| game,character,aliases,num_appearances,total_scenes,scene_ids,example_0,example_1,example_2,example_3,example_4,valid | |
| psy-high,Alison Faulkner,"['Alison Faulkner', 'Faulkner', 'Alison']",435,3151,"1-hideandseek_776,1-hideandseek_883,1-hideandseek_883,1-hideandseek_900,1-hideandseek_904,1-hideandseek_909,1-hideandseek_913,1-hideandseek_917,1-hideandseek_935,1-hideandseek_935,1-hideandseek_941,1-hideandseek_920,1-hideandseek_925,1-hideandseek_958,1-hideandseek_982,1-hideandseek_988,1-hideandseek_993,1-hideandseek_997,1-hideandseek_1001,1-hideandseek_1005,1-hideandseek_1011,1-hideandseek_1017,1-hideandseek_1028,1-hideandseek_1037,1-hideandseek_1047,2-usedtobefriends_37,2-usedtobefriends_43,2-usedtobefriends_57,2-usedtobefriends_61,2-usedtobefriends_69,2-usedtobefriends_76,2-usedtobefriends_91,2-usedtobefriends_51,2-usedtobefriends_55,2-usedtobefriends_80,2-usedtobefriends_88,2-usedtobefriends_97,2-usedtobefriends_108,2-usedtobefriends_114,2-usedtobefriends_163,2-usedtobefriends_625,2-usedtobefriends_701,2-usedtobefriends_615,3-wevegotspirit_440,3-wevegotspirit_507,3-wevegotspirit_273,3-wevegotspirit_279,3-wevegotspirit_293,3-wevegotspirit_305,3-wevegotspirit_321,3-wevegotspirit_348,3-wevegotspirit_360,3-wevegotspirit_324,3-wevegotspirit_332,3-wevegotspirit_340,3-wevegotspirit_287,3-wevegotspirit_300,3-wevegotspirit_314,3-wevegotspirit_356,3-wevegotspirit_369,3-wevegotspirit_962,3-wevegotspirit_1008,3-wevegotspirit_940,3-wevegotspirit_1024,3-wevegotspirit_1039,3-wevegotspirit_1095,3-wevegotspirit_1052,3-wevegotspirit_1060,3-wevegotspirit_1068,3-wevegotspirit_1076,4-partytime_24,4-partytime_127,4-partytime_181,4-partytime_186,4-partytime_192,4-partytime_197,4-partytime_202,4-partytime_241,4-partytime_246,4-partytime_250,4-partytime_698,4-partytime_711,4-partytime_714,4-partytime_717,4-partytime_1279,4-partytime_1321,4-partytime_784,4-partytime_1425,4-partytime_1336,4-partytime_1500,4-partytime_1452,4-partytime_1237,4-partytime_1469,4-partytime_1483,5-onthetrail_105,5-onthetrail_114,5-onthetrail_117,5-onthetrail_124,5-onthetrail_160,5-onthetrail_112,5-onthetrail_129,5-onthetrail_134,5-onthetrail_145,5-onthetrail_151,5-onthetrail_143,5-onthetrail_300,5-onthetrail_345,5-onthetrail_348,5-onthetrail_353,5-onthetrail_388,5-onthetrail_535,5-onthetrail_394,5-onthetrail_539,5-onthetrail_560,5-onthetrail_566,5-onthetrail_595,5-onthetrail_608,5-onthetrail_614,5-onthetrail_572,5-onthetrail_580,5-onthetrail_586,5-onthetrail_618,5-onthetrail_623,5-onthetrail_625,5-onthetrail_627,5-onthetrail_631,5-onthetrail_648,5-onthetrail_662,5-onthetrail_673,5-onthetrail_716,5-onthetrail_729,5-onthetrail_667,5-onthetrail_670,5-onthetrail_677,5-onthetrail_735,5-onthetrail_738,5-onthetrail_680,5-onthetrail_695,5-onthetrail_708,5-onthetrail_687,5-onthetrail_691,5-onthetrail_700,5-onthetrail_704,5-onthetrail_777,5-onthetrail_789,5-onthetrail_803,5-onthetrail_815,5-onthetrail_943,5-onthetrail_1439,5-onthetrail_1444,5-onthetrail_1455,5-onthetrail_1458,5-onthetrail_1506,5-onthetrail_1497,5-onthetrail_1509,5-onthetrail_1512,5-onthetrail_1501,5-onthetrail_1520,5-onthetrail_1573,5-onthetrail_1591,6-theplaysthething_116,6-theplaysthething_124,6-theplaysthething_127,6-theplaysthething_129,6-theplaysthething_135,6-theplaysthething_143,6-theplaysthething_151,6-theplaysthething_159,6-theplaysthething_162,6-theplaysthething_165,6-theplaysthething_284,6-theplaysthething_668,6-theplaysthething_683,6-theplaysthething_703,6-theplaysthething_715,6-theplaysthething_720,6-theplaysthething_741,6-theplaysthething_746,6-theplaysthething_736,7-priorities_109,7-priorities_133,7-priorities_137,7-priorities_141,7-priorities_259,7-priorities_1064,7-priorities_1067,7-priorities_1075,7-priorities_1090,7-priorities_1097,7-priorities_1574,7-priorities_1580,7-priorities_1084,7-priorities_1583,7-priorities_1609,7-priorities_1614,7-priorities_1629,7-priorities_1634,7-priorities_1109,7-priorities_1590,7-priorities_1595,7-priorities_1600,7-priorities_1605,7-priorities_1641,7-priorities_1141,7-priorities_1113,7-priorities_1120,7-priorities_1125,7-priorities_1644,7-priorities_1649,7-priorities_1654,7-priorities_1147,7-priorities_1168,7-priorities_1177,7-priorities_1186,7-priorities_1627,7-priorities_1149,7-priorities_1188,7-priorities_1424,7-priorities_1153,7-priorities_1158,7-priorities_1163,7-priorities_1175,7-priorities_1137,7-priorities_1239,7-priorities_1449,7-priorities_1204,7-priorities_1430,8-openingnight_341,7-priorities_1938,7-priorities_1955,7-priorities_1945,8-openingnight_394,8-openingnight_489,8-openingnight_495,8-openingnight_228,8-openingnight_815,8-openingnight_711,8-openingnight_819,8-openingnight_824,8-openingnight_829,8-openingnight_846,8-openingnight_865,8-openingnight_901,8-openingnight_906,9-springfever_96,9-springfever_146,9-springfever_192,9-springfever_406,9-springfever_411,9-springfever_413,9-springfever_421,9-springfever_428,9-springfever_434,9-springfever_324,9-springfever_436,9-springfever_467,9-springfever_444,9-springfever_460,9-springfever_715,9-springfever_738,9-springfever_820,9-springfever_742,9-springfever_814,9-springfever_817,9-springfever_787,9-springfever_810,8-openingnight_1309,8-openingnight_1317,8-openingnight_1321,8-openingnight_1371,8-openingnight_1374,8-openingnight_1379,9-springfever_777,9-springfever_790,9-springfever_751,9-springfever_1065,9-springfever_1078,9-springfever_1339,9-springfever_1068,9-springfever_1070,9-springfever_1326,9-springfever_1331,9-springfever_1270,9-springfever_1075,9-springfever_1231,9-springfever_1627,9-springfever_1274,9-springfever_1292,9-springfever_1235,9-springfever_1371,9-springfever_1378,9-springfever_1238,9-springfever_1254,9-springfever_1381,9-springfever_1410,9-springfever_1388,9-springfever_1394,9-springfever_1405,9-springfever_1413,9-springfever_1420,9-springfever_1426,9-springfever_1432,9-springfever_1437,10-endgame_126,10-endgame_189,10-endgame_218,10-endgame_226,10-endgame_396,10-endgame_325,10-endgame_368,10-endgame_393,10-endgame_406,10-endgame_433,10-endgame_439,10-endgame_357,10-endgame_360,10-endgame_516,10-endgame_524,10-endgame_577,10-endgame_581,10-endgame_545,10-endgame_584,10-endgame_588,10-endgame_598,10-endgame_658,10-endgame_662,10-endgame_664,10-endgame_666,10-endgame_668,10-endgame_683,10-endgame_687,10-endgame_726,10-endgame_791,10-endgame_802,10-endgame_814,10-endgame_794,10-endgame_796,10-endgame_799,10-endgame_805,10-endgame_807,10-endgame_809,10-endgame_857,10-endgame_849,10-endgame_827,10-endgame_875,10-endgame_935,10-endgame_831,10-endgame_838,10-endgame_843,10-endgame_861,10-endgame_909,10-endgame_1415,10-endgame_1188,10-endgame_867,10-endgame_871,10-endgame_882,10-endgame_891,10-endgame_900,10-endgame_926,10-endgame_1697,10-endgame_1198,10-endgame_884,10-endgame_920,10-endgame_903,10-endgame_913,10-endgame_1378,10-endgame_1788,10-endgame_1642,10-endgame_1669,10-endgame_1827,10-endgame_1837,10-endgame_1762,10-endgame_1776,10-endgame_1831,10-endgame_1800,10-endgame_1804,10-endgame_1736,10-endgame_1896,10-endgame_1888,10-endgame_1891,3-wevegotspirit_297,3-wevegotspirit_299,3-wevegotspirit_310,3-wevegotspirit_313,3-wevegotspirit_352,3-wevegotspirit_354,3-wevegotspirit_365,4-partytime_254,5-onthetrail_425,6-theplaysthething_119,6-theplaysthething_121,6-theplaysthething_139,7-priorities_123,7-priorities_1172,7-priorities_1173,10-endgame_860,10-endgame_907,10-endgame_963,10-endgame_2235,10-endgame_2229,10-endgame_2261,10-endgame_2267,10-endgame_2272,10-endgame_2159,10-endgame_1996,10-endgame_2009,10-endgame_2080,10-endgame_2082,10-endgame_2024,breakup_44,breakup_53,breakup_50,breakup_56,breakup_70,breakup_84,9-springfever_1633,9-springfever_1637,9-springfever_1639,9-springfever_1641,9-springfever_1643,9-springfever_1644,9-springfever_1675,9-springfever_1647,9-springfever_1651,9-springfever_1655,9-springfever_1682,9-springfever_1686,9-springfever_1692,9-springfever_1658,9-springfever_1664,9-springfever_1689,8-openingnight_1573,8-openingnight_1621,8-openingnight_1605,8-openingnight_1616","She made fun of my best friend Alison. | |
| Nobody hurts your best friend and gets away with it! You didn't have any opinions about Mackenzie one way or another at first, but when she was mean to Alison, it put her permanently in your bad books.","You know just the person to help you do that: your best friend Alison Faulkner. | |
| Of all the people in Kingsport High, you trust Alison the most. You've been best friends with her ever since you were in kindergarten. | |
| How did it all begin? What happened in kindergarten to start off your friendship?","You know just the person to help you do that: your best friend Alison Faulkner. | |
| Of all the people in Kingsport High, you trust Alison the most. You've been best friends with her ever since you were in kindergarten. | |
| How did it all begin? What happened in kindergarten to start off your friendship?","That's how it happened, and you've been inseparable ever since. You're always over at each other's houses—her moms have become surrogate parents to you, and your mom and dad to her. In third grade when you broke your arm, Alison stayed with you in the nurse's office until your dad came to take you to the hospital. In seventh grade when Alison was upset because she didn't make the show choir, you took her out for ice cream to make her feel better. (Of course, she made show choir the next year. She has an incredible singing voice.) | |
| And the night before you started high school, you and Alison went to your elementary-school playground and swung on the swings for hours. Neither of you said a word about how nervous you both were about starting high school, but you didn't need to. Each of you just knew how the other was feeling, without needing any special abilities. | |
| Last summer, when you had your first episode of clairvoyance, the first thing you did after you got home was text Alison to tell her you needed to talk. But when you picked up your phone, you saw there was already a message from Alison saying she needed to talk to you.","Alison had had an odd experience that day too. When she was walking around downtown, she saw Mackenzie coming out of a store and wanted to get away. But Mackenzie didn't seem to notice Alison at all. In fact, she walked straight past her without even looking. It wasn't that Mackenzie was pretending not to notice Alison, so she could snub her. It was that Mackenzie didn't [i]see[/i] her. | |
| Turns out Alison's special ability is invisibility. | |
| So you and Alison have been through a lot. Do you feel your friendship is still as strong as it's ever been?", | |
| psy-high,Carl McCray,"['Carl McCray', 'Carl']",427,3151,"2-usedtobefriends_157,2-usedtobefriends_160,2-usedtobefriends_163,2-usedtobefriends_166,2-usedtobefriends_171,2-usedtobefriends_175,2-usedtobefriends_179,2-usedtobefriends_184,2-usedtobefriends_195,2-usedtobefriends_203,2-usedtobefriends_207,2-usedtobefriends_210,2-usedtobefriends_213,2-usedtobefriends_216,2-usedtobefriends_219,2-usedtobefriends_222,2-usedtobefriends_225,2-usedtobefriends_230,2-usedtobefriends_235,2-usedtobefriends_240,2-usedtobefriends_249,2-usedtobefriends_269,2-usedtobefriends_274,2-usedtobefriends_252,2-usedtobefriends_257,2-usedtobefriends_263,2-usedtobefriends_284,2-usedtobefriends_287,2-usedtobefriends_295,2-usedtobefriends_299,2-usedtobefriends_304,2-usedtobefriends_314,2-usedtobefriends_323,2-usedtobefriends_328,2-usedtobefriends_308,2-usedtobefriends_311,2-usedtobefriends_334,2-usedtobefriends_338,2-usedtobefriends_345,2-usedtobefriends_350,2-usedtobefriends_356,2-usedtobefriends_359,2-usedtobefriends_364,2-usedtobefriends_366,2-usedtobefriends_398,2-usedtobefriends_552,2-usedtobefriends_434,2-usedtobefriends_811,2-usedtobefriends_899,2-usedtobefriends_912,2-usedtobefriends_1033,2-usedtobefriends_1007,2-usedtobefriends_1024,2-usedtobefriends_1054,2-usedtobefriends_1069,2-usedtobefriends_1085,2-usedtobefriends_1095,2-usedtobefriends_1100,2-usedtobefriends_1109,2-usedtobefriends_1118,2-usedtobefriends_1131,2-usedtobefriends_1145,2-usedtobefriends_1152,2-usedtobefriends_1173,2-usedtobefriends_1128,2-usedtobefriends_1162,3-wevegotspirit_19,3-wevegotspirit_23,3-wevegotspirit_28,3-wevegotspirit_34,3-wevegotspirit_39,3-wevegotspirit_53,3-wevegotspirit_49,3-wevegotspirit_68,3-wevegotspirit_90,3-wevegotspirit_93,3-wevegotspirit_98,3-wevegotspirit_104,3-wevegotspirit_122,3-wevegotspirit_140,3-wevegotspirit_113,3-wevegotspirit_115,3-wevegotspirit_131,3-wevegotspirit_133,3-wevegotspirit_147,3-wevegotspirit_213,3-wevegotspirit_225,3-wevegotspirit_235,3-wevegotspirit_155,3-wevegotspirit_171,3-wevegotspirit_190,3-wevegotspirit_228,3-wevegotspirit_230,3-wevegotspirit_232,3-wevegotspirit_251,3-wevegotspirit_253,3-wevegotspirit_255,3-wevegotspirit_179,3-wevegotspirit_199,3-wevegotspirit_164,3-wevegotspirit_204,3-wevegotspirit_206,3-wevegotspirit_262,3-wevegotspirit_760,3-wevegotspirit_266,3-wevegotspirit_268,3-wevegotspirit_279,3-wevegotspirit_293,3-wevegotspirit_321,3-wevegotspirit_348,3-wevegotspirit_766,3-wevegotspirit_772,3-wevegotspirit_777,3-wevegotspirit_885,3-wevegotspirit_324,3-wevegotspirit_340,3-wevegotspirit_802,3-wevegotspirit_783,3-wevegotspirit_792,3-wevegotspirit_799,3-wevegotspirit_287,3-wevegotspirit_300,3-wevegotspirit_314,3-wevegotspirit_806,3-wevegotspirit_810,3-wevegotspirit_858,3-wevegotspirit_863,3-wevegotspirit_855,3-wevegotspirit_829,3-wevegotspirit_835,3-wevegotspirit_818,3-wevegotspirit_824,3-wevegotspirit_846,3-wevegotspirit_1008,3-wevegotspirit_940,3-wevegotspirit_1027,4-partytime_21,4-partytime_40,4-partytime_130,4-partytime_50,4-partytime_133,4-partytime_136,4-partytime_140,4-partytime_53,4-partytime_62,4-partytime_70,4-partytime_79,4-partytime_87,4-partytime_94,4-partytime_143,4-partytime_148,4-partytime_153,4-partytime_174,4-partytime_215,4-partytime_225,4-partytime_246,4-partytime_311,4-partytime_321,4-partytime_328,4-partytime_499,4-partytime_343,4-partytime_506,4-partytime_520,4-partytime_528,4-partytime_533,4-partytime_589,4-partytime_1160,4-partytime_538,4-partytime_542,4-partytime_547,4-partytime_714,4-partytime_550,4-partytime_552,4-partytime_1166,4-partytime_1174,4-partytime_1188,4-partytime_1194,4-partytime_557,4-partytime_562,4-partytime_741,4-partytime_744,4-partytime_805,4-partytime_829,4-partytime_839,4-partytime_887,4-partytime_857,4-partytime_863,4-partytime_823,4-partytime_966,4-partytime_1074,5-onthetrail_51,4-partytime_971,4-partytime_1047,4-partytime_1055,4-partytime_1064,4-partytime_1083,4-partytime_1103,4-partytime_1134,4-partytime_980,4-partytime_1004,4-partytime_1023,4-partytime_1108,4-partytime_1118,5-onthetrail_82,5-onthetrail_212,5-onthetrail_232,5-onthetrail_225,5-onthetrail_234,5-onthetrail_250,5-onthetrail_289,5-onthetrail_246,5-onthetrail_262,5-onthetrail_273,5-onthetrail_294,5-onthetrail_297,5-onthetrail_300,5-onthetrail_330,5-onthetrail_335,5-onthetrail_309,5-onthetrail_390,5-onthetrail_402,5-onthetrail_720,5-onthetrail_726,5-onthetrail_740,5-onthetrail_800,5-onthetrail_753,5-onthetrail_761,5-onthetrail_815,5-onthetrail_996,5-onthetrail_997,5-onthetrail_1012,5-onthetrail_1031,5-onthetrail_1002,5-onthetrail_1007,5-onthetrail_1018,5-onthetrail_1025,7-priorities_133,7-priorities_147,7-priorities_162,7-priorities_187,7-priorities_1262,7-priorities_1265,7-priorities_1273,7-priorities_1295,7-priorities_1304,7-priorities_1282,7-priorities_1315,7-priorities_1289,7-priorities_1364,7-priorities_1417,7-priorities_1319,7-priorities_1326,7-priorities_1331,7-priorities_1370,7-priorities_1400,7-priorities_1409,7-priorities_1419,7-priorities_1372,7-priorities_1339,7-priorities_1345,7-priorities_1351,7-priorities_1357,7-priorities_1226,7-priorities_1386,7-priorities_1392,7-priorities_1407,7-priorities_1251,7-priorities_1437,7-priorities_1232,7-priorities_1905,7-priorities_1912,8-openingnight_118,8-openingnight_521,8-openingnight_584,8-openingnight_588,8-openingnight_598,8-openingnight_602,8-openingnight_606,8-openingnight_655,8-openingnight_659,8-openingnight_652,8-openingnight_661,8-openingnight_667,8-openingnight_731,8-openingnight_702,8-openingnight_749,8-openingnight_768,8-openingnight_760,9-springfever_149,9-springfever_154,9-springfever_156,9-springfever_160,9-springfever_163,9-springfever_167,9-springfever_174,9-springfever_180,9-springfever_143,9-springfever_715,9-springfever_825,9-springfever_834,9-springfever_828,9-springfever_831,9-springfever_856,9-springfever_866,9-springfever_838,8-openingnight_1328,8-openingnight_1336,8-openingnight_1340,9-springfever_976,9-springfever_1321,9-springfever_1335,9-springfever_1344,9-springfever_1462,9-springfever_1468,9-springfever_1471,9-springfever_1510,9-springfever_1472,9-springfever_1477,9-springfever_1212,9-springfever_1506,9-springfever_1484,10-endgame_378,10-endgame_421,10-endgame_335,10-endgame_672,10-endgame_676,10-endgame_1180,10-endgame_1426,10-endgame_1031,10-endgame_1031,10-endgame_1034,10-endgame_1089,10-endgame_1130,10-endgame_1146,10-endgame_1150,10-endgame_1156,10-endgame_1218,10-endgame_1265,10-endgame_1038,10-endgame_1091,10-endgame_1127,10-endgame_1131,10-endgame_1138,10-endgame_1221,10-endgame_1271,10-endgame_1788,10-endgame_1041,10-endgame_1078,10-endgame_1101,10-endgame_1103,10-endgame_1237,10-endgame_1642,10-endgame_1449,10-endgame_1469,10-endgame_1477,10-endgame_1063,10-endgame_1080,10-endgame_1086,10-endgame_1280,10-endgame_1669,10-endgame_1443,10-endgame_1446,10-endgame_1450,10-endgame_1466,10-endgame_1474,10-endgame_1492,10-endgame_1762,10-endgame_1858,10-endgame_1047,10-endgame_1054,10-endgame_1057,10-endgame_1112,10-endgame_1462,10-endgame_1733,10-endgame_1486,10-endgame_1736,10-endgame_1749,10-endgame_1754,10-endgame_1120,10-endgame_1881,10-endgame_1884,2-usedtobefriends_280,2-usedtobefriends_281,2-usedtobefriends_282,2-usedtobefriends_283,2-usedtobefriends_337,2-usedtobefriends_369,2-usedtobefriends_1058,2-usedtobefriends_1059,2-usedtobefriends_1060,3-wevegotspirit_297,3-wevegotspirit_310,3-wevegotspirit_355,3-wevegotspirit_365,3-wevegotspirit_367,3-wevegotspirit_368,4-partytime_176,4-partytime_264,4-partytime_293,4-partytime_294,4-partytime_816,4-partytime_818,5-onthetrail_349,5-onthetrail_356,5-onthetrail_1369,5-onthetrail_1447,5-onthetrail_1499,5-onthetrail_1402,6-theplaysthething_664,7-priorities_1404,7-priorities_1405,7-priorities_1791,8-openingnight_628,9-springfever_1503,10-endgame_1037,10-endgame_1438,10-endgame_1460,10-endgame_1472,10-endgame_2241,10-endgame_2192,10-endgame_2199,10-endgame_2171,10-endgame_2117,10-endgame_2136,10-endgame_1929,8-openingnight_1608,7-priorities_1987","While you're daydreaming about Tyler, your phone buzzes with a text. You look down to see who it's from, and you almost drop the phone in surprise. It's Carl McCray.","All through elementary school, you and Carl went to the free town-run summer sports camp together. You were really good friends: along with your other friend Jen Cohen, you were inseparable. Even though you went to school together, you were more summer-friends than school-friends, but those summer friendships were just as real and intense as the ones during the year. You've stayed close to Jen, since you're both on the soccer team. Jen's rougher than you on the field—always getting yellow cards, always going offsides—but she's a good athlete, and the team is pretty tight.","You were friends in elementary school: you; Carl; and Jen Cohen. You weren't as close with them as you were with Alison, of course, but you still spent a lot of time together. It was one of those friendships you could hardly explain—it wasn't as if you had that much in common, after all. Carl and Jen were rougher than you, always playing hard on the sports field and getting into scuffles at recess. But they were spontaneous, exciting, and most of all, fun. You drifted apart from Jen as time went on—you went to her Bat Mitzvah, but haven't spent much time with her since you started high school.","As for Carl…well, that's a bit more complicated. Carl's brother Rick, three years older than you, was the kind of kid who always got in trouble—fistfights, shoplifting, that kind of thing. Carl and Rick were being raised by their grandmother, and she tried everything to keep Rick in line—she even sent Rick away to military school for a while. But he'd just come back and fall in with the same crowd. Eventually, he dropped out of high school altogether and ran away to Boston. It broke their grandmother's heart. | |
| Lately, Carl's been getting into the same kind of trouble as Rick. Another one of the many open secrets at Kingsport High is that Carl is the center of the drug network. He mostly deals in prescription drugs kids steal from their parents or skim off of their own supplies, but there are rumors that Rick brings him harder stuff from Boston. Over the last year, Carl's nearly been arrested or expelled a dozen times—but he's managed to weasel his way out every time. | |
| So when did you stop hanging out with Carl?","In sixth grade, when we started middle school. We were interested in different things, and we just kind of drifted apart even before he started to get into trouble. | |
| Sometimes, that just happens. You were busy with drama, and when that started taking up more of your time, it meant you had less time to spend with Carl.", | |
