“I mean, have you seen her nostrils?” one of the girls asked.
“Oh my God! Someone could drive a Mack truck through them,” the other one replied.
As I stood only a few feet away from them, I thought, Actually, this invisibility thing has its perks. I could find out more dirt and secrets about my classmates than I ever wanted to know. The blackmail possibilities were endless. Thankfully, none of them had to use a toilet, and they were too busy to notice the locked stall door.
But then I sneezed. Loud. The urge to do so hit me suddenly and without warning. There was no way to stop it from happening. The sneeze just flew out of me. And it was a double one.
The girls spun around, a bit startled. One of them stage-whispered, “Someone’s in the stall.” She tugged at one door and it opened. Then she tugged at my stall. I’d locked it. I could see Amanda Morovich put her hands on her hips, pissed at being spied on. “Who’s in there?” She was a tall girl with a frizzy mop of red hair who I knew from my Spanish class.
I was silent, not moving a muscle or saying a word.
Amanda stomped over to the stall and pounded her fist on the door. “Open up, chickenshit.”
I quietly cringed. If I opened the door, I took the risk I might suddenly become visible before their eyes. Who knows whom they would tell and what they’d do if it suddenly became public knowledge that I could vanish and reappear in seconds. I sure didn’t want to find out. Then I heard some rustling from the neighboring stall. Lisa Hooper, the willowy captain of the volleyball team, had stood up on the toilet, peering over the stall into mine.
“No one’s here, Amanda,” she declared.
“Yeah, and who sneezed? A mouse?” Amanda gruffly squeezed her way into the stall with Lisa and then hopped up on the toilet to look.
Fortunately for me, I was still the girl who wasn’t there. From Lisa and Amanda’s point of view the stall was locked and empty.
“Very weird.” Amanda shook her head, definitely perplexed.
The two girls exited the adjacent stall and returned to the sinks. I was suddenly struck with an overwhelming desire to do something crazy and impulsive. So I unlocked the stall door while I was still hiding in there. Then I watched the girls’ stunned reactions as the door inexplicably swung open.
“What the hell did that?” Lisa muttered, unnerved, looking around the restroom like it was haunted.
The bell rang.
“C’mon, let’s go,” Amanda insisted, yanking Lisa’s arm and dragging her out of there as quickly as possible.
Once they were gone, I started laughing and finally breathed easy again. Not for long, though, because within seconds a flood of chattering girls burst into the locker room from the field. They were eager to shed their gym gear and reapply their makeup. Amidst the clamor of clanging locker doors and piercing voices, I saw my hands again, then my legs, and finally the rest of me. Relieved, I quickly exited the stall and then mingled with the rest of the girls without attracting the slightest bit of attention.
• • •
“Have you seen Maya?” I was hurrying to Spanish when Chase suddenly appeared beside me in the hallway.
“Not since this morning.” I motored on ahead, preoccupied by my situation. I was in no mood to chat with anyone, least of all Chase Cochran. But he kept walking beside me. “Why don’t you text her?” I snapped, anxious to get rid of him.
“Already did,” Chase replied. “And her girls haven’t seen her either. Which is unusual, since they all seem to be joined at the hip.” He chuckled, flashing that winning smile. Why did he have to be so annoyingly charming? Yes, it did occur to me that she’d been acting weird when I’d last seen her, but honestly, I was way too preoccupied with my own problems to worry about whether Maya was having a postpulse breakdown. I had no intention of worrying about whether Maya was avoiding Chase, much less getting sucked into the middle of their romantic squabble.
“Maybe she’s volunteering for Cosmetics for Cambodian Orphans or Chechnyans for Change,” I responded flippantly. “Or organizing the next pep rally.” I hoped my sarcasm would get him to leave me alone.
“No. She would’ve told me. She tells me everything,” he insisted, pursuing me like a stray puppy. “It’s not like her to blow me off. If you see her, will you let her know I’m looking for her?”
I detected a surprising note of concern in his voice, as if he might actually care for someone other than himself. I almost felt bad for him. Almost.
