And the other kids in the UDM class. She had them, and they had her.
“I have to go,” she said into the phone. “I have friends over.”
“You do?” Hawthorn asked. “Upside-Down friends?”
“Yep,” Nory said. “We’re having slushies.”
“Oh,” Hawthorn said. He breathed in and out. “Well, don’t forget to practice your black kitten.”
“Bye,” Nory said, and she pressed the button to end the call.
She lowered the phone to her side. Bax threw the Frisbee to Andres, who threw it to Pepper, who threw it to Elliott.
Elliott fumbled it and handed it to Willa, who threw it to Marigold, who threw it to Sebastian, who dropped it. Sebastian always dropped it.
“I can’t help it!” he cried. “Its sound waves are so bright!”
Nory drank her slushie and watched her friends.
She wasn’t sure she wanted to practice being normal anymore. She wasn’t sure she wanted to go back home to Father.
Was that giving up?
Or was she just choosing something different?
Maybe, thought Elinor Boxwood Horace, I like being upside-down.
An exploding box of thank-yous to:
Our Fluxers:
David Levithan, Kelly Ashton, Elizabeth Parisi, Ellie Berger, Lori Benton, Tracy van Straaten, Bess Braswell, Whitney Steller, Abby McAden, Aimee Friedman, Rachael Hicks, Lizette Serrano, Emily Heddleson, and everyone else at Scholastic.
Our Flickers:
Laura Dail, Barry Goldblatt, Elizabeth Kaplan, Tamar Rydzinski, Deb Shapiro, Arielle Datz, and Tricia Ready.
Our Flyers:
Robin Wassmerman, Courtney Sheinmel, Jennifer E. Smith, Elizabeth Eulberg, Bob, Gayle Forman, Maureen Johnson, Rose Brock, and Libba Bray.
Our Fuzzie-wuzzies:
Al, Jamie, Ivy, Maya, Mirabelle, Alisha, Hazel, Chloe, and Anabelle.
Our Flares:
Daniel, Randy, and Todd.
SARAH MLYNOWSKI is the author of many books for tweens, teens, and adults, including the New York Times bestselling Whatever After series, the Magic in Manhattan series, and Gimme a Call. She would like to be a Flicker so she could make the mess in her room invisible. Visit her online at www.sarahm.com.
LAUREN MYRACLE is the New York Times bestselling author of many books for young readers, including The Winnie Years (which begins with Ten), the Flower Power series (which begins with Luv Ya Bunches), and the Life of Ty series. She would like to be a Fuzzy so she could talk to unicorns and feed them berries. You can find Lauren online at www.laurenmyracle.com.
EMILY JENKINS is the author of many chapter books, including the Toys Trilogy (which begins with Toys Go Out) and the Invisible Inkling series. Her picture books include Lemonade in Winter, Toys Meet Snow, and The Fun Book of Scary Stuff. She would like to be a Flare and work as a pastry chef. Visit Emily at www.emilyjenkins.com.
Copyright © 2015 by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, and Emily Jenkins
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC, SCHOLASTIC PRESS, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available
First edition, October 2015
Cover art by Jennifer Taylor, © 2015 by Scholastic Inc.
Cover design by Elizabeth B. Parisi & Mary Claire Cruz
e-ISBN 978-0-545-80047-1
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