| psy-high,Tyler Kim,"['Tyler Kim', 'Tyler']",287,3151,"1-hideandseek_1005,1-hideandseek_1005,1-hideandseek_1011,1-hideandseek_1017,1-hideandseek_1028,1-hideandseek_1037,1-hideandseek_1047,2-usedtobefriends_61,2-usedtobefriends_69,2-usedtobefriends_135,2-usedtobefriends_141,2-usedtobefriends_145,2-usedtobefriends_149,2-usedtobefriends_153,2-usedtobefriends_157,2-usedtobefriends_965,3-wevegotspirit_119,3-wevegotspirit_137,3-wevegotspirit_232,3-wevegotspirit_259,3-wevegotspirit_210,3-wevegotspirit_783,3-wevegotspirit_940,3-wevegotspirit_1027,4-partytime_139,4-partytime_140,4-partytime_79,4-partytime_143,4-partytime_153,4-partytime_160,4-partytime_192,4-partytime_266,4-partytime_274,4-partytime_277,4-partytime_283,4-partytime_285,4-partytime_289,4-partytime_301,4-partytime_303,4-partytime_305,4-partytime_307,4-partytime_311,4-partytime_321,4-partytime_328,4-partytime_335,4-partytime_348,4-partytime_353,4-partytime_569,4-partytime_577,4-partytime_589,4-partytime_597,4-partytime_604,4-partytime_698,4-partytime_711,4-partytime_362,4-partytime_365,4-partytime_368,4-partytime_609,4-partytime_617,4-partytime_623,4-partytime_714,4-partytime_717,4-partytime_724,4-partytime_630,4-partytime_634,4-partytime_652,4-partytime_656,4-partytime_663,4-partytime_730,4-partytime_736,4-partytime_774,4-partytime_780,4-partytime_639,4-partytime_642,4-partytime_645,4-partytime_784,4-partytime_741,4-partytime_744,4-partytime_648,4-partytime_668,4-partytime_678,4-partytime_687,4-partytime_789,4-partytime_747,4-partytime_694,4-partytime_751,4-partytime_757,4-partytime_763,4-partytime_805,4-partytime_829,4-partytime_839,4-partytime_905,4-partytime_1229,4-partytime_845,4-partytime_915,4-partytime_851,4-partytime_877,4-partytime_887,4-partytime_948,4-partytime_819,4-partytime_921,4-partytime_929,4-partytime_863,4-partytime_950,4-partytime_958,4-partytime_867,4-partytime_823,4-partytime_966,4-partytime_1074,5-onthetrail_51,5-onthetrail_96,4-partytime_971,4-partytime_1047,4-partytime_1055,4-partytime_1064,4-partytime_1083,4-partytime_1134,4-partytime_1023,4-partytime_1108,4-partytime_1123,5-onthetrail_77,5-onthetrail_129,5-onthetrail_134,5-onthetrail_165,5-onthetrail_180,5-onthetrail_175,5-onthetrail_197,5-onthetrail_289,5-onthetrail_283,5-onthetrail_300,5-onthetrail_330,5-onthetrail_335,5-onthetrail_309,5-onthetrail_388,5-onthetrail_397,5-onthetrail_401,5-onthetrail_410,5-onthetrail_419,5-onthetrail_402,5-onthetrail_407,5-onthetrail_720,5-onthetrail_723,5-onthetrail_740,5-onthetrail_774,5-onthetrail_753,5-onthetrail_761,5-onthetrail_789,5-onthetrail_1439,5-onthetrail_1509,5-onthetrail_1526,5-onthetrail_1573,5-onthetrail_1532,5-onthetrail_1563,5-onthetrail_1579,5-onthetrail_1586,5-onthetrail_1591,5-onthetrail_1534,5-onthetrail_1539,5-onthetrail_1546,5-onthetrail_1551,5-onthetrail_1558,7-priorities_133,7-priorities_144,7-priorities_263,7-priorities_265,7-priorities_276,7-priorities_288,7-priorities_291,7-priorities_323,7-priorities_295,7-priorities_308,7-priorities_316,7-priorities_338,7-priorities_346,7-priorities_306,7-priorities_1461,7-priorities_1464,7-priorities_1491,7-priorities_1507,7-priorities_1495,7-priorities_1498,7-priorities_1480,7-priorities_1501,7-priorities_1561,7-priorities_1521,7-priorities_1485,7-priorities_1563,7-priorities_1525,7-priorities_1532,7-priorities_1537,7-priorities_1545,7-priorities_1548,7-priorities_1551,7-priorities_1554,7-priorities_1392,7-priorities_1191,7-priorities_1557,7-priorities_1216,7-priorities_1197,7-priorities_1920,7-priorities_1927,8-openingnight_111,8-openingnight_114,8-openingnight_505,8-openingnight_511,8-openingnight_774,8-openingnight_720,8-openingnight_779,8-openingnight_794,8-openingnight_801,8-openingnight_804,8-openingnight_808,8-openingnight_783,8-openingnight_789,9-springfever_101,9-springfever_107,9-springfever_109,9-springfever_111,8-openingnight_913,8-openingnight_916,9-springfever_113,9-springfever_117,9-springfever_121,9-springfever_125,8-openingnight_926,9-springfever_128,9-springfever_134,9-springfever_189,9-springfever_872,9-springfever_886,9-springfever_877,9-springfever_881,9-springfever_890,9-springfever_936,8-openingnight_1343,8-openingnight_1351,8-openingnight_1355,9-springfever_894,9-springfever_1330,9-springfever_1322,9-springfever_1340,9-springfever_1537,9-springfever_1544,9-springfever_1579,9-springfever_1594,9-springfever_1549,9-springfever_1582,9-springfever_1589,9-springfever_1595,9-springfever_1602,9-springfever_1551,9-springfever_1556,9-springfever_1560,9-springfever_1572,9-springfever_1576,10-endgame_309,10-endgame_382,10-endgame_416,10-endgame_342,10-endgame_349,10-endgame_692,10-endgame_696,10-endgame_1642,10-endgame_1662,10-endgame_1877,4-partytime_158,4-partytime_294,4-partytime_295,4-partytime_297,4-partytime_946,4-partytime_1225,5-onthetrail_351,5-onthetrail_479,5-onthetrail_1451,5-onthetrail_1495,6-theplaysthething_666,7-priorities_301,7-priorities_304,9-springfever_955,10-endgame_347,10-endgame_2245,10-endgame_2165,10-endgame_2140,10-endgame_1939,10-endgame_1941,8-openingnight_1605,5-onthetrail_1599","""How could he possibly think you were the thief?"" you ask. ""Anyone who knows you at all would know you'd never do anything like that."" | |
| ""No idea,"" says Alison. ""But…"" She lowers her voice even more. ""Did you hear what he said? About…not being seen? Do you think he…"" Alison trails off, her worried expression finishing the sentence for her. | |
| ""I hope not,"" is all you can say. | |
| Haley's been standing back, giving you and Alison space—she knows you're best friends, and as excited as she is to get her phone back, she'll give Alison first dibs on your attention. As soon as there's a break in the conversation, though, Haley jumps in. ""Thanks, Maria. You were great."" She has her iPhone clutched in both hands, as if it would run away on its own if she let go of it again. ""Let's meet at the end of school to work out the rest?"" To work out payment, she means. You nod, and give Haley a grin as she moves away. | |
| When you turn back, Tyler Kim is standing next to Alison. ""Nice job, Maria,"" Tyler says with a smile. A beautiful, beautiful smile.","""How could he possibly think you were the thief?"" you ask. ""Anyone who knows you at all would know you'd never do anything like that."" | |
| ""No idea,"" says Alison. ""But…"" She lowers her voice even more. ""Did you hear what he said? About…not being seen? Do you think he…"" Alison trails off, her worried expression finishing the sentence for her. | |
| ""I hope not,"" is all you can say. | |
| Haley's been standing back, giving you and Alison space—she knows you're best friends, and as excited as she is to get her phone back, she'll give Alison first dibs on your attention. As soon as there's a break in the conversation, though, Haley jumps in. ""Thanks, Maria. You were great."" She has her iPhone clutched in both hands, as if it would run away on its own if she let go of it again. ""Let's meet at the end of school to work out the rest?"" To work out payment, she means. You nod, and give Haley a grin as she moves away. | |
| When you turn back, Tyler Kim is standing next to Alison. ""Nice job, Maria,"" Tyler says with a smile. A beautiful, beautiful smile.","Tyler's new this year, and from the minute you saw him, you've been crushing on him. Every time you try to talk to him, your mouth goes dry and your brain goes blank. He's just so gorgeous! High cheekbones, tan skin, the most amazing eyes. You never thought he even knew who you were, but now here he is, talking to you. Not just ""What's the math homework?"" or ""Is this the end of the line?"" Actually [i]talking[/i]! And actually smiling, too. | |
| ""That was really great, what you did for Haley. And Alison, too,"" Tyler adds, nodding over at Alison. ""Everyone said you were sort of an investigator, and now I see why. You're really good at your job."" Tyler glances over at a nearby table, where a cluster of his friends are eating lunch. One of them looks up, catches sight of Tyler talking to you, and quickly looks away. Tyler notices, but just sweeps his hair out of his eyes and tilts his smile up a little higher. ""C'mon over to my table."" | |
| You follow Tyler's gaze back to the table. There are two empty seats there, right next to each other: one for you; one for Tyler. You'd get to sit next to Tyler! But you'd have to leave Alison behind to do it. | |
| What do you do?","Stick with Alison. She's my best friend, and she's just had a really bad scare. | |
| ""Thanks, Tyler,"" you say, ""but I'm already sitting with Alison."" | |
| ""Oh."" Tyler blinks, surprise registering in his eyes. His beautiful, beautiful eyes. | |
| For a second, you feel a hint of fear. Have you ruined your only chance with Tyler? ""How about tomorrow?"" you ask hopefully. | |
| ""Yeah, maybe,"" Tyler replies and gives you one of those sparkling grins, which will have to be good enough. | |
| A warm grin spreads across Alison's face as you fall into step with her on the way to your table. You've caught a thief, and you're having lunch with your best friend. | |
| It's a good day.","This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance! I'm going to sit with Tyler. I'm sure Alison will understand. | |
| You smile up at Tyler. ""Thanks. I'd love to."" | |
| Alison's face falls, and you feel a hint of guilt. But you're also feeling much more than a hint of excitement as you turn back to Tyler and say what you've been wishing you could say all year: ""I'd love to sit with you."" | |
| You head off across the cafeteria with Tyler, grinning. You've caught a thief, and you're having lunch with the person you've been crushing on for months. | |
| It's a good day.", | |
| psy-high,Mr. Pierce,"['Mr. Pierce', 'Pierce']",269,3151,"1-hideandseek_935,1-hideandseek_941,1-hideandseek_948,1-hideandseek_958,1-hideandseek_982,1-hideandseek_988,1-hideandseek_974,1-hideandseek_1037,2-usedtobefriends_43,2-usedtobefriends_61,2-usedtobefriends_76,2-usedtobefriends_91,2-usedtobefriends_55,2-usedtobefriends_80,2-usedtobefriends_108,2-usedtobefriends_656,3-wevegotspirit_980,3-wevegotspirit_985,3-wevegotspirit_994,3-wevegotspirit_998,3-wevegotspirit_954,3-wevegotspirit_1003,3-wevegotspirit_1032,3-wevegotspirit_1087,4-partytime_784,5-onthetrail_430,5-onthetrail_437,5-onthetrail_464,5-onthetrail_859,5-onthetrail_895,5-onthetrail_884,5-onthetrail_1116,5-onthetrail_1298,5-onthetrail_1129,5-onthetrail_1136,5-onthetrail_1142,5-onthetrail_1146,5-onthetrail_1151,5-onthetrail_1185,5-onthetrail_1223,5-onthetrail_1239,5-onthetrail_1248,5-onthetrail_1258,6-theplaysthething_112,6-theplaysthething_185,6-theplaysthething_703,7-priorities_204,7-priorities_328,7-priorities_736,7-priorities_740,7-priorities_743,7-priorities_746,7-priorities_750,7-priorities_797,7-priorities_1141,7-priorities_1364,7-priorities_1695,7-priorities_1760,7-priorities_1017,7-priorities_1704,7-priorities_1778,8-openingnight_95,8-openingnight_104,8-openingnight_362,8-openingnight_118,8-openingnight_370,8-openingnight_382,8-openingnight_400,8-openingnight_124,8-openingnight_130,8-openingnight_408,8-openingnight_135,8-openingnight_420,8-openingnight_423,8-openingnight_147,8-openingnight_441,8-openingnight_195,8-openingnight_168,8-openingnight_333,8-openingnight_566,8-openingnight_177,8-openingnight_186,8-openingnight_540,8-openingnight_545,8-openingnight_558,8-openingnight_573,8-openingnight_212,8-openingnight_217,8-openingnight_222,8-openingnight_674,8-openingnight_228,8-openingnight_275,8-openingnight_300,9-springfever_23,9-springfever_37,9-springfever_77,9-springfever_58,9-springfever_231,9-springfever_347,9-springfever_238,9-springfever_246,9-springfever_279,9-springfever_251,8-openingnight_956,9-springfever_356,9-springfever_359,9-springfever_362,9-springfever_632,9-springfever_635,9-springfever_403,9-springfever_588,9-springfever_406,9-springfever_477,9-springfever_481,9-springfever_490,9-springfever_594,9-springfever_255,9-springfever_301,9-springfever_322,9-springfever_639,9-springfever_659,9-springfever_413,9-springfever_421,9-springfever_428,9-springfever_483,9-springfever_493,9-springfever_507,9-springfever_603,9-springfever_612,9-springfever_644,9-springfever_654,9-springfever_663,9-springfever_668,9-springfever_674,9-springfever_384,9-springfever_498,9-springfever_510,9-springfever_519,9-springfever_521,9-springfever_618,9-springfever_625,8-openingnight_992,9-springfever_547,8-openingnight_1036,9-springfever_834,9-springfever_856,9-springfever_863,9-springfever_866,9-springfever_890,9-springfever_928,9-springfever_933,8-openingnight_1263,9-springfever_861,9-springfever_923,8-openingnight_1252,9-springfever_918,9-springfever_976,9-springfever_1025,9-springfever_1056,9-springfever_1270,10-endgame_104,10-endgame_107,10-endgame_110,9-springfever_1180,9-springfever_1183,10-endgame_448,10-endgame_457,10-endgame_504,10-endgame_571,10-endgame_557,10-endgame_563,10-endgame_577,10-endgame_542,10-endgame_604,10-endgame_584,10-endgame_588,10-endgame_598,10-endgame_778,10-endgame_1168,10-endgame_1173,10-endgame_1184,10-endgame_1500,10-endgame_849,10-endgame_827,10-endgame_1350,10-endgame_1031,10-endgame_1335,10-endgame_1034,10-endgame_1165,10-endgame_1188,10-endgame_1372,10-endgame_1342,10-endgame_1607,10-endgame_947,10-endgame_1146,10-endgame_1203,10-endgame_1265,10-endgame_1286,10-endgame_1297,10-endgame_1378,10-endgame_1384,10-endgame_1387,10-endgame_951,10-endgame_954,10-endgame_1211,10-endgame_1308,10-endgame_1313,10-endgame_1410,10-endgame_1616,10-endgame_1023,10-endgame_971,10-endgame_1642,10-endgame_1619,10-endgame_1851,10-endgame_1008,10-endgame_1080,10-endgame_1655,10-endgame_1474,10-endgame_1514,10-endgame_1541,10-endgame_1551,10-endgame_1570,10-endgame_1584,10-endgame_1770,10-endgame_1858,10-endgame_1017,10-endgame_1054,10-endgame_1462,10-endgame_1530,10-endgame_1535,10-endgame_1548,10-endgame_1562,10-endgame_1567,10-endgame_1575,10-endgame_1579,10-endgame_1599,10-endgame_1727,10-endgame_1684,10-endgame_1749,10-endgame_1754,10-endgame_1593,10-endgame_1869,10-endgame_1910,5-onthetrail_543,5-onthetrail_875,5-onthetrail_1222,5-onthetrail_1243,7-priorities_684,7-priorities_1777,9-springfever_353,10-endgame_1333,10-endgame_1614,10-endgame_2252,10-endgame_2275,10-endgame_2278,10-endgame_2254,10-endgame_2280,10-endgame_2267,10-endgame_2110,10-endgame_2140,9-springfever_1714,9-springfever_1699,9-springfever_1702,9-springfever_1705,9-springfever_1708,8-openingnight_1628,8-openingnight_1631,7-priorities_1999,5-onthetrail_1648","No matter what happens, you know Alison always has your back. You're sure she will help you by following Will invisibly for a little while. | |
| You catch sight of Alison across the room, near the windows—she is tall and blonde, always easy to spot. Just as you're about to wave to her, though, you stop. It looks like she's talking to the principal, Mr. Pierce—or rather, Mr. Pierce is talking to her. And Mr. Pierce is not happy. | |
| Not that Mr. Pierce is ever really happy. | |
| Randall Pierce is the new principal; he just started this year, and he's full of plans to turn Kingsport High around: raising standardized test scores; making sure everyone gets into college; reducing behavior problems; making Kingsport High the best school in the whole state. The highest praise you can possibly get from Mr. Pierce is to be called a ""model citizen."" He's very big on citizenship—there are rumors he wants to run for governor in a couple years. | |
| When you see him now, he's standing over Alison, somehow managing to look taller than her, even though he's a couple inches shorter. ""I've got your number, Faulkner,"" Mr. Pierce says, beady eyes full of suspicion. ""You think you can get away with things? You think you can just steal from people and nobody will [i]see[/i] you?""","Wait! What? | |
| Fear thumps in your chest. Just how much does Mr. Pierce know about students' abilities? Does he really know about Alison's? Does he know about yours? And does he really think Alison stole the iPhone? That's entirely wrong! | |
| But you don't have time to worry about that right now. Will's seen Mr. Pierce yelling at Alison too, and he's starting to slink away, which means you're almost certainly right—he was the one who stole Haley's phone. | |
| You also know Alison can't really defend herself. She's way too shy—you recognize the deer-in-the-headlights look in her eyes, and you know there's no way she's going to be able to speak up. | |
| So it's up to you. What are you going to do about it?","I'm going to grab Will and start hauling him over to Mr. Pierce. | |
| You quickly move to intercept Will. ""Not so fast."" Your hand clamps down on his shoulder. Hard. | |
| ""What are you doing?"" he hisses, his eyes widening with fear. | |
| You fix an angry glare on Will. ""That's my best friend Mr. Pierce has,"" you hiss back. ""Do you think I'd let her take the fall for something you did? For something I [i]know[/i] you did?"" | |
| Will pales. ""Look, maybe we should…er…forget all this?"" There's a desperately hopeful smile on his face and an all-too-familiar look in his eyes. He's starting to try to focus his mind so he can use his magic. | |
| Your fingers dig in, as pointed and forceful as your voice. ""I don't think you're [i]seeing[/i] the situation clearly."" | |
| Message sent; message received. He wants to make you forget, but you've already seen he's the thief. He knows he's caught.","I'm going to step in and start talking. I should be able to make a convincing speech. | |
| ""Mr. Pierce!"" you shout, pushing your way over to them. ""Alison has a perfect record. Do you really think she would do something like this?"" | |
| The instant Alison hears your voice, she lets out a breath of relief, and mouths, ""Thank you."" She must already be certain you're there to save her. Nobody has more faith in you than she does. | |
| Haley's right beside you, and she's following your lead. ""Maria is right,"" she chimes in. ""It's totally out of character."" | |
| Mr. Pierce's eyes narrow, suspicious and skeptical, as he turns towards you. Well, at least he's looking at you now and not Alison. That's progress, right? | |
| Quickly, you push ahead. ""You're always saying how important it is for us to follow rules and do the right thing, and I totally agree!"" Mr. Pierce's eyes narrow even more. Was that laying it on a little too thick? Maybe so, but you can see Mr. Pierce's expression starting to change. Maybe you're convincing him after all. | |
| Across the room, you can see Will trying to sidle away. Fortunately, enough of a crowd has gathered that he's moving pretty slowly—but you know you have to move fast if you're going to save Alison before Will gets away. | |
| ""And anyway,"" you say quickly, ""I know who the real thief is.""","It's all over after that. Will can't possibly get away, not with the entire high school and Mr. Pierce right there. In a few seconds, Will's in front of the principal, and Alison is dodging behind you to get away. | |
| ""You are a lawbreaker, Nichols,"" says Mr. Pierce. Each consonant is sharply enunciated, every word spoken clearly enough that it can be heard across the whole cafeteria. ""Nobody does that at my school and gets away with it. I'm going to go call the police. For now, report to Room 014. Ms. Clay will supervise you until the police arrive."" | |
| Those are words that would send a chill through any Kingsport student. Room 014 is the detention room, and Ms. Clay is the person most likely to be on duty there. She's the fiercest and most intimidating of the math teachers. | |
| As Will slinks away and the buzz of cafeteria noise starts to rise around you again, Mr. Pierce fixes you with a very intense stare. Piercing, even, you'd say, if you weren't aware of what a horrible pun that is. And if you weren't feeling the faintest of shivers up your spine as he says, ""I'm watching you, Washington.""", | |
| psy-high,Maria Washington,"['Maria', 'Maria Washington']",259,3151,"1-hideandseek_349,1-hideandseek_613,1-hideandseek_635,1-hideandseek_765,1-hideandseek_875,1-hideandseek_958,1-hideandseek_1005,2-usedtobefriends_31,2-usedtobefriends_135,2-usedtobefriends_295,2-usedtobefriends_366,2-usedtobefriends_663,2-usedtobefriends_916,2-usedtobefriends_958,2-usedtobefriends_965,2-usedtobefriends_1015,2-usedtobefriends_1064,2-usedtobefriends_1095,3-wevegotspirit_373,3-wevegotspirit_53,3-wevegotspirit_422,3-wevegotspirit_467,3-wevegotspirit_213,3-wevegotspirit_235,3-wevegotspirit_530,3-wevegotspirit_673,3-wevegotspirit_164,3-wevegotspirit_870,3-wevegotspirit_725,3-wevegotspirit_729,3-wevegotspirit_735,3-wevegotspirit_835,3-wevegotspirit_1095,4-partytime_40,4-partytime_266,4-partytime_357,4-partytime_552,4-partytime_458,4-partytime_466,4-partytime_562,4-partytime_663,4-partytime_639,4-partytime_405,4-partytime_430,4-partytime_450,4-partytime_488,4-partytime_1461,4-partytime_763,4-partytime_829,4-partytime_845,4-partytime_915,4-partytime_950,4-partytime_1074,4-partytime_1083,4-partytime_1134,4-partytime_980,4-partytime_1023,4-partytime_1108,4-partytime_1118,4-partytime_1123,5-onthetrail_300,5-onthetrail_410,5-onthetrail_402,5-onthetrail_407,5-onthetrail_631,5-onthetrail_641,5-onthetrail_835,5-onthetrail_845,5-onthetrail_1044,5-onthetrail_1065,5-onthetrail_1363,5-onthetrail_1422,5-onthetrail_1167,5-onthetrail_1275,5-onthetrail_1286,5-onthetrail_1185,5-onthetrail_1355,5-onthetrail_1383,5-onthetrail_1231,5-onthetrail_1506,5-onthetrail_1265,5-onthetrail_1244,5-onthetrail_1400,5-onthetrail_1248,5-onthetrail_1573,6-theplaysthething_129,6-theplaysthething_178,6-theplaysthething_238,6-theplaysthething_242,6-theplaysthething_460,6-theplaysthething_259,6-theplaysthething_284,6-theplaysthething_293,6-theplaysthething_315,6-theplaysthething_472,6-theplaysthething_481,6-theplaysthething_487,6-theplaysthething_496,6-theplaysthething_502,6-theplaysthething_519,6-theplaysthething_525,6-theplaysthething_535,6-theplaysthething_365,6-theplaysthething_371,6-theplaysthething_377,6-theplaysthething_546,6-theplaysthething_546,6-theplaysthething_574,6-theplaysthething_574,6-theplaysthething_582,6-theplaysthething_597,6-theplaysthething_444,6-theplaysthething_449,6-theplaysthething_594,6-theplaysthething_614,6-theplaysthething_703,7-priorities_269,7-priorities_273,7-priorities_479,7-priorities_403,7-priorities_543,7-priorities_1574,7-priorities_789,7-priorities_564,7-priorities_567,7-priorities_570,7-priorities_584,7-priorities_587,7-priorities_595,7-priorities_598,7-priorities_614,7-priorities_624,7-priorities_686,7-priorities_707,7-priorities_690,7-priorities_698,7-priorities_817,7-priorities_820,7-priorities_1563,7-priorities_1419,7-priorities_874,7-priorities_898,7-priorities_1188,7-priorities_991,7-priorities_1033,7-priorities_1017,7-priorities_830,7-priorities_945,7-priorities_1251,7-priorities_1449,7-priorities_906,7-priorities_910,7-priorities_952,7-priorities_1216,7-priorities_1729,7-priorities_1912,7-priorities_1927,7-priorities_1945,8-openingnight_441,8-openingnight_449,8-openingnight_489,8-openingnight_495,8-openingnight_505,8-openingnight_511,8-openingnight_521,8-openingnight_552,8-openingnight_584,8-openingnight_588,8-openingnight_659,8-openingnight_801,8-openingnight_824,8-openingnight_783,8-openingnight_789,9-springfever_101,9-springfever_149,8-openingnight_913,9-springfever_219,9-springfever_588,9-springfever_262,9-springfever_397,9-springfever_467,8-openingnight_1040,9-springfever_460,9-springfever_834,8-openingnight_1405,8-openingnight_1149,9-springfever_866,8-openingnight_1465,9-springfever_787,9-springfever_838,9-springfever_936,8-openingnight_1309,8-openingnight_1317,8-openingnight_1336,8-openingnight_1343,8-openingnight_1351,9-springfever_790,9-springfever_894,9-springfever_751,9-springfever_976,9-springfever_985,9-springfever_1002,9-springfever_1025,9-springfever_1021,9-springfever_1151,9-springfever_1163,9-springfever_1219,9-springfever_1102,9-springfever_1125,9-springfever_1195,9-springfever_1212,9-springfever_1556,10-endgame_253,10-endgame_294,10-endgame_309,10-endgame_416,10-endgame_426,10-endgame_433,10-endgame_335,10-endgame_581,10-endgame_588,10-endgame_715,10-endgame_720,10-endgame_726,10-endgame_750,10-endgame_745,10-endgame_755,10-endgame_1180,10-endgame_1426,10-endgame_909,10-endgame_1387,10-endgame_1271,10-endgame_1440,10-endgame_1642,10-endgame_1655,10-endgame_1446,10-endgame_1466,10-endgame_1474,10-endgame_1551,10-endgame_1858,10-endgame_1011,10-endgame_1054,10-endgame_1800,10-endgame_1804,10-endgame_1736,10-endgame_1120,10-endgame_1910,2-usedtobefriends_192,8-openingnight_628,10-endgame_2261,10-endgame_2096,10-endgame_2110,10-endgame_2140,10-endgame_1985,10-endgame_2009,10-endgame_2055,10-endgame_2072,10-endgame_2082,breakup_56","Okay, Maria. You know roughly where the iPhone is and which direction it's going, but you need to figure out who's carrying it. What's your plan?","The view is very nice. | |
