A NIGHT ON THE TOWN
It’s two in the morning and I’m wide awake. Mom gave me the choice between sleeping on the couch downstairs and sharing the guest room with Georgia, which of course was no contest. At least down here I have a little privacy.
Still, I can’t sleep. I’m too busy trying to figure out how I’m going to get through this year. It hasn’t even started yet, and all I see is rough road ahead.
I finally drift off, but it isn’t long before Leonardo the Silent strolls into my dreams.
“What are you doing?” he says.
“I’m trying to sleep,” I tell him.
“No, you’re trying to mope,” Leo tells me. “Come on. There’s a whole big city out there. We’ve got better things to do.”
I jump out of bed (out of couch?), and we make a fake Rafe under the blankets, including a superrealistic mask of my face, just in case Mom or Grandma comes down in the middle of the night. Then we slip into our stealth gear and out the door. A second later we hit the streets.
“Where do you want to go first?” Leo asks.
“Somewhere up high,” I say. “Let’s get a look at what we’re dealing with.”
“Excellent choice.” He points the way toward the city’s tallest building. “Good thing I brought the climbing gear.”
We move like shadows, using back alleys and hidden passages to get there. With all the shortcuts Leo knows, we’re standing at the base of Megamega Towers in no time.
“So that’s what three hundred stories looks like,” I say.
“Wait till you see it from the top,” Leo tells me.
As soon as we’re harnessed up, we step into our suction-cup boots and head toward the sky.
“Don’t look down until we get there,” Leo tells me. “It’ll be worth the wait.”
He’s right about that too. Once we hit the roof of that skyscraper, I can see for miles and miles in every direction.
“Can’t do this in Hills Village,” Leo says.
The cars below look like baby ants with tiny headlights, and the whole city is spread out in front of me like the world’s biggest game board. All I have to do now is pick my next move.
“Maybe this year isn’t going to be so bad after all,” I say.
“Well, if you like this,” Leo says, “you’re going to love the ride down.”
As we step into our portable hang glider, the sun just starts to show over the horizon. My first night in the big city has flown by already. Mom will be waking up soon, and I’ve got to head back.
But in the meantime—what a view!
