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Chapter 21

"JEN!"

I juooey rice

"Oh, whoa," Tina said "It worked! I never thought it would actually work!"

Jen&039;s eyes were closed, but the lids shuddered like a sleeper&039;s in a frantic dream I steadied her head between my hands

"Jen? Can you hearthem weakly Her mouth moved, and I bent closer

"I&039;m a tapanese jen-year-old," she said

"Huh?"

"A Japanese ten-year-old, I mean"

Her eyes opened She blinked

"Hi, Hunter Whoa That was cool"

"That was not cool!" I said

Jen giggled

"Should I call 911?" Tina asked, her pet phone in hand In the adrenaline rush of the moment, I noticed quite clearly that it had pink plastic ears on either side of the antenna

"No, I&039;m fine" Jen pulled herself up into rip on my shoulders felt weak and shaky

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah I feel great, actually" Her voice dropped to a whisper "I&039;ve got it now I knohat&039;s going on"

"Huh?"

"Just take me home I&039;ll tell you there"

Tina was freaked out, but the shock had definitely reset her to Tokyo ti anytiized to each other four or five tiave you a seizure!" "Sorry I drooled on your carpet") and then we left

We walked toward Jen&039;s house, her weight againstof epilepsy-inducing flashes, the slow passage of car headlights and ns seemed as stately as a sunset

"I feel like such a wimp"

"Don&039;t be silly It could&039;ve happened to anybody"

"Oh, yeah? I didn&039;t see you getting all drooly and spastic"

"Well, I wasn&039;t sitting as close as you were And I was squinting"

"Cheater"

I shrugged, re that I had in fact looked away at the exact "

"What is?"

"Being a tapanese jen-year-old Remember what Tina said: The effect works best on people whose brains aren&039;t fully developed yet"

"Gee, thanks"

"What I mean is, maybe that&039;s why you&039;re an Innovator Because you don&039;t see things the same way as everybody else You&039;re like a kid You rewire your own brain all the time So a little paka-paka has more of a chance with you"

She stopped in front of her building, turning to face me, a broad s anyone&039;s ever said to me"

"Well, it&039;s just - "

She kissed th suddenly returned, her lips firue slid across hts swept across us, and she turned her head away from them, as if suddenly shy But the sain," I said

"I will" Her hands joined across er, ent inside

When Jen opened the door to her apart at the kitchen table, a flour sifter in her hand giving off angry puffs of white Her hair tied back, she wore a Yale sweatshirt with rolled-up sleeves and running pants, her hands white to the elbow When she looked at us, I saw our black-tie finery spark a well-tended annoyance, possibly that of an older sister orks full-tier sister who doesn&039;t work at all

"Hi, Ehed, her hand falling from mine "No, that&039;s why I left a note"

"Are you okay, Jen? You look like shit"

"Long night But thanks for saying so"

E at my torn sleeve, Jen&039;s shorn head

"Back to a buzz cut, huh? Where did you guys go, anyway?"

"A launch party"