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Call’s perpetual scowl, ray eyes ell known to his neighbors He liked to skateboard, although it had taken his fro outside the s of the coame store Even the et him after he’d snuck past the clerk at the local pet store during the May Day Parade and taken a nad mole rat destined to be fed to a boa constrictor He’d felt sorry for the blind and wrinkly creature that seemed unable to help itself -- and, in the name of fairness, he’d also released all the white mice ould have been next on the snake’s dinner menu

He’d never expected the mice to run amok under the feet of the paraders, but mice aren’t very smart He also hadn’t expected the onlookers to run from the mice, but people aren’t too smart either, as Call’s father had explained after it was all over It wasn’t Call’s fault that the parade had been ruined, but everyone -- especially the mayor -- acted like it was On top of that, his father had ive back the

As far as he was concerned, it was aleted in the stiff chair in front of the principal’s office, wondering if he’d be back at school toain, he went over all the various ways he was supposed to e’s test -- ideally, as spectacularly as possible His dad had listed the options for failure again and again: Make yourthat’s the opposite of what those monsters want Or focus your mind on someone else’s test instead of your own Call rubbed his calf, which had been stiff and painful in class that rew, the e’s test -- whatever it was -- would be easy to fail

Just down the hall, he could hear other kids in gy wood of the floor, their voices raised as they shouted taunts to one another He wished just once that he got to play He ht not have been as fast as other kids or as able to keep his balance, but he was full of restless energy He was exe; even in elementary school, when he’d tried to run or jump or climb at recess, one of the monitors would come over and remind him that he needed to slon before he hurt himself If he kept at it, they would h a couple of bruises were the h his leg was going to get worse

Call sighed and stared out through the glass doors of the school to where his father would be pulling up soon He owned the kind of car you couldn’t ht silver Nobody else in town had anything like it Call’s father ran an antique store on Main Street called Now and Again; there was nothing he likedthe, he had to tinker with it al Call to wash it and put so

The Rolls-Royce worked perfectly … unlike Call He looked down at his sneakers as he tapped his feet against the floor When he earing jeans like this, you couldn’t tell there was anything wrong with his leg, but you could sure tell the ery after surgery since he was a baby, and all sorts of physical therapy, but nothing had really helped He still walked with a sliding li on a boat that was rolling from side to side

When he was younger, he’d sometimes played that he was a pirate, or even just a brave sailor with a peg leg, going doith a sinking ship after a long cannon fight He’d played pirates and ninjas, cowboys and alien explorers

But not ever any gaic

Never that

He heard the ruan to rise to his feet -- only to return to the bench in annoyance It wasn’t his dad, just an ordinary red Toyota A rade, hurried past him, a teacher beside her

"Good luck at your ballet tryouts," Ms Keht, thanks," Kylie said, then looked over at Call oddly, as though she were evaluating hi characteristics, along with her shining blond hair and unicorn backpack When they were in the halls together, her gaze slid past him like he was invisible

With an even weirder andhalf wave, she headed out to the Toyota He could see both her parents in the front seats, looking anxious