| Lisa has spotted you, too, although fortunately it doesn't look like she's noticed exactly where you were looking. | |
| ""Oh, hey, Maria,"" Lisa says with her usual friendly smile. ""How are you?"" | |
| ""Oh, hey,"" Dave echoes, almost in unison with Lisa. They come to a stop, hand-in-hand, and give you matching smiles. | |
| Okay, you've got their attention. Now it's time to ask your questions. | |
| ""Do you know if Haley's around?"" you begin. ""I need to talk to her about something, but I couldn't find her."" | |
| ""Oh, is this about one of your cases?"" Dave perks up instantly. The way he says ""case,"" he sounds like a little kid playing detective. | |
| ""Hm, have we seen Haley?"" Lisa repeats thoughtfully. ""I was in chemistry with her…"" | |
| That was first period, before the phone was stolen. No good. ""What about after that?"" you prompt. | |
| ""I think we saw her talking to Will. Didn't we?"" She turns to Dave, looking for confirmation. | |
| ""Will Nichols?"" Something tugs at the back of your mind—nothing to do with your special ability, just an old-fashioned sense that something is a little off here. What do you ask them next?","The view is very nice. | |
| Lisa has spotted you, too, although fortunately it doesn't look like she's noticed exactly where you were looking. | |
| ""Oh, hey, Maria,"" Lisa says with her usual friendly smile. ""How are you?"" | |
| ""Oh, hey,"" Dave echoes, almost in unison with Lisa. They come to a stop, hand-in-hand, and give you matching smiles. | |
| Okay, you've got their attention. Now it's time to ask your questions. What tone do you want to take?","""Will Nichols has a Grateful Dead bear on his backpack?"" you ask. ""Are you sure?"" | |
| ""Wow, Maria,"" comes a sarcastic drawl from behind you. ""Asking around about those bears? You've actually managed to get your style all the way to last year!"" | |
| You know who it is without even turning around. Mackenzie Lane. | |
| She's the self-appointed queen bee of the school: beautiful; popular; on the cutting edge of every trend; and very, very rich. Her parents own The Wavecrest Inn, Kingsport's swankiest beachfront resort. She moved here in fifth grade, and you've hated each other pretty much the whole time. | |
| But why? What did you do to her—or what did she do to you?","You now know Will's got Haley's phone—or, at least, you're sure enough that you're willing to go find him. | |
| Kingsport High is small enough that everyone can eat lunch at the same time, but big enough that the cafeteria is always packed, and the shabby low-hanging drop ceiling makes the room feel even more crowded. The noise of laughter and clattering trays echoes off the paneled walls, which are painted in Kingsport's colors, blue and gold. | |
| You push your way past the lines of people waiting for mystery-meat stew (not even your magical abilities can identify it!) and clusters of people discussing the latest episode of [i]Vampire Diaries[/i], so you can start scanning the crowds for Will. | |
| There he is! You can see his shaggy brown hair and slightly battered blue backpack with that bear patch sewn onto it. He's trying to act casual, and mostly succeeding. | |
| At the same time you're looking for Will, someone else is looking for you. Haley hurries up, offering a quiet, ""Maria—it's good to see you."" She's a little shorter than you are, with deep brown skin, serious dark eyes, and hair done up in countless tiny neat braids. The gaze she turns towards you now has the same intensity she brings to her journalistic investigations. ""Have you got anything?"" | |
| You nod, flashing her a quick grin. ""Two more minutes and I'll have your phone back. I just need to check one more thing."" | |
| Confronting him directly right now might be risky. What if he runs? Or tries to use his power to make you forget you were talking to him? It might be better to follow him for a little while longer so you can watch him.", | |
| psy-high,Ms. Clay,['Ms. Clay'],220,3151,"1-hideandseek_982,2-usedtobefriends_1054,3-wevegotspirit_373,3-wevegotspirit_390,3-wevegotspirit_395,3-wevegotspirit_406,3-wevegotspirit_412,3-wevegotspirit_417,3-wevegotspirit_422,3-wevegotspirit_467,3-wevegotspirit_1032,3-wevegotspirit_1039,3-wevegotspirit_1046,3-wevegotspirit_1087,3-wevegotspirit_1104,3-wevegotspirit_1049,3-wevegotspirit_1083,3-wevegotspirit_1052,3-wevegotspirit_1060,3-wevegotspirit_1068,3-wevegotspirit_1076,4-partytime_10,4-partytime_28,4-partytime_186,4-partytime_499,4-partytime_569,4-partytime_506,4-partytime_528,4-partytime_533,4-partytime_577,4-partytime_589,4-partytime_597,4-partytime_698,4-partytime_371,4-partytime_1249,4-partytime_609,4-partytime_617,4-partytime_623,4-partytime_379,4-partytime_385,4-partytime_458,4-partytime_1264,4-partytime_1267,4-partytime_1276,4-partytime_656,4-partytime_472,4-partytime_1295,4-partytime_1300,4-partytime_1317,4-partytime_1321,4-partytime_1314,4-partytime_648,4-partytime_1327,4-partytime_1336,4-partytime_1343,4-partytime_1353,4-partytime_1374,4-partytime_1392,5-onthetrail_105,5-onthetrail_117,5-onthetrail_124,5-onthetrail_160,5-onthetrail_353,5-onthetrail_358,5-onthetrail_365,5-onthetrail_368,5-onthetrail_384,5-onthetrail_430,5-onthetrail_437,5-onthetrail_447,5-onthetrail_471,5-onthetrail_512,5-onthetrail_450,5-onthetrail_454,5-onthetrail_464,5-onthetrail_481,5-onthetrail_539,5-onthetrail_545,5-onthetrail_500,5-onthetrail_832,5-onthetrail_900,5-onthetrail_904,5-onthetrail_909,5-onthetrail_853,5-onthetrail_863,5-onthetrail_887,5-onthetrail_884,5-onthetrail_1076,5-onthetrail_972,5-onthetrail_1002,5-onthetrail_1298,5-onthetrail_1458,5-onthetrail_1185,5-onthetrail_1223,5-onthetrail_1512,5-onthetrail_1239,5-onthetrail_1244,5-onthetrail_1520,6-theplaysthething_185,7-priorities_328,7-priorities_338,7-priorities_716,7-priorities_721,7-priorities_731,7-priorities_736,7-priorities_740,7-priorities_760,7-priorities_743,7-priorities_746,7-priorities_750,7-priorities_789,7-priorities_793,7-priorities_769,7-priorities_777,7-priorities_591,7-priorities_807,7-priorities_812,7-priorities_817,7-priorities_820,7-priorities_854,7-priorities_1141,7-priorities_1364,7-priorities_1695,7-priorities_924,7-priorities_827,7-priorities_859,7-priorities_867,7-priorities_874,7-priorities_883,7-priorities_891,7-priorities_898,7-priorities_1339,7-priorities_1545,7-priorities_991,7-priorities_1033,7-priorities_1017,7-priorities_830,7-priorities_843,7-priorities_915,7-priorities_920,7-priorities_931,7-priorities_938,7-priorities_945,7-priorities_1778,7-priorities_906,7-priorities_910,7-priorities_952,7-priorities_956,7-priorities_1827,8-openingnight_95,8-openingnight_104,8-openingnight_124,8-openingnight_130,8-openingnight_300,9-springfever_23,9-springfever_37,9-springfever_58,9-springfever_231,9-springfever_238,9-springfever_279,9-springfever_251,9-springfever_266,9-springfever_272,8-openingnight_956,9-springfever_588,9-springfever_255,9-springfever_262,8-openingnight_1263,8-openingnight_1252,9-springfever_1056,10-endgame_107,9-springfever_1180,10-endgame_448,10-endgame_849,10-endgame_827,10-endgame_1335,10-endgame_1372,10-endgame_1203,10-endgame_1286,10-endgame_1297,10-endgame_1378,10-endgame_1384,10-endgame_1387,10-endgame_1625,10-endgame_1410,10-endgame_1709,10-endgame_1642,10-endgame_1619,10-endgame_1655,10-endgame_1514,10-endgame_1721,10-endgame_1727,10-endgame_1749,10-endgame_1754,5-onthetrail_1222,7-priorities_684,7-priorities_1622,7-priorities_1133,7-priorities_1777,10-endgame_566,10-endgame_2252,10-endgame_2275,10-endgame_2278,10-endgame_2254,10-endgame_2110,9-springfever_1699,9-springfever_1702,9-springfever_1705,9-springfever_1708,8-openingnight_1628,8-openingnight_1631,7-priorities_1992,7-priorities_1997,7-priorities_1999,7-priorities_1987,5-onthetrail_1648,5-onthetrail_1651,4-partytime_1513,4-partytime_1510,4-partytime_1507","It's all over after that. Will can't possibly get away, not with the entire high school and Mr. Pierce right there. In a few seconds, Will's in front of the principal, and Alison is dodging behind you to get away. | |
| ""You are a lawbreaker, Nichols,"" says Mr. Pierce. Each consonant is sharply enunciated, every word spoken clearly enough that it can be heard across the whole cafeteria. ""Nobody does that at my school and gets away with it. I'm going to go call the police. For now, report to Room 014. Ms. Clay will supervise you until the police arrive."" | |
| Those are words that would send a chill through any Kingsport student. Room 014 is the detention room, and Ms. Clay is the person most likely to be on duty there. She's the fiercest and most intimidating of the math teachers. | |
| As Will slinks away and the buzz of cafeteria noise starts to rise around you again, Mr. Pierce fixes you with a very intense stare. Piercing, even, you'd say, if you weren't aware of what a horrible pun that is. And if you weren't feeling the faintest of shivers up your spine as he says, ""I'm watching you, Washington.""","""I got detention a few days ago,"" Jen explains. ""And, okay, maybe I've had detention a lot."" Ordinarily, Jen would have a self-deprecating grin to go with that admission—but she doesn't. Her voice is matter-of-fact, with a serious expression to match. ""But this time was different. I was sitting there with Ms. Clay staring down at me, and I started thinking. [i]Really[/i] thinking. | |
| ""By the time I left, I just…got it. I really understood what I was doing to myself. All of the acting out and breaking rules—it was hurting me. I needed to stop. So I did."" She makes it sound as easy as deciding to stop at a traffic light—which, you remember, she didn't always do before, either. ""Carl was part of that life,"" Jen finishes, ""so I had to stop that too.""","At lunchtime, as you're heading to the cafeteria, you run into Lisa—for once, without her boyfriend Dave. ""Maria!"" she calls. ""Did you hear?"" That's how Lisa and Dave start most of their conversations, especially with you. What piece of juicy information does she have for you this time, you wonder as you head over to Lisa. A breakup? A scandal? ""Ms. Clay just moved into one of those swanky new condos down by the beach!"" | |
| …a real estate deal. Uh, okay. It's not the most exciting tidbit Lisa's ever passed on to you, but you won't turn it down—you never know what information is going to come in handy. ""Do you mean Wavecrest Towers?"" you ask. | |
| ""Ugh! That place?"" Mackenzie interjects disdainfully as she passes by. | |
| Her friends Casey Bennett and Emma Woodley—one of the other pairs in the running for Cutest Couple at Kingsport High—are right next to her. ""What do you mean!"" Casey asks. She's so forcefully perky she makes everything sound like an exclamation, even questions. It makes her a great captain of the cheerleading squad, at least. ""Wavecrest Towers is nice!"" | |
| Mackenzie rolls her eyes. ""But it's totes blocking the view from my house."" That would be the view to her house's private beach.","How can Ms. Clay afford a luxury condo on a public-school teacher's salary? ""Is she married?"" you wonder out loud. Having a second income would help. ""Or the heir to some fortune? But if she's an heiress, then why is she teaching [i]here[/i]?"" | |
| That's when you notice everyone around you has gone uncomfortably silent. | |
| Uh-oh? | |
| Emma darts an anxious look over your shoulder at something—or someone—behind you. | |
| Yup. Uh-oh.","You don't need to use your clairvoyance to know what's going on. | |
| ""Well,"" comes a dry alto voice from behind you. You recognize the voice immediately: Ms. Clay. Of course. How much did she hear? How much trouble are you in? Slowly and reluctantly, you turn around to face her. | |
| Ms. Clay is the scariest teacher in Kingsport High. She's tall, thin, and austere, with dark hair swept back from her high forehead in a style that makes her long face look even more severe. You had algebra with her in ninth grade, and those were the most terrifying 45 minutes of every school day. Admittedly, you learned a lot of algebra, but you didn't have a lot of fun doing it. She probably hands out more detentions than all the other teachers put together, and likes to oversee detentions personally. | |
| ""I suppose that you all have first period free?"" Ms. Clay continues, looking around at your little group. ""I see no other way that you would have enough time for idle and intrusive gossip instead of productive schoolwork?"" | |
| ""[i]I[/i] have first period free!"" Mackenzie pipes up, preening in her specialness. ""I'm excused so I can get ready for the Pep Squad meeting this afternoon."" | |
| ""That's right!"" Casey adds, and Emma nods quickly, already pulling her girlfriend down the hall as Casey says, ""It's the Pep Squad meeting!"" | |
| Ms. Clay dismisses them with a noncommittal, ""Mm."" Mackenzie looks hurt that Ms. Clay isn't peppy, but she takes the opportunity to flee with Casey and Emma. | |
| That leaves only you and Lisa for Ms. Clay to fix with her severe gaze as she says, ""And you two?"" | |
| What do you say?", | |
| psy-high,Jen Cohen,"['Jen Cohen', 'Jen', 'Cohen']",202,3151,"2-usedtobefriends_160,2-usedtobefriends_160,2-usedtobefriends_163,2-usedtobefriends_163,2-usedtobefriends_184,2-usedtobefriends_263,2-usedtobefriends_284,2-usedtobefriends_290,2-usedtobefriends_314,2-usedtobefriends_328,2-usedtobefriends_341,2-usedtobefriends_345,2-usedtobefriends_350,2-usedtobefriends_373,2-usedtobefriends_376,2-usedtobefriends_378,2-usedtobefriends_380,2-usedtobefriends_389,2-usedtobefriends_398,2-usedtobefriends_398,2-usedtobefriends_541,2-usedtobefriends_405,2-usedtobefriends_546,2-usedtobefriends_549,2-usedtobefriends_559,2-usedtobefriends_427,2-usedtobefriends_427,2-usedtobefriends_590,2-usedtobefriends_434,2-usedtobefriends_503,2-usedtobefriends_506,2-usedtobefriends_520,2-usedtobefriends_523,2-usedtobefriends_525,2-usedtobefriends_527,2-usedtobefriends_537,2-usedtobefriends_598,2-usedtobefriends_608,2-usedtobefriends_570,2-usedtobefriends_587,2-usedtobefriends_437,2-usedtobefriends_615,2-usedtobefriends_620,2-usedtobefriends_444,2-usedtobefriends_491,2-usedtobefriends_493,2-usedtobefriends_448,2-usedtobefriends_460,2-usedtobefriends_811,2-usedtobefriends_458,2-usedtobefriends_475,2-usedtobefriends_489,2-usedtobefriends_857,2-usedtobefriends_815,2-usedtobefriends_818,2-usedtobefriends_882,2-usedtobefriends_891,2-usedtobefriends_893,2-usedtobefriends_899,2-usedtobefriends_951,2-usedtobefriends_983,2-usedtobefriends_909,2-usedtobefriends_916,2-usedtobefriends_958,2-usedtobefriends_912,2-usedtobefriends_923,2-usedtobefriends_977,2-usedtobefriends_993,2-usedtobefriends_998,2-usedtobefriends_1003,2-usedtobefriends_1033,2-usedtobefriends_1040,2-usedtobefriends_1049,2-usedtobefriends_1007,2-usedtobefriends_1015,2-usedtobefriends_1024,2-usedtobefriends_1054,2-usedtobefriends_1061,2-usedtobefriends_1064,2-usedtobefriends_1069,2-usedtobefriends_1074,2-usedtobefriends_1079,2-usedtobefriends_1085,2-usedtobefriends_1090,2-usedtobefriends_1095,2-usedtobefriends_1100,2-usedtobefriends_1109,2-usedtobefriends_1118,2-usedtobefriends_1131,2-usedtobefriends_1145,2-usedtobefriends_1128,2-usedtobefriends_1178,2-usedtobefriends_1162,3-wevegotspirit_115,3-wevegotspirit_133,3-wevegotspirit_225,3-wevegotspirit_474,3-wevegotspirit_482,3-wevegotspirit_500,3-wevegotspirit_595,3-wevegotspirit_611,3-wevegotspirit_287,3-wevegotspirit_1008,3-wevegotspirit_1052,3-wevegotspirit_1068,4-partytime_1134,4-partytime_980,4-partytime_1023,5-onthetrail_160,5-onthetrail_273,5-onthetrail_358,5-onthetrail_471,5-onthetrail_507,5-onthetrail_500,5-onthetrail_940,5-onthetrail_1239,5-onthetrail_1239,6-theplaysthething_103,6-theplaysthething_129,6-theplaysthething_703,7-priorities_716,7-priorities_721,7-priorities_731,7-priorities_754,7-priorities_793,7-priorities_1685,7-priorities_1149,7-priorities_830,8-openingnight_350,8-openingnight_350,8-openingnight_362,8-openingnight_362,8-openingnight_118,8-openingnight_135,8-openingnight_184,8-openingnight_177,8-openingnight_189,9-springfever_37,9-springfever_53,9-springfever_347,9-springfever_180,9-springfever_374,9-springfever_382,9-springfever_384,9-springfever_397,9-springfever_618,9-springfever_838,9-springfever_1176,9-springfever_1186,9-springfever_1189,9-springfever_1195,9-springfever_1212,10-endgame_536,10-endgame_551,10-endgame_711,10-endgame_715,10-endgame_738,10-endgame_720,10-endgame_726,10-endgame_767,10-endgame_755,10-endgame_759,10-endgame_1146,10-endgame_1150,10-endgame_1203,10-endgame_1091,10-endgame_1131,10-endgame_1101,10-endgame_1080,10-endgame_1106,10-endgame_1109,10-endgame_1112,10-endgame_1736,10-endgame_1120,10-endgame_1869,2-usedtobefriends_337,2-usedtobefriends_975,2-usedtobefriends_1058,2-usedtobefriends_1181,9-springfever_1178,10-endgame_709,10-endgame_1098,10-endgame_1118,10-endgame_2241,10-endgame_2190,10-endgame_2197,10-endgame_2192,10-endgame_2199,10-endgame_2156,10-endgame_2102,10-endgame_2110,10-endgame_2117,10-endgame_2126,10-endgame_2140,8-openingnight_1605,7-priorities_1992,7-priorities_1997,7-priorities_1999,7-priorities_1987,5-onthetrail_1625,5-onthetrail_1642,5-onthetrail_1651","All through elementary school, you and Carl went to the free town-run summer sports camp together. You were really good friends: along with your other friend Jen Cohen, you were inseparable. Even though you went to school together, you were more summer-friends than school-friends, but those summer friendships were just as real and intense as the ones during the year. You've stayed close to Jen, since you're both on the soccer team. Jen's rougher than you on the field—always getting yellow cards, always going offsides—but she's a good athlete, and the team is pretty tight.","All through elementary school, you and Carl went to the free town-run summer sports camp together. You were really good friends: along with your other friend Jen Cohen, you were inseparable. Even though you went to school together, you were more summer-friends than school-friends, but those summer friendships were just as real and intense as the ones during the year. You've stayed close to Jen, since you're both on the soccer team. Jen's rougher than you on the field—always getting yellow cards, always going offsides—but she's a good athlete, and the team is pretty tight.","You were friends in elementary school: you; Carl; and Jen Cohen. You weren't as close with them as you were with Alison, of course, but you still spent a lot of time together. It was one of those friendships you could hardly explain—it wasn't as if you had that much in common, after all. Carl and Jen were rougher than you, always playing hard on the sports field and getting into scuffles at recess. But they were spontaneous, exciting, and most of all, fun. You drifted apart from Jen as time went on—you went to her Bat Mitzvah, but haven't spent much time with her since you started high school.","You were friends in elementary school: you; Carl; and Jen Cohen. You weren't as close with them as you were with Alison, of course, but you still spent a lot of time together. It was one of those friendships you could hardly explain—it wasn't as if you had that much in common, after all. Carl and Jen were rougher than you, always playing hard on the sports field and getting into scuffles at recess. But they were spontaneous, exciting, and most of all, fun. You drifted apart from Jen as time went on—you went to her Bat Mitzvah, but haven't spent much time with her since you started high school.","After that, it was never the same. You spent less and less time with Carl—you don't think you've even spoken to him for more than a year. | |
| Carl and Jen stayed close, though. Jen was always a little edgier than you—she didn't mind that Carl always got into trouble. You weren't surprised when they started dating last summer. | |
| But now, Carl is texting you. 'need 2 see u' says the message. 'important.' | |
| It must be, if he's getting in touch with you at all. | |
| You text back:", | |
