by Jill Wolfson
No! Never!
“There’s a line somewhere,” Raymond says. “I don’t know where it is yet. Neither do you. You have to find it.”
Alix, Stephanie, and I rest our bellies on the iron railing and, holding on, we bend forward until our feet leave the ground. We tilt gradually until we’re balanced on our hip bones, our legs and bodies parallel to the treacherous rocks below. Any farther and we’d tip over.
That’s when I hear music coming from nowhere and everywhere. Alix and Stephanie hear it, too. They tilt their heads to try to tune it in. It’s a faint sound. We can’t even hum along yet.
But still. A tune is a tune, and we recognize that it comes from us and belongs to us.
Carefully, we let go of the railing and join hands. We feel so light, almost as if we’re levitating.
Simon claps at our trick. Raymond snaps a photo with his cell phone.
Our feet settle back onto the earth.
That picture, it’s a keeper, evidence of one moment of perfect balance.
EXODOS
Acknowledgments
The Furies would not have risen without the support of—
My daughter, Gwen, who inspired and read every word;
My son, Alex, who offered great philosophy and counsel;
Kate Farrell and Rebecca Hahn, best editors ever;
Kendra Marcus and Minju Chang, best agents ever;
Aeschylus;
Micah, Lisa, Karen, and Melissa, my wonderful Santa Cruz writing group;
Readers and champions Carol Muller, Wendy McGarry, Sara Solovitch, Katherine Ellison, and Peggy Townsend of the Madame Ovary writing retreat;
And, of course, all the righteously pissed-off teens I’ve ever met.
About the Author
Jill Wolfson has worked as a journalist for newspapers and magazines around the country. Her award-winning novels for young people include What I Call Life; Home, and Other Big, Fat Lies; and Cold Hands, Warm Heart. Jill has taught writing at several universities and is a longtime volunteer in a writing program for incarcerated teenagers. She lives by the ocean in Santa Cruz, California.
jillwolfson.com
Text copyright © 2013 by Jill Wolfson
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The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Wolfson, Jill.
Furious / Jill Wolfson.—First edition.
pages cm
Summary: After becoming the Furies of Greek mythology, three angry high school girls take revenge on everyone who deserves it.
ISBN 978-0-8050-8283-8 (hardcover) — ISBN 978-0-8050-9756-6 (e-book)
1. Erinyes (Greek mythology)—Juvenile fiction. [1. Erinyes (Greek mythology)—Fiction. 2. Mythology, Greek—Fiction. 3. Revenge—Fiction. 4. High schools—Fiction. 5. Schools—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.W8332Fu 2013 [Fic]—dc23 2012027653
eISBN 9780805097566
First hardcover edition 2013
eBook edition April 2013