by Marilyn Kaye
But Paul was a mouse, a tiny, insignificant creature which couldn’t do much worse than chew through a granola bar wrapper a little more efficiently than a cockroach.
Throughout the night, he wandered the narrow tunnels and crevices in the walls. It was cold in there, and he was hungry. But for the first time in a very long time, cold and hunger didn’t matter so much to him. He had more important things to think about.
He did have one other option. If mice had got into the building, there had to be a way out. If he could find an exit, and get far enough away so no one from Harmony House could see him, he could shift back into himself. He could seek out Amanda or Ken or Madame, and warn them. But even though he’d lost track of the time in his wanderings, he knew it had to be the middle of the night. His classmates, his teacher – none of them would be at school. He had no idea where any of them lived, or even how to contact them by phone, and even if he did manage to contact them, how could he make himself understood?
But at least you’d be able to escape Dr Paley yourself, he thought. He could go anywhere. He could live in a zoo for a while. Become a bird and fly to a distant land. Or become a squirrel and live in a tree, feeding on berries and nuts. Nobody bothered squirrels.
Only he didn’t want to run away. He wanted to stay who he was – well, not who he was at that very moment. He wanted to be a boy. He wanted to go back to his foster family. He’d never been able to talk to the Grangers, to have any real contact with them, but he knew they’d been kind to him. He wanted to know, to find out what kind of people they were, and why they took in foster children. He wanted to get to know the two other boys he’d been living with. Maybe they’d play games together, maybe they could have fun.
And more than anything, he wanted to be back at Meadowbrook Middle School, in Room 209. He wanted to know the other special gifted students, to become part of their world. To learn how they could all use their gifts to make the world a better place, so that the kind of people who killed his parents couldn’t get away with their crimes. What was it Madame had told them they could do? Benefit mankind. They could do that together. Running away, he’d just be alone again. A thing.
No, he had to stay and find some way to stop Dr Paley and his colleagues. So he made his way through the walls and back to the place where he knew he was just outside the office. And he waited.
He slept a little, off and on, but the hunger and the cold didn’t let him stay asleep very long. When some light came through a crack in the wall, he knew that it must be morning. And soon after that, he heard voices.
‘Ms Callow, I’ve got two young people coming at ten, and I won’t want to be disturbed while they’re in the office with me. Not even if it’s important.’
‘Yes, sir. Oh, and sir?’
‘Yes, Ms Callow?’
‘The Carter boy still hasn’t been located.’
Dr Paley let out a deep sigh. ‘Well . . . If a strange animal appears in the building . . . a lion, or, or a tiger, whatever it is . . . tell Security not to shoot it. They can tranquillize the animal, but they shouldn’t try to kill it.’
There was a moment before the secretary choked out, ‘Sir?’
Dr Paley must have been a quick thinker. ‘I just heard on the radio about some animals escaping from the zoo. That’s all.’
‘I see. Yes, sir. I’ll notify Security.’
He really doesn’t want to kill us, Paul thought. That’s a last resort. It’s because he’s afraid of us. He himself had spent such a long time being afraid. It was a strange sensation, thinking someone might be afraid of him.
He examined the wall, feeling his way along as he searched for a hole big enough to let him get into the office. He was in luck – another mouse came from the opposite direction. Obviously, that little guy knew the area well. He disappeared from the tunnel. A second later, he heard Dr Paley curse.
‘Ms Callow, please send another memo to the director. Something has to be done about these mice.’
‘Yes, sir.’
Paul made his way to the point where the other mouse had escaped the tunnel. All thoughts of hunger and cold and fatigue had vanished. He perched on his hind legs and peered out.
He could see Dr Paley’s feet. The man was walking around the office. Paul could hear things being picked up, put down, moved around. The doctor must be setting things up for the procedure, Paul thought.
He settled down to wait.
CHAPTER TWENTY
‘HE SAID IT WOULDN’T hurt, right?’ Amanda asked Ken as they approached Harmony House. ‘Do you believe him? I remember when I was a little kid, that’s what doctors always said before they gave you an injection. And it hurt.’