| psy-high,Haley Johnson,"['Haley Johnson', 'Haley']",123,3151,"1-hideandseek_4,1-hideandseek_14,1-hideandseek_19,1-hideandseek_70,1-hideandseek_74,1-hideandseek_144,1-hideandseek_150,1-hideandseek_373,1-hideandseek_385,1-hideandseek_613,1-hideandseek_849,1-hideandseek_875,1-hideandseek_941,1-hideandseek_958,1-hideandseek_988,1-hideandseek_974,1-hideandseek_1005,1-hideandseek_1011,2-usedtobefriends_31,2-usedtobefriends_37,2-usedtobefriends_108,3-wevegotspirit_453,3-wevegotspirit_463,3-wevegotspirit_954,3-wevegotspirit_940,3-wevegotspirit_1027,3-wevegotspirit_1095,4-partytime_724,4-partytime_730,5-onthetrail_160,5-onthetrail_300,5-onthetrail_345,5-onthetrail_348,5-onthetrail_454,5-onthetrail_520,5-onthetrail_489,5-onthetrail_491,5-onthetrail_494,5-onthetrail_497,5-onthetrail_972,5-onthetrail_1449,5-onthetrail_1453,5-onthetrail_1311,5-onthetrail_1458,5-onthetrail_1464,5-onthetrail_1506,5-onthetrail_1512,5-onthetrail_1520,5-onthetrail_1573,6-theplaysthething_169,6-theplaysthething_298,6-theplaysthething_496,6-theplaysthething_416,6-theplaysthething_558,6-theplaysthething_668,6-theplaysthething_636,6-theplaysthething_674,6-theplaysthething_683,6-theplaysthething_703,7-priorities_107,7-priorities_118,8-openingnight_344,7-priorities_1955,7-priorities_1965,7-priorities_1967,7-priorities_1969,7-priorities_1971,8-openingnight_550,8-openingnight_865,9-springfever_291,9-springfever_293,9-springfever_320,9-springfever_301,9-springfever_340,9-springfever_314,9-springfever_327,8-openingnight_1017,8-openingnight_1426,8-openingnight_1437,9-springfever_1086,9-springfever_1090,9-springfever_1108,9-springfever_1092,9-springfever_1111,9-springfever_1128,9-springfever_1138,10-endgame_302,10-endgame_386,10-endgame_426,10-endgame_352,10-endgame_701,10-endgame_1177,10-endgame_1248,10-endgame_1131,10-endgame_1301,10-endgame_1313,10-endgame_1237,10-endgame_1254,10-endgame_1642,10-endgame_1655,10-endgame_1551,10-endgame_1011,10-endgame_1523,10-endgame_1535,10-endgame_1120,10-endgame_1910,1-hideandseek_626,6-theplaysthething_672,9-springfever_295,9-springfever_952,10-endgame_2238,10-endgame_2275,10-endgame_2096,10-endgame_2140,10-endgame_2149,10-endgame_2070,10-endgame_2072,10-endgame_1947,breakup_56,8-openingnight_1542,8-openingnight_1545,8-openingnight_1552,8-openingnight_1559","Lots of people don't think you're serious about what you do, just because you're sixteen. But being young doesn't mean you can't take things seriously or do anything important. | |
| Maybe you don't have an investigator's license or a police badge, but you still have a job to do: you help the people of Kingsport High solve their problems. What's more, you have a reputation to uphold, and in high school, there's nothing more important than your reputation. | |
| If someone suspects a boyfriend or girlfriend is cheating on them, or if they need a missing item found, they come to you. That's what you're doing right now. Your friend Haley Johnson's iPhone has gone missing, and she's asked you to help find out what happened.","You look down to see a weedy little ninth-grade boy—he has to be at least fourteen if he's in high school, but he only looks about eleven—with a notebook and a painfully sincere expression. ""I'm doing a survey about the quality of food in the cafeteria. Can I ask you a few questions?"" | |
| Talking to this kid would delay your mission to find Haley's phone. You don't want to lose any time! On the other hand, if there's any delay Haley would understand, it's this one: she's the editor of [i]The Kingsport Gazette[/i], so talking to him would help her out, too. | |
| How do you respond?","""Sure!"" I give him my full attention. Like I said, Haley will understand, and I honestly want to help this kid. | |
| The boy's face lights up with a grin that's equal parts happy and surprised. Apparently the poor guy isn't used to people treating him with so much courtesy. You're happy to have gone against his expectations in this case. | |
| He reels off his questions with cheerful enthusiasm, and you do your best to answer. But as soon as he's done, you hurry off down the hall. You'll really need to rush if you want to make up for the time you've lost here.","That's why you're on the case right now. | |
| Okay. You need quiet for this part. That means you'll need privacy, which means you'll have to hide in…the broom closet. Not very dignified, but it will get the job done. | |
| You close your eyes and focus on the image of Haley's iPhone: the shiny blue case; the initials HLJ engraved on the back.","Your breathing slows, your mind clears, and you [i]see[/i]. | |
| Just as clearly as if it were right in front of you, you get an image in your mind of Haley's iPhone. It's in the outer pocket of a backpack, heading away from you down the hall. | |
| Whose backpack? You focus with all your might, trying to hold the wavering picture in your mind as you look beyond the iPhone, trying to see more: the color of the backpack; the person carrying it… | |
| …and the image fizzles out, vanishing from your mind as if you were waking up from a dream. | |
| It's gone. You're going to have to get closer if you want to get a better psychic image.", | |
| psy-high,Mackenzie Lane,"['Mackenzie Lane', 'Mackenzie', 'MACKENZIE']",118,3151,"1-hideandseek_765,1-hideandseek_776,1-hideandseek_780,1-hideandseek_784,1-hideandseek_828,1-hideandseek_793,1-hideandseek_806,1-hideandseek_812,1-hideandseek_835,1-hideandseek_840,1-hideandseek_904,2-usedtobefriends_350,3-wevegotspirit_373,3-wevegotspirit_380,3-wevegotspirit_395,3-wevegotspirit_459,3-wevegotspirit_521,3-wevegotspirit_688,3-wevegotspirit_699,3-wevegotspirit_706,3-wevegotspirit_715,3-wevegotspirit_720,3-wevegotspirit_740,3-wevegotspirit_725,3-wevegotspirit_744,3-wevegotspirit_744,3-wevegotspirit_750,3-wevegotspirit_729,3-wevegotspirit_735,3-wevegotspirit_835,3-wevegotspirit_924,3-wevegotspirit_926,3-wevegotspirit_930,3-wevegotspirit_1027,4-partytime_10,4-partytime_40,4-partytime_50,4-partytime_171,4-partytime_53,4-partytime_62,4-partytime_70,4-partytime_87,4-partytime_94,4-partytime_197,4-partytime_202,4-partytime_211,4-partytime_256,4-partytime_259,4-partytime_285,4-partytime_371,4-partytime_415,4-partytime_397,4-partytime_421,5-onthetrail_1439,6-theplaysthething_455,6-theplaysthething_460,6-theplaysthething_541,8-openingnight_350,8-openingnight_354,8-openingnight_357,8-openingnight_362,8-openingnight_370,8-openingnight_382,8-openingnight_400,8-openingnight_408,8-openingnight_420,8-openingnight_423,8-openingnight_427,8-openingnight_431,8-openingnight_437,8-openingnight_441,8-openingnight_452,8-openingnight_455,8-openingnight_464,8-openingnight_472,8-openingnight_478,8-openingnight_760,8-openingnight_934,8-openingnight_946,9-springfever_397,8-openingnight_1459,8-openingnight_1463,8-openingnight_1149,8-openingnight_1465,8-openingnight_1113,8-openingnight_1426,8-openingnight_1431,8-openingnight_1132,9-springfever_1039,9-springfever_1048,10-endgame_294,10-endgame_498,10-endgame_621,10-endgame_733,9-springfever_1046,10-endgame_1957,10-endgame_1963,10-endgame_1967,10-endgame_1971,10-endgame_1975,10-endgame_1979,10-endgame_1985,10-endgame_1988,10-endgame_1999,10-endgame_2002,10-endgame_2045,10-endgame_2004,10-endgame_2066,10-endgame_2009,10-endgame_2018,10-endgame_2047,10-endgame_2020,10-endgame_2055,10-endgame_2076,10-endgame_2086,10-endgame_2029,10-endgame_2035,10-endgame_2032","""Will Nichols has a Grateful Dead bear on his backpack?"" you ask. ""Are you sure?"" | |
| ""Wow, Maria,"" comes a sarcastic drawl from behind you. ""Asking around about those bears? You've actually managed to get your style all the way to last year!"" | |
| You know who it is without even turning around. Mackenzie Lane. | |
| She's the self-appointed queen bee of the school: beautiful; popular; on the cutting edge of every trend; and very, very rich. Her parents own The Wavecrest Inn, Kingsport's swankiest beachfront resort. She moved here in fifth grade, and you've hated each other pretty much the whole time. | |
| But why? What did you do to her—or what did she do to you?","She made fun of my best friend Alison. | |
| Nobody hurts your best friend and gets away with it! You didn't have any opinions about Mackenzie one way or another at first, but when she was mean to Alison, it put her permanently in your bad books.","Honestly, I have no idea. Sometimes you just don't like people, you know? | |
| It's true. Some people you just instantly dislike, and that's how it was for you and Mackenzie.","At least you can take comfort in knowing it's nothing personal. Mackenzie looks down on everyone, and always has. She scoffs at people who are less wealthy than she is (which is pretty much everyone), less trendy than she is (ditto, because really, who else in Kingsport goes to New York Fashion Week?), less [i]anything[/i] than she is. | |
| But most of all, Mackenzie scoffs at people who have powers. She's never gone so far as to call the cops on anyone, or even to out anyone, but in the last few months, you've heard her muttering about ""freaks"" in a new way. | |
| ""Of course,"" Mackenzie continues airily, ""that's only what I'd expect for someone who shops at Goodwill."" | |
| That's the other thing about Mackenzie. She always knows just where to hit so it hurts the most. | |
| Something shrivels inside you as she flounces away, and you swear you hear snickers from somewhere in the crowd. | |
| You're not going to let her get away with that, are you?","I don't have time to get caught up in sniping at Mackenzie. I've got a job to do. | |
| It would be satisfying to take down Mackenzie, but it would be even more satisfying to catch a thief. You pointedly turn your back on her and keep talking to Lisa and Dave.", | |
| psy-high,Nate Johnson,"['Nate', 'Nate Johnson']",91,3151,"1-hideandseek_385,6-theplaysthething_169,6-theplaysthething_169,6-theplaysthething_178,6-theplaysthething_190,6-theplaysthething_185,6-theplaysthething_460,6-theplaysthething_298,6-theplaysthething_478,6-theplaysthething_493,6-theplaysthething_508,6-theplaysthething_523,6-theplaysthething_468,6-theplaysthething_472,6-theplaysthething_481,6-theplaysthething_487,6-theplaysthething_496,6-theplaysthething_502,6-theplaysthething_510,6-theplaysthething_519,6-theplaysthething_525,6-theplaysthething_535,6-theplaysthething_539,6-theplaysthething_377,6-theplaysthething_546,6-theplaysthething_574,6-theplaysthething_597,6-theplaysthething_555,6-theplaysthething_605,6-theplaysthething_608,6-theplaysthething_611,6-theplaysthething_558,6-theplaysthething_563,6-theplaysthething_568,6-theplaysthething_594,6-theplaysthething_614,6-theplaysthething_620,6-theplaysthething_625,6-theplaysthething_636,6-theplaysthething_644,6-theplaysthething_648,7-priorities_42,7-priorities_69,7-priorities_73,7-priorities_92,7-priorities_97,7-priorities_102,7-priorities_86,7-priorities_118,7-priorities_361,7-priorities_721,7-priorities_1583,7-priorities_1629,7-priorities_1955,9-springfever_23,9-springfever_203,8-openingnight_918,8-openingnight_934,9-springfever_219,8-openingnight_944,9-springfever_221,9-springfever_223,9-springfever_225,8-openingnight_951,8-openingnight_954,9-springfever_227,8-openingnight_1064,8-openingnight_969,9-springfever_314,8-openingnight_981,8-openingnight_1005,8-openingnight_1001,8-openingnight_1009,8-openingnight_1017,8-openingnight_1036,8-openingnight_1459,8-openingnight_1463,8-openingnight_1149,8-openingnight_1465,8-openingnight_1472,8-openingnight_1426,8-openingnight_1143,8-openingnight_1437,9-springfever_1151,10-endgame_302,10-endgame_386,7-priorities_128,9-springfever_946,8-openingnight_1542,8-openingnight_1552,8-openingnight_1559","The program from last year's school play. I had the lead! | |
| You've always been good at expressing yourself, and at understanding emotions and social situations. Drama Club is one of the high points of your week, and you're definitely planning to audition for this year's play, too. It also gives you extra incentive to find Haley's phone, because Nate, the president of the Drama Club, is her brother. | |
| So that's what you love—what makes it fun to come to school every day. But it's time to be honest. What makes you want to crawl back under the covers and hide forever when you think about it? What part of school do you just hate?","For the last two years, the president of the Drama Club—and therefore the director of the play—has been Nate Johnson, Haley's twin brother. Like his sister, Nate has a taste for the classic, so he tends towards old-school plays. He's never done anything more recent than the 1980s; his most experimental production was a staged adaptation of Langston Hughes' poetry. | |
| So you're not surprised when you see posters around school advertising auditions for [i]Our Town[/i], by Thornton Wilder. | |
| It's a snapshot of life in a New Hampshire town at the beginning of the 20th century, focusing on the story of two young people, George and Emily, who fall in love and get married. It's about love, loss, family, eternity—pretty heavy stuff. Still, it's a popular choice for high school drama clubs in your area because it has so many speaking parts, and because it's easy to get into character when you're playing the residents of a small New England town. | |
| The biggest and best role is the Stage Manager. The Stage Manager narrates, comments on the action, breaks the fourth wall by speaking directly to the audience, and offers wise advice to the characters in the afterlife. Traditionally, the Stage Manager was played by a man, but in modern productions, it's not a gender-specific role.","For the last two years, the president of the Drama Club—and therefore the director of the play—has been Nate Johnson, Haley's twin brother. Like his sister, Nate has a taste for the classic, so he tends towards old-school plays. He's never done anything more recent than the 1980s; his most experimental production was a staged adaptation of Langston Hughes' poetry. | |
| So you're not surprised when you see posters around school advertising auditions for [i]Our Town[/i], by Thornton Wilder. | |
| It's a snapshot of life in a New Hampshire town at the beginning of the 20th century, focusing on the story of two young people, George and Emily, who fall in love and get married. It's about love, loss, family, eternity—pretty heavy stuff. Still, it's a popular choice for high school drama clubs in your area because it has so many speaking parts, and because it's easy to get into character when you're playing the residents of a small New England town. | |
| The biggest and best role is the Stage Manager. The Stage Manager narrates, comments on the action, breaks the fourth wall by speaking directly to the audience, and offers wise advice to the characters in the afterlife. Traditionally, the Stage Manager was played by a man, but in modern productions, it's not a gender-specific role.","That's what's on the information sheet you pick up at the Drama Club office after school, along with the sample scenes you'll read from at the audition. | |
| As you stand in front of the door, getting ready to write your name on the audition sign-up list, you hear Nate call out from inside. ""Hello?"" He leans his tall frame back in the desk chair to peer around the door, and when he sees it's you, he breaks into his usual broad smile. ""Hi, Maria. You're auditioning, right?""","So you've got a decision to make: how do you want to be involved in the play? | |
| If you want to be absolutely sure you'll have the time to scout around the stage and set up your plan for Room 014, playing the Stage Manager will give you the chance to do that. You'll be at every rehearsal. But the Stage Manager is the biggest part, which means it will be the hardest to get and the hardest to play. There will be more competition for that role than for any other, and you'll have to do a lot of work to memorize all those lines. | |
| It might be safer to go for a smaller role. There are plenty of roles that only have a couple lines, and if you aim low, you can be more confident you'll get the part you want. On the other hand, if you get a smaller role, you won't have as much time to scout around the stage. You'll hardly be at any rehearsals until tech week, so you'll have to do all your preparation in that one week. | |
| Or, if you don't want to be on stage at all, you could be on the tech crew: building sets; setting up lights and microphones; that kind of thing. Your friend Jessica is the head of the tech crew, and you're sure she'll let you help out. (She wasn't interested in it at all last year, but over the summer she got the power to turn lights on and off with her mind. Nate snapped her up for the crew immediately.) That will give you more chances to sneak around backstage—if you're playing the lead role, you'll be onstage most of the time—but like playing a smaller role, you'll have less time to set up your plan because you'll be doing most of the work near the end of the rehearsal process. | |
| What do you want to do?", | |
| psy-high,Will Nichols,"['Will', 'Will Nichols', 'Nichols']",90,3151,"1-hideandseek_613,1-hideandseek_613,1-hideandseek_707,1-hideandseek_720,1-hideandseek_629,1-hideandseek_629,1-hideandseek_765,1-hideandseek_728,1-hideandseek_738,1-hideandseek_747,1-hideandseek_756,1-hideandseek_691,1-hideandseek_849,1-hideandseek_849,1-hideandseek_855,1-hideandseek_865,1-hideandseek_870,1-hideandseek_875,1-hideandseek_935,1-hideandseek_941,1-hideandseek_948,1-hideandseek_958,1-hideandseek_982,1-hideandseek_982,1-hideandseek_974,2-usedtobefriends_31,2-usedtobefriends_76,2-usedtobefriends_108,2-usedtobefriends_114,2-usedtobefriends_135,2-usedtobefriends_1090,3-wevegotspirit_459,3-wevegotspirit_467,3-wevegotspirit_514,3-wevegotspirit_471,3-wevegotspirit_495,3-wevegotspirit_474,3-wevegotspirit_482,3-wevegotspirit_507,3-wevegotspirit_683,3-wevegotspirit_558,3-wevegotspirit_562,3-wevegotspirit_566,3-wevegotspirit_577,3-wevegotspirit_574,3-wevegotspirit_582,3-wevegotspirit_589,3-wevegotspirit_595,3-wevegotspirit_602,3-wevegotspirit_611,3-wevegotspirit_620,3-wevegotspirit_631,3-wevegotspirit_1008,3-wevegotspirit_1027,3-wevegotspirit_1104,3-wevegotspirit_1052,3-wevegotspirit_1060,4-partytime_724,4-partytime_730,5-onthetrail_160,5-onthetrail_358,5-onthetrail_471,5-onthetrail_507,5-onthetrail_500,5-onthetrail_937,6-theplaysthething_103,6-theplaysthething_129,6-theplaysthething_298,7-priorities_793,7-priorities_1149,7-priorities_830,8-openingnight_588,8-openingnight_606,9-springfever_37,9-springfever_53,9-springfever_588,9-springfever_610,9-springfever_603,9-springfever_615,9-springfever_625,10-endgame_1203,10-endgame_1869,1-hideandseek_626,10-endgame_1779,10-endgame_2190,10-endgame_2197,10-endgame_2156,10-endgame_2140,5-onthetrail_1642,5-onthetrail_1651","The view is very nice. | |
| Lisa has spotted you, too, although fortunately it doesn't look like she's noticed exactly where you were looking. | |
| ""Oh, hey, Maria,"" Lisa says with her usual friendly smile. ""How are you?"" | |
| ""Oh, hey,"" Dave echoes, almost in unison with Lisa. They come to a stop, hand-in-hand, and give you matching smiles. | |
| Okay, you've got their attention. Now it's time to ask your questions. | |
| ""Do you know if Haley's around?"" you begin. ""I need to talk to her about something, but I couldn't find her."" | |
| ""Oh, is this about one of your cases?"" Dave perks up instantly. The way he says ""case,"" he sounds like a little kid playing detective. | |
| ""Hm, have we seen Haley?"" Lisa repeats thoughtfully. ""I was in chemistry with her…"" | |
| That was first period, before the phone was stolen. No good. ""What about after that?"" you prompt. | |
| ""I think we saw her talking to Will. Didn't we?"" She turns to Dave, looking for confirmation. | |
| ""Will Nichols?"" Something tugs at the back of your mind—nothing to do with your special ability, just an old-fashioned sense that something is a little off here. What do you ask them next?","The view is very nice. | |
| Lisa has spotted you, too, although fortunately it doesn't look like she's noticed exactly where you were looking. | |
| ""Oh, hey, Maria,"" Lisa says with her usual friendly smile. ""How are you?"" | |
| ""Oh, hey,"" Dave echoes, almost in unison with Lisa. They come to a stop, hand-in-hand, and give you matching smiles. | |
| Okay, you've got their attention. Now it's time to ask your questions. | |
| ""Do you know if Haley's around?"" you begin. ""I need to talk to her about something, but I couldn't find her."" | |
| ""Oh, is this about one of your cases?"" Dave perks up instantly. The way he says ""case,"" he sounds like a little kid playing detective. | |
| ""Hm, have we seen Haley?"" Lisa repeats thoughtfully. ""I was in chemistry with her…"" | |
| That was first period, before the phone was stolen. No good. ""What about after that?"" you prompt. | |
| ""I think we saw her talking to Will. Didn't we?"" She turns to Dave, looking for confirmation. | |
| ""Will Nichols?"" Something tugs at the back of your mind—nothing to do with your special ability, just an old-fashioned sense that something is a little off here. What do you ask them next?","As in, you don't. You can't afford fancy backpacks every year. And apparently, the person with the bear patch can't, either. That narrows it down a bit. | |
| Lisa and Dave seem to be having the same thoughts. ""What about Caitlin Barnes?"" Dave asks, naming one of the kids from the wrong side of town. | |
| ""No,"" Lisa replies, shaking her head. ""Caitlin hates blue."" Does Lisa actually know everyone's favorite color? Well, that's why you went to her for information. ""Oh!"" she exclaims. ""I think Will Nichols still has his from last year.""","As in, you don't. You can't afford fancy backpacks every year. And apparently, the person with the bear patch can't, either. That narrows it down a bit. | |
| Lisa and Dave seem to be having the same thoughts. ""What about Caitlin Barnes?"" Dave asks, naming one of the kids from the wrong side of town. | |
