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And then salvation arrives in a most unlikely form

"Hi, Didi!"

It's Alexis, the talkative girl fro at her shoulder "People pull the alarot out of Math"

Suddenly the policeht there, miss"

Alexis looks stunned "Who, me?"

"Step aside We'd like to ask you a few questions"

Risa walks right on past, holding her breath for fear that her gasp of relief er fits the profile of what they're looking forbut Alexis does! Risa doesn't look back; she just continues down the steps to the street

In a few moments Connor catches up with her "I sahat happened back there Your friend may have just saved your life"

"I'll have to thank her later"

Up ahead, Hannah reaches into her pocket with her free hand, pulls out her car keys, then turns left toward the faculty parking lot It's all going to be okay, Risa thinks She's going to get us out of here Risa elsAnd then she hears a familiar voice behind her

"Wait! Stop!"

She turns to see Lev--he's spotted the his way through the croard them

"Risa! Connor! Wait!"

It wasn't enough to just turn the the cops directly to them--and he's not the only one Alexis still stands with the policeman at the school's side entrance From where she stands she can easily see Risa, and she points Risa out to the cop The cop instantly pulls out his radio to inform the other officers

"Connor, we're in trouble"

"I know--I see it too"

"Wait!" screa closer

Risa looks for Hannah, but she's vanished into the crowd of kids in the parking lot

Connor looks at Risa, fear overwhel the fury in his eyes "Run"

This ti toward the street just as a fire truck bursts onto the scene, siren blaring The truck stops right in their path There's nowhere to run The fire alarotten the instead of , and cops in every direction zero in on the two of the even worse than a fire alarm

The answer comes even before Risa can formulate the entire idea in herwhat she's about to say

"Start clapping!"

"What?"

"Start clapping Trust le nod froing his hands together, slowly at first, then more andas if they were at a concert cheering for their favorite band

And beside them, a student drops his backpack and stares at them in utter horror

"Clappers!" he screams

In an instant the word is out

ClappersClappersClappers

It echoes in the kids around them In an instant it reaches critical mass, and the entire crowd is in lull-blown panic

"Clappers!" everyone screams, and the crowd becoo All they know is that they et away from the school as quickly as possible

Risa and Connor continue to clap, their hands red fro in blind terror, the cops can't get to them Lev has vanished, tra isout the end of the world

They stop clapping and join the sta crowd

That's when so theone, so she quickly hands Risa the baby

"There's an antique shop on Fle Street," she tells them "Ask for Sonia She can help you"

"We're not clappers," is all Risa can think to say

"I know you're not Good luck"

There's no time to thank her In aHannah in a different direction Risa stumbles and realizes they're in the middle of the street Traffic has come to a halt as hundreds of kids race in a mad frenzy to escape the terrorists, wherever they are The baby in Risa's ar compared to the screaone with the crowd

18 Lev

This is the truefeet of a sta crowd

"Risa! Connor! Help!"

He should never have called out their nae that now They ran from him when he called They didn't wait--they ran They hate him They knohat he did Now hundreds of feet race over Lev like he's not there His hand is stoboards off of hireater speed

Clappers They're all screa about clappers, just because he pulled the stupid alarm