Ken nodded. ‘I know. But my mother had laser surgery on her eyes to improve her vision. She said she couldn’t feel a thing.’
‘OK.’ She felt Ken take her hand, and a tingle went up her arm.
‘It’s going to be fine,’ he said. ‘We’re doing the right thing. I think.’
‘Absolutely,’ Amanda affirmed. ‘This is what we want. To be normal.’
‘I mean, it’s not like I’ll be looking for hidden bombs set by dead people again,’ Ken went on. ‘And you’re not going to run into hitchhikers every day.’
‘Of course not,’ Amanda assured him. ‘And remember that boy who was looking for the lottery ticket his father had put away before he died? I’ll bet he would have found it eventually, even without your help.’
‘Maybe,’ Ken said. ‘Probably.’ After a moment, he added, ‘No, you’re absolutely, positively right. He would have found it.’
They entered the building and went up to the receptionist. ‘We have an appointment with Doctor Paley,’ Amanda said, and gave her their names.
The woman checked her computer screen. ‘Yes, you can proceed to his office.’
Her actions and response put Amanda at ease. This was just like going to the dentist, she thought. Easier, in fact. No injections, no drilling. This was more like going to the hair salon. It was no big deal.
And the secretary in the doctor’s outer office was equally reassuring.
‘Doctor Paley is expecting you,’ she said with a nod. ‘Go right in.’
The doctor greeted them with a warm and welcoming smile. ‘Hello, Ken, Amanda. How are you feeling?’
‘A little nervous,’ Ken admitted.
‘But we haven’t changed our minds,’ Amanda added quickly.
‘Good,’ Dr Paley said. ‘As I told you before, it’s experimental surgery, but tests have indicated no side effects or problems associated with the procedure. You won’t feel a thing. And since there’s no an anaesthetic, you won’t need any recovery time.’
‘When my mother had laser surgery on her eyes, she did it during her lunch break and went right back to work afterwards,’ Ken said.
Dr Paley nodded. ‘And you’ll be able to go right back to school.’ Then he grinned. ‘Unless you want an excuse to cut classes. I’ll even write you a note. There’s always a very slight possibility you’ll experience a mild headache later today, but nothing that can’t be cured with an aspirin.’
Amanda turned to Ken. ‘We could buy some sandwiches and have a picnic lunch in the park.’
‘OK,’ Ken said. Amanda thought he looked a little pale. He was still holding her hand, and she gave it a squeeze.
Dr Paley moved a machine towards them. ‘First I need to take scans of your heads. You’ve both had scans before, haven’t you? You know it’s nothing to be afraid of.’
That procedure took all of two minutes. Afterwards, Dr Paley studied the images of their heads on a lighted screen.
‘Yes,’ he murmured, more to himself than to them. ‘This won’t be difficult at all.’ He addressed them. ‘I’d like to run a little test first, just to make sure I’ve pinpointed the area accurately.’ He studied them both for a moment. ‘Amanda . . . you have more control over your gift than Ken does, don’t you?’
Amanda hesitated. She didn’t want to hurt Ken
’s feelings. She knew that some boys could get totally unnerved if they learned a girl could do something better than they could. Fortunately, Ken wasn’t that kind of boy.
‘Totally,’ Ken said. ‘It’s hard to call a dead person. I usually have to wait for someone to contact me first. Amanda can pretty much snap her fingers and become another person.’
Amanda lowered her eyes modestly. ‘Oh, it’s not that easy, Ken. I mean, I have to concentrate. And I need to find something depressing about the person.’
Ken grinned. ‘That wasn’t too hard with Nina, was it? It must be pretty easy to feel sorry for someone that boring.’
Amanda giggled.
Dr Paley looked like he was getting impatient. ‘All right, then let’s get on with the little test. Amanda, you need to feel pity for your subject. Did you notice my secretary, Ms Callow?’
Amanda hadn’t really paid any attention to the woman in the outer office. ‘What about her?’
‘Ms Callow has a sad life,’ the doctor told her. ‘She was very much in love with a man, and they were about to get married when he was killed in an accident. In fact, this happened on the way to the wedding ceremony.’