| ""No,"" Lisa replies, shaking her head. ""Caitlin hates blue."" Does Lisa actually know everyone's favorite color? Well, that's why you went to her for information. ""Oh!"" she exclaims. ""I think Will Nichols still has his from last year.""","""Will Nichols,"" Dave repeats. ""I recognized his backpack. He's got one of those little bears on it. You know, the Grateful Dead patch things they sold at Bingham's last year?"" | |
| ""Didn't most people take off those patches at the end of last year?"" Lisa asks. There's a disappointed note in her voice, and she sighs wistfully as she adds, ""They were really cute."" | |
| ""Yeah, they did,"" Dave agrees. ""Or they got new backpacks."" | |
| Some students at Kingsport can afford new backpacks every year— straight from LL Bean, mostly—and they generally look down on the kids who can't. Dave isn't exactly snobby, but he's got money and tends to forget not everyone does. | |
| As in, [i]you[/i] don't. You can't afford fancy backpacks every year. And apparently, the person with the bear patch can't, either. Which would fit, if it's Will.", | |
| psy-high,Ms. Rivera,"['Ms. Rivera', 'Rivera']",88,3151,"2-usedtobefriends_460,2-usedtobefriends_460,2-usedtobefriends_857,2-usedtobefriends_870,2-usedtobefriends_877,2-usedtobefriends_893,2-usedtobefriends_951,2-usedtobefriends_916,2-usedtobefriends_965,2-usedtobefriends_923,2-usedtobefriends_931,2-usedtobefriends_977,2-usedtobefriends_993,2-usedtobefriends_945,3-wevegotspirit_1032,5-onthetrail_909,5-onthetrail_1037,5-onthetrail_1040,5-onthetrail_1062,5-onthetrail_1044,5-onthetrail_1050,5-onthetrail_1065,5-onthetrail_1070,5-onthetrail_1167,5-onthetrail_1177,5-onthetrail_1129,5-onthetrail_1219,5-onthetrail_1136,5-onthetrail_1275,5-onthetrail_1286,5-onthetrail_1185,5-onthetrail_1190,5-onthetrail_1211,5-onthetrail_1223,5-onthetrail_1193,5-onthetrail_1196,5-onthetrail_1199,5-onthetrail_1239,5-onthetrail_1265,5-onthetrail_1244,5-onthetrail_1248,5-onthetrail_1258,7-priorities_353,7-priorities_361,7-priorities_479,7-priorities_373,7-priorities_381,7-priorities_526,7-priorities_496,7-priorities_395,7-priorities_403,7-priorities_425,7-priorities_454,7-priorities_534,7-priorities_500,7-priorities_517,7-priorities_437,7-priorities_445,7-priorities_467,7-priorities_475,7-priorities_543,7-priorities_601,7-priorities_643,7-priorities_661,7-priorities_564,7-priorities_567,7-priorities_570,7-priorities_584,7-priorities_587,7-priorities_595,7-priorities_598,7-priorities_603,7-priorities_614,7-priorities_624,7-priorities_634,7-priorities_591,7-priorities_686,7-priorities_707,9-springfever_510,9-springfever_1013,9-springfever_1025,9-springfever_1036,10-endgame_1642,10-endgame_1662,10-endgame_1754,2-usedtobefriends_992,10-endgame_2278,10-endgame_2280","As long as she's talking to me, I'll ask a few more questions. | |
| ""Did you finish the reading for Rivera's class?"" You figure that's a good opening question—Jen mentioned having to study, and you've both got English with Ms. Rivera. You're also pretty sure the answer will be ""no""—Jen is almost never prepared for class. | |
| But to your surprise, Jen answers, ""Yes, I finished it yesterday."" A whole day ahead in reading? ""I just need to go over my notes."" Taking [i]notes[/i] on the reading? | |
| ""Wow,"" you say. ""Really?"" | |
| Jen just shrugs. ""I can't spend all my time playing. We are in school to work."" | |
| Okay, you've never heard Jen talking like that before. This is getting weirder and weirder. | |
| ""Yeah,"" you agree vaguely. ""See you tomorrow."" | |
| Jen gets in her car, and you go to yours. | |
| Your car is ancient—it used to be your grandmother's—but it still runs, and it's all yours, and you love it. | |
| Where are you going to take it?","As long as she's talking to me, I'll ask a few more questions. | |
| ""Did you finish the reading for Rivera's class?"" You figure that's a good opening question—Jen mentioned having to study, and you've both got English with Ms. Rivera. You're also pretty sure the answer will be ""no""—Jen is almost never prepared for class. | |
| But to your surprise, Jen answers, ""Yes, I finished it yesterday."" A whole day ahead in reading? ""I just need to go over my notes."" Taking [i]notes[/i] on the reading? | |
| ""Wow,"" you say. ""Really?"" | |
| Jen just shrugs. ""I can't spend all my time playing. We are in school to work."" | |
| Okay, you've never heard Jen talking like that before. This is getting weirder and weirder. | |
| ""Yeah,"" you agree vaguely. ""See you tomorrow."" | |
| Jen gets in her car, and you go to yours. | |
| Your car is ancient—it used to be your grandmother's—but it still runs, and it's all yours, and you love it. | |
| Where are you going to take it?","The first class you have with Jen—and, therefore, your first chance to talk to her—is English, third period, with Ms. Rivera. | |
| Ms. Rivera is young, funny, and smart. Even students who always say reading is boring sometimes get excited when they're in her class. When she talks about books, she somehow finds all this meaning you never saw in them. Your class has been working on [i]Romeo and Juliet[/i] for the last few weeks, and when Ms. Rivera reads Shakespeare, it sounds like real people talking. She's one of the most popular teachers in the school. | |
| Are you one of the many students who like her?","I don't usually like school or teachers, but she's great. I really want to impress her. | |
| Ms. Rivera's different from the other teachers. Something about the way she talks about books makes you get excited about learning, even when nobody else can. You can tell she believes in you, too. You want to live up to her good opinion of you.","I like all my classes, but yeah, there's something special about Ms. Rivera. She's really inspiring. | |
| You can tell a good teacher when you see one, and Ms. Rivera is definitely good. Her insights into literature make you love these texts even more—one chance remark from her will spark a dozen thoughts in your mind, and you find yourself remembering what she's said weeks later.", | |
| psy-high,Casey Bennett,"['Casey', 'Casey Bennett', 'Bennett']",71,3151,"1-hideandseek_479,3-wevegotspirit_373,3-wevegotspirit_373,3-wevegotspirit_395,3-wevegotspirit_459,3-wevegotspirit_530,3-wevegotspirit_530,3-wevegotspirit_540,3-wevegotspirit_547,3-wevegotspirit_740,3-wevegotspirit_740,3-wevegotspirit_725,3-wevegotspirit_725,3-wevegotspirit_744,3-wevegotspirit_750,3-wevegotspirit_729,3-wevegotspirit_735,3-wevegotspirit_926,3-wevegotspirit_930,3-wevegotspirit_971,3-wevegotspirit_1027,4-partytime_405,4-partytime_430,4-partytime_450,4-partytime_488,6-theplaysthething_409,7-priorities_353,7-priorities_1563,7-priorities_1419,7-priorities_1188,7-priorities_1229,7-priorities_1239,7-priorities_1251,7-priorities_1427,7-priorities_1437,7-priorities_1449,7-priorities_1194,7-priorities_1204,7-priorities_1216,7-priorities_1232,7-priorities_1243,7-priorities_1248,7-priorities_1441,7-priorities_1446,7-priorities_1208,7-priorities_1213,8-openingnight_350,8-openingnight_408,8-openingnight_408,8-openingnight_774,8-openingnight_789,9-springfever_985,9-springfever_985,9-springfever_992,9-springfever_996,10-endgame_498,10-endgame_588,10-endgame_652,10-endgame_733,10-endgame_733,10-endgame_2020,10-endgame_2024,10-endgame_2029,10-endgame_2035,9-springfever_1719,9-springfever_1730,9-springfever_1746,9-springfever_1760,9-springfever_1741,9-springfever_1752,9-springfever_1757","An invitation to my friend Casey's sweet sixteen party. It's going to be [i]the[/i] party of the year! | |
| You've got loads of friends, and your finger is on the pulse of every trend that comes through Kingsport High. You've been on the Pep Squad since ninth grade, because that's where all the popular kids hang out. | |
| But you know your position at the top of the social ladder is fragile. One false step or one outdated hairstyle and you'll be an outcast, never invited to the good parties again. | |
| So that's what you love—what makes it fun to come to school every day. But it's time to be honest. What makes you want to crawl back under the covers and hide forever when you think about it? What part of school do you just hate?","At lunchtime, as you're heading to the cafeteria, you run into Lisa—for once, without her boyfriend Dave. ""Maria!"" she calls. ""Did you hear?"" That's how Lisa and Dave start most of their conversations, especially with you. What piece of juicy information does she have for you this time, you wonder as you head over to Lisa. A breakup? A scandal? ""Ms. Clay just moved into one of those swanky new condos down by the beach!"" | |
| …a real estate deal. Uh, okay. It's not the most exciting tidbit Lisa's ever passed on to you, but you won't turn it down—you never know what information is going to come in handy. ""Do you mean Wavecrest Towers?"" you ask. | |
| ""Ugh! That place?"" Mackenzie interjects disdainfully as she passes by. | |
| Her friends Casey Bennett and Emma Woodley—one of the other pairs in the running for Cutest Couple at Kingsport High—are right next to her. ""What do you mean!"" Casey asks. She's so forcefully perky she makes everything sound like an exclamation, even questions. It makes her a great captain of the cheerleading squad, at least. ""Wavecrest Towers is nice!"" | |
| Mackenzie rolls her eyes. ""But it's totes blocking the view from my house."" That would be the view to her house's private beach.","At lunchtime, as you're heading to the cafeteria, you run into Lisa—for once, without her boyfriend Dave. ""Maria!"" she calls. ""Did you hear?"" That's how Lisa and Dave start most of their conversations, especially with you. What piece of juicy information does she have for you this time, you wonder as you head over to Lisa. A breakup? A scandal? ""Ms. Clay just moved into one of those swanky new condos down by the beach!"" | |
| …a real estate deal. Uh, okay. It's not the most exciting tidbit Lisa's ever passed on to you, but you won't turn it down—you never know what information is going to come in handy. ""Do you mean Wavecrest Towers?"" you ask. | |
| ""Ugh! That place?"" Mackenzie interjects disdainfully as she passes by. | |
| Her friends Casey Bennett and Emma Woodley—one of the other pairs in the running for Cutest Couple at Kingsport High—are right next to her. ""What do you mean!"" Casey asks. She's so forcefully perky she makes everything sound like an exclamation, even questions. It makes her a great captain of the cheerleading squad, at least. ""Wavecrest Towers is nice!"" | |
| Mackenzie rolls her eyes. ""But it's totes blocking the view from my house."" That would be the view to her house's private beach.","You don't need to use your clairvoyance to know what's going on. | |
| ""Well,"" comes a dry alto voice from behind you. You recognize the voice immediately: Ms. Clay. Of course. How much did she hear? How much trouble are you in? Slowly and reluctantly, you turn around to face her. | |
| Ms. Clay is the scariest teacher in Kingsport High. She's tall, thin, and austere, with dark hair swept back from her high forehead in a style that makes her long face look even more severe. You had algebra with her in ninth grade, and those were the most terrifying 45 minutes of every school day. Admittedly, you learned a lot of algebra, but you didn't have a lot of fun doing it. She probably hands out more detentions than all the other teachers put together, and likes to oversee detentions personally. | |
| ""I suppose that you all have first period free?"" Ms. Clay continues, looking around at your little group. ""I see no other way that you would have enough time for idle and intrusive gossip instead of productive schoolwork?"" | |
| ""[i]I[/i] have first period free!"" Mackenzie pipes up, preening in her specialness. ""I'm excused so I can get ready for the Pep Squad meeting this afternoon."" | |
| ""That's right!"" Casey adds, and Emma nods quickly, already pulling her girlfriend down the hall as Casey says, ""It's the Pep Squad meeting!"" | |
| Ms. Clay dismisses them with a noncommittal, ""Mm."" Mackenzie looks hurt that Ms. Clay isn't peppy, but she takes the opportunity to flee with Casey and Emma. | |
| That leaves only you and Lisa for Ms. Clay to fix with her severe gaze as she says, ""And you two?"" | |
| What do you say?","That's why, instead of doing your homework, hanging out at Bingham's, or drumming up a new case, you're sitting here in the gym, waiting for the Pep Squad meeting to begin. | |
| Everyone you'd expect to see is here: Mackenzie, who's the head of the Pep Squad; Casey, the head cheerleader; Lisa and Dave; the whole football team. | |
| And also, a person you really didn't expect to see: Will Nichols.", | |
| psy-high,Lisa Hargrove,"['Lisa', 'Lisa Hargrove']",54,3151,"1-hideandseek_378,1-hideandseek_378,1-hideandseek_530,1-hideandseek_538,1-hideandseek_613,1-hideandseek_635,1-hideandseek_642,1-hideandseek_654,1-hideandseek_696,1-hideandseek_707,1-hideandseek_712,1-hideandseek_720,1-hideandseek_629,1-hideandseek_669,1-hideandseek_673,1-hideandseek_677,1-hideandseek_728,1-hideandseek_738,1-hideandseek_747,1-hideandseek_756,1-hideandseek_681,1-hideandseek_691,1-hideandseek_828,1-hideandseek_849,1-hideandseek_835,1-hideandseek_840,1-hideandseek_844,3-wevegotspirit_373,3-wevegotspirit_380,3-wevegotspirit_384,3-wevegotspirit_387,3-wevegotspirit_395,3-wevegotspirit_406,3-wevegotspirit_422,3-wevegotspirit_428,3-wevegotspirit_453,3-wevegotspirit_459,3-wevegotspirit_514,3-wevegotspirit_658,3-wevegotspirit_662,3-wevegotspirit_673,3-wevegotspirit_870,3-wevegotspirit_1027,4-partytime_466,4-partytime_470,4-partytime_472,4-partytime_475,4-partytime_483,7-priorities_115,9-springfever_958,9-springfever_992,10-endgame_498,10-endgame_1762,breakup_64","Lisa Hargrove and Dave Sanders are dating each other, and they're easily the best-connected people in the junior class. They know everyone and talk to everyone. And, okay, they're the biggest gossips in the school. You learned that lesson last summer when you decided to have a small July Fourth cookout, invited Lisa and Dave, and found twenty-five extra people in your tiny backyard. Dave and Lisa don't spread secrets in a mean way; they just love talking and don't really get when to [i]not[/i] talk. So you've learned not to trust them with your secrets, but when you're trying to solve problems, they're really good sources of information. | |
| Even better, their lockers are right near yours, and you know they always come back there before lunch. All you have to do is wait. | |
| You spin the combination on your locker and open the door, pretending to look for something inside. | |
| There's some old poem you read once that says the eyes are the windows to the soul, but in Kingsport High, it's the locker door that takes that role. Everyone fills the inside of their locker door with photos, mementoes, pictures cut from magazines, and all kinds of personal things. | |
| So what do you have in yours? What's the item that says the most about who you are and how you spend your time?","Lisa Hargrove and Dave Sanders are dating each other, and they're easily the best-connected people in the junior class. They know everyone and talk to everyone. And, okay, they're the biggest gossips in the school. You learned that lesson last summer when you decided to have a small July Fourth cookout, invited Lisa and Dave, and found twenty-five extra people in your tiny backyard. Dave and Lisa don't spread secrets in a mean way; they just love talking and don't really get when to [i]not[/i] talk. So you've learned not to trust them with your secrets, but when you're trying to solve problems, they're really good sources of information. | |
| Even better, their lockers are right near yours, and you know they always come back there before lunch. All you have to do is wait. | |
| You spin the combination on your locker and open the door, pretending to look for something inside. | |
| There's some old poem you read once that says the eyes are the windows to the soul, but in Kingsport High, it's the locker door that takes that role. Everyone fills the inside of their locker door with photos, mementoes, pictures cut from magazines, and all kinds of personal things. | |
| So what do you have in yours? What's the item that says the most about who you are and how you spend your time?","You rummage casually through your locker, waiting for Lisa and Dave to come by, so you can ask them your questions. After a minute or two, you catch a flicker of movement out of the corner of your eye. It's them! | |
| You look up…and can't help admiring the view. Dave and Lisa are sure to be voted Cutest Couple in the yearbook, and not just because they're adorably attached to each other. They're easily the most attractive people in the school. | |
| But are you checking out Lisa or Dave? | |
| Whichever one you're attracted to, it's OK. Kingsport is a pretty friendly and safe place for LGBT people because it's so close to Provincetown, in a generally open-minded region. Your best friend has two moms, there's a town Pride Week every year, and nobody would blink at two boys or two girls going to the prom together. | |
| So, which one is it? Lisa, Dave, or both?",Lisa.,"The view is very nice. | |
| Lisa has spotted you, too, although fortunately it doesn't look like she's noticed exactly where you were looking. | |
| ""Oh, hey, Maria,"" Lisa says with her usual friendly smile. ""How are you?"" | |
| ""Oh, hey,"" Dave echoes, almost in unison with Lisa. They come to a stop, hand-in-hand, and give you matching smiles. | |
| Okay, you've got their attention. Now it's time to ask your questions. | |
| ""Do you know if Haley's around?"" you begin. ""I need to talk to her about something, but I couldn't find her."" | |
| ""Oh, is this about one of your cases?"" Dave perks up instantly. The way he says ""case,"" he sounds like a little kid playing detective. | |
| ""Hm, have we seen Haley?"" Lisa repeats thoughtfully. ""I was in chemistry with her…"" | |
| That was first period, before the phone was stolen. No good. ""What about after that?"" you prompt. | |
| ""I think we saw her talking to Will. Didn't we?"" She turns to Dave, looking for confirmation. | |
| ""Will Nichols?"" Something tugs at the back of your mind—nothing to do with your special ability, just an old-fashioned sense that something is a little off here. What do you ask them next?", | |
| psy-high,Dave Sanders,"['Dave', 'Dave Sanders']",43,3151,"1-hideandseek_378,1-hideandseek_378,1-hideandseek_530,1-hideandseek_560,1-hideandseek_613,1-hideandseek_635,1-hideandseek_642,1-hideandseek_654,1-hideandseek_696,1-hideandseek_707,1-hideandseek_712,1-hideandseek_720,1-hideandseek_629,1-hideandseek_669,1-hideandseek_673,1-hideandseek_677,1-hideandseek_747,1-hideandseek_756,1-hideandseek_681,1-hideandseek_691,1-hideandseek_828,1-hideandseek_849,1-hideandseek_835,1-hideandseek_840,1-hideandseek_844,3-wevegotspirit_373,3-wevegotspirit_453,3-wevegotspirit_459,3-wevegotspirit_514,3-wevegotspirit_658,3-wevegotspirit_662,3-wevegotspirit_673,3-wevegotspirit_870,3-wevegotspirit_1027,4-partytime_466,4-partytime_470,4-partytime_478,4-partytime_483,9-springfever_958,9-springfever_992,10-endgame_498,10-endgame_1762,breakup_64","Lisa Hargrove and Dave Sanders are dating each other, and they're easily the best-connected people in the junior class. They know everyone and talk to everyone. And, okay, they're the biggest gossips in the school. You learned that lesson last summer when you decided to have a small July Fourth cookout, invited Lisa and Dave, and found twenty-five extra people in your tiny backyard. Dave and Lisa don't spread secrets in a mean way; they just love talking and don't really get when to [i]not[/i] talk. So you've learned not to trust them with your secrets, but when you're trying to solve problems, they're really good sources of information. | |
| Even better, their lockers are right near yours, and you know they always come back there before lunch. All you have to do is wait. | |
| You spin the combination on your locker and open the door, pretending to look for something inside. | |
| There's some old poem you read once that says the eyes are the windows to the soul, but in Kingsport High, it's the locker door that takes that role. Everyone fills the inside of their locker door with photos, mementoes, pictures cut from magazines, and all kinds of personal things. | |
| So what do you have in yours? What's the item that says the most about who you are and how you spend your time?","Lisa Hargrove and Dave Sanders are dating each other, and they're easily the best-connected people in the junior class. They know everyone and talk to everyone. And, okay, they're the biggest gossips in the school. You learned that lesson last summer when you decided to have a small July Fourth cookout, invited Lisa and Dave, and found twenty-five extra people in your tiny backyard. Dave and Lisa don't spread secrets in a mean way; they just love talking and don't really get when to [i]not[/i] talk. So you've learned not to trust them with your secrets, but when you're trying to solve problems, they're really good sources of information. | |
| Even better, their lockers are right near yours, and you know they always come back there before lunch. All you have to do is wait. | |
| You spin the combination on your locker and open the door, pretending to look for something inside. | |
| There's some old poem you read once that says the eyes are the windows to the soul, but in Kingsport High, it's the locker door that takes that role. Everyone fills the inside of their locker door with photos, mementoes, pictures cut from magazines, and all kinds of personal things. | |
| So what do you have in yours? What's the item that says the most about who you are and how you spend your time?","You rummage casually through your locker, waiting for Lisa and Dave to come by, so you can ask them your questions. After a minute or two, you catch a flicker of movement out of the corner of your eye. It's them! | |
