Suddenly, down the hall, two girls in cheerleading outfits screamed. “It’s Tay! Tell me it’s true! Hey, Tay! Where have you been?”
We watched them bounce toward us in wonder. I looked at Taylor. “Where have you been, Tay?” I asked.
“A different world,” she said.
“No,” I replied. “A different universe.”
The girls ran up to Taylor, practically mugging her. “Where have you been?” the first girl asked.
“Yeah,” said the other. “Are you going to try out for cheerleading?”
Taylor looked at them and smiled. “No. I’m good.”
“What?” the first girl said.
Her friend said to her, “She said she’s good.”
“We know you’re good,” the first girl said. “That’s why you should try out.”
“Thanks,” Taylor said. “But I’ve got to go.”
The girls looked stunned. “For rude . . . ,” they both said.
As the four of us turned to walk away, I asked Taylor, “There’s really no part of you that still wants to be a cheerleader?”
“No,” she said quickly. “Isn’t that weird? For so long I thought it was all I wanted. And now . . .” She shook her head. “I’m good. I’ve got everything I need.”
“So do I,” I said. I suddenly laughed. “Ostin, what did you call that kid, stupidiot?”
“Yep. Stupidiot. See what I did there, I combined the two words to make them—”
“Yeah, we got it,” Taylor said.
“Nice,” I said. “I’m going to use that.” I hit Ostin on the shoulder. “You know, for a geek, you’ve gotten pretty cool.”
“McKenna helped,” he said.
“We gals are good for you guys,” Taylor said. She suddenly stopped and looked at me. “And someday, Michael Vey, I’m going to marry you.”
“Whoa,” Jack said, laughing.
“Where did that come from?” I asked.
“My brain,” she said.
“Do I have a say in this?”
“Only if you say yes.”
I smiled. “You read my mind.”
“No,” Taylor said. “I didn’t need my powers for that.”
We kissed.
“Get a room,” Ostin said.
After Taylor and I pulled apart, Taylor said, “So, Boyfriend, they say that before you marry someone, you should go on a trip with them. You know, to really get to know them. What do you think?”
“I think we can check that off the list.”
“But if we ever get married—”
“We’re way too young.”
“I don’t feel young,” Taylor said.
“It’s not the years, it’s the mileage,” Jack said.
Taylor laughed. “Well, you guys don’t need to get all freaked out. I know we’re young, and I’m not shopping for a wedding dress. I was just going to say, if we were to get married and we had a family, do you think our children would be electric?”
I thought for a moment. “Only one way to find out.”
“I’m out of here,” Jack said. “See you after school.”
“Me too,” Ostin said. “Bones.”
“Bones,” Taylor and I said back.
* * *
My name is Michael Vey. I told you in the beginning that my story was strange. Very strange. I also told you that I had Tourette’s syndrome and I was electric. You probably didn’t see where all that was going. Neither did I. And I had to live it. I almost had to die it. What a ride.
You know, through all I’ve been through, I’ve learned something important about life. Something that might mean something to you, too. It’s something I had to go all around the world to learn, but it was worth it. It’s simply this: It’s not all right to be different. It’s freaking awesome.
Shock on, my friends.
Michael Vey
Michael Vey
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About the Author
RICHARD PAUL EVANS is the #1 bestselling author of the Michael Vey series, The Christmas Box, and the Walk series, as well as more than twenty other books. All his novels have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list, and there are more than twenty million copies in print. His books have been translated into more than twenty-four languages and several have been international bestsellers. He is the winner of more than a dozen awards, including the American Mothers Book Award, and two first-place Storytelling World Awards for his children’s books.
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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First Simon Pulse/Mercury Ink hardcover edition September 2017
Text copyright © 2017 by Richard Paul Evans
Jacket illustration copyright © 2017 by Owen Richardson
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Jacket designed by Jessica Handelman
Interior designed by Mike Rosamilia
The text of this book was set in Berling LT Std.
Library of Congress Control Number 2017945620
ISBN 978-1-4814-9703-9 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4814-9705-3 (eBook)
Michael Vey 7 Page 25