a keypad on a metal trapdoor above her head. When the lock beeped and clicked open, she pushed the trapdoor up. Sunlight streamed into the tunnel, dazzling everybody. Kate closed her eyes and felt the warmth of it on her face. A cool breeze ruffled her hair and the sweet smell of the forest filled her nostrils. She smiled. Even from here she could hear two birds arguing over a spider one of them had just found. If there are animals here, it must mean there are no ninjas hidden in the trees.

When everyone had climbed out of the tunnel, Ami closed the trapdoor and made sure that the creepers that had grown over the door covered every bit of metal.

Kate had no idea what time it was, but she knew it was still early because the sun was low in the sky. It pierced the overhead canopy of oaks and conifers in diagonal beams of white light, illuminating the ferns and grasses that grew between the trees. The forest was moist with dew and smelled fresh and fragrant.

Nearby, some green tape was tied from tree to tree in a long line, disappearing out of sight. Ami led them under it.

“Stealth is the shinobi’s best weapon,” she said, bringing them to a stop. “Even hundreds of years ago, they could enter guarded castles unseen, or hide for days without moving. Some say they could even become invisible. Your shōzoku will help you blend in, but you must also learn patience, how to slow down your heart, control your breathing. Much of it is psychological.

“Go and hide. Become a shadow. Blend into the forest—become a part of it—but do not go outside the green tape. Imagine your life depends on it. Shan will be seeker today.”

A small boy stepped forward.

The other students moaned. “Not Shan,” said someone.

“Why not Shan?” Kate whispered to Chloe.

“You’ll see.”

“Seeking is the second skill you must learn,” said Ami. “At all times, a shinobi must be aware. This is called zanshin. Learn to look where no one looks. Learn to see the unseen. If you are found, you become a seeker with Shan. The game is over when everybody is found.”

Ami clicked her stopwatch. “Go!”

The group split up, running in all directions into the forest. After a few minutes of searching, Kate found a hollow under the roots of a tree. She crawled into it, pulling loose branches on top of her. The ground was cool and damp. She listened hard. No one seemed to have followed her into this part of the woods.

She closed her eyes and breathed in the smell of the earth and trees. She wondered what was going on back home. Had America been invaded yet? And then she thought of her parents in prison, her brother in foster care. Were they OK?

She sank deeper into the leaves, trying not to think about it, letting go, relaxing, becoming a part of the forest …

A rustling in the leaves woke her. A few inches away, a small brown mouse watched her intently with dark glassy eyes. Its whiskers twitched with curiosity. Kate smiled and twitched her nose back. The mouse didn’t move.

“Hi,” said Kate.

The mouse crept a little closer. “In my house you are.”

“I’m sorry,” said Kate. “I’m not staying.”

The mouse scampered right up to her, so close its whiskers tickled her face.

“What’s your name?” asked Kate.

“A name what is?”

Of course wild animals don’t have names.

“Hungry I am. Food you have?”

Kate smiled. Wild animals were a lot like boys. Their speech was limited and they were always hungry. “No, but I’ll be getting some later.”

The mouse’s ears pricked. “Coming somebody is. With you I go?”

Kate placed him in one of the shōzoku’s concealed pockets.

Minutes later, Shan uncovered her hideout. “Renkondo soap is easy to smell.” he said, sniffing the air.

“So unfair,” she muttered.

She followed him as he sniffed his way over to a very tall tree. Looking up, they saw Cormac hiding in the branches.

“Spotted you a mile away,” she said as he climbed down and dropped to the ground.

“Yeah, I suppose climbing a tree was a bit obvious. After all, any eejit can climb.” He laughed and Kate punched his arm—she didn’t need to be reminded about her performance in the climbing class that morning.

Soon everyone had been found, except Ghost. They searched for an hour to no avail. Shan kept claiming he could smell him, but, wherever Ghost was hiding, he couldn’t be found. Kate smiled to herself at the thought that he was probably standing right in front of them, stark naked.

Eventually they had to give up and Ami called for him to reveal himself. A minute later, Ghost emerged from behind a bush, adjusting his shōzoku. Even though he was shivering, he grinned cheekily.

“Well done, Ghost,” said Ami, marking her clipboard. She glanced at him, a small smile on her lips, then headed back to the trapdoor.

“I don’t understand,” said Shan, frustrated. “Why couldn’t I find you?”

“A bird in the bush is worth two in the hand,” replied Ghost, running after Ami.

Shan looked at Kate. “What is he talking about?”

She glanced at Cormac, who was smiling. “I wouldn’t worry about it, Shan.”

*   *   *

KATE HAD JUST SLURPED THE last noodle from her bowl at dinner when she felt a scratching in her pocket. The mouse! For some reason she didn’t want to tell anyone about him yet.

She wiped her mouth and stood up. “I’m off to bed.”

“Already?” asked Chloe.

“Yeah, I’m tired.”

Chloe smiled. “I’ll try not to wake you.”

She stuffed a handful of leftover rice into a napkin and said, in answer to Chloe’s questioning expression, “You can never have enough rice.”

In her bedroom, the mouse climbed out of her pocket and Kate put him on her bed. She sprinkled some of the sticky rice in front of him. He devoured the lot, then asked for more.

“Savage,” she said, laughing. “That’s what I’ll call you—Savage.”

The mouse looked up, his cheeks full of rice.

She knelt down beside the bed. “I’m taking you back to the forest tomorrow.”

“Here nice is,” he squeaked.

She smiled at the funny way he spoke. “That’s just the rice talking.”

“No, to stay I want.”

“Fine, but don’t let my roommate see you. Not all humans like mice as much as I do.”