“Sure thing.” Then I darted up the stairs, leaving Chase stranded in the middle of the hallway with an exasperated look on his face.
• • •
Spanish was a total blur. Between watching the minutes slowly tick by on my cell phone and worrying that I might suddenly disappear again, I didn’t hear a word that Señora Gibbons said. Oliver and Jackson each texted me during class to make sure I was okay. I surreptitiously hid my phone in my notebook so I was able to text OK without drawing undue attention from Gibbons. Mercifully, I held it together and survived until the bell rang. Then I was out the door, racing to the nearest staircase. Fortunately, I had study hall next and planned on ditching it and hiding out in the library stacks until lunch.
No sooner had I exited the stairwell and started charging past the science labs then I heard a disturbing crash come from inside one of the labs. The unmistakable sound of glass shattering—a lot of glass. I heard a series of loud thuds followed by another even louder crash. And then I heard someone cry out. More like an animal wail. Then I realized it actually sounded like Maya screaming. I was tempted to walk on and avoid any Maya hysterics, but I had to peek in through the door to see what was causing her to make all that noise. What the hell was going on in there?
I looked through the glass to see all hell breaking loose. I pushed the door handle down and cracked open the door. As I poked my head into the room, a glass beaker whizzed by my face. I flinched back just in time and it barely missed me. That wasn’t the only thing that was flying. Books, glass beakers, pens—anything that wasn’t nailed down—were zipping around the room like a barrage of Scud missiles.
“Oh. My. God,” I muttered, trying to comprehend what I was witnessing. My eyes then caught sight of a seriously freaked-out Maya huddled underneath a lab table. She was trapped in the middle of all this chaos—a virtual prisoner.
“Help me,” Maya pleaded, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Make it stop!”
Me? How was I supposed to make it stop? I was pretty sure I wasn’t also responsible for causing some Wizard of Oz–like twister to wreck the lab. Could there be some invisible people throwing things around the lab? Or was something else causing all this mayhem? I had a hunch what it might be and decided to test my theory.
I coolly urged her to “Breathe, Maya. Just breathe.” I felt like Master Kru was speaking through me.
“I am breathing,” she barked back. “What the hell do you think I’m doing?” I thought it looked like she was incredibly pissed. And I suspected that I had to get her to calm way down before I could help her.
So I started making my way across the lab, ducking and dodging the flying debris. Even though Maya was barely fifteen feet away from me, it wasn’t easy navigating the short distance.
I was about halfway across the room when Maya shouted, “Watch out!” I looked up, not a moment too soon.
I saw a pair of shiny scissors flying toward my chest. I instinctively dropped to the floor in the nick of time, avoiding direct impalement. Still, the scissors sliced my sweater, ripping a hole in the right arm.
“Thanks,” I shouted back as I crouched down on all fours. I was annoyed and didn’t feel like I should be so grateful for her saving my life—I wouldn’t be in harm’s way if it weren’t for her. No way was I going to stand up again until the situation was under control. I sucked in my breath and then scooted across the floor like a crab on the beach until I was safely underneath the table with Maya.
“Get me out of here.” She clutched my a
rm, terrified, desperate to flee. But we couldn’t risk trying to leave just yet. First I had to get Maya to relax, which wasn’t going to be easy. It was the only way to tell if my theory was right—and keep us both from getting killed.
“Everything’s going to be okay.” I patted her hand, trying my best to reassure her. Just the way Jackson had done with me under the bleachers during phys ed earlier that morning. I wondered if he’d had as many doubts as I did right now. “I need you to focus, though. Can you do that?”
“Focus on getting me out of here.” Her eyes darted around the room in a hundred different directions. And I could feel her body vibrating at warp speed, like she was about to bounce off all the walls.
“Just look at me, Maya.” I steadied her head with my hands and forced her to look right at me. “Ignore everything else. Look at me. I’m going to get you out of here, but you’ve got to trust me and do exactly as I say. Okay?” Finally her eyes locked with mine. She sucked back her tears and nodded timidly.