‘How awful!’ Amanda exclaimed.
‘Now she lives in a tiny apartment with her elderly mother, who’s always nagging her.’
‘Why doesn’t she just move out?’ Amanda wanted to know.
‘Her mother is not well and requires a great deal of care.’
‘Can’t she hire someone to do it?’
Dr Paley shook his head. ‘Ms Callow cannot afford a nurse so she has to do everything herself. She takes care of her mother in the morning, works here all day, then goes home to take care of her mother. She has no social life at all. She’s never even had a holiday, since her mother can’t travel and Ms Callow can’t leave her alone.’
Amanda frowned. She thought doctors were rich. ‘Couldn’t you give her some money so she could hire someone to stay with her mother?’
Dr Paley seemed momentarily annoyed by the question, but he recovered quickly. ‘I’ve offered, of course. But she’s very proud, she won’t accept charity. So she suffers.’
It all sounded pretty grim to Amanda. That poor woman – what a depressing life she led.
Dr Paley watched her expression closely. Then he went to the door and opened it. ‘Ms Callow, could you come in here for a minute?’
For the first time, Amanda gave the secretary a long, hard look. She was attractive and her clothes were decent. Cute, even. The woman didn’t seem all that miserable. But appearances were deceptive, she knew that. Ms Callow probably put up a good front for her job. Maybe she wore that same suit every day. This image made Amanda feel even more sympathy for her.
Dr Paley spoke quietly to the secretary. ‘Please remain very still and don’t say anything. I’m running a test.’ He went to his table of instruments and picked up a thick tube with a rubbery tip. Amanda flinched as he approached her with it.
‘This won’t hurt,’ he assured her. ‘I’m only going to touch your scalp with it.’
He was telling the truth. It didn’t hurt at all – there was just a little pressure.
‘Now, Amanda, take over Ms Callow.’
‘What?’ the secretary cried out in alarm.
‘Be quiet,’ the doctor ordered. ‘Go ahead, Amanda.’
Amanda looked at the secretary and tried to imagine her daily life. All alone, except for her old mother, who probably wasn’t very good company if she was ill all the time. She pictured a dark, ugly apartment and empty wardrobes. Pity overwhelmed her.
Amanda?’
Amanda looked at the doctor in wonderment. ‘I’m still me!’
Dr Paley removed the instrument. ‘Excellent. You may leave, Ms Callow.’
The confused-looking secretary retreated and closed the door behind her.
‘I have accurately pinpointed the area we need to treat,’ the doctor said. ‘Ken, I wish I could test you, but . . . Ken? Are you listening to me?’
Amanda looked at Ken. She recognized the glazed expression on her classmate’s face.
‘He’s hearing someone! Ken, is it the soap opera lady?’
Dr Paley didn’t wait for Ken’s response. He hurried over to him and pressed the rubber thing against his skull.
Ken frowned. ‘Jack . . .?’ He blinked.
‘That’s his friend – the one who died after the collision,’ Amanda told Dr Paley.
‘Jack?’ Ken murmured again.
Dr Paley smiled in satisfaction and lifted the instrument. ‘I cut the connection, Ken. This is going to work very well, I have no doubts.’ He nodded towards the examining table. ‘Who wants to go first?’
Ken and Amanda looked at each other. ‘Ladies first?’ Ken suggested.
‘Oh, that’s so old-fashioned,’ Amanda said quickly.
Dr Paley smiled. ‘OK, I’ll decide. Come on, Ken, let’s show the young lady there’s nothing to be afraid of.’
Ken climbed up on to the table and lay down.
‘I’ll use the scan to pinpoint the exact spot where I’ll direct the laser beam,’ the doctor said. He wheeled the machine to the side of the table.
Amanda watched nervously, but a movement on the floor distracted her. ‘There’s a mouse!’ she cried out.
Ken sat up. ‘Where?’
Amanda couldn’t answer him. She couldn’t even speak. Before her eyes, the mouse began to expand, and its body changed form. Then it wasn’t a mouse at all.
‘Carter!’ she exclaimed.
