Read Online Among the Imposters by Margaret Peterson Haddix - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Margaret Peterson Haddix
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woods, when nobody’s around,” jackal boy taunted.
“So you’re admitting you’re nobody?” the girl said.
One of the boys beside jackal boy made a frustrated grunt “Why do we bother talking to them?” he asked.
Luke saw jackal boy dig his elbow into the other boy’s ribs.
“I’ll be noble and ignore that,” jackal boy said loftily to the girl. “Naturally, we don’t expect you to offer us any assistance in this matter. But we thought it was in everybody’s best interest to keep you informed.”
The girl sat down, and the other girls followed her lead.
“So inform us.”
“The new boy—” jackal boy started.
“Has he got a name?” the girl interrupted.
“He’s registered as Lee Grant,” jackal boy said.
Luke noticed how he said that. “Registered as.. .“ Not, “His name is . . .“ Did jackal boy suspect?
“I looked him up,” jackal boy continued. “His dad’s in charge of National Gas and Electric. Filthy rich. And he’s switched schools a lot”
“That could fit,” the girl said.
“But he doesn’t seem like he has autism or any of the other disorders. I don’t think he’s even agoraphobic.”
Luke didn’t even try to puzzle out the unfamiliar words. Jackal boy was still talking.
“Trey over there saw him coming in from outside this afternoon.”
“He was outside?” the girl asked. She sounded amazed, maybe even impressed. “Out here? In the woods? During the day?”
“Don’t know,” jackal boy said. Luke felt almost triumphant at the note of misery in the boy’s voice. But Luke was confused. Had jackal boy and his friends destroyed the garden without even knowing it belonged to Luke? Or was jackal boy lying?
“They didn’t see him until he was back inside,” jackal boy continued. “He—you know—he doesn’t like looking right at the door.”
“Great guard system you got going there,” the girl said.
“Shut up, Nina!” one of the boys yelled. Luke guessed it was They.
“Don’t call me that!” the girl—Nina?—yelled back. Why would she have a name she didn’t want to be called?
And then Luke understood. He, too, had a name he hated. He hated it because it was fake. And so was hers.
“Nina” was another former shadow child. She had to be.
Luke looked with new eyes at the group sitting in front of him in the dark woods. They must all be illegal third children using false identities. Luke’s heart gave a jump. At last, he’d found others like him. He’d found a place to belong.
Luke started to move out from behind the tree, to reveal himself Finally he’d found other kids to talk to about how hard it was pretending to be someone else. Finally he’d found other kids who would know how tough it was to come out of hiding. Finally he’d found other kids he could trust, as he’d trusted Jen. They could grieve for Jen with him.
Then he remembered: He was almost certain these were the ones who’d destroyed his garden.
Luke stayed put
“All right, all right,” jackal boy was saying. “Calm down. The point is, this kid, this ‘Lee,’ doesn’t fit any of the profiles.”
“Did you give him the test?” Nina asked.
“Um, well, there was a little problem—” jackal boy said hesitantly.
“Go ahead and say it!” They burst out furiously. “I flubbed the whole thing! I don’t know why you make me guard that spot!”
“Because you’re the bravest one,” jackal boy said. Luke recognized that tone: It was the same sort of wheedling voice that Luke’s brothers had used on him when they
wanted him to do something unpleasant, like clean out the hog pen or spread manure on the garden.
Trey turned and faced Nina directly. “I left the door open, but I couldn’t stand to be that close to it. I walked down the hall. Just for a minute! When I got back, this Lee kid was nowhere in sight”
Left the door open.. . Suddenly Luke understood. That first time he’d noticed the door, when it was ajar, it had been a test
“So you’re admitting you’re nobody?” the girl said.
One of the boys beside jackal boy made a frustrated grunt “Why do we bother talking to them?” he asked.
Luke saw jackal boy dig his elbow into the other boy’s ribs.
“I’ll be noble and ignore that,” jackal boy said loftily to the girl. “Naturally, we don’t expect you to offer us any assistance in this matter. But we thought it was in everybody’s best interest to keep you informed.”
The girl sat down, and the other girls followed her lead.
“So inform us.”
“The new boy—” jackal boy started.
“Has he got a name?” the girl interrupted.
“He’s registered as Lee Grant,” jackal boy said.
Luke noticed how he said that. “Registered as.. .“ Not, “His name is . . .“ Did jackal boy suspect?
“I looked him up,” jackal boy continued. “His dad’s in charge of National Gas and Electric. Filthy rich. And he’s switched schools a lot”
“That could fit,” the girl said.
“But he doesn’t seem like he has autism or any of the other disorders. I don’t think he’s even agoraphobic.”
Luke didn’t even try to puzzle out the unfamiliar words. Jackal boy was still talking.
“Trey over there saw him coming in from outside this afternoon.”
“He was outside?” the girl asked. She sounded amazed, maybe even impressed. “Out here? In the woods? During the day?”
“Don’t know,” jackal boy said. Luke felt almost triumphant at the note of misery in the boy’s voice. But Luke was confused. Had jackal boy and his friends destroyed the garden without even knowing it belonged to Luke? Or was jackal boy lying?
“They didn’t see him until he was back inside,” jackal boy continued. “He—you know—he doesn’t like looking right at the door.”
“Great guard system you got going there,” the girl said.
“Shut up, Nina!” one of the boys yelled. Luke guessed it was They.
“Don’t call me that!” the girl—Nina?—yelled back. Why would she have a name she didn’t want to be called?
And then Luke understood. He, too, had a name he hated. He hated it because it was fake. And so was hers.
“Nina” was another former shadow child. She had to be.
Luke looked with new eyes at the group sitting in front of him in the dark woods. They must all be illegal third children using false identities. Luke’s heart gave a jump. At last, he’d found others like him. He’d found a place to belong.
Luke started to move out from behind the tree, to reveal himself Finally he’d found other kids to talk to about how hard it was pretending to be someone else. Finally he’d found other kids who would know how tough it was to come out of hiding. Finally he’d found other kids he could trust, as he’d trusted Jen. They could grieve for Jen with him.
Then he remembered: He was almost certain these were the ones who’d destroyed his garden.
Luke stayed put
“All right, all right,” jackal boy was saying. “Calm down. The point is, this kid, this ‘Lee,’ doesn’t fit any of the profiles.”
“Did you give him the test?” Nina asked.
“Um, well, there was a little problem—” jackal boy said hesitantly.
“Go ahead and say it!” They burst out furiously. “I flubbed the whole thing! I don’t know why you make me guard that spot!”
“Because you’re the bravest one,” jackal boy said. Luke recognized that tone: It was the same sort of wheedling voice that Luke’s brothers had used on him when they
wanted him to do something unpleasant, like clean out the hog pen or spread manure on the garden.
Trey turned and faced Nina directly. “I left the door open, but I couldn’t stand to be that close to it. I walked down the hall. Just for a minute! When I got back, this Lee kid was nowhere in sight”
Left the door open.. . Suddenly Luke understood. That first time he’d noticed the door, when it was ajar, it had been a test
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