“Good. Now take a deep breath,” I coached. “And exhale slowly.” I demonstrated exactly what Master Kru had taught me back in Bangkok. Breathing in and out. Calm. Focused. After a few nervous breaths, I could see the tension in her body begin to dissipate. “Close your eyes,” I continued, my voice firm but calm. “Clear your mind. Let everything go.” Letting go was difficult for a control freak like Maya, but she dutifully followed my orders. Maya’s resistance slowly slipped away. Her shoulders relaxed; her facial expression went slack. I could tell by the serene look suddenly appearing on her face that she was no longer frightened. She slipped into “the zone,” where one finds tranquility and inner peace.
Less than a moment later every single thing that had been whirling around the room at warp speed just dropped to the floor with a collective thud. It was as if Maya had flipped one giant off switch. Hearing the loud thudding stop, she opened her eyes and gazed at all the stuff strewn across the floor. Dead silence. She shook her head in disbelief. A moment before, everything had seemed incredibly threatening. Now it all looked harmless.
Maya turned to me, glassy-eyed, hair in disarray, wondering what had happened. She looked shell-shocked and bewildered, like she’d been on the most intense roller-coaster ride ever. Her mouth hung open, as if trying to say something. No words came out. I knew from my own experience that she was struggling to make sense of a senseless situation. A million thoughts had to be racing through her confused mind, none of which made any sense.
Finally I said, “You want the short explanation, or the long one?”
Maya stared back blankly. And that’s when I started to laugh. I wasn’t sure if it was the absurdity of us huddled under the table like a couple of scared rabbits that struck me as hilariously funny. Or just the accumulation of every bizarre event that had happened since I’d gotten out of bed that morning. Whatever triggered my burst of hysteria, I suddenly couldn’t contain myself.
Maya’s eyes narrowed as she shot me this panicked look. She’d been hoping I’d have some answers. Instead it seemed as though I’d gone completely crazy. Maybe I had.
9. SEVENTEEN
* * *
“Stop exaggerating,” insisted Maya as she barreled through the cafeteria like a bull in a china shop. “You’re saying that I caused everything to go crazy in that lab? You’re just trying to scare me.” I followed her out to the quad, where Oliver and Jackson were waiting for us.
“Maya, I’m not trying to scare you,” I responded in a hushed tone so as to not broadcast what we were discussing to the entire school. “I’m just trying to tell you what I know.”
Maya rolled her eyes. “Which is what? That some random green lightning bolt or—”
“Pulse,” I reminded her.
“Or whatever is giving me ESP or tele-frickin’-shit and causing freaky things.” Her voice was antagonistic and condescending. “Next thing you’ll be telling me that aliens have landed in Barrington. I think you’ve been hanging around Jackson too much.”
I gritted my teeth, trying to stop myself from blowing my cool. Twenty minutes earlier Maya had been practically curled up in the fetal position underneath the lab table, fearing for her life. Now she was striding confidently through school, head held high, as if nothing had ever happened. In the intervening time, Maya had pulled herself together in the girls’ bathroom while I gave her the lowdown on the events of the past few weeks. A fresh coat of lip gloss later and she acted like I’d imagined it all. Either I hadn’t done a very good job of explaining things or she was trying to repress her panic. I opted for the latter explanation. Fear makes people do strange things.
• • •
“It’s real, Maya,” Jackson declared, not mincing words. “We all saw it last night.” The four of us—Jackson, Oliver, Maya, and me—were walking through the quad, avoiding the other kids who were eating lunch.
“And now we’re all affected,” Oliver added.
Maya pursed her lips and crossed her arms. A telltale sign that she felt defensive and was shutting us down. I opted for a softer, less confrontational approach. “We’re all afraid. Pretending nothing happened won’t make it so. Important thing is that we stick together, protect each other, and keep quiet until we understand what’s happening to us.”