| You look up…and can't help admiring the view. Dave and Lisa are sure to be voted Cutest Couple in the yearbook, and not just because they're adorably attached to each other. They're easily the most attractive people in the school. | |
| But are you checking out Lisa or Dave? | |
| Whichever one you're attracted to, it's OK. Kingsport is a pretty friendly and safe place for LGBT people because it's so close to Provincetown, in a generally open-minded region. Your best friend has two moms, there's a town Pride Week every year, and nobody would blink at two boys or two girls going to the prom together. | |
| So, which one is it? Lisa, Dave, or both?",Dave.,"The view is very nice. | |
| Lisa has spotted you, too, although fortunately it doesn't look like she's noticed exactly where you were looking. | |
| ""Oh, hey, Maria,"" Lisa says with her usual friendly smile. ""How are you?"" | |
| ""Oh, hey,"" Dave echoes, almost in unison with Lisa. They come to a stop, hand-in-hand, and give you matching smiles. | |
| Okay, you've got their attention. Now it's time to ask your questions. | |
| ""Do you know if Haley's around?"" you begin. ""I need to talk to her about something, but I couldn't find her."" | |
| ""Oh, is this about one of your cases?"" Dave perks up instantly. The way he says ""case,"" he sounds like a little kid playing detective. | |
| ""Hm, have we seen Haley?"" Lisa repeats thoughtfully. ""I was in chemistry with her…"" | |
| That was first period, before the phone was stolen. No good. ""What about after that?"" you prompt. | |
| ""I think we saw her talking to Will. Didn't we?"" She turns to Dave, looking for confirmation. | |
| ""Will Nichols?"" Something tugs at the back of your mind—nothing to do with your special ability, just an old-fashioned sense that something is a little off here. What do you ask them next?", | |
| psy-high,Jessica,['Jessica'],43,3151,"1-hideandseek_974,6-theplaysthething_190,6-theplaysthething_231,6-theplaysthething_234,6-theplaysthething_242,6-theplaysthething_281,6-theplaysthething_298,6-theplaysthething_252,6-theplaysthething_259,6-theplaysthething_268,6-theplaysthething_274,6-theplaysthething_284,6-theplaysthething_293,6-theplaysthething_308,6-theplaysthething_315,6-theplaysthething_597,6-theplaysthething_605,6-theplaysthething_608,6-theplaysthething_648,7-priorities_42,7-priorities_50,7-priorities_52,7-priorities_55,7-priorities_69,7-priorities_86,8-openingnight_934,9-springfever_227,8-openingnight_1064,8-openingnight_1026,8-openingnight_1084,8-openingnight_1030,8-openingnight_1040,9-springfever_715,8-openingnight_1426,8-openingnight_1125,8-openingnight_1139,9-springfever_1163,10-endgame_1762,10-endgame_1776,6-theplaysthething_642,7-priorities_128,9-springfever_217,9-springfever_943","""Hey, Haley!"" you call. ""Catch!"" | |
| ""What?"" For a second Haley's confused at your sudden change of direction, but she does what you're supposed to do when someone says ""catch"": she raises her hands and catches. And what she catches is your phone, which you've just thrown to her. | |
| The cafeteria is dead silent now, and all eyes are on you, including Mr. Pierce's beady suspicious ones. ""What's your ringtone?"" you ask Haley. | |
| That's when the lightbulb goes on over her head. (Metaphorically, of course. To literally turn lights on and off, you'd need your friend Jessica to use her ability.) A slow grin crosses Haley's face as she says, ""Somewhere Over the Rainbow,"" and starts to dial your phone. | |
| Across the room, Will's face pales. He starts to bolt—except it's really hard to bolt when there's a crowd of gawkers around you. | |
| The opening notes of ""Somewhere Over the Rainbow"" come bouncing up into the cafeteria—from Will's backpack, of course.","So you've got a decision to make: how do you want to be involved in the play? | |
| If you want to be absolutely sure you'll have the time to scout around the stage and set up your plan for Room 014, playing the Stage Manager will give you the chance to do that. You'll be at every rehearsal. But the Stage Manager is the biggest part, which means it will be the hardest to get and the hardest to play. There will be more competition for that role than for any other, and you'll have to do a lot of work to memorize all those lines. | |
| It might be safer to go for a smaller role. There are plenty of roles that only have a couple lines, and if you aim low, you can be more confident you'll get the part you want. On the other hand, if you get a smaller role, you won't have as much time to scout around the stage. You'll hardly be at any rehearsals until tech week, so you'll have to do all your preparation in that one week. | |
| Or, if you don't want to be on stage at all, you could be on the tech crew: building sets; setting up lights and microphones; that kind of thing. Your friend Jessica is the head of the tech crew, and you're sure she'll let you help out. (She wasn't interested in it at all last year, but over the summer she got the power to turn lights on and off with her mind. Nate snapped her up for the crew immediately.) That will give you more chances to sneak around backstage—if you're playing the lead role, you'll be onstage most of the time—but like playing a smaller role, you'll have less time to set up your plan because you'll be doing most of the work near the end of the rehearsal process. | |
| What do you want to do?","Anyone can just show up and paint sets, but if you want a position with more responsibility—as in, one that will give you enough time and freedom to wander around backstage to work your magic on the Vinculum—you'll need an interview with Jessica to convince her you're competent enough to do the job.","So after school, you head to the storage closet for costumes and props, where Jessica has set up a few chairs in the corner to make an ""office,"" and prepare to make your case. | |
| Jessica is tall, with hair so dark it's almost black, a light sprinkling of freckles on her fair skin, and very bright blue eyes that always look thoughtful, as if she were constantly trying to figure out how things fit together. Which she usually is. | |
| Right now, she looks like she's trying to figure you out.","""I didn't realize you were interested in being on the crew, Maria,"" she says. ""What qualifications do you have?"" | |
| How are you going to convince Jessica you deserve to be on the stage crew?", | |
| psy-high,Colin Westbrook,"['Colin Westbrook', 'Colin', 'Westbrook']",33,3151,"5-onthetrail_515,5-onthetrail_520,5-onthetrail_520,5-onthetrail_481,5-onthetrail_489,5-onthetrail_491,5-onthetrail_494,5-onthetrail_497,5-onthetrail_500,5-onthetrail_832,5-onthetrail_832,5-onthetrail_840,5-onthetrail_850,5-onthetrail_853,5-onthetrail_863,5-onthetrail_887,5-onthetrail_884,8-openingnight_135,8-openingnight_135,8-openingnight_147,8-openingnight_152,8-openingnight_533,8-openingnight_533,8-openingnight_538,8-openingnight_566,8-openingnight_540,8-openingnight_545,8-openingnight_552,8-openingnight_558,8-openingnight_568,8-openingnight_573,5-onthetrail_1648,5-onthetrail_1651","You immediately spot a name that you've seen before: Colin Westbrook. You definitely need to talk to him. | |
| Now what?","""Colin Westbrook?"" says Haley, peering at the computer in surprise. ""He's on the newspaper staff. He's kind of overenthusiastic, but he's a good kid."" | |
| Oh, right, you remember guiltily. Colin is the frosh who nearly ran you over in the hall when you were trying to find Haley's stolen phone. You know he's willing to talk to you, at least, so maybe you can get some information out of him. | |
| Now what?","""Colin Westbrook?"" says Haley, peering at the computer in surprise. ""He's on the newspaper staff. He's kind of overenthusiastic, but he's a good kid."" | |
| Oh, right, you remember guiltily. Colin is the frosh who nearly ran you over in the hall when you were trying to find Haley's stolen phone. You know he's willing to talk to you, at least, so maybe you can get some information out of him. | |
| Now what?","Jackpot! A few of the frosh in Ms. Clay's fifth-period algebra class have been talking about their class. And… | |
| …wait, what? They think she's great. She cares about her students; she gives them extra help; she really wants them to succeed. One kid, Colin Westbrook, is a particular fan: ""She thinks I can go to Harvard!""","""Colin?"" says Haley, peering at the computer in surprise. ""He's on the newspaper. He's kind of overenthusiastic, but he's a good kid.""", | |
| psy-high,Mike Desjardins,"['Mike', 'Mike Desjardins']",33,3151,"1-hideandseek_82,6-theplaysthething_343,6-theplaysthething_350,6-theplaysthething_347,6-theplaysthething_354,6-theplaysthething_357,6-theplaysthething_360,6-theplaysthething_383,6-theplaysthething_404,6-theplaysthething_431,6-theplaysthething_365,6-theplaysthething_371,6-theplaysthething_377,6-theplaysthething_394,6-theplaysthething_400,6-theplaysthething_409,6-theplaysthething_416,6-theplaysthething_425,6-theplaysthething_597,6-theplaysthething_590,6-theplaysthething_444,6-theplaysthething_449,8-openingnight_934,8-openingnight_948,9-springfever_715,8-openingnight_1158,8-openingnight_1472,9-springfever_1219,10-endgame_637,10-endgame_1762,6-theplaysthething_421,9-springfever_949,8-openingnight_1570","Your small town of Kingsport, Massachusetts, on the northern coast of Cape Cod, has always had a reputation for being a little spooky. Summer tourists like to take the Haunted Walk through the old colonial graveyard and look for ghost lights in the harbor, and year-rounders say some witches from the Salem trials hid out in Kingsport. You used to laugh at them, until a couple months ago. | |
| Last summer, a few of your friends came back from the beach talking about weird things. Caitlin was about to get swamped by a wave when she actually pushed the water away with her hand. Simone was able to hear the ice-cream truck ringing its bell from half a mile away. Mike was reaching for his suntan lotion and the bottle flew into his hand. Everyone else thought they must have just gotten too much sun, and laughed it off. | |
| But when more and more people started telling similar stories, everyone stopped laughing. | |
| You realized something was going on with you when you were in driver's ed. You were going towards an intersection and wondered whether there were any cars coming from the side street. And just as you had the thought, you could [i]see[/i] it: another car speeding towards the intersection, too fast to stop, clearly about to run the stop sign. | |
| What did you do?","You know exactly who else is going to want the role of the Stage Manager: Mike Desjardins. At the end of the meeting, you overheard him talking to a few of his friends about which part he was going to try out for. He's been in Drama Club with you since ninth grade, so you know him pretty well. He's a good actor, smart, and ambitious—in addition to being serious about acting, he's taking a pretty challenging schedule of classes.","You ask around, and discover your main rival for the role of the Stage Manager is Mike Desjardins. He's not a very close friend of yours, but everyone knows he's smart and taking a pretty challenging schedule of classes.","In addition to having a lot of talent and brains, Mike's also got an ability: he has telekinesis, the power to move objects just by thinking about it.","In addition to having a lot of talent and brains, Mike's also got an ability: he has telekinesis, the power to move objects just by thinking about it.", | |
| psy-high,Tara Brown,"['Tara', 'Tara Brown']",23,3151,"2-usedtobefriends_965,2-usedtobefriends_931,2-usedtobefriends_941,2-usedtobefriends_945,3-wevegotspirit_530,7-priorities_353,7-priorities_479,7-priorities_390,7-priorities_420,7-priorities_449,7-priorities_395,7-priorities_403,7-priorities_425,7-priorities_454,7-priorities_463,9-springfever_1013,9-springfever_1013,9-springfever_1016,9-springfever_1021,10-endgame_640,10-endgame_750,10-endgame_767,10-endgame_767","Laughter erupts around you as the world fades back in. ""No, Maria,"" Ms. Rivera sighs patiently. ""Mercutio was not, in fact, motivated by corn chips."" | |
| You shrink down into your seat, embarrassment crawling over you. Worst of all, you can hear Tyler's laugh—his beautiful, beautiful laugh—above it all. | |
| ""Tara, can you help us out?"" Ms. Rivera continues. | |
| Tara has an answer, of course, because she was actually listening to the question instead of having a virtual snoop through someone else's backpack. ""I don't think Mercutio thought very much before he acted,"" she begins. | |
| And the discussion takes off.","No. Maybe I could have if I'd done the homework. | |
| ""Um,"" you begin, and stop. | |
| Ms. Rivera waits to see if there's anything else. | |
| There isn't. | |
| Ms. Rivera sighs sadly and shakes her head. ""Who can help us out? Tara?"" | |
| Oops.","""He was competitive,"" you say. ""Always fighting."" You're pretty sure he was the one who died in that swordfight? | |
| ""He liked fighting with words, too,"" Tara offers. Whew. Could she tell you really needed a save right about now? You flash her a grateful grin across the room and let out a sigh of relief as other people pick up the discussion.","""He was, um. Well, you know, he was…"" You stumble and stammer, wheels frantically spinning in your brain—but no, you can't remember a thing about Mercutio. You can barely remember who he is! Is he the priest guy? Or Romeo's friend? Or…. | |
| ""All right,"" Ms. Rivera sighs, looking up to scan the rest of the room. ""Tara, can you help us out?"" | |
| Oops.","I'll help the cheerleaders and football players coordinate their formations. | |
| They're the focus of the pep rally, so it's important for them to be in top condition. The football players will need dramatic entrances and exits, and the cheerleaders should do their best and most complicated moves. | |
| You head out to find the cheerleaders first. They're practicing just outside the gym, under the forceful yet perky leadership of their captain, Casey Bennett. Megaphone in hand, bright red ponytail bouncing as she moves, she paces up and down the row of girls, counting out the rhythms as they go through a complicated series of dance moves. ""Five-six-seven-eight! Up! Down! Over—oh, come [i]on[/i], Serena, that is the third time you've screwed that up! You go in [i]front[/i] of Tara!"" Casey casts an exasperated look up at the heavens. ""Look, just take five. And come back ready to do some real work!"" | |
| The cheerleaders scatter, and you head over. ""Hi, Casey."" | |
| ""Oh! Hi, Maria!"" Even at her most exasperated, Casey still gives you a perky grin. | |
| ""You know, I was thinking you could do a lot more here,"" you begin. ""I mean, I know that routine isn't working out for you,"" you add sympathetically, nodding over at the unhappy cheerleaders, ""but maybe you just need to try something new, to get the squad's energy back up."" | |
| ""Like what?"" Casey asks.", | |
| psy-high,Mom,['Mom'],14,3151,"2-usedtobefriends_656,2-usedtobefriends_713,2-usedtobefriends_748,4-partytime_1418,4-partytime_1448,7-priorities_118,7-priorities_1685,7-priorities_1811,7-priorities_1749,7-priorities_1842,10-endgame_257,10-endgame_270,10-endgame_1697,breakup_70","""Hi, Mom."" I go over to give her a hug. ""Yeah, it was okay. Kinda long, though. I'm glad I'm home."" | |
| Mom hugs you back very tightly. ""I'm glad you're home too,"" she says and gives you a kiss on the cheek. | |
| You wish you could tell Mom exactly [i]why[/i] your day has been so long: the investigation; the clairvoyance; and worrying about whether Mr. Pierce knows about your abilities. It's awful having to keep secrets from your parents. | |
| But you can't tell them, so you just hug them and talk with them about the things you can.","Hardly ever. We have a really good relationship. | |
| It's pretty rare for a teenager to get along with their parents as well as you do. You know exactly how lucky you are to have such a good relationship. You know your parents trust you completely, and you know with equal confidence you can count on them no matter what. | |
| It really hurts that you haven't been able to tell them about your clairvoyance, because you hate keeping secrets from them. You hope someday you'll be able to tell them everything. | |
| You give Mom one last hug, and head up to your room.","""Oh,"" Mom calls as you start up the stairs, ""don't forget about the scholarship competitions!"" | |
| You can't really forget. Mom and Dad have been reminding you about them every day since junior year started. They're probably more excited about the Kingsport Scholar and Kingsport Athlete awards than you are—which you suppose you can't blame them for, considering how worried they are about money.","You pull into the driveway at midnight exactly. Whew! | |
| Through the living room window, you can see the flicker of the TV. Good thing you're home on time, because it looks like at least one of your parents waited up for you. | |
| It's Mom, you discover, as you open the door. ""Hi, honey. Glad you're home okay. How was the party?"" | |
| ""Fine,"" is all you can manage to say, because you really can't tell her the whole truth. | |
| You give Mom a kiss, go upstairs, and fall into bed, your mind still spinning with everything that's happened tonight.","and it works! | |
| What little noise you make is drowned out by the TV. You manage to get up to your room without Mom ever knowing you were there. | |
| In the morning, you can claim you came home before your curfew, and she just didn't hear you come in—it's half true, at least! But for now, you fall into bed, your mind still spinning with everything that's happened tonight.", | |
| psy-high,Dad,['Dad'],12,3151,"2-usedtobefriends_630,2-usedtobefriends_748,7-priorities_69,7-priorities_102,7-priorities_118,7-priorities_1685,7-priorities_1734,7-priorities_1749,7-priorities_1827,10-endgame_270,10-endgame_1697,7-priorities_1777","""Yeah, pretty good,"" I shrug. I don't think she's actually interested in anything that happened. She's just making conversation. | |
| That's how it always happens: Mom and Dad ask how your day was, you say it was okay, and you all go your separate ways. Maybe there's something comforting in the routine—they always say the same thing, and you always say the same thing back—but you're not actually talking about anything. | |
| ""That's good."" Mom's smile is already turning vague again. She can't help sneaking a worried look back at the calculator, as if she's hoping the numbers have changed while she wasn't looking.","""Oh,"" Mom calls as you start up the stairs, ""don't forget about the scholarship competitions!"" | |
| You can't really forget. Mom and Dad have been reminding you about them every day since junior year started. They're probably more excited about the Kingsport Scholar and Kingsport Athlete awards than you are—which you suppose you can't blame them for, considering how worried they are about money.","As you glance up, you see Nate's eyes on you: he's definitely noticed you're not paying attention to Jessica. | |
| Are you going to text Dad back?","I'll turn off my phone. Dad won't be happy, but I should concentrate on the meeting. | |
| You know Dad expects prompt replies to his texts, but you've got more than enough to concentrate on right now, Plus, you really don't want to be That Person who texts through every meeting. Nate gives you a satisfied nod as you turn off your phone.","The good news is that for the rest of the meeting, you've only got two things vying for your attention: Nate's speech and your magic. You manage to drop a few threads into the Vinculum, and you hope you at least looked like you were paying attention to Nate. | |
| The bad news is that when you turn your phone back on, it's full of texts, including another one from Dad. One from Mom, too. One from Haley, with the latest count of ""model citizens"" who have joined the Prom Committee.", | |
| psy-high,Steve Marquez,"['Steve Marquez', 'steve', 'Steve']",12,3151,"3-wevegotspirit_434,3-wevegotspirit_806,9-springfever_1002,9-springfever_1002,10-endgame_498,10-endgame_767,10-endgame_767,10-endgame_745,10-endgame_1985,10-endgame_2045,10-endgame_2018,10-endgame_2055","Usually, it's only the Pep Squad, football players, and cheerleaders who work on the rally, but this year you've been recruited to help out too. Your friend Steve Marquez has been sitting out the football season this year with an injury, so he's working on the Pep Squad instead. You owed him a favor—he helped sell tickets for the big soccer game against Charlestown earlier this season—and he called it in. | |
| Oh well. At least you'll get to help out another sports team, and you'll get to go to the Pep Squad party after the rally. It's usually one of the biggest parties of the year.","I frown defensively. ""I'm only doing it because steve asked me to."" | |
| ""Well, good for you,"" Carl says, rolling his eyes. ""But, c'mon, do you really [i]like[/i] it?""","Steve Marquez, captain of the football team. | |
| The football season is long over, but the team still hangs out together at lunchtime. You push your way through the crowd of varsity jackets and pull Steve aside. | |
| ""Hey, Maria, what's up?"" | |
| ""I wanted to see if you could help out with something at the prom. I'm going to need a crowd of strong people, and that seems like it's right up your alley. Can you get the rest of the team on board?"" | |
| You and Steve have helped each other out before, so it's not unusual for you to ask him a favor, but you're not surprised when he finds this request slightly odd. Mostly because it is slightly odd. ""Is this one of your cases?"" he asks. | |
| ""Yeah, sort of."" It is a case, when you get right down to it. A really big case. | |
| Steve shrugs. ""Sure. Sounds good. But you owe me one, right?"" | |
| ""You got it."" | |
| You've got the football team on your side!","Steve Marquez, captain of the football team. | |