‘His name’s Paul,’ Ken reminded her.
‘Whatever,’ Amanda replied. ‘What are you doing here?’
Dr Paley was frowning. ‘Paul, you shouldn’t be in here. Go to your room immediately.’
The boy’s mouth moved, as if he was trying to reply. The only word that came out was ‘no’.
Amanda glared at the boy. ‘I can’t believe you nibbled at my granola bar. That was so disgusting.’
Dr Paley went to the door and opened it. ‘Ms Callow, would you please call a resident assistant to escort Paul Carter back to his room?
The secretary came to the door and stared at Paul in astonishment. ‘I didn’t even see him come in!’
‘Um, he was hiding in the cupboard,’ Dr Paley told her. ‘It’s not important. Just call for a resident assistant, please.’ Ms Callow hurriedly went back out to her desk.
Paul looked at Ken. Amanda remembered how expressionless the boy usually looked. Now there was no mistaking the urgency on his face.
‘Stop,’ Paul said.
‘Stop what?’ Ken asked.
He mumbled something that sounded like ‘dun loose ya giff’.
‘We can’t understand a word you’re saying,’ Amanda snapped impatiently.
A familiar voice came from outside the door. ‘He’s saying, don’t lose your gift.’
‘You can’t go in there!’ Ms Callow yelled.
But as usual, Jenna didn’t respond well to authority figures. She stomped right into Dr Paley’s office.
‘What are you doing here?’ Ken asked.
‘If you want the procedure, you’re going to have to wait your turn,’ Amanda snapped.
Jenna wasn’t alone. The police officer, Jack Fisher, followed her into Dr Paley’s office.
The doctor was not pleased. ‘Excuse me, but we’re in the process of a medical procedure here!’
‘No one’s performing any procedures in here today,’ Officer Fisher declared. ‘This surgery has not been authorized by Harmony House officials.’
‘What are you talking about?’ Dr Paley sputtered. ‘I am a certified medical doctor. I don’t have to ask permission to perform a simple procedure that doesn’t require an anaesthetic.’
‘You do when it’s an experimental operation,’ the policeman declared.
‘And what makes you think I’m doing an experimental operation?’ the doctor demanded to know.
‘This young lady told me.’
&nbs
p; Dr Paley stared at Jenna. Jenna stared right back at him.
‘You weren’t very careful, Doctor Paley,’ she said. ‘You know about my gift, you know what I’m able to do. But you didn’t block me when you came into class yesterday. I read your mind.’
Dr Paley turned to the police officer. ‘And you believe this nonsense? Do you honestly think this girl can read minds?’
‘Yes,’ Jack Fisher said simply. ‘Just as I believe that boy on the table can communicate with the dead.’
And then another person came into the room. ‘Doctor Paley, please don’t bother my students,’ Madame said quietly.
The doctor dropped all pretence. ‘Madame, I have no choice. This is absolutely necessary.’
‘Why?’ she demanded to know.
‘Because your students are dangerous.’
Madame corrected him. ‘My students have the potential to be dangerous, just as all people have. But my students also have the potential to do great and wondrous things. I will not allow you to take that potential away from them.’
Amanda finally got a chance to get a word in. ‘But Madame,’ she wailed, ‘I don’t want to do great and wondrous things. I want to be normal! And so does Ken!’
‘Do you, Ken?’ Jack asked. ‘Yesterday you saved lives. Maybe hundreds of them. Could a normal person do that?’
Amanda looked at Ken. He seemed torn. He clenched his fists, his eyebrows went up, and he mumbled, ‘Not now, Jack.’
‘Excuse me?’ the police officer said.
‘Not you, sir. I’m talking to my friend Jack. I’ll get back to you later, buddy.’ Then he hopped off the table.
‘Amanda, maybe they’re right. Maybe we shouldn’t give this up. Think about the hitchhiker you saved.’
‘But think about me!’ Amanda protested. ‘I don’t want to spend my life hopping in and out of other people!’
‘Oh, come on, Amanda,’ Ken said. ‘You’ve got more control over your gift than half the people in our class. You can choose when to use it.’