Maya nervously looked around at all the kids chilling and enjoying their lunches. They were happily oblivious to what we were experiencing. Or perhaps they were wondering what the four of us were doing together? In fact I was wondering the same thing myself. In what normal high school universe would Jackson, Oliver, Maya, and I ever have anything in common? Now we were like these mutant Four Musketeers, except without the lame feather hats and unflattering leotards. Talk about being different and not fitting in . . .
“Look, I didn’t want to believe any of it either,” Oliver interjected sympathetically. “Until I was suddenly leaping across backyards like I was Superman or something. It’s scaring the hell out of me,” he admitted. “Our bodies are suddenly doing things that shouldn’t be possible.”
“Whatever,” Maya exclaimed with a dismissive wave of her hand as she charged toward the student parking lot. “I’m sure there’s a logical explanation.”
“Logical?” I laughed at her. I was done playing nice. “What’s so logical about me suddenly disappearing? Or Jackson shooting lightning bolts from his fingertips? Or that twister you caused back in the lab because you were angry with Chase about something?”
“It wasn’t me,” Maya emphatically insisted. “It wasn’t my fault. The windows were wide open. There was a strong breeze. I had nothing to do with what happened.” She was digging in her heels, willfully denying reality like a smarmy politician. Maybe she was even starting to believe the lies herself.
“Fear and denial won’t help you sleep easier tonight,” shouted Jackson as Maya picked up her pace and charged away. “It won’t change what’s happening to you. We just want to make sure you don’t get hurt. Or hurt other people. Come with us. We’ll show you what we all can do.”
Maya stopped in her tracks and whipped around. Her face was taut, bright red with anger. “I don’t care if you can all leap tall buildings in a single bound,” she barked back. “This has nothing to do with me.”
“What doesn’t, babe?” Startled, we all turned around to find a somber Chase striding over to us. It was the first time since arriving in Barrington that I didn’t see Chase flashing his usual overconfident smile.
Oliver, Jackson, and I instinctively tensed up, our bodies becoming rigid. Exactly how much had he heard of our conversation? And with Maya such a loose cannon, none of us had a clue what she might say or do at that moment. Exposure could prove dangerous. Especially since we didn’t know why this was happening, and whom we could trust.
“Nothing, baby.” Maya swooped over to intercept Chase before anyone else could say anything. “Just some stupid science experiment Nica’s working on.”
Chase put his arm around Maya. “Where have you been hiding? You had
me worried. I looked everywhere.” Underneath his surface concern I detected a trace of resentment, maybe a little hurt.
“Sorry, it’s been a . . . crazy morning.” Maya gave him a forced, unconvincing smile.
“Crazy, how?” Chase scrutinized Maya’s face as she froze like a deer caught in the headlights. His suspicions were definitely aroused. Maybe he had heard what we’d been talking about earlier.
Oliver shifted nervously, glancing at his feet. Jackson shot me an urgent look to help Maya as she fumbled for an excuse. Maya could not pull off the deception without major assistance.
“Weren’t you helping Principal Hellinger with something, Maya?” I feebly interjected.
“Yeah, right . . . Hellinger.” Maya’s eyes lit up with relief. “He asked me to plan next week’s pep rally. It was hard to text.” She ran with my lie and actually sounded halfway convincing.
“I’m just glad you’re okay,” Chase responded with a bright smile, seeming to accept her story. “And you too, Winters.” Chase’s eyes settled on Jackson. “Been a while. To what do we owe the honor of your presence today?”
“Just clocking in,” Jackson replied. “Like everybody else.”
“Speaking of time,” Maya interrupted, taking Chase’s hand. “Walk me to my locker? I forgot my science book.” Eager to get out of this awkward situation, she nervously smiled and brushed back her hair with her other hand, giving Chase the full Maya charm.
Chase nodded, then turned back to Jackson, Oliver, and me. “Don’t play in traffic, kids.” And then he and Maya split, leaving the three of us in the parking lot.
“Now that wasn’t the least bit awkward,” Oliver joked as the lovebirds walked arm in arm back toward the quad. “Think she’ll tell him?”
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