| The football season is long over, but the team still hangs out together at lunchtime. You push your way through the crowd of varsity jackets and pull Steve aside. | |
| ""Hey, Maria, what's up?"" | |
| ""I wanted to see if you could help out with something at the prom. I'm going to need a crowd of strong people, and that seems like it's right up your alley. Can you get the rest of the team on board?"" | |
| You and Steve have helped each other out before, so it's not unusual for you to ask him a favor, but you're not surprised when he finds this request slightly odd. Mostly because it is slightly odd. ""Is this one of your cases?"" he asks. | |
| ""Yeah, sort of."" It is a case, when you get right down to it. A really big case. | |
| Steve shrugs. ""Sure. Sounds good. But you owe me one, right?"" | |
| ""You got it."" | |
| You've got the football team on your side!","Under the bright stars in the darkness of a spring evening, the junior class of Kingsport High—and a few assorted non-junior dates—walk up the gangplank of the huge boat to begin the prom. | |
| Strings of sparkling lights wrap around the railings of the boat and outline a glittering archway at the entrance to the dance floor, which takes up almost the entire upper deck. Belowdecks there are a few private rooms where people can go for quiet moments away from the dancing—there's a game room and one with couches for talking—but most of the action will take place here, under the stars. | |
| You've done enough research on the boat to know which rooms will have the best access to the Nexus, and to locate the bridge, where the boat's pilot will be. There's also a private room for the Gold Crown Team, of course. | |
| In the meantime, though, everyone is dancing, laughing, and parading around in tuxes and gowns. Lisa and Dave are wrapped in each other's arms, slowdancing to every song, even the fast ones. Casey and Emma wear shimmery gowns and radiant grins as they mingle with the popular crowd. Mackenzie makes sure everyone notices her, too—she's with Steve, captain of the football team.", | |
| psy-high,Mr. Farmer,['Mr. Farmer'],10,3151,"5-onthetrail_1298,5-onthetrail_1305,5-onthetrail_1311,5-onthetrail_1314,5-onthetrail_1321,5-onthetrail_1329,5-onthetrail_1349,5-onthetrail_1355,5-onthetrail_1341,5-onthetrail_1338","Cheery whistling, echoing through the empty tiled hallways, and the creak of wheels as Mr. Farmer, the janitor, pushes his bucket and mop down the corridor. | |
| Mr. Farmer is a pretty nice person. You know this for a fact because his wife works with your dad. | |
| So the good thing is he probably won't report you to Ms. Clay or Mr. Pierce. The bad thing is he might report you to your dad. | |
| You shrink back against the wall, trying your hardest to move silently past Mr. Farmer.","""Hey!"" | |
| You freeze. | |
| Slowly, you turn towards the sound of that deep voice…to see Mr. Farmer, staring right at you. ""Who's there? What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be on school grounds this late at night. No students are."" | |
| What now?","I'll try to convince him that I have permission to be here. | |
| ""Oh, hi, Mr. Farmer!"" you say, stepping out into the center of the corridor. ""I'm working on the newspaper."" Haley will back you up if Mr. Farmer asks her—you think. You hope? ""I was going down to the archives to look at some back issues. You know, research."" You give Mr. Farmer your most winning and responsible-looking smile.","To your great relief, Mr. Farmer nods. ""Okay. You stay out of trouble, you hear?"" He chuckles paternally at his own words. ""And say hello to your dad for me."" | |
| ""I will!"" you promise quickly. | |
| And you leave even more quickly. | |
| Whew.","Mr. Farmer frowns. ""Really? Somehow I find that hard to believe.""", | |
| psy-high,Sam Beeman,"['Sam Beeman', 'Sam']",10,3151,"2-usedtobefriends_541,2-usedtobefriends_541,2-usedtobefriends_405,2-usedtobefriends_413,2-usedtobefriends_419,2-usedtobefriends_546,2-usedtobefriends_549,2-usedtobefriends_552,7-priorities_112,7-priorities_121","You're not sure if talking to Jen directly is the best plan right now—you might have better luck talking to someone else first. The first person who springs to mind is Sam Beeman, one of Jen's closest friends on the soccer team. | |
| You easily catch her after soccer practice as she's coming out of the locker room. ""Hey, Sam,"" you say. ""Do you know—is Jen okay?"" | |
| ""I don't know,"" Sam says, shaking her head. ""She's been acting wicked strange the last couple days. I mean, she's playing [i]great[/i]! I can't argue with that. If she can get through the whole game this Saturday with no yellow cards, that would be awesome! But…it's weird. She's been quiet. Not like usual. You know how she's always joking around and stuff?"" You nod. Jen's sense of humor is legendary. ""Well, she's been super serious. She won't talk about anything but school. We were supposed to go out last night to—""","You're not sure if talking to Jen directly is the best plan right now—you might have better luck talking to someone else first. The first person who springs to mind is Sam Beeman, one of Jen's closest friends on the soccer team. | |
| You easily catch her after soccer practice as she's coming out of the locker room. ""Hey, Sam,"" you say. ""Do you know—is Jen okay?"" | |
| ""I don't know,"" Sam says, shaking her head. ""She's been acting wicked strange the last couple days. I mean, she's playing [i]great[/i]! I can't argue with that. If she can get through the whole game this Saturday with no yellow cards, that would be awesome! But…it's weird. She's been quiet. Not like usual. You know how she's always joking around and stuff?"" You nod. Jen's sense of humor is legendary. ""Well, she's been super serious. She won't talk about anything but school. We were supposed to go out last night to—""","I'm not worrying about my own game so much today. I'm just focusing on watching Jen. | |
| You run your warmup laps right behind Jen. You're on her tail through every goal-kicking exercise, and every passing and receiving drill. Every one of Jen's moves is flawlessly precise—she's so sharp she practically turns at right angles. | |
| Actually, you could almost swear she [i]does[/i] turn at right angles a few times. That's kinda weird. | |
| The only trouble is, you're so focused on Jen your own game starts to slip. Sam kicks the ball your way, but it sails right past you. As you're scrambling and chasing after it, you hear Coach shouting, ""Washington! Get your head into the game!"" | |
| Okay, so maybe it isn't your greatest day on the field. It's probably not even in the top hundred. But you make sure Jen doesn't make a single move without you seeing it.","In our last game, I missed Sam's signal that she was sending the ball my way. I want to work on communicating with my teammates. | |
| If a player misses their teammates' signals, then everyone suffers. You need to know how to look for those little signs: how to see when another player is angling your way; how to catch their glance without taking your eye off the ball; how to read changes in your teammates' expressions. That's what you focus on today: one eye on the ball; one eye on your teammates' faces. | |
| This time, you're ready. Your eye catches Sam's across the field, so your foot is there to stop the ball when she kicks it towards you. Without missing a beat, you send the ball sailing into the net. ""All right, Washington!"" Sam cheers.","I haven't been scoring nearly as many goals as I'd like. I want to make sure I score in the big game. | |
| Today, it's all about you. | |
| Every time the ball comes near you, your foot strikes out to catch it. Every pass that comes your way, you send sailing towards the net. | |
| ""Thanks a lot, Washington!"" Sam grumbles sarcastically, as you snatch yet another shot away from her. | |
| Not all your shots go in, and you get a few glares sent your way along with the ball, but you're sure you've had the ball more than anyone else in this practice.", | |
| psy-high,Simone Varney,"['Simone', 'Simone Varney']",10,3151,"1-hideandseek_82,6-theplaysthething_103,6-theplaysthething_112,6-theplaysthething_129,6-theplaysthething_298,8-openingnight_588,8-openingnight_606,10-endgame_551,10-endgame_2156,10-endgame_2140","Your small town of Kingsport, Massachusetts, on the northern coast of Cape Cod, has always had a reputation for being a little spooky. Summer tourists like to take the Haunted Walk through the old colonial graveyard and look for ghost lights in the harbor, and year-rounders say some witches from the Salem trials hid out in Kingsport. You used to laugh at them, until a couple months ago. | |
| Last summer, a few of your friends came back from the beach talking about weird things. Caitlin was about to get swamped by a wave when she actually pushed the water away with her hand. Simone was able to hear the ice-cream truck ringing its bell from half a mile away. Mike was reaching for his suntan lotion and the bottle flew into his hand. Everyone else thought they must have just gotten too much sun, and laughed it off. | |
| But when more and more people started telling similar stories, everyone stopped laughing. | |
| You realized something was going on with you when you were in driver's ed. You were going towards an intersection and wondered whether there were any cars coming from the side street. And just as you had the thought, you could [i]see[/i] it: another car speeding towards the intersection, too fast to stop, clearly about to run the stop sign. | |
| What did you do?","Now that you know what's going on in Room 014, you can see the signs of it everywhere. | |
| Simone, who always used to cut your history class, got 100 on the last exam. | |
| Matt, who always used to wear ripped jeans, now wears neat polo shirts and khakis. (Just like Will. [i]Exactly[/i] like Will, in fact—the same outfit. Same as Jen, too.) | |
| The conversation you overheard in the cafeteria between two kids who used to spend all their free time in the art studio: ""Yeah, I dropped art class from my schedule,"" one said in a calm, neutral tone. | |
| ""I don't blame you,"" said the other. ""It's really not practical. We need to think about the big picture."" | |
| A month ago, they both thought art was the most important thing in the world—it was how they were going to change the world, stop injustice, open people's minds. Now, all they care about is practicality. The only extracurriculars they want to join are the student government, the Prom Committee, and the Gold Crown Team.","And the biggest change of all: everyone who's been to Room 014 is serious. | |
| Simone used to be one of the biggest jokers in the whole school, but she hasn't laughed in weeks and didn't even crack a smile when she got a perfect score on that history exam. She just nodded and folded the exam paper neatly into her notebook. The only time you've seen her look even remotely happy was when Mr. Pierce stopped her in the hall and told her that she was shaping up to be a ""real model citizen."" | |
| That's when she smiled.","Alison digs despondently into her bowl of mint chip. ""It was Miguel and Jeff. They said choir was taking time away from studying, and they needed to think about college and—"" | |
| ""The big picture,"" you both finish together. | |
| ""Yeah,"" Alison agrees. ""Pretty much in those same exact words."" Just like Will. Just like Jen. Just like Simone. | |
| ""But don't people need extracurriculars if they're going to get into college?"" you ask between bites of Rocky Road. | |
| Alison grimaces. ""They do,"" she agrees. ""Miguel's joining student government instead. It will show ambition and leadership, he said."" She quotes her former choirmate with a bitter twist that sounds out of place for Alison's gentle voice. ""Miguel [i]loved[/i] singing! And now he doesn't even care. What are we going to do about this, Maria?""","I'll tell her what's going on in Room 014. She's got magic too, so I'm sure she'll be concerned. | |
| It's a big risk to tell anyone about your plan, but you're pretty sure you can trust Jessica to stand by you when you're defending against a threat to people with powers. She's been teased for her abilities, and she's good friends with both Nate and Haley. | |
| ""Can I tell you something?"" you ask carefully. ""In private? In confidence?"" | |
| Jessica gives you a curious little frown. ""All right…"" | |
| You make sure nobody's in the hallway, close the door to the props room, and come back to sit across from Jessica again. ""Look,"" you begin. ""I understand why you're surprised I'm volunteering. I haven't done anything like this before. The real reason I need to be on the crew is so I can get into that broom closet off of Room 014 without any teachers getting suspicious."" | |
| Jessica looks a bit suspicious herself. ""What?"" | |
| ""You know how people have been acting different lately?"" you continue. Jessica nods, frown deepening. ""It's because there's something in Room 014 that's affecting people's minds. Kids who get in trouble get sent to detention, and they come back acting different. And people like us are being targeted more than others."" You see Jessica's hands tense and her eyes sharpen warily—she knows what you mean by ""people like us."" | |
| ""That's what happened to Will Nichols and Simone Varney. We're in danger, Jessica, you and me and everyone like us. I need access to the stage because Room 014 is directly below it."" | |
| There—you've said it. Now all you can do is hold your breath, waiting, while Jessica studies you with that analytical gaze of hers and decides.", | |
| psy-high,Caitlin Barnes,"['Caitlin', 'Caitlin Barnes']",9,3151,"1-hideandseek_82,1-hideandseek_707,1-hideandseek_707,1-hideandseek_720,1-hideandseek_720,1-hideandseek_681,1-hideandseek_681,1-hideandseek_691,4-partytime_609","Your small town of Kingsport, Massachusetts, on the northern coast of Cape Cod, has always had a reputation for being a little spooky. Summer tourists like to take the Haunted Walk through the old colonial graveyard and look for ghost lights in the harbor, and year-rounders say some witches from the Salem trials hid out in Kingsport. You used to laugh at them, until a couple months ago. | |
| Last summer, a few of your friends came back from the beach talking about weird things. Caitlin was about to get swamped by a wave when she actually pushed the water away with her hand. Simone was able to hear the ice-cream truck ringing its bell from half a mile away. Mike was reaching for his suntan lotion and the bottle flew into his hand. Everyone else thought they must have just gotten too much sun, and laughed it off. | |
| But when more and more people started telling similar stories, everyone stopped laughing. | |
| You realized something was going on with you when you were in driver's ed. You were going towards an intersection and wondered whether there were any cars coming from the side street. And just as you had the thought, you could [i]see[/i] it: another car speeding towards the intersection, too fast to stop, clearly about to run the stop sign. | |
| What did you do?","As in, you don't. You can't afford fancy backpacks every year. And apparently, the person with the bear patch can't, either. That narrows it down a bit. | |
| Lisa and Dave seem to be having the same thoughts. ""What about Caitlin Barnes?"" Dave asks, naming one of the kids from the wrong side of town. | |
| ""No,"" Lisa replies, shaking her head. ""Caitlin hates blue."" Does Lisa actually know everyone's favorite color? Well, that's why you went to her for information. ""Oh!"" she exclaims. ""I think Will Nichols still has his from last year.""","As in, you don't. You can't afford fancy backpacks every year. And apparently, the person with the bear patch can't, either. That narrows it down a bit. | |
| Lisa and Dave seem to be having the same thoughts. ""What about Caitlin Barnes?"" Dave asks, naming one of the kids from the wrong side of town. | |
| ""No,"" Lisa replies, shaking her head. ""Caitlin hates blue."" Does Lisa actually know everyone's favorite color? Well, that's why you went to her for information. ""Oh!"" she exclaims. ""I think Will Nichols still has his from last year.""","As in, you don't. You can't afford fancy backpacks every year. And apparently, the person with the bear patch can't, either. That narrows it down a bit. | |
| Lisa and Dave seem to be having the same thoughts. ""What about Caitlin Barnes?"" Dave asks, naming one of the kids from the wrong side of town. | |
| ""No,"" Lisa replies, shaking her head. ""Caitlin hates blue."" Does Lisa actually know everyone's favorite color? Well, that's why you went to her for information. ""Oh!"" she exclaims. ""I think Will Nichols still has his from last year.""","As in, you don't. You can't afford fancy backpacks every year. And apparently, the person with the bear patch can't, either. That narrows it down a bit. | |
| Lisa and Dave seem to be having the same thoughts. ""What about Caitlin Barnes?"" Dave asks, naming one of the kids from the wrong side of town. | |
| ""No,"" Lisa replies, shaking her head. ""Caitlin hates blue."" Does Lisa actually know everyone's favorite color? Well, that's why you went to her for information. ""Oh!"" she exclaims. ""I think Will Nichols still has his from last year.""", | |
| psy-high,Emma Woodley,"['Emma Woodley', 'Emma']",9,3151,"3-wevegotspirit_373,3-wevegotspirit_390,3-wevegotspirit_395,8-openingnight_774,10-endgame_498,10-endgame_733,10-endgame_733,10-endgame_1762,10-endgame_2035","At lunchtime, as you're heading to the cafeteria, you run into Lisa—for once, without her boyfriend Dave. ""Maria!"" she calls. ""Did you hear?"" That's how Lisa and Dave start most of their conversations, especially with you. What piece of juicy information does she have for you this time, you wonder as you head over to Lisa. A breakup? A scandal? ""Ms. Clay just moved into one of those swanky new condos down by the beach!"" | |
| …a real estate deal. Uh, okay. It's not the most exciting tidbit Lisa's ever passed on to you, but you won't turn it down—you never know what information is going to come in handy. ""Do you mean Wavecrest Towers?"" you ask. | |
| ""Ugh! That place?"" Mackenzie interjects disdainfully as she passes by. | |
| Her friends Casey Bennett and Emma Woodley—one of the other pairs in the running for Cutest Couple at Kingsport High—are right next to her. ""What do you mean!"" Casey asks. She's so forcefully perky she makes everything sound like an exclamation, even questions. It makes her a great captain of the cheerleading squad, at least. ""Wavecrest Towers is nice!"" | |
| Mackenzie rolls her eyes. ""But it's totes blocking the view from my house."" That would be the view to her house's private beach.","How can Ms. Clay afford a luxury condo on a public-school teacher's salary? ""Is she married?"" you wonder out loud. Having a second income would help. ""Or the heir to some fortune? But if she's an heiress, then why is she teaching [i]here[/i]?"" | |
| That's when you notice everyone around you has gone uncomfortably silent. | |
| Uh-oh? | |
| Emma darts an anxious look over your shoulder at something—or someone—behind you. | |
| Yup. Uh-oh.","You don't need to use your clairvoyance to know what's going on. | |
| ""Well,"" comes a dry alto voice from behind you. You recognize the voice immediately: Ms. Clay. Of course. How much did she hear? How much trouble are you in? Slowly and reluctantly, you turn around to face her. | |
| Ms. Clay is the scariest teacher in Kingsport High. She's tall, thin, and austere, with dark hair swept back from her high forehead in a style that makes her long face look even more severe. You had algebra with her in ninth grade, and those were the most terrifying 45 minutes of every school day. Admittedly, you learned a lot of algebra, but you didn't have a lot of fun doing it. She probably hands out more detentions than all the other teachers put together, and likes to oversee detentions personally. | |
| ""I suppose that you all have first period free?"" Ms. Clay continues, looking around at your little group. ""I see no other way that you would have enough time for idle and intrusive gossip instead of productive schoolwork?"" | |
| ""[i]I[/i] have first period free!"" Mackenzie pipes up, preening in her specialness. ""I'm excused so I can get ready for the Pep Squad meeting this afternoon."" | |
| ""That's right!"" Casey adds, and Emma nods quickly, already pulling her girlfriend down the hall as Casey says, ""It's the Pep Squad meeting!"" | |
| Ms. Clay dismisses them with a noncommittal, ""Mm."" Mackenzie looks hurt that Ms. Clay isn't peppy, but she takes the opportunity to flee with Casey and Emma. | |
| That leaves only you and Lisa for Ms. Clay to fix with her severe gaze as she says, ""And you two?"" | |
| What do you say?","At the end of the day, you meet up with Tyler as you always do, taking a few minutes to sit together on the front steps and bask in the sun—and in the contentment of being seen by everyone in the school as they file past you—before you each go off to your respective extracurriculars. | |
| ""You know, I've been thinking about the prom…"" you begin. | |
| That's all the opening Tyler needs. His face instantly breaks into a gorgeously excited grin as he says, ""So have I! It's going to be amazing, isn't it? Absolutely the best event of the year. I've been thinking about what to wear—and we're going to do a limo, right?"" he interrupts himself to ask, words tripping over each other in their rush to get out. ""We can go in on it with Casey and Emma if you want. What do you think?""","Under the bright stars in the darkness of a spring evening, the junior class of Kingsport High—and a few assorted non-junior dates—walk up the gangplank of the huge boat to begin the prom. | |
| Strings of sparkling lights wrap around the railings of the boat and outline a glittering archway at the entrance to the dance floor, which takes up almost the entire upper deck. Belowdecks there are a few private rooms where people can go for quiet moments away from the dancing—there's a game room and one with couches for talking—but most of the action will take place here, under the stars. | |
| You've done enough research on the boat to know which rooms will have the best access to the Nexus, and to locate the bridge, where the boat's pilot will be. There's also a private room for the Gold Crown Team, of course. | |
| In the meantime, though, everyone is dancing, laughing, and parading around in tuxes and gowns. Lisa and Dave are wrapped in each other's arms, slowdancing to every song, even the fast ones. Casey and Emma wear shimmery gowns and radiant grins as they mingle with the popular crowd. Mackenzie makes sure everyone notices her, too—she's with Steve, captain of the football team.", | |
| psy-high,Emily Webb,"['Emily', 'Emily Webb']",8,3151,"1-hideandseek_293,6-theplaysthething_169,6-theplaysthething_455,6-theplaysthething_455,6-theplaysthething_541,8-openingnight_1149,8-openingnight_1113,8-openingnight_1122",Emily.,"For the last two years, the president of the Drama Club—and therefore the director of the play—has been Nate Johnson, Haley's twin brother. Like his sister, Nate has a taste for the classic, so he tends towards old-school plays. He's never done anything more recent than the 1980s; his most experimental production was a staged adaptation of Langston Hughes' poetry. | |
| So you're not surprised when you see posters around school advertising auditions for [i]Our Town[/i], by Thornton Wilder. | |
| It's a snapshot of life in a New Hampshire town at the beginning of the 20th century, focusing on the story of two young people, George and Emily, who fall in love and get married. It's about love, loss, family, eternity—pretty heavy stuff. Still, it's a popular choice for high school drama clubs in your area because it has so many speaking parts, and because it's easy to get into character when you're playing the residents of a small New England town. | |
| The biggest and best role is the Stage Manager. The Stage Manager narrates, comments on the action, breaks the fourth wall by speaking directly to the audience, and offers wise advice to the characters in the afterlife. Traditionally, the Stage Manager was played by a man, but in modern productions, it's not a gender-specific role.","The day of the Drama Club auditions rolls around, and everyone who's trying out files into the auditorium as soon as the last bell rings. You're uncomfortably aware of how few people are there. Maybe this will mean you'll have an easier time getting the part you want? | |
| You're also unhappily aware that Mackenzie is there. Of course, she wants to play Emily Webb, one member of the young couple whose love story is the central arc of the plot. Emily gets the big tearjerking moment at the end when, from the afterlife, she says goodbye to the world she's leaving now that she's died. | |
| ""Goodbye to clocks ticking,"" Mackenzie recites, with a little catch in her voice. ""And Mama's sunflowers, and food, and coffee…"" | |
| You hate to admit it, but Mackenzie's a good actor.","The day of the Drama Club auditions rolls around, and everyone who's trying out files into the auditorium as soon as the last bell rings. You're uncomfortably aware of how few people are there. Maybe this will mean you'll have an easier time getting the part you want? | |
| You're also unhappily aware that Mackenzie is there. Of course, she wants to play Emily Webb, one member of the young couple whose love story is the central arc of the plot. Emily gets the big tearjerking moment at the end when, from the afterlife, she says goodbye to the world she's leaving now that she's died. | |
| ""Goodbye to clocks ticking,"" Mackenzie recites, with a little catch in her voice. ""And Mama's sunflowers, and food, and coffee…"" | |
| You hate to admit it, but Mackenzie's a good actor.","As soon as the final bell rings on Tuesday, you dash towards the stage door, along with everyone else who auditioned for [i]Our Town[/i]. | |
| ""I got it!"" Mackenzie squeals happily. ""I'm playing Emily!"" The boy who's playing George, Emily's eventual husband, looks happy. You wouldn't be so happy in his shoes, having to spend that much time pretending to be in love with Mackenzie, but thankfully, you're not in his shoes. | |
| You push your way to the front of the crowd and scan the list for your name….", | |
| psy-high,Taylor,['Taylor'],8,3151,"6-theplaysthething_715,6-theplaysthething_720,6-theplaysthething_741,6-theplaysthething_762,6-theplaysthething_736,6-theplaysthething_769,7-priorities_137,7-priorities_125","Two days later, as you're walking into school, your phone buzzes with a text. It's from Alison: 'hey, where were you last night? tried to call but no answer. are you ok?' | |
| Oops. The truth is, you were with Taylor last night. You'd turned off your phone because you didn't want any interruptions while you were making out. | |
| What do you say to Alison?","'sorry! phone must have been turned off.' It's the truth, at least? | |
| 'ok' Alison texts back. 'see you tonight?' | |
| You think quickly—no, you don't have plans with Taylor tonight. 'sure!' you text back. | |
| Whew. That was close. Going out with more than one person is harder than you thought, but you're managing to pull it off. You just hope neither Alison nor Taylor realizes you're going out with the other one, too, or things could get messy.","'parents took phone away. AGAIN.' It's believable. | |
| A second later you get a text in response: 'sucks! glad you've got it back. see you tonight?' | |
| You think quickly—no, you don't have plans with Taylor tonight. 'sure!' you text back. | |
| Whew. That was close. Going out with more than one person is harder than you thought, but you're managing to pull it off. You just hope neither Alison nor Taylor realizes you're going out with the other one, too, or things could get messy.","'really sorry. won't happen again.' It won't, because I'm going to break up with Taylor.","A few minutes later you get a text back from Alison: 'fine. whatever.' | |
| It sounds like Alison isn't too happy with you. Whatever. You don't want to deal with Alison now. So you don't. | |
| You keep telling yourself you don't care, but in the back of your mind there's a nagging thought: going out with more than one person is harder than you thought. You hope neither Alison nor Taylor realizes you're going out with the other one, too, or things could get messy.", | |
| psy-high,Vinculum,['Vinculum'],8,3151,"7-priorities_1339,7-priorities_1545,7-priorities_1017,7-priorities_838,9-springfever_37,9-springfever_53,8-openingnight_163,10-endgame_2190","""…dealing with Ms. Clay and the Vinculum."" | |
| Carl snorts again. ""Right. Fighting to make the school a better place. How about making [i]us[/i] better?"" | |
| ""This is important!"" you persist. Why doesn't Carl understand? | |
| ""Yeah, whatever,"" Carl shrugs. ""I shouldn't have brought it up. Should've known you'd be all focused on your crusade."" Carl offers a slightly weaker version of his usual crooked smile. ""I like that you care about it so much. But I miss you."" | |
| ""I know,"" you sigh.","""…dealing with Ms. Clay and the Vinculum."" | |
| ""I know that's important to you,"" Tyler sighs. ""I do. But what about me?","For seconds that feel like centuries, you struggle, desperately trying to hold onto yourself. | |
| And, somehow, you do. | |
| You feel another rush of magical energy coming from inside yourself, more energy than you knew you had. It gives you the strength to claw your way up out of that pool of overwhelming light. | |
| When you open your eyes, Ms. Clay is watching you warily. Can she tell you managed to resist the Vinculum? You're not sure, but you don't dare risk letting her know. | |
| ""Thank you, Ms. Clay,"" you say, in as blank and neutral a voice as you can manage. ""You've helped me a great deal."" | |
| She smiles. ""Welcome to the Gold Crown Team, Maria."" | |
| She thinks you've actually been affected by the Vinculum! This means you can undermine the Gold Crown Team—and Ms. Clay and Mr. Pierce—from within. | |
| You're about to start playing a very dangerous game, but if you win it, you'll achieve something truly great.","I don't want to submit to the Vinculum. I'll just be on the Gold Crown Team. | |
| Fair enough. One thing at a time.","When you arrive at school on Monday morning, the air feels lighter somehow. You didn't realize until it was gone, but the Vinculum's influence ran subtly throughout Kingsport High. Now it's entirely gone. | |
| What about the people who were under the Vinculum's influence, like Will and Jen? You're not sure what will happen to them, but you hope they'll return to normal now that the Vinculum is gone. | |
| What you do know for certain is Mr. Pierce and Ms. Clay aren't happy. Mr. Pierce stalks through the halls with an even angrier look on his face than usual, and you overhear him shouting at a frightened-looking frosh, ""I'd send you to detention if I thought it would do any good!"" | |
| He turns away and storms off down the hall, pausing only when he passes a poster that reads ""Junior Prom: A Night To Remember."" He gives it a thin smile and moves on.", | |
| psy-high,George Gibbs,"['George', 'George Gibbs']",7,3151,"6-theplaysthething_169,6-theplaysthething_541,6-theplaysthething_440,8-openingnight_934,8-openingnight_951,8-openingnight_954,8-openingnight_1463","For the last two years, the president of the Drama Club—and therefore the director of the play—has been Nate Johnson, Haley's twin brother. Like his sister, Nate has a taste for the classic, so he tends towards old-school plays. He's never done anything more recent than the 1980s; his most experimental production was a staged adaptation of Langston Hughes' poetry. | |
| So you're not surprised when you see posters around school advertising auditions for [i]Our Town[/i], by Thornton Wilder. | |
| It's a snapshot of life in a New Hampshire town at the beginning of the 20th century, focusing on the story of two young people, George and Emily, who fall in love and get married. It's about love, loss, family, eternity—pretty heavy stuff. Still, it's a popular choice for high school drama clubs in your area because it has so many speaking parts, and because it's easy to get into character when you're playing the residents of a small New England town. | |
| The biggest and best role is the Stage Manager. The Stage Manager narrates, comments on the action, breaks the fourth wall by speaking directly to the audience, and offers wise advice to the characters in the afterlife. Traditionally, the Stage Manager was played by a man, but in modern productions, it's not a gender-specific role.","As soon as the final bell rings on Tuesday, you dash towards the stage door, along with everyone else who auditioned for [i]Our Town[/i]. | |
| ""I got it!"" Mackenzie squeals happily. ""I'm playing Emily!"" The boy who's playing George, Emily's eventual husband, looks happy. You wouldn't be so happy in his shoes, having to spend that much time pretending to be in love with Mackenzie, but thankfully, you're not in his shoes. | |
| You push your way to the front of the crowd and scan the list for your name….","""You can do better than that, can't you?"" You give him an encouraging grin. ""You're good enough to get a much bigger role. You could play George, or even the Stage Manager.""","Monday is the beginning of tech week—the last week before opening night. There are rehearsals and tech crew meetings every day, starting at the end of school and ending when the run-through of the play finishes or when Nate and Jessica are satisfied, whichever comes last. | |
| The group that gathers in the auditorium on Monday is smaller than it was when rehearsals started two months ago. As the number of model citizens has grown, the number of actors, artists, and costumers has shrunk. Every rehearsal and tech crew meeting begins with an uneasy roll call as Nate and Jessica see who's dropped out this time. | |
| Tonight, Nate is looking for Antonio. ""Has anyone seen him?"" Nate calls, shading his eyes against the stage lights as he peers out over the auditorium seats. | |
| Antonio is the boy playing George Gibbs, one of the leads. He's usually very punctual—if he's not here at the beginning of the rehearsal, something must really be wrong. Has he really dropped out less than a week before the show? | |
| Mike Desjardins speaks up from the back row. ""I heard he got into the Gold Crown Team."" | |
| ""What?"" Nate's voice spikes up, sharp anger and fear lifting it out of its usual steady calm. Nate knows what that means. Everyone does. | |
| ""He's dropping out?"" Mackenzie wails. ""How can he do that to me?"" | |
| What do you say to that?","""He's doing that [i]now[/i]? What the—"" Nate bites off the end of whatever he was going to say, and runs a hand over his hair as he tries to pull himself together. ""Okay. I guess…I guess I'll play George until Antonio comes back,"" he decides. | |
| But you all know Antonio isn't coming back.", | |
| psy-high,Antonio,['Antonio'],6,3151,"8-openingnight_934,8-openingnight_951,10-endgame_516,10-endgame_536,10-endgame_551,10-endgame_2156","Monday is the beginning of tech week—the last week before opening night. There are rehearsals and tech crew meetings every day, starting at the end of school and ending when the run-through of the play finishes or when Nate and Jessica are satisfied, whichever comes last. | |
| The group that gathers in the auditorium on Monday is smaller than it was when rehearsals started two months ago. As the number of model citizens has grown, the number of actors, artists, and costumers has shrunk. Every rehearsal and tech crew meeting begins with an uneasy roll call as Nate and Jessica see who's dropped out this time. | |
| Tonight, Nate is looking for Antonio. ""Has anyone seen him?"" Nate calls, shading his eyes against the stage lights as he peers out over the auditorium seats. | |
| Antonio is the boy playing George Gibbs, one of the leads. He's usually very punctual—if he's not here at the beginning of the rehearsal, something must really be wrong. Has he really dropped out less than a week before the show? | |
| Mike Desjardins speaks up from the back row. ""I heard he got into the Gold Crown Team."" | |
| ""What?"" Nate's voice spikes up, sharp anger and fear lifting it out of its usual steady calm. Nate knows what that means. Everyone does. | |
| ""He's dropping out?"" Mackenzie wails. ""How can he do that to me?"" | |
| What do you say to that?","""He's doing that [i]now[/i]? What the—"" Nate bites off the end of whatever he was going to say, and runs a hand over his hair as he tries to pull himself together. ""Okay. I guess…I guess I'll play George until Antonio comes back,"" he decides. | |
| But you all know Antonio isn't coming back.","In a private room at the bow of the boat, you and Alison mingle with the rest of the Gold Crown Team. It's a very quiet group: nobody is dancing; nobody is admiring each other's clothes or joking about getting dressed up. Instead, they're talking about school. Alison seems perfectly at ease: she's holding an earnest conversation with Antonio—who used to be in the drama club before he became a model citizen—about college applications and summer internships. | |
| What about you? Are you feeling at ease in this company?","In a private room at the bow of the boat, you mingle with the rest of the Gold Crown Team. It's a very quiet group: nobody is dancing; nobody is admiring each other's clothes or joking about getting dressed up. Instead, they're talking about school. You spot Jen holding an earnest conversation with Antonio—who used to be in the drama club before he became a model citizen—about college applications and summer internships.","Angry. It's horrible how all these people have been brainwashed. | |
| It's hard to keep the emotions from showing on your face as you look around the Gold Crown Team: Jen and Simone, who were always laughing; Antonio and Jeff, who were committed to their art. Now they're all expressionless, bland, focused only on scholarships.", | |
| psy-high,Randall Pierce,"['Randall Pierce', 'Randall']",6,3151,"1-hideandseek_935,5-onthetrail_459,10-endgame_1335,10-endgame_1387,10-endgame_1619,10-endgame_1514","No matter what happens, you know Alison always has your back. You're sure she will help you by following Will invisibly for a little while. | |
| You catch sight of Alison across the room, near the windows—she is tall and blonde, always easy to spot. Just as you're about to wave to her, though, you stop. It looks like she's talking to the principal, Mr. Pierce—or rather, Mr. Pierce is talking to her. And Mr. Pierce is not happy. | |
| Not that Mr. Pierce is ever really happy. | |
| Randall Pierce is the new principal; he just started this year, and he's full of plans to turn Kingsport High around: raising standardized test scores; making sure everyone gets into college; reducing behavior problems; making Kingsport High the best school in the whole state. The highest praise you can possibly get from Mr. Pierce is to be called a ""model citizen."" He's very big on citizenship—there are rumors he wants to run for governor in a couple years. | |
| When you see him now, he's standing over Alison, somehow managing to look taller than her, even though he's a couple inches shorter. ""I've got your number, Faulkner,"" Mr. Pierce says, beady eyes full of suspicion. ""You think you can get away with things? You think you can just steal from people and nobody will [i]see[/i] you?""","Along with Janet Clay, one of the owners of that Wavecrest Towers unit is a company called Nexus, Inc. | |
| Corporations are a matter of public record, so it's much easier to find information about that. It turns out that the founder and sole shareholder of Nexus, Inc. is Randall Pierce—as in, the principal. | |
| You stare at the screen. ""Whoa.""","But then Ms. Clay breaks calmly in. ""What is happening is that things are finally being set right. Randall, you don't care about your students. You only care about your own ambition. You need some lessons in citizenship, I think."" | |
| ""What?"" Mr. Pierce gasps. ""Janet! What are you doing?"" | |
| ""I'm making this school a better place,"" she replies. ""That's what I thought that you wanted to do all along, but I was wrong. No matter. I have the students on my side, and I will make sure that everything is set right.""","You're greeted with a beamingly proud smile from Ms. Clay and a round of applause from the Gold Crown Team. ""Well done, Maria."" | |
| You see Mr. Pierce in a corner, surrounded by the Gold Crown Team, sputtering in useless indignation while Ms. Clay strides confidently towards the door. ""Randall, I will expect your resignation within twenty-four hours,"" she says over her shoulder. ""Students, you may as well enjoy the rest of the prom.""","""But it didn't work,"" Ms. Clay answers. When your vision clears, Mr. Pierce is backed into a corner, shaky with exhaustion, and Ms. Clay stands imposingly over him. ""Well,"" she says briskly. ""Randall, if you're finished, perhaps we can get on with the real business of taking care of these students? I don't believe we'll be needing you anymore.""", | |
| psy-high,Ryan Daye,"['Ryan Daye', 'Ryan']",5,3151,"2-usedtobefriends_213,2-usedtobefriends_222,2-usedtobefriends_269,2-usedtobefriends_274,2-usedtobefriends_283","So at the end of the day, you go where Carl asked you to meet him: the back of the school, at the door near the cafeteria. | |
| Carl is there, just as you expected, lounging against the brick wall with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He's talking to Ryan Daye, who's rumored to be one of Carl's frequent buyers.","Still, you have to admit, Carl's not bad-looking—thick dark curly hair, sharp cheekbones, and tons of confidence. | |
| You're too far away to hear what Carl is saying to Ryan, but you see Carl snap his fingers and a tiny burst of flame leap up.","The flame dances on the end of Carl's finger as he touches it to the tip of his cigarette. Usually Carl would let it go after that, but he keeps the flame burning, moving his hand back and forth, a lazy smile on his lips as he watches the flame. | |
| Then, in a sudden burst of motion, Carl launches off the wall. One hand snatches the cigarette away and the other—the one with the flame—points straight at Ryan's face. Ryan springs back instinctively, eyes widening in shock. ""Whoa—"" Ryan begins. | |
| ""Don't you 'whoa' me!"" Carl shouts. ""Don't you [i]talk[/i] to me! You listen!"" Slowly, Carl brings up his hand, the flame flickering ever closer to Ryan's face. ""You [i]listen[/i]."" It's a hiss now, but just as furious as the shout. ""I know you've been buying and selling on the side. You don't do that. Nobody does that! Nothing gets sold in this school unless it goes through me."" | |
| Carl falters mid-sentence as something catches the edge of his vision—as [i]you[/i] catch the edge of his vision, as a matter of fact. Carl catches your eye, and for just a moment, his expression changes. There's recognition. Relief. And…a little softness, too? Whatever it was, it's gone in the next second.","""Get the hell away from me,"" Carl growls at Ryan. The flame winks out, and Carl pushes Ryan's chest with both hands. ""We're done."" | |
| Ryan staggers back, feet scrabbling frantically to keep his balance. He's still moving backward when he starts to run away. | |
| That leaves you and Carl alone. He tilts his head to look back towards you, and his chin jerks up in a sort of reverse nod of greeting. | |
| What do you do?",I stay back. No way am I going to risk Carl shouting at me the way he did to Ryan., | |
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